The Apple occasion on Monday revealed the latest collection of iPhones, which incorporates the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Professional and 16 Professional Max. In case you’re trying into upgrading to one of many newest fashions however are not sure of the variations between the iPhone 16 and 16 Professional (aside from the value tag), we might help you resolve which one is best for you.
Now that we have formally seen the iPhone 16 lineup – and the bells and whistles included – we all know that each one variations will run iOS 18 and may have entry to Apple Intelligence when these options start to grow to be out there in October. However there are some further perks you get when you spend the additional couple hundred bucks for an iPhone 16 Professional – as an illustration, higher digital camera options and a barely bigger show.
We’ll inform you the variations between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional beneath. For extra, this is how the iPhone 16 Professional compares to the competitors. And when you resolve you’re able to make the leap, word that pre-orders for the iPhone 16 sequence begin September 13. The iPhone 16 begins at $799 and the iPhone 16 Professional at $999, with costs rising $100 for every dimension and storage capability from the 128GB baseline.
Display screen dimension and expertise
In the case of display dimension, the iPhone 16 Professional’s show is simply barely bigger than the iPhone 16. The 16 Professional has a 6.3-inch ProMotion expertise and At all times-On show (identical to final yr’s iPhone 15 Professional), whereas the iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch show. What all which means is that the Professional mannequin provides a quicker refresh fee as much as 120Hz, delivering smoother video than the usual iPhone 16, which tops out at TKHz.
In any other case, the display expertise between the 2 fashions could be very evenly matched. Each sport a Tremendous Retina XDR show with the identical HDR, brightness, P3 coloration gamut and True Tone specs.
As for the precise telephone sizes, there’s actually not that a lot of a distinction between the 2. The iPhone 16 is 5.81 inches tall, 2.82 inches huge and weighs six ounces, whereas the 16 Professional is 5.89 inches tall, 2.81 inches huge and weighs simply over seven ounces.
The decision can also be barely completely different – the iPhone 16 has 2,556 x 1,179 pixels, whereas the 16 Professional has 2,622 x 1,206 pixels.
Each telephones have the latest-generation Ceramic Defend display, which ought to make for good safety towards drops and scratches. In addition they each provide the Dynamic Island (first launched with the iPhone 14 Professional), which replaces the notch discovered on older iPhones.
Digital camera and microphone variations
As with earlier fashions, two cameras sit on the again of the iPhone 16: the 48-megapixel Fusion essential digital camera and the 12-megapixel extremely huge digital camera. That combo permits you to “zoom out” for huge angle pictures (0.5x) and zoom in as much as 2x.
The iPhone 16 Professional has a extra refined triple digital camera array: a 48-megapixel Fusion essential digital camera and a brand new 48-megapixel extremely huge lens, together with a 12-megapixel Telephoto digital camera. That third lens 16 Professional helps you to zoom in as much as 5x, and out as much as 0.5x. The Professional telephone has “second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization,” whereas the baseline iPhone 16 presumably solely has the first-gen model of that function. The Professional may also shoot within the Apple ProRAW file format, and provides evening mode portrait pictures not out there within the baseline mannequin.
On the video facet, each iPhone 16 strains can shoot 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient video, however the Professional mannequin provides seize as much as 120 frames per second. That permits higher slow-motion video. The Professional additional lives as much as its identify by providing the Academy Colour Encoding System, log video recording and ProRes video recording on the rear and entrance cameras. (If it’s a must to ask what these are, you don’t want them.)
In any other case, the digital camera capabilities between the 2 fashions are just about the identical. That features two new-for-2024 options: Photographic Kinds and the Digital camera Management button. Photographic Kinds is akin to old-school Instagram filters, however with a serious twist: you’ll be able to undo or change the types after capturing a given picture. In the meantime, the brand new Digital camera Management button additionally comes outfitted on each the iPhone 16 and 16 Professional fashions on the underside proper facet of the telephones. It provides one-click entry to picture and video capturing, and consists of touch-sensitive manipulation to vary modes, body pictures and so forth.
Lastly, the iPhone 16 Professional features a “studio-quality” four-mic array which provides higher audio seize throughout video periods and permits the brand new multi-track recording choice within the Memos app. (No, that function just isn’t out there within the baseline iPhone 16 fashions.)
Beneath the hood: CPUs and RAM
The iPhone 16 comes with a new-for-2024 A18 chip, which features a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, in addition to a 16-core Neural Engine. The iPhone 16 Professional has an equally new A18 Professional chip with a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU, together with a 16-core Neural Engine.
