The "regular" iPhone 16 and its bigger Plus variant debuted on September 9 alongside their more expensive Pro siblings. We have already published a separate Specs Appeal article for the iPhone 16 Pro series, so it is now time to look at the difference between the iPhone 16, iPhone 15, and iPhone 14, as well as their bigger variants.
Last year"s iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are universally considered pretty minor updates, with the most interesting changes being the Dynamic Island and USB-C. This year, though, Apple changed a bit more. We have a new design, new physical controls, more powerful internals, and improved cameras.
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Starting with the design, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus feature much brighter colors and a redesigned camera module. Now, cameras are aligned vertically, a nod to the original iPhone XS with its vertical dual-camera setup. Rumors say Apple changed the camera orientation to allow spatial video recording for the Apple Vision Pro.
Besides new colors and a reworked camera module, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have two new physical controls: one is the Action Button from last year"s iPhone 15 Pro lineup (rest in peace, Mute Switch), and another is so-called "Camera Control." The latter is a physical button with a capacitive touch area that lets you control different camera settings, zoom in, adjust exposure, take photos, record videos, and more. In the future, holding the button will invoke Visual Intelligence—a special feature for identifying objects around you.
The iPhone 16 is powered by the A18 chip with 8GB of RAM, a 2GB increase over the predecessor. This makes the new smartphone eligible for all Apple intelligence features. Interestingly, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and older models do not support all those fancy AI capabilities, which is quite surprising for an Apple product.
Camera upgrades on the iPhone 16 include a 2x "optical-quality" telephoto option (the smartphone crops the picture from 48MP to 12MP) and an ultra-wide 12MP camera with autofocus and macro support. Also, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus can now record Spatial Audio for the Apple Vision Pro.
While the A18 processor in the iPhone 16 is slightly less exciting than the A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro lineup, it still delivers plenty of horsepower. There is an improved Neural Engine that is twice the speed of the A16 processor in the iPhone 15. The processor itself uses about 30% less power than the A16, and the 5-core GPU boasts a 40% performance improvement while being 35% more efficient. Besides, the A18 features hardware-accelerated ray tracing.
Here are key changes summed up in a list:
- New colors
- New Action Button and Camera Control
- New A18 processor with 8GB of RAM
- Updated 48 Fusion camera
- Wi-Fi 7 support
- Better battery life
- Qi 2 support
- Faster wired and wireless charging
| iPhone 16 / 16 Plus | iPhone 15 / 15 Plus | iPhone 14 / 14 Plus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.1" 2556x1179 2000 nits peak brightness Dynamic Island | 6.7" 2796x1290 2000 nits peak brightness Dynamic Island | 6.1" 2556x1179 2000 nits peak brightness Dynamic Island | 6.7" 2796x1290 2000 nits peak brightness Dynamic Island | 6.1" 2532x1170 800 nits max brightness Notch | 6.7" 2778x1284 800 nits max brightness Notch |
| Case | Aluminum Action Button Camera Control | Aluminum Mute Switch | ||||
| CPU | 6-core A18 5-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine | 6-core A16 Bionic 5-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine | 6-core A15 Bionic | |||
| RAM | 8GB | 6GB | ||||
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | |||||
| Main Cameras | 48MP Fusion + 12MP ultra-wide f/1.6 + f/2.2 aperture Sensor-shift OIS | 48MP Wide + 12MP ultra-wide Sensor-shift OIS | 12MP wide + 12MP ultra-wide
Sensor-shift OIS | |||
| Front Camera | 12MP f/1.9 aperture Photonic Engine Photographic Styles Smart HDR 5 Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | 12MP f/1.9 aperture | ||||
| Video Recording | Cinematic mode with shallow depth of field at 4K HDR 30 fps Action Mode HDR video at 4K 60 fps Sensor-shift OIS | |||||
| Connectivity | GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+ 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) Wi-Fi 7 Second-gen UWB chip Bluetooth 5.3 Emergency SOS via satellite Crash detection | GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+ 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) Wi-Fi 6 Second-gen UWB chip Bluetooth 5.3 Emergency SOS via satellite Crash detection | GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+ | |||
| SIM | No physical SIM Dual eSIM support | |||||
| Battery | TBD mAh 22h video playback | TBD mAh 27h video playback | 3349 mAh 20 h video playback | 4383 mAh 26 h video playback | 3279 mAh 20 h video playback | 4323 mAh 26 h video playback |
| Ports and charging | USB-C 2.0 25W MagSafe wireless charging 15W Qi2 Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter. | USB-C 2.0, MagSafe and Qi Up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with a 20W adapter. | Lightning, MagSafe and Qi Up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with a 20W adapter. | |||
| Colors | Black, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine | Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, Black | Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight, Product(RED) | |||
| Price | $799+ | $899+ | $799+ | $899+ | $799+ | $899+ |
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will be available for preorder on Friday, September 13. Shipments begin on Friday, September 20.
Are you buying one?