Now the iPhone 16 Pro is here, it's time for us to see how it compares to its predecessor, the iPhone 15 Pro. Whether you're interested in upgrading to one of these phones from your current handset, or want to swap your iPhone 15 Pro for the latest model, or are just curious about how the specs stack up, we'll explain all here.
The new iPhone 16 Pro has expanded, upgraded and powered-up elements like the cameras, display, chipset and battery compared to the older phone. But the iPhone 15 Pro still remains a powerful phone, sharing a number of elements. So the better phone and the better value phone of this duo may not be the same.
Below is a break-down of all the areas you need to know about for these phones, and we'll flag the differences and similarities along the way. So by the end, you'll know who we think the winner of iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro is, and you'll hopefully have an answer too.
iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Price and availability
Apple kept the price of the iPhone 16 Pro the same as the iPhone 15 Pro's when it launched. So you'll be paying at least $999/£999/AU$1,799 for the 128GB storage model, and more if you want to upgrade your storage to 256GB, 512GB or 1TB.
Apple no longer sells or makes iPhone 15 Pros, so you may find it a bit harder to find one. But now it's not the latest and greatest iPhone, you could get a good deal on it, or at least find it for cheaper than the brand-new iPhone 16 Pro.
iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Design
Apple has made 6.1-inch Pro iPhones since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020, but the iPhone 15 Pro appears to be the last one of this size. Instead, the iPhone 16 Pro has grown to 6.3 inches, giving you more screen space but with only a minimal increase in handset size.
The other major change introduced on the iPhone 16 series is the Camera Control, a capacitive/physical button hybrid that can be used to quickly summon the Camera app and then control essential functions like focus and capture modes with a combination of presses, taps and swipes.
Otherwise, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro are pretty similar shape-wise. Both feature flat side rails made of titanium, a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, a Dynamic Island notch for the Face ID system and front camera, a customizable Action button on the left side, a large triple-camera block on the back and a matte glass rear panel.
The colors on offer do differ slightly though. Both of these phones can be bought in Natural, Black or White Titanium versions, but the iPhone 15 Pro's fourth option is Blue Titanium, while the iPhone 16 Pro offers a gold-ish Desert Titanium in its place.
iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Display
Beyond the size increase we already mentioned, Apple hasn't altered the iPhone 15 Pro's display much for the iPhone 16 Pro. It's still build using OLED technology, offers an adaptive 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, and a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits. But the iPhone 16 Pro has a slightly higher resolution enabled by its increased size, and a specified 1 nit of minimum brightness. That should mean a more efficient and less-blinding display when you've got it at the lowest brightness setting while using the phone in the dark, or trying to save your battery.
iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Cameras
The main camera upgrade Apple made to the iPhone 16 Pro is upgrading its telephoto camera. It now has a zoom level of 5x, rather than the iPhone 15 Pro's 3x. The other one to pay attention to is the iPhone 16 Pro's new 48MP ultrawide camera, which enables much crispier wide shots compared to the 12MP sensor used by the iPhone 15 Pro.
On the video side, the iPhone 16 Pro is now capable of recording at up to 120fps at 4K, rather than the 60fps the iPhone 15 Pro is limited to. Added to that are improved on-board editing features to help adjust audio and playback speed in the Photos app, which the iPhone 15 Pro can't access, or can only use lesser versions of.
iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Performance
As you might expect, the A17 Pro chip used by the iPhone 15 Pro has transformed into an A18 Pro chip for the iPhone 16 Pro. The new A-series silicon brings faster performance to the CPU, GPU and Neural Engine to speed up processing across all areas, with a specific focus placed on compatibility with Apple Intelligence features once those exit beta.
In memory terms, there's no difference between these phones. Both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro offer 8GB of RAM, and between 128GB and 1TB of storage as mentioned above.
iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Battery life and charging
Apple promises that the iPhone 16 Pro lasts longer than the iPhone 15 Pro - with the 16 Pro running for 27 hours of constant video playback against 23 hours on the 15 Pro. We don't know exactly how much larger the battery is yet though, so much of this improvement could come from the chipset rather than a higher battery capacity.
Apple has upgraded the charging capabilities of the iPhone 16 Pro too, now allowing up to 25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2 charging, compared to the 15W the iPhone 15 Pro's original MagSafe connection offers. We're not sure if the wired charging has improved similarly, but that's a question we're looking to answer in testing.
iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Software
Apple will ship the iPhone 16 Pro with iOS 18, but the iPhone 15 Pro can be updated to use that software version too. Both phones can use all of the available features, including Apple Intelligence, although Apple hasn't rolled those out to regular users at the time of writing.
One feature that won't be coming to the iPhone 15 Pro is Visual Intelligence. This Apple Intelligence ability is tied in with the Camera Control button, and is a camera shortcut that will let the iPhone 16 Pro quickly tell you about what it's front of the cameras.
iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Outlook
We're still finishing up testing of the iPhone 16 Pro, so this comparison with the iPhone 15 Pro isn't complete yet. But it's already clear there are several ways in which the 16 Pro is superior, such as its screen, its camera tech, and its chipset.
However, the iPhone 15 Pro won't go down without a fight, since it remains powerful, with a vivid screen and strong cameras. It's not worth trading in your iPhone 15 Pro if it's still functional, but whether you buy one instead of an iPhone 16 Pro is going to depend on what prices you can get, and whether saving some money matters to you more right now than the extra features offered by the newer phone.
More from Tom's Guide
