iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Which Should You Buy?

Now that the much-awaited iPhone 16 is officially out, you must be wondering how the iPhone 16 is different from the iPhone 15. Well, that’s a fair question. The iPhone 15 is only a year old and it’s still one of the most capable smartphones in the market. If you’re confused about whether to choose the iPhone 15 or the iPhone 16, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compared the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 based on their specs and features. This will help you decide whether you should stick with the iPhone 15 to save money or upgrade to the new iPhone 16 to enjoy new experiences. Let’s find out if the iPhone 16 is a worthy upgrade over the iPhone 15 or not.

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Specs

	iPhone 16	iPhone 15
Screen size	6.1 inches	6.1 inches
Display resolution	Super Retina XDR OLED display (2556×1179)	Super Retina XDR OLED display (2556×1179)
Dimensions	5.81 inches x 2.82 inches x 0.31 inches	5.81 inches x 2.82 inches x 0.31 inches
Weight	170 grams	171 grams
Rear camera	Fusion Camera 48MP (f/1.6) Ultra Wide 12MP (f/2.2)	48 MP (f/1.6) main lens and 12 MP (f/2.4) ultra wide angle
Front camera	12MP TrueDepth camera (f/1.9) with autofocus	12MP TrueDepth camera (f/1.9) with autofocus
Chipset	A18 chip	A16 Bionic Chip
RAM	8 GB	6 GB
Wi-Fi connectivity	Wi-Fi 7	Wi-Fi 6
Storage options	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
Colors	Pink, white, black, teal and ultramarine	Pink, yellow, green, blue and black
Price	from $799	from $699

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Specs

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: design

Last year, Apple made some significant design improvements that immediately differentiated the iPhone 15 from the iPhone 14. We saw the debut of Dynamic Island on vanilla models, a stunning color-infused glass back, and a USB-C charging port. The latest iPhone 16 inherited all of these features from the iPhone 15, but Apple also made a layer of design changes that give the new iPhone its own identity.

The new iPhone 16 is made of aerospace-grade aluminum with a second-generation glass-ceramic shield on the front that’s twice as strong as any smartphone glass. One of the biggest design changes between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 is the addition of new buttons. Unlike the iPhone 15, which has the classic mute switch, the iPhone 16 gets the programmable action button which we first saw on the iPhone 15 Pro models. The new iPhone 16 also features a brand new sapphire crystal, camera control button At the bottom right, you’ll find a set of dedicated camera functions. This new capacitive button lets you open the Camera app, zoom in/out, adjust focus, and do much more when shooting in landscape mode.

Another notable difference between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 is the rear camera bump. Compared to the square-shaped camera module with diagonally placed lenses on the iPhone 15, the latest iPhone 16 sports a redesigned pill-shaped camera module with vertically stacked lenses. This change alone is enough to instantly recognize the new iPhone 16. You will have a choice of five iPhone 16 Colors – Pink, white, black, teal and ultramarine.

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: screen

Well, there’s not much to compare the iPhone 16 to the iPhone 15 in terms of display. Once again, the non-Pro iPhone model features the same 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with HDR support and 2,000 nits of peak brightness. Unfortunately, Apple continued the “60Hz” refresh rate trend with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. So, no matter if you buy an iPhone 15 or iPhone 16, you’ll still be stuck with that 60Hz display.

Additionally, just like the iPhone 15 series, you have the option to opt for a larger 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus that gives you more space to enjoy videos and other things.

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: camera

Last year, we saw Apple make some dramatic camera improvements to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. We saw the debut of the 48MP main camera on the base models and improvements to Night Mode. As a result, you can capture brilliant photos on the iPhone 15 with sharper details and more vibrant colors.

Interestingly, Apple has also made some significant improvements to the camera this time around. The iPhone 16 also features a dual-camera setup on the rear panel that houses a 48 MP Fusion Camera with 1x and 2x optical zoom capabilities. With the improved main camera, you can capture stunning shots with more detail. The secondary camera 12MP Ultra Wide Angle Camera now comes with Autofocus and macro photography for the first time. This will allow users to take more detailed night photos in low light. You can take incredibly sharp and detailed photos and videos, even at night.

