by Hartley Charlton
The iPhone 16 Pro is set to succeed 2023's iPhone 15 Pro, introducing over 25 new features and improvements to Apple's high-end smartphones. With many users adopting two-year upgrade cycles, plenty of iPhone 14 Pro owners will be looking to upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro later this year, so this guide breaks down every major difference you should be aware of between the two generations based on rumors.
In 2022, Apple unveiled the iPhone 14 Pro as the successor to the popular iPhone 13 Pro, introducing an always-on display, the Dynamic Island, a 48-megapixel camera, the A16 Bionic chip, longer battery life, and more. Two years later, the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to offer over 50 upgrades. All of the changes the iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to feature compared to their 2022 predecessor are listed below, using information from reliable sources that we have previously covered. We will update this article as more rumors emerge in the coming months.
Design
The design of the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to be a relatively significant evolution over the iPhone 14 Pro, iterating on the titanium frame and slightly rounded edges introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro models last year.
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro |
|---|---|
| Surgical-grade stainless steel chassis with squared-off edges | Aerospace-grade titanium chassis with contoured edges |
| Ring/Silent switch | Action button |
| Thermal design with copper heatsink and black foil battery casing | New thermal design with graphene heatsink and metal battery casing |
| More repairable design | |
| Lightning port | USB-C port |
| Space Black, Silver, Gold, and Deep Purple color options | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Desert Titanium, and Titanium Gray color options |
Dimensions
To accommodate larger displays, both iPhone 16 Pro models are rumored to grow in height and width. In addition to last year's increase in depth, the devices are due to be considerably larger, but with a notable reduction in weight thanks to the adoption of a titanium frame.
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro |
|---|---|
| 7.85mm depth | 8.25mm depth (0.4mm thicker) |
| iPhone 14 Pro: 147.5mm height iPhone 14 Pro Max: 160.7mm height | iPhone 16 Pro: 149.6mm height iPhone 16 Pro Max: 163.0mm height |
| iPhone 14 Pro: 71.5mm width iPhone 14 Pro Max: 77.6mm width | iPhone 16 Pro: 71.45mm width iPhone 16 Pro Max: 77.58mm width |
| iPhone 14 Pro: 206g weight iPhone 14 Pro Max: 240g weight | iPhone 16 Pro: 194g weight iPhone 16 Pro Max: 225g weight |
Displays
Both iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to feature larger displays than their predecessors, pushing the iPhone 16 Pro Max to be the biggest iPhone ever offered. There are also reportedly improvements to the underlying OLED technology in store, in addition to last year's slimmer bezels, making for a noticeable overall display upgrade.
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro |
|---|---|
| 6.1- or 6.7-inch display | 6.3- or 6.9-inch display |
| Thinner borders around the display | |
| More efficient OLED display with brighter micro-lens technology |
Performance
The iPhone 16 Pro models are rumored to bring notable improvements in processing power, including a 3nm Apple silicon chip and 33% more memory.
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro |
|---|---|
| A16 Bionic chip (TSMC's "N4P" 5nm process) | A18 Pro chip (TSMC's "N3E" enhanced 3nm process) |
| 16-core Neural Engine | Neural Engine with "significantly" more cores to support new AI features |
| Dedicated AV1 decoder | |
| 6GB memory | 8GB memory |
Connectivity
Connectivity is also due to get a significant upgrade on the iPhone 16 Pro, bolstering the device's 5G, Wi-Fi, Thread, and Ultra Wideband specifications.
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon X65 5G modem | Snapdragon X75 5G modem |
| Wi‑Fi 6 connectivity | Wi‑Fi 7 connectivity |
| Thread networking technology | |
| First-generation Ultra Wideband chip | Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (connects from 3x further away) |
| Precision Finding for Find My friends |
Cameras
The iPhone 16 Pro models are slated to receive a range of substantial camera enhancements, such as a larger main camera sensor, a 48-megapixel sensor on the ultra wide camera, and a dedicated hardware button for photography and videography on the side of the device.
