iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 Pro are two of the most compact flagships worth buying on the market today, leaving many people confused about their choice.
If you prefer a compact iPhone , Apple is currently offering two extremely high-quality options, the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro. These are the company's latest phones, with their best technologies to bring great user experience. So when comparing the iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro, which is the better choice for users?
Compare iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro launched last September
The iPhone 16 Pro has a slightly larger display, a dedicated telephoto camera, and better battery life. While the iPhone 16 has a number of upgrades, it still only has a 60Hz display and no ProMotion. However, the standard iPhone still has the new Camera Control button and supports all the same Apple Intelligence features as the iPhone 16 Pro.
iPhone 16 has many youthful color options
Fans of compact phones may be annoyed by the larger Pro model, but overall it's not a huge increase in size. The iPhone 16 Pro also now has thinner bezels, which helps to shrink the size a bit.
The remaining design aspects between the iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro are quite familiar, which is the triple camera cluster on the Pro version and the dual camera module on the regular version (but now in a pill-shaped cluster).
Overall design of iPhone 16 Pro
There are also material differences, with the iPhone 16 Pro using a luxurious titanium frame, while the iPhone 16 uses aluminum. Both phones have a frosted glass back, but the standard iPhone model comes in more youthful, eye-catching color options.
In general, this year Apple has equipped the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro with a new Action button and Camera Control to help users control and take photos more conveniently. This duo also supports IP68 water and dust resistance.
iPhone 16 Pro's screen supports 1-120Hz refresh rate
Both phones use a Super Retina XDR OLED panel that offers vibrant colors and high contrast, and has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits for good outdoor visibility. However, while the iPhone 16 is still stuck with a fixed 60Hz refresh rate, the iPhone 16 Pro has an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz (called ProMotion), which offers smoother scrolling and a handy Always On Display feature.
As you'd expect, the iPhone 16 Pro has a more powerful chipset than the iPhone 16, but the standard iPhone is still fast enough for most users, thanks to the A18 chipset, which has a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine to handle AI tasks. It offers 30% faster GPU performance and 40% faster GPU performance than the iPhone 15's A16 Bionic.
iPhone 16 Pro is equipped with Apple A18 Pro
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chipset has an extra GPU core compared to the A18, so it's a performance beast. However, you'll hardly notice the difference in power between the two iPhones when using everyday tasks. The iPhone 16 Pro only offers faster app opening speeds and slightly more stable performance.
iPhone 16 Benchmark Score
In terms of memory, both the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro have 8GB of RAM for smooth multitasking and at least 128GB of internal memory, providing users with ample storage space. Both run on the latest iOS 18 operating system out of the box and receive long-term software support from Apple.
iPhone 16 Pro has 3 more versatile cameras
With the advent of the periscope camera, the iPhone 16 Pro will definitely bring a better photography experience to users, especially when they take portrait photos. Moreover, the new 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera will bring sharper landscape photos than the iPhone 16.
For the selfie camera, both are equipped with a 12MP camera, providing sharp and realistic selfies.
iPhone 16 Pro for better battery life
Both phones support 25W charging with a 30W or higher power adapter, allowing for a 50% charge in 30 minutes.
Both are the best phones on the market right now, and while the iPhone 16 Pro outperforms the iPhone 16 in most aspects, we'd recommend spending the extra money on the Pro model if you care about the photography experience, 120Hz display, and premium titanium frame.
The iPhone 16 has the same Action button, Camera Control button, 48MP main camera, and Apple Intelligence compatibility as the iPhone 16 Pro, and you'll save up to $299 by opting for Apple's latest base model over the Pro.
If you prefer a compact iPhone , Apple is currently offering two extremely high-quality options, the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro. These are the company's latest phones, with their best technologies to bring great user experience. So when comparing the iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro, which is the better choice for users?
Compare iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro Overview
Both the iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro were announced at Apple's "It's Glowtime" event on September 9, 2024. Choosing between the two is not easy because Apple brings quite a few differences to this pair.
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro launched last September
The iPhone 16 Pro has a slightly larger display, a dedicated telephoto camera, and better battery life. While the iPhone 16 has a number of upgrades, it still only has a 60Hz display and no ProMotion. However, the standard iPhone still has the new Camera Control button and supports all the same Apple Intelligence features as the iPhone 16 Pro.
Compare iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro in detail
Below, we will compare these two phones in many aspects such as design, display, performance and camera.In terms of design: iPhone 16 Pro has a higher quality finish
For years, Apple has stuck with the same size for its standard and Pro iPhone models: a compact 6.1 inches. However, the company is making an interesting change to the 2024 iPhone lineup by incorporating a larger 6.3-inch display into the iPhone 16 Pro, while the iPhone 16 will retain the same 6.1-inch size.
iPhone 16 has many youthful color options
Fans of compact phones may be annoyed by the larger Pro model, but overall it's not a huge increase in size. The iPhone 16 Pro also now has thinner bezels, which helps to shrink the size a bit.
