Apple will unveil its all-new flagship iPhone lineup next week, including the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. If you’re thinking ahead about which to buy, here are a few different advantages the iPhone 16 Pro will have over the iPhone 16 – even though there are more similarities than ever expected this year.
iPhone 16 Pro: Bigger screens
One of the headlining changes of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be their bigger screens. The iPhone 16 Pro screen will increase from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will increase from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus won’t get this same treatment and will retain their current 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch form factors. ProMotion with 120Hz refresh rates will continue to be exclusive to the Pro models.
So if having the biggest iPhone screen size possible is your goal, you’ll have to spring for the iPhone 16 Pro models this year. Notably, this will be the first time that the screen sizes between the non-Pro and Pro phones have been different since the iPhone 13.
Titanium design
With the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple debuted an all-new design made from titanium rather than stainless steel. While Apple does oftentimes bring iPhone design changes downstream, that won’t be the case with the titanium finish. Instead, the titanium design will remain exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Camera upgrades
As usual, the iPhone 16 will have two cameras (Main camera and Ultra Wide camera), while the iPhone 16 Pro will have three lenses (Main, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto).
This year, however, the camera story will get more interesting because the 5x Telephoto camera that debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expanding to the iPhone 16 Pro. This means you no longer have to choose the biggest iPhone to get the best camera system. You will, however, have to opt for either the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max to get the best camera system.
The iPhone 16 Pro will also have an upgraded Ultra Wide camera this year, increasing from 12MP in quality to 48MP. The standard iPhone 16, meanwhile, will still have a 12MP Ultra Wide camera.
Faster performance
This year, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro will both feature the A18 chip inside. The iPhone 16 Pro, however, will get a more powerful version with the A18 Pro. We don’t have a clear picture of how the A18 Pro will be different from the A18, but the expectation is the A18 Pro will have a 6-core GPU, while the A18 will have a 5-core GPU.
The A18Pro will also reportedly feature a much more powerful Neural Engine, which could bode well for future Apple Intelligence features.
Wrap up
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro will be more similar than ever. This is due primarily to the Capture button coming to all four models and the Action button expanding to the whole. Still, there are some key ways Apple will differentiate the iPhone 16 Pro from the iPhone 16 – and the camera plays a key role in that.
Are you planning to upgrade to the iPhone 16 this year? If so, which model are you thinking about buying? Let us know in the comments.
Join 9to5Mac in supporting St. Jude this September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.