Head to head
Apple iPhone 16evsApple iPhone 16 Pro
The short answer
Choose the iPhone 16 Pro for peak brightness and faster wireless charging. Choose the iPhone 16e for lower weight. Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036 for the iPhone 16e and 2031–2035 for the iPhone 16 Pro, our estimate, not Apple’s.
- Released
- 2025-02-28endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £599Apple Newsroom UK — iPhone 16e launch, retrieved 2026-09-22
- 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
1 win for iPhone 16e2 wins for iPhone 16 Pro5 gaps borderline2 differences you won’t notice
Verdict: iPhone 16 Pro ahead on 2 rows, iPhone 16e on 1 row
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the iPhone 16e wins on weight (167 g against 199 g); the iPhone 16 Pro wins on peak brightness (2,000 nits against 1,200 nits) and wireless charging (25 W from the maker against 7.5 W from GSMArena). 5 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: display size (6.3 in against 6.1 in) for the iPhone 16 Pro, typical brightness (1,000 nits against 800 nits) for the iPhone 16 Pro, HDR peak brightness (1,600 nits against 1,200 nits) for the iPhone 16 Pro, battery capacity (4,005 mAh against 3,582 mAh, both from GSMArena) for the iPhone 16e and battery per charge (41 h against 37 h) for the iPhone 16e. The differences in claimed video playback and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) are below the thresholds you would notice. Both state the same storage (base), RAM, battery lifespan and fast charging. The other 35 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
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
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
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 16e better than the iPhone 16 Pro?
On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 16e wins on weight, 167 g against 199 g (both Apple Support UK); the iPhone 16 Pro wins on peak brightness, 2,000 nits against 1,200 nits (both Apple Support UK) and wireless charging, 25 W (Apple Support UK) against 7.5 W (GSMArena). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.
Which has the better battery?
The iPhone 16e is ahead, narrowly: battery per charge, 41 h against 37 h (both EU energy label), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The iPhone 16 Pro is ahead on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 27 h against 26 h (both Apple UK). The iPhone 16e is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 4,005 mAh against 3,582 mAh (both GSMArena), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The iPhone 16e, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 167 g against 199 g (both Apple Support UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The iPhone 16 Pro, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,000 nits against 1,200 nits (both Apple Support UK). The iPhone 16 Pro is brighter, narrowly: typical brightness, 1,000 nits against 800 nits (both Apple Support UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. 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 2032–2036 for the iPhone 16e and 2031–2035 for the iPhone 16 Pro, our estimate, not Apple’s. Sources: Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.