iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro: Do you need to upgrade? Macky Briones | usagoldmines.com

Apple’s iPhone 16 lineup is lastly right here, and it’s positively an attention-grabbing one. Not solely did the bottom fashions just like the iPhone 16 get options that have been unique to the Professional fashions from final 12 months, however now Apple has added the all-new Digicam Management throughout the whole lineup whereas additionally making the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone Pro Max fashions extra, nicely, professional than ever earlier than.

However what if you have already got an iPhone 15 Pro? Must you improve to the iPhone 16 Professional? Let’s break all of it down.

iPhone 16 Professional vs. iPhone 15 Professional: specs

iPhone 16 Professional vs. iPhone 15 Professional: design

The iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 15 Pro look very comparable when it comes to design, however there are some new {hardware} additions that Apple added this 12 months. Each the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional characteristic titanium and the flat edges that Apple has been utilizing because the iPhone 12 line. Even the triple-lens digital camera structure stays the identical. The Motion and quantity buttons are nonetheless there, too.

Nevertheless, the iPhone 16 Professional provides a brand new {hardware} factor this 12 months. It’s referred to as Camera Control, and it’s positioned on the underside proper facet of the titanium body. This can be a bodily button that sits flush with the body, and it may be totally pressed. It additionally has an built-in contact sensor that permits for slide gestures for added management.

iPhone 15 Professional Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Developments

Other than the Digicam Management, the general look of each gadgets could be very comparable. The iPhone 15 Professional had 4 colours: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Pure Titanium. The iPhone 16 Professional has the identical colours, besides Desert Titanium replaces the blue choice.

Nevertheless, there are additionally slight variations with the recycled colours, because the White and Pure Titanium are brighter, and the Black Titanium seems darker with the iPhone 16 Professional. In any other case, these are two very comparable feeling and looking smartphones.

iPhone 16 Professional vs. iPhone 15 Professional: show

Joe Maring / Digital Developments

The iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional have the identical Tremendous Retina XDR show, which is an OLED panel. Additionally they have always-on capabilities and ProMotion expertise with a 120Hz refresh charge. Each telephones have 1,000 nits typical brightness, 1,600 nits for HDR content material, and a couple of,000 nits peak brightness for out of doors use.

Nevertheless, Apple made some minor tweaks this 12 months with the iPhone 16 Professional. Whereas the iPhone 15 Professional had a 6.1-inch show, the iPhone 16 Professional has a 6.3-inch show, so it’s a bit bigger on account of diminished bezels. The iPhone 16 Professional will also be set to a minimal brightness of 1 nit in low-light environments, making it extra snug to have a look at in a darkish room or at evening.

Apple additionally makes use of the newest era Ceramic Protect for the iPhone 16 Professional, whereas the iPhone 15 Professional has the earlier era. Nevertheless, Apple claims each variations are “more durable than any smartphone glass,” so it’s best to count on good drop resistance throughout each. Nevertheless, from private expertise, small scratches could also be a special story.

iPhone 16 Professional vs. iPhone 15 Professional: cameras

Prakhar Khanna / Digital Developments

Apple made some good enhancements to the digital camera system on the iPhone 16 Professional, making it higher than its predecessor in additional methods than one.

The iPhone 15 Professional has a 48-megapixel major digital camera, a 12MP ultrawide digital camera, and a 12MP telephoto lens that may solely obtain a 3x optical zoom. Due to dimension constraints, Apple couldn’t match its newer telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom into the iPhone 15 Professional, solely the iPhone 15 Professional Max. The TrueDepth entrance digital camera is 12MP.

With the iPhone 16 Professional, you get a brand new 48MP Fusion digital camera (a brand new time period for “extensive” or “principal”), a 48MP ultrawide digital camera, and a 12MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom. That’s proper — due to the marginally bigger bodily dimension of the iPhone 16 Professional, it now will get the 5x optical zoom that was lacking final 12 months. The TrueDepth entrance digital camera continues to be simply 12MP although.

