iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 15: Key upgrades and specs compared

Another iPhone version, another possible upgrade.

If you own an iPhone 15, you may be wondering if it’s worth upgrading to the new iPhone 16. And if you own an older or non-Apple device, you may be considering whether to get last year’s iPhone for less or pay full price for this year’s model.

Here’s a comparison of the key specs of the base model iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 to help you decide.

Prices and storage

The nice thing about new iPhone releases is that older models are reduced in price.

Fortunately, Apple didn’t raise prices with the debut of the iPhone 16 lineup, and you can still get the base model starting at $800. If you’d rather save some money, you can now get last year’s iPhone 15 for $700.

More specifically, with the iPhone 16, you pay $800 for 128GB of storage, $900 for 256GB of storage, and $1,100 for 512GB of storage.

With the iPhone 15, you’ll now pay $700 for 128GB of storage, $800 for 256GB of storage, and $1,000 for 512GB of storage. So the same storage options for $100 less. Neither phone has expandable storage.

Cameras: Seeing double

The iPhone 15 has a 48-megapixel wide-angle and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, while the iPhone 16 has a 48-megapixel Fusion Camera with 2x telephoto option and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. Despite the similar megapixel counts of the two phones, the iPhone 16’s ultra-wide-angle camera can capture more light, has a larger aperture, and features autofocus for macro shots.

Both phones have a 12-megapixel front-facing camera and can shoot 4K video, with the main difference being that the iPhone 16 can shoot 1080p room video at 30 frames per second (hence the vertical stacking of cameras on this year’s iPhone 16 and 16 Plus).

Displays, size and weight

When it comes to displays, Apple has made more modest improvements. The iPhone 15 and 16 both feature 6.1-inch OLED displays with a 60Hz refresh rate, with the iPhone 16 doubling the 15’s peak brightness, reaching 2,000 nits. Both have a pixel density of 460 ppi.

The iPhone 15 and 16 are the same size: they are 5.81 inches tall, 2.82 inches wide, and 0.31 inches thick. They weigh about the same: the iPhone 16 weighs 170 g (6 ounces), while the iPhone 15 weighs 171 g (6.02 ounces).

The iPhone 16 is available in black, white, pink, teal, and ultramarine. The iPhone 15 is available in black, green, yellow, pink, and blue.

Both phones feature Dynamic Island and use Face ID or a passcode to unlock (no fingerprint scanner).

Battery, processors and software

Apple doesn’t disclose battery capacity, but says the iPhone 16 offers up to 22 hours of video playback (18 hours streaming). The iPhone 15, on the other hand, offers up to 20 hours of video playback (16 hours streaming). Both have USB-C charging.

The iPhone 16 supports MagSafe wireless charging up to 25 watts with a 30 watt adapter or higher, while the iPhone 15’s MagSafe charging reaches 15 watts. Both also support Qi2 charging up to 15 watts.

The iPhone 16 features the new A18 chip, while the iPhone 15 has the A16 Bionic chip. The iPhone 16 ships with iOS 18, and although the iPhone 15 comes with last year’s iOS 17, it is eligible for the operating system upgrade on September 16.

New features on the iPhone 16

Apple Intelligence has been the company’s main focus in recent months, but you’ll need an iPhone 16 and not the base 15 model if you want to take advantage of these upcoming AI features. (The iPhone 15 Pro models will also work with Apple Intelligence, but the company has since stopped producing those phones.)

Apple has also added the action button and a camera control button to the entire iPhone 16 lineup.

For a more detailed breakdown of each phone’s specs, see the table below.