Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 series, including the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The latest line of iPhones offers considerable upgrades over their predecessors, the iPhone 15 series phones.
The vanilla iPhone 16 gets the all-new Action button, Apple Intelligence support, and a generation chip upgrade over the iPhone 15. In this article, we’ll compare the iPhone 16 with the iPhone 15 to check what upgrades the newest iPhone offers.
iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Design
The iPhone 16 maintains the same size and shape as its predecessor, featuring an aluminium frame and a matte glass back. It returns to a vertical camera arrangement, reminiscent of the iPhone X through the iPhone 12 series. This change supports the new 3D Spatial Video format.
The iPhone 16 comes with two new buttons: the Action Button, replacing the Ring/Silent switch on the left side, and a Camera Control button on the right, functioning like a shutter key. Besides this, the iPhone 16 retains the same size, and weight, features a USB-C port, and has IP68 water/dust protection. Apple also introduced two new vibrant Ultramarine and Teal colour options with the iPhone 16.
iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Display
The iPhone 16’s screen retains most of the iPhone 15’s display specs, including the 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel with a Full-HD+ resolution and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. However, a notable improvement is the reduction of minimum brightness to just 1 nit.
The screen also features a tougher next-generation Ceramic Shield cover glass. However, the iPhone 16 still runs at 60Hz, the same as the iPhone 15, which is less smooth compared to the 120Hz found in higher-end models.
iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Performance
The iPhone 16 features the new Apple A18 chip, built on advanced second-gen 3nm technology. This is a significant leap from the A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 15. The A18 chipset is specifically designed with AI optimisations.
The iPhone 16 comes with 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB in the iPhone 15. Moreover, the storage options remain the same—128GB, 256GB, and 512GB—and the iPhone 16 retains the Snapdragon X70 modem from the iPhone 15.
iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Cameras
The iPhone 16 introduces a new pill-shaped camera design. It retains the 48MP main camera with an f/1.6 aperture and 2X zoom via sensor crop, while the ultra-wide camera still has a 12MP sensor but now features a faster f/2.2 aperture. For the first time, the vanilla iPhone model supports macro photography.
A notable addition is the new capacitive Camera Control button below the power key. If you half-press this button, it locks exposure/focus and full-press to capture images or videos. It also functions as a trackpad for zooming, adjusting background blur, or cycling through filters.
For the camera software, we get more advanced Photographic Styles and potential AI-driven image editing features. It also supports Spatial Video and Spatial Photos, designed for immersive viewing on AR/VR headsets like the Apple Vision Pro.
iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Battery and Charging
The iPhone 16 might have a larger battery than the iPhone 15 despite having the same size and shape. Apple claims it offers 22 hours of video playback. Rumours suggest that the iPhone 16 has a 3,561mAh battery, a 6 percent increase from the iPhone 15’s 3,349mAh battery.
Apple upgraded the MagSafe charging speed to 25W. The iPhone 16 also supports the Qi2 standard. However, wired charging remains at 20W, making wireless charging faster than wired for the first time.
iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Software
The iPhone 16 ships with iOS 18 preinstalled, while the iPhone 15 runs on iOS 17 and will get the iOS 18 update later this year. With the iPhone 16, you get support for Apple Intelligence, but it won’t be available with iOS 18 right out of the box. Only select Apple Intelligence features will come as a part of iOS 18.1 scheduled for October in the US only, with a wider release promised in December this year.
Verdict
Overall, the iPhone 16 offers a bunch of meaningful upgrades over the iPhone 15, both in terms of software and hardware. It has a slightly new design with new vibrant colourways. The iPhone 16 also supports faster wireless charging and Apple Intelligence and gets a two-gen chipset upgrade over the iPhone 15. Moreover, there are also considerable camera improvements, especially with the new buttons to improve the photography experience. The iPhone 16 starts at ₹79,990 for the 128GB model, the same price as the iPhone 15 at launch.
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