The iPhone 16 Professional additionally has some new pictures and video tips that you simply received’t get on the iPhone 15 Professional. That features 48MP macro pictures, 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient video recording, improved studio-quality four-mic array, wind noise discount, audio combine, and extra.

Although the iPhone 15 Professional nonetheless has a very good digital camera system, the iPhone 16 Professional is unquestionably a step up. And in case you are likely to take extra skilled movies, then it’s a no brainer to go together with the iPhone 16 Professional.

iPhone 16 Professional vs. iPhone 15 Professional: software program and efficiency

Joe Maring / Digital Developments

The iPhone 15 Professional initially shipped with iOS 17 and is upgradable to iOS 18. You possibly can count on round 5 or so extra years of assist from Apple, as the corporate doesn’t give particular numbers like its rivals.

The iPhone 15 Professional (and its bigger sibling) meets the minimal requirement for Apple Intelligence options in iOS 18 because it has the A17 Professional chip and 8GB RAM. In day by day use, the iPhone 15 Professional has held up fairly nice — apps and video games open up shortly, switching between apps is quick and seamless, and all the things mainly runs and not using a hitch.

However the iPhone 16 Professional takes issues to a different degree. It has the brand new A18 Professional chip, which Apple claims has a 20% enhance in reminiscence bandwidth, 2x enhance at hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and 20% enchancment in sustained efficiency. It must also be extra energy environment friendly than its predecessor, although this didn’t bear out in our battery exams.

The iPhone 16 Professional was constructed from the bottom as much as get essentially the most out of Apple Intelligence. And with the Digicam Management, you’ll have the ability to get Visible Intelligence, which received’t be coming to the iPhone 15 Professional. Visible Intelligence is like Google Lens, however makes use of Apple Intelligence and Siri. The iPhone 15 Professional isn’t any slouch, however we’ll have to attend till Apple Intelligence launches to guage how nicely the iPhone 16 Professional handles it.

iPhone 16 Professional vs. iPhone 15 Professional: battery life and charging

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Developments

The iPhone 15 Professional has a 3,274mAh battery, which equates to about 23 hours of streamed video playback, in response to Apple. In our private use with an iPhone 15 Professional for the previous 12 months, the battery life began out sturdy at first, however these days it does want a cost in the course of the day to get by means of the whole day.

The iPhone 16 Professional battery seems barely greater than the one from final 12 months. Nevertheless, it doesn’t appear to make a lot of a distinction. Apple claims about 27 hours of streamed video playback with the iPhone 16 Professional, however the battery recurrently dropped below 20% inside 12 hours throughout testing. When you’re in search of considerably longer battery life, you received’t discover it right here.

So far as charging goes, Apple didn’t make any enhancements on the iPhone 16 Professional regarding the wired charging velocity, because it stays the identical as earlier than (50% cost in half-hour with 20W adapter). However for wi-fi charging, it may well now rise up to 25W wi-fi MagSafe charging, up from 15W beforehand.

iPhone 16 Professional vs. iPhone 15 Professional: verdict

Joe Maring / Digital Developments

If you have already got an iPhone 15 Professional, then it could be arduous to advocate upgrading to the iPhone 16 Professional. In spite of everything, the iPhone 15 Professional is able to working Apple Intelligence options with iOS 18, and it’s nonetheless an excellent cellphone a 12 months after its launch.

Nevertheless, in order for you entry to the brand new Digicam Management, which unlocks Visible Intelligence, in addition to the improved 48MP ultrawide lens and 5x optical zoom capabilities, then the iPhone 16 Professional could also be value upgrading to. Additionally, if you can take advantage of a trade-in deal that may get you as much as $1,000 off the iPhone 16 Professional, it could be value pulling the set off for that alone. It’s not a completely obligatory improve, however in case you discover a whole lot and assume you’d get lots out of the Digicam Management and new digital camera sensors, it’s value contemplating.