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MobileIQ

Head to head

Apple iPhone 17 ProvsApple iPhone 16 Pro

The short answer

Choose the iPhone 17 Pro for peak brightness, more base storage and battery life per charge. The iPhone 16 Pro wins no row by a gap you’d notice. Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036 for the iPhone 17 Pro and 2031–2035 for the iPhone 16 Pro, our estimate, not Apple’s.

Released
2025-09-19endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
Price
£1,099Apple 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

3 wins for iPhone 17 Pro0 wins for iPhone 16 Pro6 gaps borderline1 difference you won’t notice

Verdict: iPhone 17 Pro ahead on 3 rows, iPhone 16 Pro on none

On the makers’ published figures, the iPhone 17 Pro wins on peak brightness (3,000 nits against 2,000 nits), storage (base) (256 GB against 128 GB) and battery per charge (47 h against 37 h). 6 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: RAM (12 GB against 8 GB, both from GSMArena) for the iPhone 17 Pro, battery capacity (3,998 mAh against 3,582 mAh, both from GSMArena) for the iPhone 17 Pro, claimed video playback (31 h against 27 h) for the iPhone 17 Pro, fast charging (40 W against 20 W) for the iPhone 17 Pro, Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) (8,770 against 7,788, both from Geekbench Browser) for the iPhone 17 Pro and 3DMark Wild Life Extreme (5,304 against 4,248, both from 3DMark) for the iPhone 17 Pro. The difference in weight is below the threshold you would notice. Both state the same display size, refresh rate, typical brightness, HDR peak brightness, battery lifespan and wireless charging. The other 33 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.

True to scale

iPhone 17 Pro · 150 × 71.9 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 17 ProApple iPhone 16 Pro
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
150 x 71.9 x 8.75 mmOfficial
149.6 x 71.5 x 8.25 mmOfficial
Weight
204gOfficial
199gOfficial

You won’t notice this difference.

BuildDiffers, but not ranked.
Aluminium unibody design, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield 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.
IP68Official
IP68Official
UnlockSame.
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official

Display

SpecificationApple iPhone 17 ProApple iPhone 16 Pro
Display typeSame.
Super Retina XDR OLED, Always-On, HDR, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)Official
Super Retina XDR OLED, Always-On, HDR, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)Official
Display sizeSame.
6.3inOfficial
6.3inOfficial
ResolutionSame.
2622 x 1206Official
2622 x 1206Official
Pixel densitySame.
460ppiOfficial
460ppiOfficial
Refresh rateSame.
120HzOfficial
120HzOfficial
Peak brightness
3000nitsOfficialwins this row
2000nitsOfficial

iPhone 17 Pro is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Typical brightnessSame.
1000nitsOfficial
1000nitsOfficial
HDR peak brightnessSame.
1600nitsOfficial
1600nitsOfficial
Screen protectionDiffers, but not ranked.
Ceramic Shield 2 frontOfficial
Latest-generation Ceramic Shield frontOfficial

Platform

SpecificationApple iPhone 17 ProApple iPhone 16 Pro
Operating systemDiffers, but not ranked.
iOS 263rd party
iOS 183rd party
OS versions supportedDiffers, but not ranked.
iOS 26 to iOS 27Official
iOS 18 to iOS 27Official
ChipsetDiffers, but not ranked.
A19 Pro 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.
6-core GPU with Neural AcceleratorsOfficial
6-core GPUOfficial

Memory

SpecificationApple iPhone 17 ProApple iPhone 16 Pro
Storage (base)
256GBOfficialwins this row
128GBOfficial

iPhone 17 Pro is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Storage optionsDiffers, but not ranked.
256GB/512GB/1TBOfficial
128GB/256GB/512GB/1TBOfficial
RAM
12GB3rd party
8GB3rd party

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Card slotSame.
No3rd party
No3rd party

Camera

SpecificationApple iPhone 17 ProApple iPhone 16 Pro
Main cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Pro Fusion camera system: 48MP Fusion Main 24mm f/1.78 with second-generation sensor-shift OIS; 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide 13mm f/2.2 120°; 48MP Fusion Telephoto 100mm 4x f/2.8 tetraprism; Fusion Main also enables 12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto 48mm f/1.78; Fusion Telephoto also enables 12MP optical-quality 8x Telephoto 200mm f/2.8Official
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.
48MPOfficial
48MPOfficial
Main apertureSame.
f/1.78Official
f/1.78Official
Main sensor sizeSame.
1/1.28"3rd party
1/1.28"3rd party
TelephotoDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100mm (4x), f/2.8, tetraprism, 3D sensor-shift OIS; also enables 12MP optical-quality 8x Telephoto 200mm f/2.8Official
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.
48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2, 120° field of viewOfficial
48MP Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2, 120° field of viewOfficial
Front cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
18MP Center Stage, 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, 60, 100 or 120 fps (Fusion Main)Official
4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100 or 120 fps (Fusion)Official

Battery

SpecificationApple iPhone 17 ProApple iPhone 16 Pro
Battery capacity
3998mAh3rd party
3582mAh3rd party

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Battery per charge
47hOfficialwins this row
37hOfficial

iPhone 17 Pro is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Claimed video playback
31hOfficial
27hOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Battery lifespanSame.
1000cyclesOfficial
1000cyclesOfficial
Fast charging
40WOfficial
20WOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Wireless chargingSame.
25WOfficial
25WOfficial

Connectivity

SpecificationApple iPhone 17 ProApple iPhone 16 Pro
Wi-FiSame.
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
BluetoothDiffers, but not ranked.
6Official
5.3Official
USBSame.
USB-C, USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
USB-C, USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
NFCSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
PositioningSame.
Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC)Official
Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC)Official

Benchmarks

SpecificationApple iPhone 17 ProApple iPhone 16 Pro
Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core)
87703rd party
77883rd party

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

3DMark Wild Life Extreme
53043rd party
42483rd party

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

DXOMARK camera scoreDiffers, but not ranked.
1683rd party
1573rd party

Misc

SpecificationApple iPhone 17 ProApple iPhone 16 Pro
ColoursDiffers, but not ranked.
Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep BlueOfficial
Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert TitaniumOfficial
SAR (EU, head)Differs, but not ranked.
1.49W/kg3rd party
1.24W/kg3rd party
Repairability (EU class)Same.
COfficial
COfficial
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 17 Pro better than the iPhone 16 Pro?

On the figures, the iPhone 17 Pro is ahead wherever there is a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,000 nits (Apple Support UK), storage (base), 256 GB (Apple UK) against 128 GB (Apple Support UK) and battery per charge, 47 h against 37 h (both EU energy label). The iPhone 16 Pro wins no row by such a gap. That is a count of rows, not an overall score.

Which has the better battery?

The iPhone 17 Pro, by a gap you’d notice: battery per charge, 47 h against 37 h (both EU energy label). The iPhone 17 Pro is ahead, narrowly: claimed video playback, 31 h against 27 h (both Apple UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The iPhone 17 Pro is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 3,998 mAh against 3,582 mAh (both GSMArena), a borderline gap most people would not notice.

Which is lighter?

The iPhone 16 Pro is lighter on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: weight, 199 g (Apple Support UK) against 204 g (Apple UK).

Which has the brighter screen?

The iPhone 17 Pro, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,000 nits (Apple Support UK). Both state 1,000 nits for typical brightness (Apple UK and Apple Support UK). Both state 1,600 nits for HDR peak brightness (Apple UK).

Which gets updates for longer?

Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036 for the iPhone 17 Pro and 2031–2035 for the iPhone 16 Pro, 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.