That’s not all. The iPhone 16 also supports Space capture that lets you take 3D photos and videos for your Apple Vision Pro. Powered by AI and spatial audio capture, the new audio mixing feature lets you adjust how voices sound in your videos. You can choose between In-frame, Studio, and Cinematic options. With the next generation of Photographic stylesYou can add, remove or change a style to make your photo look more like you.

Speaking of the front camera, you will continue to see the 12MP TrueDepth camera on the iPhone 16.

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: performance

This is the area where the new iPhone 16 clearly dominates the old iPhone 15. After using the old chipsets in the new regular models for two years in a row, Apple has finally abandoned this annoying habit and launched the entire iPhone 16 lineup with all-new SoCs. The latest iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are powered by the all-new A18 Chipset with a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and a more powerful 16-core Neural Engine to power Apple Intelligence. Compared to the 6GB of RAM in the iPhone 15, you get 8GB of RAM on the new iPhone 16. That means faster processing times, better gaming, and other significant performance improvements.

Apple claims that the new iPhone 16 offers 30% faster CPU performance compared to the previous iPhone 15. Thanks to the A18 processor, the iPhone 16 supports AAA titles and delivers an enhanced gaming experience. Additionally, there is a new thermal design that improves heat dissipation and delivers 30% better sustained graphics performance.

The iPhone 15 also offers great performance that you would expect from a smartphone. That said, the new iPhone 16 will give you a fantastic performance boost, all thanks to the A18 chipset. This would make the iPhone 16 the ultimate choice for users who need a faster processor for mobile gaming and other tasks.

iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 15: Apple’s Details

One of the most important features that puts the iPhone 16 a step ahead of the iPhone 15 is the support for Apple Intelligence. We all know that even last year’s iPhone 15 and 15 Plus don’t support generative AI capabilities. So, if you are looking to upgrade to the iPhone 15 or iPhone 16, you should know that you can’t access any AI features on the iPhone 15. On the other hand, the new iPhone 16 offers full access to all the Apple Intelligence features like a more capable Siri with ChatGPT integration, writing tools, phone call recording, and more.

This is arguably the biggest difference between the new iPhone 16 and last year’s iPhone 15 model. If you’re holding onto a very old model and are considering buying a new phone, Apple Intelligence would be a smart reason to upgrade to the new iPhone 16.

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Battery and charging

Both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 feature a USB-C charging port. That said, the iPhone 16 brings improvements in battery and charging technology. Apple designed the iPhone 16 to accommodate a larger battery that works with the powerful A18 chipset to deliver a nice battery boost. Compared to the iPhone 15’s 20 hours of video playback, the new iPhone 16 offers 22 hours of battery life. So you’re getting a two additional hours of video playback.

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: price

Now let’s compare the prices of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15. After all, this is one of the most important factors that a user considers while buying a new phone. The iPhone 16 starts at $799 for the base 128GB variant. It’s nice to see Apple sticking to the same price. With the launch of the new iPhone 16, Apple has slashed the iPhone 15 by $100, making the starting price of the iPhone 15 $699. The iPhone 16 is $100 more expensive than the iPhone 15. Given that you’re getting a ton of new features, upgrades, and most importantly, Apple’s AI capabilities, spending that extra $100 makes perfect sense.

Should you upgrade from iPhone 15 to iPhone 16?

Last year, the iPhone 15 brought some dramatic improvements over the iPhone 14 like the Dynamic Island, a 48MP main camera, a USB-C port, and more. The new iPhone 16 also brings a slew of notable improvements like improved rear cameras, an action button, a camera control button, a new A18 processor, and improved RAM. That said, if you already own an iPhone 15, the new iPhone 16 won’t be a game-changer except for the support for Apple Intelligence. Also, if you’re into mobile photography, you’ll find the new camera control button quite useful. If you have little or no interest in AI features, you might want to stick with the iPhone 15. It might be a slightly older smartphone, but it’s still capable.

On the other hand, if you are using a years-old model like the iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 and are planning to get a new phone, we recommend going for the new iPhone 16. Frankly, it is more capable and comes with some brilliant improvements, with AI being the main attraction. The lack of AI support would make even the year-old iPhone 15 quite obsolete.

Are you planning to buy the new iPhone 16? Or would you rather stick with your iPhone 15? Let us know in the comments below!