Apple iPhone 16 vs. 16 Plus vs. 16 Professional vs. 16 Professional Max: What is the Distinction?
Pricing: From $799 to $1,599
Price is a giant issue when choosing a cell phone. Though most US patrons cut up the price of new telephones over 24 or 36 months by way of their service plan, each little determination provides up on that month-to-month invoice. Here is a breakdown of iPhone pricing.
Apple prices $799 for the iPhone 16 with 128GB of storage, $899 for 256GB, or $1,099 for 512 GB. The Plus fashions value $100 extra throughout the board, or $899 for the 128GB mannequin, $999 for 256GB, or $1,199 for 512GB.
The Professional fashions carry a rise of $200. The iPhone 16 Professional with 128GB prices $999, the 256GB mannequin prices $1,099, the 512GB mannequin prices $1,299, and the 1TB mannequin prices $1,499. Shifting to the iPhone 16 Professional Max, you may pay $1,199 for the 256GB mannequin (there is no such thing as a 128GB mannequin), $1,399 for the 512GB mannequin, or $1,599 for the 1TB mannequin.
In the event you’re extra within the month-to-month breakdown, you must anticipate to pay about $33 per thirty days for 2 years for the bottom iPhone 16 and $67 per thirty days for 2 years for the 1TB Professional Max iPhone. These costs are legitimate for those who finance the telephone straight with Apple. Since AT&T, T-Cell, and Verizon break down prices over three years, you’ll be able to anticipate the month-to-month value to drop to about $22 for the bottom mannequin and $44 for the highest mannequin. Your pricing will doubtless be totally different for those who trade in an outdated iPhone.
Winner: Apple (ka-ching!)
Sizing and Design
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 households had been obtainable in two primary sizes, however Apple has expanded the lineup this 12 months and now gives 4 sizes from which to decide on.
The iPhone 16 is the smallest and lightest of the brand new iPhones, measuring 5.81 by 2.82 by 0.31 inches (HWD) and 6.00 ounces. The 16 Professional is barely bigger, measuring 5.89 by 2.81 by 0.32 inches and seven.03 ounces. Then comes the 16 Plus, which measures 6.33 by 3.06 by 0.31 inches and weighs 7.03 ounces. The Professional Max is the largest and heaviest, measuring 6.42 by 3.06 by 0.32 inches and seven.99 ounces. You may put the Professional Max within the “fairly darned huge” class.
When it comes to design, the iPhone 16s aren’t that tough to inform aside due to their totally different shade palettes. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus can be found in 5 shades: Black, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine, or White. The 16 Professional and 16 Professional Max are available 4 choices: Black Titanium, Desert Titanium, Pure Titanium, or White Titanium.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are made with aluminum frames and Apple’s Ceramic Defend, whereas the Professional fashions improve the body to titanium. All 4 fashions have an IP68 rating for defense in opposition to mud and water.
The buttons and controls are equivalent. The left facet options the Motion Button and separate quantity keys, whereas the correct edge holds the facility button and the Digital camera Management—this new characteristic helps you to shortly open the digicam and take images or movies, in addition to entry instruments like zoom by sliding your finger throughout the sapphire glass. Not one of the iPhones for US patrons has a bodily SIM card as a result of US iPhone fashions depend on eSIM solely. Worldwide fashions do embrace a SIM card tray. Every iPhone has a USB-C port on the underside, however they are not all the identical. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have USB 2.0 ports, whereas the 16 Professional and Professional Max have USB 3.1.
The most important visible distinction between the iPhones, apart from their shade, is the digicam module. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have two digicam lenses stacked vertically, and the 16 Professional and Professional Max have three cameras organized in a triangle that relaxation on a big, squarish bump.
Winner: Tie
Display screen Dimensions: It Issues
4 different-sized telephones means 4 different-sized shows, measuring 6.1, 6.3, 6.7, and 6.9 inches. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus use Apple’s Tremendous Retina XDR OLED display. It is a static screen at 60Hz and doesn’t assist the always-on show characteristic. The 6.1-inch iPhone 16 has a decision of two,556 by 1,179 pixels and a density of 460 pixels per inch (ppi), whereas the 6.7-inch 16 Plus has a decision of two,796 by 1,290 pixels at 460ppi.
The Professional fashions improve the display to a variable refresh fee display that Apple manufacturers as ProMotion. The refresh fee can vary from 1Hz to save lots of energy as much as 120Hz for smoother efficiency. This display helps an always-on show choice. The 6.3-inch 16 Professional has a decision of two,622 by 1,206 pixels at 460ppi, whereas the 6.9-inch Professional Max has a decision of two,868 by 1,320 pixels at 460ppi. The Professional Max has the largest-ever display on an iPhone.
All 4 iPhones produce 1,000 nits of brightness (typical), with HDR brightness reaching 1,600 nits and peak brightness reaching 2,000 nits. They assist a distinction ratio of two million to 1 and embrace a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.
Winner: iPhone 16 Professional Max
Apple Silicon: What’s a Professional Chip?
In line with Apple, a single GPU core is all that separates the A18 processor within the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus and the A18 Professional chip within the iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max. Based mostly on the chip’s architectural diagram, the A18 contains two efficiency cores, 4 effectivity cores, 5 GPU cores, and 16 Neural Engine cores (or NPU). The A18 Professional provides a single GPU core, giving it six as an alternative of 5.