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro |
|---|---|
| "Capture Button" to trigger photography and videography features | |
| 1/1.28-inch main camera sensor | iPhone 16 Pro Max: 1/1.14-inch main camera sensor (12% larger) |
| Sony IMX-803 main camera sensor | iPhone 16 Pro Max: Sony IMX-903 main camera sensor with stacked design for better performance, a 14-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) for high-quality image data conversion, and Digital Gain Control (DCG) for better dynamic range and noise control |
| 7P main camera lens | 8P main camera lens |
| Telephoto camera with second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization | Telephoto camera with larger sensor, folded tetraprism design, optical image stabilization, and autofocus 3D sensor-shift module |
| 77mm maximum focal length | iPhone 16 Pro: 120mm maximum focal length iPhone 16 Pro Max: "Super" telephoto camera with focal length above 300mm |
| 4P telephoto camera lens | 5P telephoto camera lens |
| 12-megapixel ultra wide camera | 48-megapixel ultra wide camera |
| 5P ultra wide camera lens | 6P ultra wide camera lens |
| Anti-reflective coating on camera lenses | |
| 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 3x optical zoom | 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x optical zoom |
| 13mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, and 120mm focal length picker | |
| 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos | 24- and 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos |
| Smart HDR 4 | Smart HDR 5 |
| Portrait mode with Focus and Depth Control | Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control |
| Night mode and Night mode portraits | Improved Night mode and Night mode portraits |
| Shoot and instantly transfer 48-megapixel ProRAW images to Mac via USB 3 | |
| Record video directly to an external drive | |
| ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps | ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording |
| Action mode | Improved Action mode and low-light video |
| Log video recording | |
| Academy Color Encoding System | |
| Record spatial video for Apple Vision Pro |
Batteries and Charging
The iPhone 16 Pro models could receive some major improvements in battery technology and charging, sporting bigger, denser batteries and faster charging capabilities.
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro |
|---|---|
| Setting to prevent charging above 80% | |
| Battery manufacture date, first use, and cycle count information in Settings | |
| Single-layer battery technology | Stacked battery technology for increased energy density and prolonged lifespan |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max: 4,323 mAh battery | iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4,676 mAh battery |
| Up to 27W wired charging | Up to 40W wired charging |
| 15W charging via MagSafe | 20W charging via MagSafe |
Other Features and Changes
While many of Apple's devices are rumored to receive a series of new AI-based features via software updates later this year, the iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to take these further with exclusive capabilities and an upgraded microphone.
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro |
|---|---|
| Upcoming support for new AI features in iOS 18 | Upcoming support for new AI features in iOS 18, plus a suite of device-exclusive AI features |
| Microphone | Upgraded microphone with improved signal-to-noise ratio and water resistance, designed to support new AI features |
| Improved audio quality on phone calls | |
| USB 2 transfer speeds (up to 480Mb/s) | USB 3 transfer speeds (up to 10Gb/s, 20x faster) |
| DisplayPort support for up to 4K HDR video output | |
| Up to 1TB of storage | Up to 2TB of storage |
Release Date
The iPhone 16 lineup is expected to launch in the fall. Apple usually hosts an event every September to unveil new iPhone models, with launch following just over a week later. For more information about the iPhone 16 Pro models, see our comprehensive roundup.
Will It Be Worth Upgrading?
The iPhone 15 Pro was a fairly significant upgrade over the iPhone 14 Pro in 2023, introducing a titanium chassis, slimmer bezels, the Action button, and a USB-C port. The iPhone 16 Pro will build on these upgrades, offering larger displays, the Capture button, and improved cameras. With over 50 upgrades likely to be in store, many iPhone 14 Pro users will find upgrading to an iPhone 16 Pro model worthwhile.
Related Roundup: iPhone 16 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone
75 comments
Top Rated Comments
MayaUser
2 weeks ago
Now we need iphone 13 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JHBrown
2 weeks ago
“With many users adopting two-year upgrade cycles, plenty of iPhone 14 Pro owners will be looking to upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro later this year…”
I stopped doing this nonsense many years ago, after doing yearly upgrade cycles. Wife, and I, upgraded from the iPhone 8 Plus, to the 14 Pro Max. We expect to use these phones for a few years. Even the two year “upgrades” aren't impactful enough anymore.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brooklyn275
2 weeks ago
Photographer here. Damn it apple stop with the 120mm lens and give us usable focal lengths
13mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, and 120mm is an insane hole in the most needed focal lengths. 13, 24,35, 50 ,75 would be so much better. 120 is too long for hand holding video. and not a normal need,
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tagbert
2 weeks ago
Trying to decide if I should pull the trigger on 15 Pro now or wait for 16. Currently using an iPhone XR o_Oo_Oo_Oo_O
You’ve waited this long. You might as well wait another 6 months and get the 16, if only for the longer zoom range and potentially better AI performance. That XR was a workhorse computer. I suspect it will last at least until this fall.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neilw
2 weeks ago
I'm really annoyed that they're getting bigger. My 13 Pro is already uncomfortably large in jeans pockets. I miss my 5.8" 11 Pro, that was perfect.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B4U
2 weeks ago
If those are the only color options, it is a little disappointing.
Just like cars, we have just different shades of white, black, grey, silver...
Give me vibrant colors!!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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