Apple iPhone 16 vs. Apple iPhone 16 Plus

So, you are in search of a shiny new iPhone? The iPhone 16 is actually a really well-rounded machine. After all, a Professional mannequin shall be even higher, however until you actually need the additional digicam or the excessive refresh charge, you might be most likely higher off sticking to one of many two vanilla fashions.

If there’s one factor Apple excels at (and it is undoubtedly multiple factor), it should be consistency. Therefore, it’s hardly a secret, nor a shock, that there’s little or no distinction between the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16. The Plus is just greater, with an even bigger show and a bigger battery pack. In any other case, the {hardware} and expertise are equivalent.

So how a lot better is the Apple iPhone 16 Plus to deserve its value premium? Let’s look into it.

Desk of Contents:

For starters, you’ll be able to evaluate the entire specs sheets or straight proceed with our editor’s evaluation within the following textual content.

Dimension comparability

Let’s deal with the elephant within the room first – measurement. The 16 Plus is considerably greater than the vanilla iPhone 16. The one dimension the 2 gadgets share is thickness, which is a pleasant contact. Aside from that, the Plus is taller and wider. Is sensible, on condition that it has a 6.7-inch show diagonal, in comparison with 6.1 inches on the iPhone 16.

By right now’s normal, we’d truly name the Plus the extra “mainstream” kind issue. Greater telephones have simply been the norm for a while now. The Plus feels good within the hand and may be very snug to carry, even when a bit slippery with out a case.

The common iPhone 16 is positioned as a “compact” cellphone. It is vitally pocketable and intensely straightforward to deal with with one hand. That being mentioned, you should definitely go and take a look at each telephones in individual. We doubt that you can find the iPhone 16 Plus too large, however you may discover the vanilla iPhone 16 a bit too small. That is simply our two cents on the matter.

Show comparability

As talked about, the iPhone 16 Plus has a considerably bigger show than the iPhone 16. Not essentially giant by trendy requirements, however undoubtedly bigger. Technically, the Plus additionally has the next show decision. Nonetheless, Apple has at all times aimed for a constant pixel density throughout fashions with out caring an excessive amount of about decision. That is the case right here since each telephones have a really crisp 460 ppi.

Apple makes use of very premium panels, even on its non-Professional gadgets. Each telephones are good and brilliant, with very comparable brightness figures. OLED know-how means excellent blacks, excessive distinction, and punchy colours. Apple provides HDR10 and Dolby Imaginative and prescient assist on each iPhones and has a really versatile HDR implementation, permitting HDR video to play in a window, not simply your entire show.

The massive challenge with the shows of the non-Professional iPhones is the truth that they’re nonetheless 60Hz. Sadly, springing for a Professional mannequin is the one option to get round that.

Battery life

Apple has used the additional inner area contained in the iPhone 16 Plus to suit a bigger battery. To cite Cupertino’s unnecessarily particular numbers, the iPhone 16 Plus has a 4674 mAh pack, whereas the common iPhone 16 will get a 3561 mAh pack.

This interprets to roughly 30% distinction in battery capability, which ends up in a really tangible distinction in battery endurance in favor of the iPhone 16 Plus. As per our proprietary testing mechanism, the 16 Plus will get three hours or so of additional Lively Use Rating.

That being mentioned, the vanilla iPhone 16 nonetheless does nice within the battery division. It manages very spectacular endurance for such a compact cellphone.

Charging pace

Apple is extremely constant in relation to charging. Each the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus formally promote a wired charging charge of round 50% energy in thirty minutes, and each telephones handle to exceed mentioned charge handily, which is good to see. Whereas there are slight variations within the charging curves of each telephones, as anticipated, the pair find yourself getting a full cost in roughly the identical complete time.

You additionally get the identical charging capabilities on each telephones, together with wired PD 2.0 charging, 25W wi-fi MagSafe, 15W wi-fi Qi2 charging, and 4.5W reverse wired charging.

Speaker take a look at

Cupertino engineers are wizards in relation to tuning audio system, they usually’ve utilized an equal degree of care and a focus to each the iPhone 16 Plus and the iPhone 16. Each telephones have a hybrid stereo speaker system with the amplified earpiece performing because the second channel.

Each telephones are equally tuned and achieved an excellent loudness rating in our testing. Maybe the Plus is only a hair louder, most likely resulting from having a bit extra room to work with, however the distinction is insignificant. High quality-wise, each telephones are on the identical degree of excellence.

