The Apple occasion on Monday revealed the latest choice 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 (apart from the worth tag), we may help you determine 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 could have entry to Apple Intelligence when these options start to turn into accessible in October. However there are some additional perks you get when you spend the additional couple hundred bucks for an iPhone 16 Professional – as an illustration, higher digicam options and a barely bigger show.
We’ll inform you the variations between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional beneath. For extra, here is how the iPhone 16 Professional compares to the competitors. And when you determine you’re able to make the leap, be aware 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 dimension and know-how
In relation to display screen dimension, the iPhone 16 Professional’s show is barely barely bigger than the iPhone 16. The 16 Professional has a 6.3-inch ProMotion know-how 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 gives a sooner refresh price as much as 120Hz, delivering smoother video than the usual iPhone 16, which tops out at TKHz.
In any other case, the display screen know-how between the 2 fashions could be very evenly matched. Each sport a Tremendous Retina XDR show with the identical HDR, brightness, P3 colour 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 vast and weighs six ounces, whereas the 16 Professional is 5.89 inches tall, 2.81 inches vast and weighs simply over seven ounces.
The decision can 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 Protect display screen, which ought to make for good safety towards drops and scratches. Additionally they each supply the Dynamic Island (first launched with the iPhone 14 Professional), which replaces the notch discovered on older iPhones.
Digicam and microphone variations
As with earlier fashions, two cameras sit on the again of the iPhone 16: the 48-megapixel Fusion major digicam and the 12-megapixel extremely vast digicam. That combo lets you “zoom out” for vast angle pictures (0.5x) and zoom in as much as 2x.
The iPhone 16 Professional has a extra subtle triple digicam array: a 48-megapixel Fusion major digicam and a brand new 48-megapixel extremely vast lens, together with a 12-megapixel Telephoto digicam. That third lens 16 Professional permits 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 can even shoot within the Apple ProRAW file format, and gives evening mode portrait pictures not accessible within the baseline mannequin.
On the video aspect, each iPhone 16 traces can shoot 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient video, however the Professional mannequin gives 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 you need to ask what these are, you don’t want them.)
In any other case, the digicam capabilities between the 2 fashions are just about the identical. That features two new-for-2024 options: Photographic Kinds and the Digicam Management button. Photographic Kinds is akin to old-school Instagram filters, however with a significant twist: you possibly can undo or change the kinds after capturing a given photograph. In the meantime, the brand new Digicam Management button additionally comes outfitted on each the iPhone 16 and 16 Professional fashions on the underside proper aspect of the telephones. It gives one-click entry to photograph and video capturing, and consists of touch-sensitive manipulation to alter modes, body pictures and so forth.
Lastly, the iPhone 16 Professional features a “studio-quality” four-mic array which gives higher audio seize throughout video classes and allows the brand new multi-track recording possibility within the Memos app. (No, that function will not be accessible 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 supply 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 the entire iPhone 16 fashions will run the upcoming Apple Intelligence options.
USB velocity
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 occasions sooner transfers. (For reference, the iPhone 16 helps USB 2.) That additional velocity is helpful for creators who’re transferring video, audio and images 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 traditional, the iPhone 16 fashions are available in shiny new colours, whereas the iPhone 16 Professional has extra impartial colours. The iPhone 16 is constructed from aluminum with a glass again, and you may select from new colours like ultramarine (periwinkle), teal, pink (however darker than final yr’s pink), or the usual white and black decisions.
As for the iPhone 16 Professional, it is constructed from titanium with a textured matte glass again, and your colour 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 digicam now has its personal devoted button.)
Battery life
In case you’re searching for a telephone with a battery that may final all day, the iPhone 16 ought to be an amazing possibility if it lives as much as Apple’s marketed specs. The iPhone 16 gives 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 gives 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 greater 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 here is how the battery life and sizes differ.
iPhone 16 Plus
Battery: Affords 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 vast and weighs simply over seven ounces.
iPhone 16 Professional Max
Battery: Affords 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 vast and weighs almost 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 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) |