Each A18 chips provide the efficiency and energy consumption benefits versus the equal fashions that appeared within the 2023 iPhone 15 fashions. Per Macrumors, all iPhone 16 fashions sport 8GB of RAM – the identical because the iPhone 15 Professional fashions had final yr. The combo of processing energy and on-board reminiscence be sure that all the iPhone 16 fashions will run the upcoming Apple Intelligence options.
USB pace
Whereas each the iPhone 16 and 16 Professional have USB-C ports, the 16 Professional helps USB 3 to permit for as much as 20 instances quicker transfers. (For reference, the iPhone 16 helps USB 2.) That further pace is helpful for creators who’re transferring video, audio and photographs from the iPhone Professional.
The charging speeds for these are the identical, with a 50-percent cost in simply half-hour when utilizing a 20W adapter with the USB-C twine.
Colour choices and design variations
As per standard, the iPhone 16 fashions are available in vivid new colours, whereas the iPhone 16 Professional has extra impartial colours. The iPhone 16 is produced from aluminum with a glass again, and you’ll select from new colours like ultramarine (periwinkle), teal, pink (however darker than final yr’s pink), or the usual white and black selections.
As for the iPhone 16 Professional, it is produced from titanium with a textured matte glass again, and your coloration choices are desert (gold), pure (silver), white or black.
Each telephones come outfitted with the Motion button – solely the iPhone 15 Professional at present has this – which helps you to assign a litany of capabilities, together with the ringer, flashlight or voice memo. (Keep in mind, the digital camera now has its personal devoted button.)
Battery life
In case you’re in search of a telephone with a battery that may final all day, the iPhone 16 ought to be an awesome choice if it lives as much as Apple’s marketed specs. The iPhone 16 provides as much as 22 hours video playback, as much as 18 hours of streaming and as much as 80 hours of audio playback.
The 16 Professional provides as much as 27 hours of video playback, as much as 22 hours of streaming and as much as 85 hours of audio playback.
What concerning the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Professional Max?
The iPhone 16 Plus is only a larger model of the iPhone 16 with an extended battery life, and the identical goes for the 16 Professional Max. They’ve all the identical options as their smaller counterparts however this is how the battery life and sizes differ.
iPhone 16 Plus
Battery: Gives as much as 27 hours of video playback, as much as 24 hours of streaming and as much as 100 hours of audio playback. Truly higher than the 16 Professional battery span.
Measurement: Has a 6.7-inch show, and is 6.33 inches tall, 3.06 inches huge and weighs simply over seven ounces.
iPhone 16 Professional Max
Battery: Gives as much as 33 hours of video playback, as much as 29 hours of streaming and as much as 105 hours of audio playback.
Measurement: Has a 6.9-inch show, and is 6.42 inches tall, 3.06 inches huge and weighs practically eight ounces.
However how do the brand new iPhone 16 and 16 Professional work in actual life?
Our full evaluations of the brand new iPhones are nonetheless sooner or later. However our personal Cherlynn Low spent a while with the brand new iPhones within the demo space at Apple Park on launch day. Try her first impressions of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional.
None |
iPhone 16 |
iPhone 16 Plus |
iPhone 16 Professional |
iPhone 16 Professional Max |
Worth |
Beginning at $799 |
Beginning at $899 |
Beginning at $999 |
Beginning at $1,199 |
Dimensions |
5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches |
6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches |
5.89 x 2.81 x 0.32 inches |
6.422 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches |
Weight |
6 ounces |
7.03 ounces |
7.03 ounces |
7.99 ounces |
Display screen dimension |
6.1 inches |
6.7 inches |
6.3 inches |
6.9 inches |
Storage choices |
128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
Colours and end |
Aluminum with glass again in colours ultramarine, teal, pink, black |
Aluminum with glass again in colours ultramarine, teal, pink, black |
Titanium with textured matte glass again in colours desert, pure, white, black |
Titanium with textured matte glass again in colours desert, pure, white, black |
Battery |
As much as 22 hours video playback |
As much as 27 hours video playback |
As much as 27 hours video playback |
As much as 33 hours video playback |
Decision |
2,556 x 1,179 (460 ppi) |
2,796 x 1,290 (460 ppi) |
2,622 x 1,206 (460 ppi) |
2,868 x 1,320 (460 ppi) |