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MobileIQ

Head to head

Apple iPhone 16vsApple iPhone 16 Pro

The short answer

Neither the iPhone 16 nor the iPhone 16 Pro wins a row by a gap you’d notice. Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2031–2035 for both, our estimate, not Apple’s.

Released
2024-09-20endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
Price
£699Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-19
Security updates until
Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
Released
2024-09-20endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
Security updates until
Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19

0 wins for iPhone 160 wins for iPhone 16 Pro4 gaps borderline2 differences you won’t notice

Verdict: nothing you’d notice between them

On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, neither the iPhone 16 nor the iPhone 16 Pro wins a row by a gap you would notice. 4 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: weight (170 g against 199 g) for the iPhone 16, display size (6.3 in against 6.1 in) for the iPhone 16 Pro, HDR peak brightness (1,600 nits against 1,200 nits) for the iPhone 16 Pro and claimed video playback (27 h against 22 h) for the iPhone 16 Pro. The differences in battery capacity and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) are below the thresholds you would notice. Both state the same peak brightness, typical brightness, storage (base), RAM, battery per charge, battery lifespan, fast charging and wireless charging. The other 35 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.

True to scale

iPhone 16 · 147.6 × 71.6 mmiPhone 16 Pro · 149.6 × 71.5 mm

Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.

Body

SpecificationApple iPhone 16Apple iPhone 16 Pro
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
147.6 x 71.6 x 7.80 mmOfficial
149.6 x 71.5 x 8.25 mmOfficial
Weight

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

BuildDiffers, but not ranked.
Aluminium design, Ceramic Shield front, Colour-infused glass backOfficial
Titanium design, Latest-generation Ceramic Shield front, Textured matt glass backOfficial
SIMSame.
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); Dual eSIM supportOfficial
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); Dual eSIM supportOfficial
Water/dust ratingSame.
UnlockSame.
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official

Display

SpecificationApple iPhone 16Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Display typeDiffers, but not ranked.
Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)Official
Super Retina XDR OLED, Always-On, HDR, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)Official
Display size

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

ResolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
2556 x 1179Official
2622 x 1206Official
Pixel densitySame.
460ppiOfficial
460ppiOfficial
Refresh rate
No verified data
Peak brightnessSame.
2000nitsOfficial
2000nitsOfficial
Typical brightnessSame.
1000nitsOfficial
1000nitsOfficial
HDR peak brightness
1200nitsOfficial
1600nitsOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Screen protectionDiffers, but not ranked.
Ceramic Shield frontOfficial
Latest-generation Ceramic Shield frontOfficial

Platform

SpecificationApple iPhone 16Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Operating systemSame.
iOS 183rd party
iOS 183rd party
OS versions supportedSame.
iOS 18 to iOS 27Official
iOS 18 to iOS 27Official
ChipsetDiffers, but not ranked.
A18 chipOfficial
A18 Pro chipOfficial
CPUSame.
6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency coresOfficial
6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency coresOfficial
GPUDiffers, but not ranked.
5-core GPUOfficial
6-core GPUOfficial

Memory

SpecificationApple iPhone 16Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Storage (base)Same.
Storage optionsDiffers, but not ranked.

Apple UK — iPhone 16 Technical Specifications claims 128GB · GSMArena — Apple iPhone 16 specifications reports 128GB/256GB/512GB

128GB/256GB/512GB/1TBOfficial
RAMSame.
Card slotSame.

Camera

SpecificationApple iPhone 16Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Main cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
Advanced dual-camera system: 48MP Fusion Main 26mm f/1.6 with sensor-shift OIS; 12MP Ultra Wide 13mm f/2.2 120°; 48MP Fusion Main also enables 12MP 2x Telephoto 52mm f/1.6Official
Pro camera system: 48MP Fusion 24mm f/1.78 with second-generation sensor-shift OIS; 48MP Ultra Wide 13mm f/2.2 120°; 12MP 5x Telephoto 120mm f/2.8 tetraprism; Fusion also enables 12MP 2x Telephoto 48mm f/1.78Official
Main sensor resolutionSame.
Main apertureDiffers, but not ranked.
f/1.78Official
Main sensor sizeDiffers, but not ranked.
1/1.56"3rd party
1/1.28"3rd party
TelephotoDiffers, but not ranked.
12MP 2x Telephoto, 52mm, f/1.6, sensor-shift OIS (enabled by 48MP Fusion Main)Official
12MP 5x Telephoto, 120mm, f/2.8, tetraprism, 3D sensor-shift OIS; Fusion also enables 12MP 2x Telephoto 48mm f/1.78Official
UltrawideDiffers, but not ranked.
12MP Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2, 120° field of viewOfficial
48MP Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2, 120° field of viewOfficial
Front cameraSame.
12MP TrueDepth, f/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsOfficial
12MP TrueDepth, f/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsOfficial
Video captureDiffers, but not ranked.
4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fpsOfficial
4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100 or 120 fps (Fusion)Official

Battery

SpecificationApple iPhone 16Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Battery capacity
3561mAh3rd party
3582mAh3rd party

You won’t notice this difference.

Battery per chargeSame.
Claimed video playback

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Battery lifespanSame.
1000cyclesOfficial
1000cyclesOfficial
Fast chargingSame.
Wireless chargingSame.

Connectivity

SpecificationApple iPhone 16Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Wi-FiSame.
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
BluetoothSame.
USBDiffers, but not ranked.
USB-C, USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
USB-C, USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
NFCSame.
PositioningDiffers, but not ranked.
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDouOfficial
Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC)Official

Benchmarks

SpecificationApple iPhone 16Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core)

You won’t notice this difference.

3DMark Wild Life Extreme
No verified data
DXOMARK camera scoreDiffers, but not ranked.

Misc

SpecificationApple iPhone 16Apple iPhone 16 Pro
ColoursDiffers, but not ranked.
Black, White, Pink, Teal, UltramarineOfficial
Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert TitaniumOfficial
SAR (EU, head)Same.
1.24W/kg3rd party
1.24W/kg3rd party
Repairability (EU class)Same.
2 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for

Google Mobile Services · AnTuTu benchmark. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.

Questions

Is the iPhone 16 better than the iPhone 16 Pro?

On the figures, neither: no row has a gap between them you’d notice. The differences that exist are borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.

Which has the better battery?

Neither: both state 37 h for battery per charge (EU energy label). The iPhone 16 Pro is ahead, narrowly: claimed video playback, 27 h against 22 h (both Apple UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The iPhone 16 Pro is ahead on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 3,582 mAh against 3,561 mAh (both GSMArena).

Which is lighter?

The iPhone 16 is lighter, narrowly: weight, 170 g (Apple UK) against 199 g (Apple Support UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.

Which has the brighter screen?

Neither: both state 2,000 nits for peak brightness (Apple UK and Apple Support UK). Both state 1,000 nits for typical brightness (Apple UK and Apple Support UK). The iPhone 16 Pro is brighter, narrowly: HDR peak brightness, 1,600 nits against 1,200 nits (both Apple UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.

Which gets updates for longer?

Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2031–2035 for both, our estimate, not Apple’s. Sources: Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.

The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.