iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Key upgrades and specs compared

Another new iPhone, another potential upgrade.

If you have an iPhone 15, you might be wondering whether it’s worth trading in for the new iPhone 16. And if you have an older or non-Apple device, you might be wondering whether to buy last year’s iPhone at a discount or pay full price for this year’s model.

Below is a comparison of the key specs of the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 to help you make a better decision.

Prices and storage

The great thing about new iPhone releases is that the price of older models drops.

Thankfully, Apple didn’t raise prices with the introduction of the iPhone 16 series, 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.

Specifically, for the iPhone 16 you’ll pay $800 for 128GB of storage, $900 for 256GB of storage, and $1,100 for 512GB of storage.

On 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: double vision

The iPhone 15 has a 48-megapixel wide and 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, while the iPhone 16 has a 48-megapixel fusion camera with a 2x telephoto option and also a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. Despite the similar megapixel counts between the two phones, the ultrawide camera on the iPhone 16 can take in more light, has a wider aperture, and features autofocus for macro shots.

Both phones have 12-megapixel front-facing cameras, and can record 4K video. The main difference is that the iPhone 16 can record 1080p spatial video at 30 frames per second (hence the vertical camera stack on this year’s iPhone 16 and 16 Plus).

Views, dimensions and weight

Apple has made more modest changes when it comes to displays. The iPhone 15 and 16 both feature 6.1-inch OLED displays with 60Hz refresh rates, though the iPhone 16 doubles the 15’s peak brightness, hitting 2,000 nits. Both have a pixel density of 460 ppi.

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

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

Both phones feature Dynamic Island and unlocking is done via Face ID or a passcode (no fingerprint scanner).

Battery, processors and software

Apple isn’t disclosing battery capacity, but says the iPhone 16 can last up to 22 hours of video playback (18 hours streamed), while the iPhone 15 can last up to 20 hours of video playback (16 hours streamed). Both feature 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 tops out at 15 watts. They also each support Qi2 charging, up to 15 watts.

The iPhone 16 has the new A18 chip, while the iPhone 15 has the A16 Bionic chip. The iPhone 16 comes with iOS 18 out of the box, and while 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 a major focus for the company in recent months, but if you want to take advantage of the upcoming AI features, you’ll need an iPhone 16 instead of the standard 15. (The iPhone 15 Pro models also work with Apple Intelligence, but the company has since discontinued those phones.)

Apple also added the Action button and a Camera Control button to the entire iPhone 16 lineup.

Check out the table below for a more detailed breakdown of each phone’s specs.