iPhone 15 series vs iPhone 16 series : A Detailed Comparison

iPhone 15 Series vs iPhone 16 Series : A Detailed Comparison

Apple’s yearly iPhone updates always spark the big question: is the new model really worth the upgrade? With the release of the iPhone 16 lineup in September 2024, many Apple fans are wondering how it compares against the iPhone 15 from 2023. Let’s take a closer look at what has changed—and what has stayed the same.

Design and Build

The iPhone 15 introduced Dynamic Island across the standard models, a feature previously exclusive to the Pro lineup, alongside the shift to USB-C charging. This marked a major design shift that gave the iPhone 15 a modern and unified look across the range.

The iPhone 16, on the other hand, looks familiar at first glance but adds two big usability features:

Action Button – replacing the mute switch, now customizable for tasks like launching apps, turning on the flashlight, or recording voice memos.

Camera Control Button – a brand-new addition that makes snapping photos and recording videos easier with light and deep press actions.

These hardware buttons are small changes but offer practical day-to-day advantages for power users.

Performance

Under the hood, the iPhone 15 runs on the A16 Bionic chip with 6 GB of RAM, the same processor found in the iPhone 14 Pro. It’s efficient, powerful, and easily handles day-to-day apps and gaming.

The iPhone 16, however, moves to the new A18 chip and bumps RAM to 8 GB across all models. Apple claims up to 30% faster CPU performance and 40% better GPU performance, making it ideal for multitasking, gaming, and future-proofing against upcoming iOS updates.

Camera and Battery Life

Both iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 feature a 48 MP main camera, but Apple redesigned the camera layout on the iPhone 16 with a vertical lens alignment. This change enhances spatial video recording for Apple Vision Pro compatibility and improves low-light performance.

Battery life has also improved with the iPhone 16. While the iPhone 15 already offered solid endurance up to 20 hours of video playback the iPhone 16 boosts this by up to two additional hours on standard models, and even more on the Pro versions.