The remaining design aspects between the iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro are quite familiar, which is the triple camera cluster on the Pro version and the dual camera module on the regular version (but now in a pill-shaped cluster).
Overall design of iPhone 16 Pro
There are also material differences, with the iPhone 16 Pro using a luxurious titanium frame, while the iPhone 16 uses aluminum. Both phones have a frosted glass back, but the standard iPhone model comes in more youthful, eye-catching color options.
In general, this year Apple has equipped the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro with a new Action button and Camera Control to help users control and take photos more conveniently. This duo also supports IP68 water and dust resistance.
About the screen: iPhone 16 Pro has a larger size, supports 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
Next, we will compare the iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro in terms of display quality. As mentioned in the design section, this year Apple equipped the iPhone Pro with a 6.3-inch screen, slightly larger than the 6.1-inch number of the iPhone 16, so the display space is a bit more spacious.iPhone 16 Pro's screen supports 1-120Hz refresh rate
Both phones use a Super Retina XDR OLED panel that offers vibrant colors and high contrast, and has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits for good outdoor visibility. However, while the iPhone 16 is still stuck with a fixed 60Hz refresh rate, the iPhone 16 Pro has an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz (called ProMotion), which offers smoother scrolling and a handy Always On Display feature.
Performance: iPhone 16 Pro has better performance
Like previous generations of iPhone, Apple continues to bring processor differences to the iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 Pro duo.As you'd expect, the iPhone 16 Pro has a more powerful chipset than the iPhone 16, but the standard iPhone is still fast enough for most users, thanks to the A18 chipset, which has a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine to handle AI tasks. It offers 30% faster GPU performance and 40% faster GPU performance than the iPhone 15's A16 Bionic.
iPhone 16 Pro is equipped with Apple A18 Pro
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chipset has an extra GPU core compared to the A18, so it's a performance beast. However, you'll hardly notice the difference in power between the two iPhones when using everyday tasks. The iPhone 16 Pro only offers faster app opening speeds and slightly more stable performance.
iPhone 16 Benchmark Score
In terms of memory, both the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro have 8GB of RAM for smooth multitasking and at least 128GB of internal memory, providing users with ample storage space. Both run on the latest iOS 18 operating system out of the box and receive long-term software support from Apple.
About the camera: iPhone 16 Pro has a more versatile camera system
The camera is one of the biggest differences when comparing the iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro. The standard iPhone only has a dual-camera system on the back, including a 48MP main sensor (26mm, f/1.6) and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera (13mm, f/2.2), while the Pro model has three rear cameras, including a 48MP main sensor (24mm, f/1.78), a 48MP ultra-wide (13mm, f/2.2) and a 12MP periscope with 5x optical zoom (120mm, f/2.8).
iPhone 16 Pro has 3 more versatile cameras
With the advent of the periscope camera, the iPhone 16 Pro will definitely bring a better photography experience to users, especially when they take portrait photos. Moreover, the new 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera will bring sharper landscape photos than the iPhone 16.
For the selfie camera, both are equipped with a 12MP camera, providing sharp and realistic selfies.
About battery and usage time: iPhone 16 Pro has better usage time
Finally, we will compare the iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro in terms of battery life. Although Apple does not share the exact battery capacity information of the new iPhone models, it says that the iPhone 16 Pro has a video playback time of up to 27 hours. This is quite a lot higher than the 22 hours of the iPhone 16, so the Pro model promises to have better battery life.
iPhone 16 Pro for better battery life
Both phones support 25W charging with a 30W or higher power adapter, allowing for a 50% charge in 30 minutes.
Price: iPhone 16 is cheaper
Comparison table of iPhone 16 and 16 Pro configurations
| Features | iPhone 16 Pro | iPhone 16 |
| Screen | 6.3 inches, Super Retina XDR, 120Hz | 6.1 inches, Super Retina XDR, 60Hz |
| CPU | A18 Pro | A18 |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB |
| Internal memory | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Rear camera | 48MP main, 48MP ultra wide angle, 12MP telephoto | Main 48MP, ultra wide angle 12MP |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth |
| Battery | 27 hours of video viewing | 22 hours of video playback |
| Size | 149.6 x 71.5 x 8.3 mm | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight | 199g | 170g |
Should I buy iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro?
So should you buy the iPhone 16 Pro or the iPhone 16? As usual, the answer will depend on each person's needs.Both are the best phones on the market right now, and while the iPhone 16 Pro outperforms the iPhone 16 in most aspects, we'd recommend spending the extra money on the Pro model if you care about the photography experience, 120Hz display, and premium titanium frame.
The iPhone 16 has the same Action button, Camera Control button, 48MP main camera, and Apple Intelligence compatibility as the iPhone 16 Pro, and you'll save up to $299 by opting for Apple's latest base model over the Pro.