Apple iPhone 16 and iPhone 15

The iPhone 16 series has been released. It’s natural to ask yourself how much better the new Apple iPhone 16 is compared to the previous iPhone 15. And most importantly, is it worth upgrading?

table of contents:

First, you can compare the complete spec sheet or proceed directly with the editor’s rating. In the text below.

To summarize, the iPhone 16 has a new chip that promises AI features, improved screen glass, expanded camera capabilities, and faster wireless charging in the future. There are also added action keys and new camera controls. But this all fits on the specs page. Let’s take a look at how the two devices differ in actual use.

size comparison

The iPhone 16 has the same footprint as the iPhone 15, which isn’t surprising. Both phones measure 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm. iPhone 16 weighs 170g, which is 1g lighter than iPhone 15.

First, Apple says the new iPhone 16 should be more durable. It features a new generation Ceramic Shield front, which is said to be 50% tougher than its iPhone 15 predecessor.

The iPhone 16 also has two new buttons that the iPhone 15 didn’t have. The action keys are exclusive to iPhone Pro, and you’ll also find new camera controls here.

Display comparison

The iPhone 16 has the same display as the iPhone 15, a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED with great HDR capabilities and high resolution, but with a standard refresh rate of 60Hz. Both panels are advertised as capable of 1,000 nits of standard brightness and 2,000 nits of maximum brightness.

According to the display measurements, there is a slight difference of 50 nits between the two panels. No matter how you look at it, the two screens are the same brightness.

battery life

The iPhone 16 has a 3,500mAh battery. Specifically, it’s rated at just 3,561 mAh. The battery is slightly larger than last year’s iPhone 15. It’s a small increase, but it’s acceptable.

However, the more significant changes come from the increased efficiency of the new Apple A18 chipset and possibly internal improvements in iOS 18.

As a result, the new iPhone 16 received an excellent Active Use score. This is a notable improvement over the iPhone 15. iPhone 16 offers 7 hours more talk time, about 4 hours more web browsing, and 1.5 hours more video streaming.

charging speed

The iPhone 16 supports fast wired charging, but Apple hasn’t revealed the maximum power rating. The company estimates that it can be charged to 50% in 30 minutes using a 20W USB-PD charger.

Fast wireless charging up to 25W is also supported via the new MagSafe charger when connected to a 30W+ power adapter. If you have a compatible Qi2 charger, your iPhone 16 will get up to 15W. Meanwhile, iPhone 15 MagSafe wireless charging is up to 15W.

To give the iPhone the best chance, we ran a charging test using a 45W PD charger. Both phones took about the same amount of time to charge. After using this charger for an hour, my iPhone was charged to 85%, and the final 15% took nearly another hour even without the Optimized Battery Charging option.

speaker test

iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 have identical stereo speakers. These are hybrids where the earbuds are one of the speakers. The other speaker is located on the bottom of the phone, next to the USB-C port.

The iPhone 16 got a Very Good mark in the loudness test, while the iPhone 15 got a Good mark. However, the differences are slight and both setups sound the same.

performance

The big upgrade for the iPhone 16 this year is the Apple A18 chipset, which is two generations ahead of the iPhone 15’s chipset, the A16. This is a second generation 3nm chip that is more powerful and efficient.

The Apple A18 has a faster 6-core processor and a superior 5-core GPU with support for improved hardware raytracing. RAM has also been increased to 8GB.

The A18 CPU is touted to be 30% faster than the iPhone 15 CPU and 60% faster than the iPhone 12 CPU. The GPU should be 40% faster than the iPhone 15 and 2x faster than the iPhone 12.

benchmark performance

In our tests, the new Apple A18 CPU in the iPhone 16 scored about 20% higher than the A16 in the iPhone 15. GPU performance has also increased by 30% to 60% depending on the 3D test.

The A18 chip has a new NPU that scores about twice as high as the NPU found in the iPhone 15.

Thanks to the new iPhone chip, all the high-end games that weren’t compatible with the iPhone 15 now work pretty well on the iPhone 16. If you’re a gamer, this is probably the most notable upgrade.

Thanks to the new chipset, you’ll also have access to Apple Intelligence features once it’s released as long as you live in a supported region (other than the European Union and China).

Camera comparison

The iPhone 16 essentially borrows its main camera setup from the iPhone 15. It’s very powerful – 48MP sensor with 1/1.56 inch size, 1.0μm individual pixels, sensor shift OIS. There’s a fast f/1.6 lens on the front. The same applies to selfie cameras. The 12MP shooter has already proven itself and also features phase detection autofocus.

The only upgrade is a new ultra-wide camera. It’s still a 12MP unit. But this year, a faster lens with an f/2.2 aperture has arrived. Additionally, and perhaps best of all, it has autofocus and can also be used as a macro camera for close-ups.

Of course, there are also new camera controls. This is an actual physical button that actually moves when you press it. It also integrates capacitive sensors to enable touch and swipe interactions, and high-precision force sensors to detect light presses.

image quality

No matter what Apple tries to convince you, the quality of daytime photos will hardly improve. iPhone 16 takes the same photos as iPhone 15. These photos are detailed with natural colors, low noise, and excellent dynamic range. The foliage depiction isn’t our favorite, especially when shot at the default 12MP.

The samples below were taken at different times at the same location.

iPhone 16: 0.5x, 1x, 2x, selfie

iPhone 15: 0.5x, 1x, 2x, selfie

iPhone 16 also lets you take macro photos with the new ultra-wide camera.

iPhone 16 – Macro with UW camera

Photos taken with the main camera in low light are almost the same in both 1x and 2x modes. On the iPhone 15, the camera app didn’t select night mode, but the quality still remains the same.

The ultra-wide camera’s bright aperture helps at night, and iPhone 16’s ultra-wide photos are brighter, more detailed, and have less noise.

iPhone 16: 0.5x • 1x • 2x

iPhone 15: 0.5x • 1x • 2x

video quality

New video options added to iPhone 16. Studio-grade microphones improve sound quality and add spatial video and audio recording capabilities.

Other than that, video quality remains the same for all cameras.

Daytime video from all three cameras is excellent overall, including stabilization.

Below are some frame captures from videos taken with the two phones at each focal length for easy comparison.

iPhone 16: 0.5x, 1x, 2x, selfie

iPhone 15: 0.5x, 1x, 2x, selfie

Improved low-light video quality with the ultra-wide camera. Better exposure, sharper details, and less noise.

iPhone 16: 0.5x • 1x • 2x

iPhone 16: 0.5x • 1x • 2x

verdict

The Apple iPhone 16 is priced from 949 euros and is an excellent premium compact phone with all the important areas: design, screen, battery life, speakers, performance, camera.

The iPhone 16 is the faster of the two phones, with a better ultra-wide camera and faster wireless charging. Battery life is better, and if Apple is to be believed, durability is also improved. You can now also get action keys and camera controls.

Although they offer nearly the same user experience, the iPhone 16 is objectively a better phone compared to the iPhone 15.

However, the iPhone 15 is now around 200 euros cheaper and has almost the same quality. Which one you choose will depend on your budget and whether you value the additional features that the iPhone 16 offers.