Intro
With this in thoughts, let’s return to the iPhone 16. It stays the bottom and most reasonably priced mannequin within the lineup. The beginning worth stays at $800 for a 128GB configuration, which is nice information contemplating many different manufacturers are climbing costs.
On the again of the cellphone you see a brand new pill-shaped rear digicam, whereas on the within a zippier and extra energy environment friendly Apple A18 chipset runs the present and it helps all the AI options. Most AI options, nevertheless, will probably be coming by way of software program updates afterward this 12 months and even subsequent 12 months.
So ought to you improve if you happen to personal the iPhone 15? Let’s dive in and discover out.
iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15 variations:
| iPhone 16 | iPhone 15 |
|---|---|
| Identical 6.1-inch type issue | 6.1-inch measurement |
| New Motion Button instead of Mute Swap New Digital camera Management for digicam |
Older Mute Swap solely |
| Newer and sooner Apple A18 chipset | Apple A16 Bionic chipset |
| Extra reminiscence, 8GB RAM | 6GB RAM |
| Assist for AI | Doesn’t help AI |
| Identical storage choices | 128 / 256 / 512GB storage fashions |
| New vertical digicam with help for Spatial Video | Diagonal digicam structure |
| 48MP Fusion most important digicam | 48MP most important digicam |
| 12MP ultra-wide digicam with macro help | 12MP ultra-wide digicam |
| Longer battery life 22 hours of video playback |
20 hours of video playback |
| Identical 20W wired charging | 20W wired charging velocity |
| A lot sooner 25W MagSafe | 15W MagSafe wi-fi cost |
| New colour choices | Blue, Pink, Inexperienced, Yellow, and Black |
Desk of Contents:
Additionally learn:
Design and Show High quality
New pill-shaped digicam on the again and a few new buttons
The iPhone 16 retains the general measurement and form of the earlier mannequin, so we have now a 6.1-inch type issue as earlier than, an aluminum body with barely tapered edges and a matte glass end on the again.
One enchancment could possibly be a lowered display screen border, however that’s not sure as Apple often reserves such tweaks for the Professional fashions.
One other massive and welcome change coming to all iPhone 16 variations, together with this base iPhone 16 are buttons. You get an Motion Button (which replaces the mute swap), in addition to a model new Digital camera Management for rapidly launching the digicam. This Digital camera Management works like a shutter key on a digicam, so it would give attention to a slight press and take an image when you click on all of it the way in which in.
So the Motion Button is on the left aspect, above the amount keys. Then the Digital camera Management is on the fitting, under the Energy Button. That is the place Apple positioned the mmWave antenna beforehand, so that can now have to maneuver to the underside left aspect, under the amount keys.
The remaining is just about the identical: there isn’t any change in measurement or weight. And naturally, you continue to have a USB-C port on the iPhone 16, and IP68 water and mud safety.
Oh, and by way of colours, we get extra vibrant hues which look actually cool.
For the display screen, many of the specs stay the identical. You get a 6.1-inch display screen measurement, the acquainted OLED with excellent blacks, and the max brightness is similar as earlier than at 2,000 nits peak, however the minimal brightness has dropped to 1 nit, which is an enormous enchancment if you happen to use your cellphone at evening in mattress.
You additionally get a brand new era Ceramic Defend cowl glass that’s more durable than earlier than and Apple says is more durable than any cellphone glass.
This variation is good, however THE ONE change everybody was in search of didn’t occur on the iPhone 16.
We’re speaking concerning the 60Hz display screen after all, or extra particularly the lack of 120Hz ProMotion. The iPhone 16 nonetheless runs at 60Hz, identical to the iPhone 15 and plenty of others earlier than. And that is a bummer! 60Hz is nowhere almost as clean as ProMotion.
Efficiency and Software program
New iPhone, new chip
The iPhone 16 will get a brand new Apple A18 chip, constructed on second-gen 3nm expertise. No different cellphone is constructed utilizing such superior course of on the time of the launch.
For context, the iPhone 15 runs on the A16 Bionic chip, whereas the iPhone 16 is anticipated to be the primary vanilla iPhone mannequin to make use of a 3nm processor. This can be a two generations leap in expertise.
This new chipset can be the primary constructed from the bottom up about AI optimizations. Apple missed the AI hype practice final 12 months, nevertheless it’s absolutely invested on this 12 months.
And talking of AI, the iPhone 16 additionally probably has 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB RAM on the iPhone 15. Most AI duties appear to require additional RAM and that is in all probability the primary purpose for the improve. What this additionally means, nevertheless, is that it is potential that at the least some AI options will not be accessible on the older iPhone 15.
Keep in mind that AI is a staggered roll-out for Apple with massive ticket gadgets just like the ChatGPT integration coming by the top of the 12 months, whereas the all-new Siri is due within the fist half of 2025.
We haven’t any adjustments to the storage tiers, so you’ll be able to select between 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of native storage.
The iPhone 16 can be probably to make use of the identical modem because the iPhone 15, the Snapdragon X70. It is a completely good answer, simply not fairly as superior because the anticipated upgraded modem within the iPhone 16 Professional. That Professional mannequin will probably get the X75 model with improved service aggregation, and a mixed sub-6GHz and mmWave chip that takes up 25% much less house on the board and makes use of 20% much less energy.