There may actually be different variations. For instance, Apple would not spell out the clock speeds for the CPU cores. It is doable the A18 Professional has increased clock speeds than the A18. Assessing any actual efficiency variations right here would require in-depth testing. We do know that each one 4 iPhones share the identical quantity of RAM, which is believed to be 8GB.
Winner: iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max
Battery: From 18 to 29 Hours
Apple doesn’t share particulars on the capability of iPhone batteries, so it is exhausting to generate an actual apples-to-apples comparability. Additional, the corporate quantifies battery life by what number of hours the units can carry out particular duties, none of which embrace “common use.”
The iPhone 16 can play native video information for as much as 22 hours, stream on-line video information for as much as 18 hours, and play audio for as much as 80 hours. These numbers improve to 27, 24, and 100 hours, respectively, for the iPhone 16 Plus. The Professional mannequin batteries usually last more. Apple says the 16 Professional can play native video information for as much as 27 hours, stream on-line video information for as much as 22 hours, and play audio for as much as 85 hours. These battery life rankings improve to 22, 29, and 105 hours, respectively, for the 16 Professional Max.
Naturally, we’ll present our personal battery life outcomes one we get the telephones within the lab and carry out our personal assessments.
So far as charging is anxious, every iPhone 16 helps MagSafe wireless charging at as much as 25W, Qi2 charging at as much as 15W, and common Qi charging at 7.5W. Apple doesn’t disclose the wired charging speeds, although stories counsel all 4 fashions assist as much as 45W wired charging. That has but to be confirmed.
Winner: iPhone 16 Professional Max
Cameras: Do You Need Zoom?
Digital camera performance is among the greater differentiators between the brand new iPhones. The common fashions have two rear cameras whereas the Professional telephones have three. The Professional iPhones additionally get extra superior videography options. Here is the breakdown:
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus share their digicam association. Every has 48MP f/1.6 principal digicam. Apple manufacturers this the Fusion digicam as a result of the sensor can take 48MP pictures at 1x, 12MP pictures at 2x, or mixed 24MP pictures that mix the element of all 48MP with the light-capturing energy of the 12MP binned sensor. The 12MP ultrawide digicam has a 120-degree discipline of view with assist for macro taking pictures.
The Professional fashions have the same 48MP principal digicam with an f/1.78 and optical picture stabilization. It, too, can seize 48MP or 24MP pictures, along with 12MP 2x telephoto pictures. The 48MP ultrawide gives a 120-degree discipline of view at f/2.2 and might snag full 48MP decision footage. A devoted 12MP 5x optical telephoto digicam is on the market to each iPhone 16 Professional fashions.
Apple says the iPhone 16 helps as much as 10x zoom by way of cropping with the principle sensor. The Professional fashions assist as much as 5x optical zoom and as much as 25x digital zoom by way of optical zoom and cropping. So far as taking pictures images is anxious, that is the largest distinction.
The TrueDepth digicam, or selfie digicam, seems to be equivalent throughout all 4 iPhone 16s. It is a 12MP shooter at f/1.9. The Professional fashions can shoot in ProRAW, whereas the non-Professional fashions are restricted to HEIF or jpeg.
Wanting on the video capabilities paints a distinct image. All of the iPhones can shoot 1080p or 4K video at 24, 25, 30, or 60 frames per second in Dolby Imaginative and prescient. You additionally get Cinematic Mode, Motion Mode (at 2.8K), gradual movement, time-lapse, and spatial video seize (for the Apple Vision Pro). The Professional fashions add Fusion seize at as much as 4K120, so you will get extremely easy motion or gradual issues down after the actual fact with 4x gradual movement. The Execs additionally get ProRes seize at 4K120, Log video recording, and Academy Coloration Encoding System. Final, they’ve stabilized sensors and embrace 4 microphones for improved audio recording.
In the event you’re a critical video creator, the Professional fashions are for you.
Winner: iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max
Something Else?
Most different specs and options are shared throughout all iPhone 16 fashions. For instance, they’ve the identical sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G assist, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and Thread radios. The one distinction is that the Professional fashions have dual-band GPS whereas the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have single-band GPS.
Everybody will get Emergency SOS by way of satellite tv for pc, Crash Detection, Roadside Help by way of satellite tv for pc, Messages by way of satellite tv for pc, and Discover My by way of satellite tv for pc for security. All of the iPhones ship with iOS 18 and can obtain the identical quantity of software program assist.
Winner: Tie
Verdict: We’re All Winners
Apple makes totally different iPhones for various folks. The iPhone 16 will doubtless be the most effective iPhone for most individuals due to its steadiness of value and options. Those that need one thing greater however wish to maintain the worth in test can get the 16 Plus as an alternative. Need a greater digicam system however like issues small? Go together with the iPhone 16 Professional. Final, if you need all of it, Apple will fortunately take your cash for the 16 Professional Max.
We’ll have full critiques of all the brand new iPhones quickly, so make sure to test again for our definitive shopping for recommendation. In the event you already know which one you need, head right here to pre-order a brand new iPhone for the most effective value.
