The new iPhone 16 line-up was unveiled in September 2024, with the budget iPhone 16e arriving in February 2025. Each new iPhone model can usually be relied on to carve a spot near the top of any best smartphones list, and this year’s models have made meaningful improvements over their predecessors – but how do they compare against each other?
We’ve had our hands on the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max (though not the iPhone 16e just yet), so are pretty comfortable in recommending what’s best. There’s plenty to pore over from their respective spec sheets and our experience. Here’s which iPhone 16 model you should pick.
iPhone 16
The everyman iPhone 16 lands with a 6.1in screen, just like last year’s iPhone 15. It uses the same Super Retina XDR display OLED panel, but ProMotion adaptive refresh rate remains exclusive to the Pro models. Peak brightness is pegged at 2000 nits, while it can drop to 1 nit for night time scrolling. Dynamic Island returns, with FaceID authentication.
Apple now uses 85% recycled aluminium for the iPhone 16’s central frame, and the handset is both water and dust resistant. The Ceramic Shield front glass is 50% tougher than the first-gen glass used on previous iPhones, and there’s a new materials mix for the colour-infused back glass. You’ll be able to snap one up in black, white, teal, pink and ultramarine hues.
The design has been tweaked with a rear camera layout that feels a little inspired by the iPhone X, with two lenses stacked vertically. It has a 48MP main snapper that claims ‘lossless’ 2x zoom shots, while the 12MP ultrawide lens has a significantly wider f/1.6 aperture for gathering more than twice as much light as the previous iPhone generation.
This year’s model brings the Action button over from the iPhone 15 Pro, for custom shortcuts and in-app actions. New for 2024 is Camera control, a touch-sensitive switch that recognises softer and firmer presses to perform different actions. It can launch the camera app with a press, then switch between zoom levels or aperture settings with a swipe.
Power comes from new Apple A18 silicon, which was made with AI in mind. This is a change of pace from the usual “use last year’s flagship chip” approach, likely to avoid a less-then-stellar showing once Apple Intelligence arrives. The second-gen 3nm chip has a 6-core CPU that promises 30% more performance than A16 Bionic; the 5-core GPU is 40% faster; and the 16-core NPU is twice as fast at chewing through AI-based jobs. And all while being more efficient, though Apple isn’t claiming dramatically improved battery life over the previous generations.
The iPhone 16 starts at $799/£799 for a model with 128GB of storage.
iPhone 16 Plus
The larger mainstream iPhone brings back the 6.7in screen size of its predecessor, and should have a considerably bigger battery than the iPhone 16 (though Apple doesn’t like to talk specifics, so we could be waiting for a disassembly vid to know for sure). It makes the same 1-2000nit brightness claim as the smaller iPhone 16, and has the same screen tech.
It has the same A18 processor as the iPhone 16, and same storage options. Camera hardware is identical, and it’s available in the same five colours.
Prices start at $899/£899 – that’s a $100/£100 increase over the iPhone 16.
iPhone 16 Pro
The iPhone 16 Pro arrives with a 6.3in screen, just like last year’s iPhone 15 Pro. It has the same OLED panel tech as before, with 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate and an always-on mode. Dynamic Island is present and correct, with FaceID biometrics.
It gets the newer, tougher Ceramic Shield glass seen on the regular iPhone 16, while its titanium frame has been microblasted for a more textured finish. It’s coming in Black, White, Natural and Desert titanium colours. You get slightly better dust and water resistance, but a look that’s otherwise very similar to the outgoing model.
That includes the familiar three lens rear camera module, which here contains a 48MP main snapper, 48MP ultrawide and 12MP tetra-prism periscope telephoto good for 5x optical zoom. This year’s Pro models step up on stills with Photographic Styles, which can be applied before you press the shutter or after, and removed if you change your mind later. Video recording now maxes out at 4K/120fps, and you can take spatial photos as well as videos for playback on a Vision Pro headset.
Inside, a new A18 Pro chipset brings a 16-core neural engine, 6-core CPU and 6-core GPU that Apple reckons is the ‘fastest of any phone’ while using less power than the previous generation silicon. Officially the iPhone 16 Pro delivers 27 hours of video playback, up from 23 hours on the iPhone 15 Pro – a 17% boost.
The iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999/£999, for the 128GB storage model.
iPhone 16 Pro Max
The newest big daddy iPhone is the first in Apple history to get a 6.9in screen. The slimmest bezels of any Apple device mean the iPhone 16 Pro Max hasn’t grown to ludicrous proportions, but it’s still an absolute hulk of a handset.
It no longer has the edge on cameras over the smaller Pro iPhone, as both models now have the same 5x telephoto camera. You’re looking at 48MP sensors for both the main and ultrawide, while the telephoto sticks with 12MP.
Battery life is the biggest reason to go Max this year. According to Apple, it should last 33 hours of continuous video playback – a 14% boost over the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which managed 29 hours.
Storage starts at 256GB here, a step up from the 128GB seen on the smaller Pro. It’s available from $1199/£1199, which is a $200/£200 increase over its little brother.
iPhone 16e
And then we come to the most recently launched budget iPhone 16e. This handset replaces the outgoing iPhone SE (third-gen), and is essentially a replacement for the iPhone 14 – but with updated innards.
Apple finally ditched LCD in favour of a 6.1-inch OLED panel, putting this handset on par with the other models. However, the notch is back, meaning no Dynamic Island, and it’s officially the end of Touch ID.
On the back, there’s just one camera, but it’s a big step up. You get the 48MP sensor from the regular 16 models, with Night Mode, sharper images, and improved digital zoom. Under the hood, the 16e is rocking the same A18 chip as the iPhone 16, paired with 6GB of RAM. Apple has also thrown in its first in-house modem, the C1, for better 5G speeds and efficiency.
Apple Intelligence is available on the 16e, alongside iOS 18. Battery life is another big win, offering up to 12 hours more juice than the last SE model at a whopping 26 hours of battery. And yes, it finally ditches Lightning for USB-C. You also get the Action Button (replacing the mute switch) and an IP68 rating for better durability.
Pricing starts at $599/£599 for 128GB, with the handset available from 28 February.
Which iPhone 16 is right for you?
Now that Apple has brought the Pro Max telephoto camera to the smaller iPhone 16 Pro, it seems the only reason to buy big in 2024 is if you genuinely need the extra screen space. The iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max have bigger batteries than their smaller siblings, and the latter comes with more storage as standard, but otherwise there’s little to separate the iPhone 16 models.
The iPhone 16 is a safe bet for most Apple fans. The upgraded cameras and slick physical controls make it a capable snapper, while the new chipset can handle Apple Intelligence with ease.
Photographers and power users will gravitate to the iPhone 16 Pro; it has the same 5x zoom camera as the Pro Max, same A18 Pro chipset, and same exciting new hardware controls as the rest of the range.
Or if you’re on a budget, the iPhone 16e finally offers better value for money. For £200 less, you go down to one camera, lose MagSafe, and revert back to the notch rather than Dynamic Island. But with the same innards, and even with a new modem for 5G connectivity, the iPhone 16e packs a punch.