Digital camera
Spatial Video, child
With a brand new pill-shaped digicam system, the iPhone 16 appears to be like totally different than earlier than, however other than the brand new styling it’s a much less thrilling digicam improve than final 12 months’s iPhone 15.
All iPhone 16 variations are additionally getting a brand new bodily Digital camera Management, which is positioned under the facility key. This new button is a capacitive one, that means that it solely registers a press while you push it together with your finger, so it will not get unintentionally triggered in your pocket. You possibly can customise it to work with varied digicam apps, together with third-party ones.
And if you find yourself in a digicam app, a half press would assist you to lock publicity or focus, whereas a full press would seize a picture or begin recording a video. We’re very pleased with this variation, as it would make it only a bit simpler to not miss that essential second and seize it sooner with a press of a button.
Curiously, since it is a capacitive button, additionally, you will have the opportunity use it as a trackpad in a approach. For instance, one potential characteristic is you would slide your finger to zoom out and in. It might additionally management the quantity of background blur for portraits, or rapidly cycle via filters. Neat!
As for the digicam {hardware}, the iPhone 15 was the primary base mannequin iPhone to get a 48MP most important digicam, an enormous improve in each element and low gentle imagery in comparison with the 12MP snapper utilized in earlier iPhones.
This 12 months, with the iPhone 16, there are not any massive {hardware} adjustments as Apple sticks with two cameras (so once more, NO devoted telephoto lens for the bottom fashions). The 48MP most important digicam has the identical f/1.6 aperture and talent to offer almost lossless high quality at 2X zoom by way of sensor crop.
As for the ultra-wide digicam, it retains the 12MP sensor, however use a barely sooner aperture (f/2.2 now vs f/2.4 earlier than) that permit extra gentle to hit the sensor, and for the primary time on a base iPhone, Apple provides help for macro images. Solely the Professional collection have to date had macro help, so it is good to see this characteristic coming to the bottom iPhone fashions too.
On the software program entrance, you get new era Photographic Types which are far more highly effective than earlier than.
With AI on board the iPhone 16, we anticipate to see new picture enhancing options: good resize and good transfer of objects within the pictures are simply among the tips Apple may borrow from Samsung’s and Google’s AI handbook.
Audio High quality and Haptics
Apple regularly improves the audio high quality from the iPhone loudspeakers, and we anticipate one other gradual enchancment, however nothing main.
And as for haptics, they’ve been wonderful on iPhones ever because the Taptic Engine made its debut on the iPhone 6s! Do not anticipate something new on that entrance.
Battery Life and Charging
Larger battery and sooner MagSafe
With the iPhone 16 measurement and type issue roughly the identical because the earlier iPhone 15, there will probably be no house for a a lot larger battery.
Nonetheless, rumors say a slight improve is feasible. We are going to solely have the precise battery measurement afterward, however Apple tells us the iPhone 16 will get 22 hours of video playback, in comparison with 20 hours on the iPhone 15. This can be a good 10% enchancment, however for different duties similar to audio playback, Apple quotes the identical 80 hour quantity on the 2 fashions.
In different phrases, there’s a very slight enchancment in battery life.
Rumors projected the iPhone 16 to get a 3,561mAh battery, up from a 3,349mAh battery measurement on the iPhone 15, or an improve of 6%.
We have been hoping for sooner charging and we sort of get it however solely while you cost with MagSafe, which now helps 25W, up from 15W earlier than. You would want to attach the wi-fi charger to an influence brick with at the least 30W of output to learn from this. The iPhone 16 additionally helps the Qi2 commonplace.
Sadly, wired charging speeds appear to stay the identical at 20W. That is the primary time we see wi-fi charging being sooner than wired cost.
Specs Comparability
And here’s a chook eye’s view of the iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15 specs:
| Specs | iPhone 16 | iPhone 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight | 170 g | 171 g |
| Display | 6.1-inch OLED 60Hz |
6.1-inch OLED 60Hz |
| Processor | Apple A18 3nm |
Apple A16 Bionic 4nm |
| RAM, Storage *Worth expectations |
8/128GB for $800 8/256GB for $900 8/512GB for $1,100 |
6/128GB for $800 6/256GB for $900 6/512GB for $1,100 |
| Cameras | Identical at 48MP, f/1.6, 26mm 12MP, f/2.2, 13mm 12MP entrance |
48MP, f/1.6, 26mm 12MP, f/2.2, 13mm 12MP entrance |
| Battery Measurement | 3,561 mAh *probably |
3,349 mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 20W wired 25W MagSafe |
20W wired 15W wi-fi |
Do you have to improve?
So… is the iPhone 16 improve?
In comparison with the iPhone 15, it is not an enormous improve.
The 2 new buttons, the extra vibrant colours, the sooner wi-fi charging, the macro capabilities of the digicam and the tiny enchancment in battery life are the highlights.
However probably the most defining characteristic is clearly Apple Intelligence which won’t be supported on the iPhone 15.
We really feel most let down by the shortage of 120Hz ProMotion on the iPhone 16. This will proceed to be the one characteristic designed to nudge you in the direction of the pricier iPhone 16 Professional.
We do not see an instantaneous want for improve if in case you have the iPhone 15, however what do you suppose? What’s your favourite new iPhone 16 characteristic?