iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: what's changed since last year?

Apple’s Pro smartphone line-up continues to get even better, being the showcase for the latest iPhone generation’s flagship features. With the release of the iPhone 16 Pro, we see even more significant upgrades: there’s a new button for controlling the cameras, slimmer bezels, bigger screens, better photography hardware, and plenty of power for upcoming AI features.

But how does it compare to last year’s iPhone 15 Pro? Here, we take a look at the differences and improvements Apple has introduced with its latest flagship device.

Read more: Apple iPhone 16 Glowtime event: all our coverage including iPhone 16, Watch 10, AirPods 4

Design & Display: Slim vs slimmer

The iPhone 16 Pro maintains the premium materials Apple introduced last year, but with a new twist. The 6.3in iPhone 16 Pro and the larger 6.9in iPhone 16 Pro Max have near-identical footprints to their predecessors, despite the larger screens. Apple achieved this by drastically reducing the bezels, which are now the slimmest on any Apple device, including the M4 iPad Pro.

Both phones have displays that are protected by a tougher front glass, which is 50% stronger than the first-gen Ceramic Shield and twice as strong as regular glass. The brightness peaks at 2000 nits, and the display can now dim to as low as 1 nit, making it versatile in various lighting conditions. The 120Hz ProMotion and Always On Display features carry over, ensuring smooth performance and great outdoor visibility.

The iPhone 15 Pro was first to feature a premium design shift with Level 5 titanium, which gave the phone a rugged yet lightweight frame. Its bezels may not be as thin, and it may only have the Action button available to customise, but it’s still an undeniably good looking phone. Blue titanium can’t have been a very popular colour choice, though – Apple ditched it for 2024 in favour of the more gold/brown/bronze-like Desert Titanium.

Display tech is largely the same, with the The 6.1in iPhone 15 Pro and 6.7in Pro Max having Dynamic Island, ProMotion, and Always On Display, and 2000 nits of peak brightness for HDR viewing.

Performance & Battery: All about AI

The iPhone 16 Pro runs on Apple’s new A18 Pro chipset, which should deliver a 15% faster CPU and 20% faster GPU compared to the A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro. The A18 Pro also features a 16-core Neural Engine, offering 15% better AI performance than the A17 Pro.

Built using second-generation 3nm technology, the A18 Pro is not only faster but also more power-efficient, using 20% less energy. The chipset’s new Display Engine and video encoder improve both gaming and video recording experiences, while hardware-accelerated ray tracing promises smoother graphics for demanding mobile games.

The iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro was Apple’s first chip to be labelled “Pro” and was built on the 3nm process, which brought better power efficiency and a notable performance increase over the A16. However, the iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro edges ahead in terms of speed and efficiency, making it the better option for power users on paper – especially those invested in AI-driven tasks and mobile gaming.

Camera: All about size and video

The iPhone 16 Pro looks like a photographer’s dream, launching with the new Camera Control button and ready for the AI-accelerated Visual Intelligence system. The former allows for intuitive camera interactions through taps, slides, and holds, whether you’re gripping the phone in portrait or landscape orientation. The Visual Intelligence feature works similarly to Google Lens, analysing what’s in front of the camera and offering interactive options, such as adding event details directly to your calendar.

Hardware upgrades see the 48MP ‘Fusion Camera’ main snapper paired with a 48MP ultrawide, which should let users take better wide-angle and macro photos in lower light conditions. The telephoto lens still comes in at 12MP, but both Pro models now feature a tetraprism periscope for 5x optical zoom. Real-time video colour grading and AI-powered audio editing further enhance the iPhone 16 Pro’s media capabilities, which now top out at 4K/120fps.

The iPhone 15 Pro introduced a major camera overhaul with its 48MP main sensor, which offered various focal lengths and improved low-light performance through advanced pixel binning. The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s telephoto lens brought 5x zoom, but the standard Pro had to settle for 3x zoom. Both devices supported Spatial Video, 4K recording at 60fps, and Dolby Vision.

Features: Looking pretty similar

The iPhone 16 Pro retains last year’s Action Button, but adds that new Camera Control Button for more versatile camera operation. Apple’s new AI-powered Visual Intelligence feature enhances how users interact with the camera and the objects they capture. Battery life has also improved, though exact figures were not provided. The iPhone 16 Pro supports Qi2 wireless charging and includes a faster MagSafe charger.

The iPhone 15 Pro marked a shift to USB-C, improving data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps and enabling users to charge other devices, such as AirPods, with the same cable. It introduced the customizable Action Button, which replaced the traditional mute switch. While the iPhone 15 Pro supported MagSafe charging, it does so at slower speeds than the iPhone 16 Pro can manage.

iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro initial verdict

The iPhone 16 Pro builds on the foundation laid by the iPhone 15 Pro, introducing several meaningful upgrades that make it a more powerful and versatile device. The larger display, faster A18 Pro chipset and new Camera Control Button push the iPhone 16 Pro ahead for photography enthusiasts and power users.

While the iPhone 15 Pro remains an excellent device, especially with its titanium build and powerful A17 Pro chip, the iPhone 16 Pro’s added features and performance improvements will likely make it the go-to choice for those seeking the best that Apple has to offer. We’ve also yet to see how much faster it is at the AI-powered Visual Intelligence tasks Apple is baking heavily into iOS 18.

You don’t need to upgrade from last year’s device, but the 16 Pro’s upgrades should sway you if you’re rocking an older model.

Related: The iPhone 16 Pro is here, and it might be the new best pick for photographers

About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around seven years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.