Efficiency

Apple made a two-generation chipset leap for the non-Professional iPhones this 12 months, going from the A16 to the A18. That is a fairly important enhance in energy and efficiency. It’s also essential to notice that, not like final 12 months, the iPhone 16 fashions this 12 months all have 8GB of RAM (each the non-Professional and the Professional fashions).

Apple is making an enormous push for AI, which stands for Apple Intelligence on this explicit case. Presumably, Cupertino engineers want the additional RAM to run native AI fashions higher, and the truth that this consideration has reached non-Professional iPhones makes us fairly pleased as a result of it ought to assist in the each day use of the telephones too.

Benchmark efficiency

Naturally, for the reason that iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 use the identical Apple A18 chip, it solely is sensible that they might have the identical peak burst efficiency. The benchmark scores paint precisely that image.

That being mentioned, it’s maybe value noting that presumably resulting from its greater measurement, the iPhone 16 Plus handles thermal-throttling a bit higher than the iPhone 16. It loses a bit much less of its efficiency after a protracted stress take a look at. Nonetheless, the distinction between the 2 shouldn’t be main, and no real-world apps or video games will stress the {hardware} in such a way, making this form of a scientific focal point slightly than a sensible one.

Digicam comparability

The iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 have the very same digicam setup. Yet one more level of consistency. The principle 48MP digicam is borrowed from the iPhone 15. It’s fairly potent nonetheless, with a 1/1.56″ measurement, 1.0µm particular person pixels and sensor-shift OIS. There’s a brilliant f/1.6 lens in entrance of it.

The selfie is borrowed from the iPhone 15 as effectively. The 12MP shooter has already confirmed its salt and is provided with section detection autofocus as effectively.

The true improve is with the brand new ultrawide digicam. It’s nonetheless a 12MP unit. Nonetheless, this 12 months, there’s a brighter lens with an f/2.2 aperture. Plus, most likely better of all, there’s now section detection autofocus on the ultrawide, which permits it to double as a macro digicam for close-ups.

Just a few phrases on the brand new Digicam Management button. It is a bodily button with precise journey, however it additionally integrates a high-precision drive sensor that allows the sunshine press gesture and a capacitive sensor that permits for contact and swipe interactions. The button is current on each the iPhone 16 Plus and the iPhone 16 and permits the identical options throughout the digicam app – primarily fast controls via gestures. The 2-stage shutter performance is coming with a future replace.

Picture high quality

We’re two telephones with equivalent digicam {hardware}, equivalent chipsets and ISPs and equivalent processing. Therefore, the photographs are equivalent as effectively. You’ll be able to try the samples for your self. The iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 seize wonderful 12MP stills. There isn’t any query about it. The body has loads of element, and all the pieces is clear and sharp. Dynamic vary is great, and shadows, specifically, are properly boosted and developed. Foliage and grass look very convincing.

Apple iPhone 16: ultrawide • major • 2x • portrait

Apple iPhone 16 Plus: ultrawide • major • 2x • portrait

The low-light efficiency can be equivalent throughout the 2 telephones. Stunning, we all know.

Apple iPhone 16: ultrawide • major • 2x

Apple iPhone 16 Plus: ultrawide • major • 2x

Autofocus is nice on each telephones’ selfie cameras. The standard is nice.

Apple iPhone 16: selfie

Apple iPhone 16 Plus: selfie

Video high quality

All in all, the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 reside as much as Apple’s status for industry-leading video seize. The principle cameras on each telephones output clear, sharp movies with a large dynamic vary and loads of particulars, even within the shadows.

Under now we have a number of framegrabs from the movies taken by the 2 telephones at every focal size so it is simpler to check to 1 one other.

Apple iPhone 16: ultrawide • major • 2x • low-light

Apple iPhone 16 Plus: ultrawide • major • 2x • low-light

Verdict

Apple is nothing if not in keeping with its lineup. Would you like a compact cellphone with out spending an excessive amount of? Get the vanilla iPhone 16. May you make {that a} bit greater, please? Positive, there’s the iPhone 16 Plus. The identical precise cellphone, simply greater. Easy and straight ahead.

Both method, you might be getting a superb premium cellphone. Positive, we’d have liked to see a excessive refresh charge lastly come to non-Professional iPhones and that Apple telephoto digicam is trying simply as cool as ever, if not cooler. Nonetheless, in the event you do not want both of these issues, you’ll be able to’t go fallacious with an iPhone 16 Plus or iPhone 16.