Comparing iPhone 16 and iPhone 15: what are the upgrades?

Published On: September 10, 2024

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.

Table of Contents

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: specs at a glance

Specs	iPhone 16	iPhone 15
Display	6.1-inch FHD+ Super Retina XDR, 60Hz refresh rate, 2556×1179 resolution, 460ppi, 2,000 nits peak brightness	6.1-inch FHD+ Super Retina XDR, 60Hz refresh rate, 2556×1179 resolution, 460ppi, 2,000 nits peak brightness
Dimensions	147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm	147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm
Weight	170g	171g
Software	iOS 18	iOS 17
Rear camera	48MP primary, 12MP ultrawide	48MP primary, 12MP ultrawide
Selfie camera	12MP shooter	12MP snapper
Video	4K at 60fps	4K at 60fps
SoC	A18	A16 Bionic
Battery & charging	Up to 22 hours battery backup, 20W wired, 25W wireless charging	Up to 20 hours battery backup, 20W wired, 15W wireless charging
Storage	8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB/512GB storage	6GB RAM, 128GB/256GB/512GB storage
Colours	Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, Black	Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, Black

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: price in India

iPhone 16	iPhone 15
Rs 79,900 for 8GB RAM and 128GB storage	Rs 69,900 for 6GB RAM and 128GB storage
Rs 89,900 for 8GB RAM and 256GB storage	Rs 79,900 for 6GB RAM and 256GB storage
Rs 1,09,900 for 8GB RAM and 512GB storage	Rs 99,900 for 6GB RAM and 512GB storage

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. The iPhone 16 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, which requires the lenses to be aligned in a pill shape.

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, which is beneficial for night-time use.

The screen also features a tougher next-generation Ceramic Shield cover glass, which Apple claims to be tougher than any phone 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, making it the first phone to use this process. This is a significant leap from the A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 15, representing a two-generation jump. The A18 chipset is specifically designed with AI optimisations, marking Apple’s deeper focus on AI this year.

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, though the camera upgrade is less significant compared to the jump of the iPhone 15 from its predecessor. 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 better low-light performance. For the first time, the vanilla iPhone model supports macro photography, a feature previously exclusive to the Pro series.

A notable addition is the new capacitive Camera Control button below the power key, allowing customisable use with various camera apps, including third-party ones. 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 like smart resizing and moving objects in a photo. 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, a 10 percent improvement over the 20 hours on the iPhone 15. Apple doesn’t explicitly reveal battery capacities but 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, up from 15W, when connected to a 30W power brick. 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 the 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.

Here are some of the features that you can expect with the first batch of iOS 18 update:

Writing tools.
Creating movies from descriptions in the Memories feature in Photos.
Natural language search for specific photos.
Search for specific moments in videos.
Clean Up feature to remove unwanted objects or people from photos.
Recording, transcribing, and summarising audio in the Notes and Phone apps.
Summarised notifications for quick overviews.
Priority Messages in Mail.
Email summaries and Smart Reply in Mail.
Redesigned Siri with improved natural interaction and support for typing.
Siri can answer thousands of questions about Apple device features and settings.

Besides this, there will be more features that will come to iPhone 16 with future updates including:

Image Playground to generate images and emojis.
Image Wand to create images from sketches.
Siri will use personal context for tailored intelligence.
Siri will gain onscreen awareness and execute hundreds of new actions across Apple and third-party apps.
ChatGPT integration.

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 to make it stand out from the iPhone 15. 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.