iPhone 16 vs. the iPhone 15: How do they measure up?
Consumers are wondering how the base model iPhones compare
With much anticipation and fanfare, Apple unveiled its latest iPhone lineup at the tech giant’s “Glowtime” event in Silicon Valley last week. While the company also touted upgrades to its Apple Watch and AirPods products, it was really the iPhone 16 series (iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max) that took center stage. But with innovation slowing in the smartphone sector, Apple and its competitors have fewer technological advancements to showcase at these annual events, and consumers are asking how different the base model iPhone 16 is compared to its predecessor.
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To break down the comparison, we’re focusing on the most relevant features to determine how the iPhone 16 stacks up against the iPhone 15.
Price and storage
Good news, Apple-philes: The company didn’t raise prices with the debut of the iPhone 16. The base model starts at $800 with 128GB of storage and jumps up to $900 for 256GB of storage and $1,100 for 512GB of storage, which is the same pricing for the iPhone 15 at its debut.
Camera
Both the iPhone 16 and 15 models have a dual camera feature, but the 16 model comes with a few significant upgrades. For starters, Apple has bumped up the main camera to 48MP — a sizable increase from the 12MP on the iPhone 15. The upgrade translates into more detailed photos and also enables a 2x telephoto lens.
The ultrawide camera on the iPhone 16 now has autofocus enabling macro photography, which was previously reserved only for the Pro models.
The most talked about feature at “Glowtime” was the new Capture Control button — a dedicated physical button that allows users to open up the camera app with one click and take a photo with a second click. To take video, a user just clicks and holds the button. It’s touch sensitive and adjusts various camera features with the slide of a finger.
Size, weight and displays
The size and weight of the two models are practically identical, with the newer iPhone being slightly smaller and lighter:
iPhone 15: 5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches (147.6mm x 71.6mm x 7.8mm); 6.02 (171g)
iPhone 16: 5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches (147.6mm x 71.6mm x 7.8mm); 6.00 (170g)
When it comes to the display, the key difference is that the iPhone 16 has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits — double that of the iPhone 15. The upgrade should make for better visibility in bright sunlight.
For clumsy users, the iPhone 16 also has the latest version of Ceramic Shield, which is 50% stronger than its first generation and promises to be twice as tough as the glass on any smartphone in the market.
Battery, processors and software
Apple doesn’t disclose battery capacity, but it does say the iPhone 16 has up to 22 hours of video playback (18 hours streamed), while the iPhone 15 has up to 20 hours of video payback (16 hours streamed).
At the heart of the iPhone 16 is the new A18 chip, which helps power Apple Intelligence (AI). The company claims the chip is up to 30% faster than the A16 Bionic in the iPhone 15, with a desktop-class five-core GPU that is up to 40% faster. Whether a spec enthusiast or not, the numbers are impressive.
Apple Intelligence features, set to roll out in December, promise to bring a smarter Siri, text summarization, writing assistance and generative image creation to the iPhone 16. These AI features require at least 8GB of RAM, which the iPhone 16 has, but the basic iPhone 15 runs on 6GB of RAM.
While the iPhone 15 is no slouch, the new features and improved performance of the iPhone 16 give it a significant advantage over its predecessor.
The information included within this article is AT&T-sponsored content written by a Currently Media editorial contributor. The statements in this article do not necessarily reflect the positions, strategies or opinions of AT&T.
