iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 16 Buyer\'s Guide: 30+ Upgrades Compared
Sep 25, 2024 pm 06:18 PMThe iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus launch later this month, offering 35 changes and improvements over their predecessors. Here's everything that's different.
While Apple's latest models bring a variety of enhancements, the most significant change is support for Apple Intelligence, a new AI system that transforms how you interact with your device by offering smarter notifications, text summarization, and contextual information. The iPhone 16 also features the Action Button and Camera Control button, which provide more intuitive ways to access key functions.
But beyond these headline features, how much of an improvement does the iPhone 16 really offer? This guide breaks down the differences between the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models to help you understand all of the changes and determine whether these enhancements are enough to justify making the switch from an iPhone 15.
This guide focuses on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16, but to learn about how the iPhone 16 Pro improves on the iPhone 15 Pro, see our other comparison guide.
Design and Displays
The iPhone 16 introduces several design and display upgrades over the iPhone 15. The shift to vertically arranged cameras facilitates spatial video capture and looks more modern. Durability is also improved with the next-generation Ceramic Shield, which is twice as strong as the previous version. Additionally, the customizable Action Button replaces the traditional Ring/Silent switch and a new Camera Control button streamlines photography.
iPhone 15 | iPhone 16 |
---|---|
Diagonally arranged rear cameras | Vertically arranged rear cameras |
~2–4 nits minimum brightness | 1 nit minimum brightness |
Ceramic Shield front glass | Next-generation Ceramic Shield front glass (2x stronger) |
Improved thermal design for better heat dissipation | Easier battery service |
Ring/Silent switch | Action Button |
Camera Control capacitive button with sapphire crystal cover | |
Available in Green, Blue, Pink, Black, and Yellow finishes | Available in Teal, Ultramarine, Pink, Black, and White finishes |
Artificial Intelligence
The iPhone 16 includes support for Apple Intelligence, a significant upgrade absent in the iPhone 15. This artificial intelligence system enhances the iPhone's ability to understand and process personal context, offering features like Visual Intelligence, which can recognize objects and scenes through the camera and provide relevant information, such as restaurant or product details.
iPhone 16 |
---|
Apple Intelligence (including priority notifications, text summarization, system-wide writing tools, audio transcription, Genmoji creation, personalized suggestions, and more) |
Visual Intelligence, allowing users to pull up contextual information about objects or scenes in front of the camera (such as restaurant details or product info) |
Apple Intelligence features like priority notifications, text summarization, and system-wide writing tools can significantly enhance the experience of using the device, making the iPhone 16 a substantial upgrade over the iPhone 15 in this area.
Chip, Memory, and Connectivity
The iPhone 16 brings notable improvements in performance and connectivity over the iPhone 15, driven by the A18 chip built with TSMC's 3nm process, which is more efficient and powerful than the iPhone 15's A16 chip. The 6-core CPU is up to 30% faster, while the upgraded 16-core Neural Engine is optimized for running generative models, doubling the speed of machine learning tasks. In terms of graphics, the iPhone 16's 5-core GPU delivers a 40% boost in performance and introduces hardware-accelerated ray tracing, enhancing gaming and visual effects.
Memory and connectivity also see significant upgrades, with the iPhone 16 offering 8GB of RAM, a 33% increase over the iPhone 15, and the introduction of Wi-Fi 7 and Thread networking for better wireless performance and smart home integration.
iPhone 15 | iPhone 16 |
---|---|
A16 Bionic chip (TSMC's "N4P" enhanced 5nm process) | A18 chip (TSMC's "N3E" enhanced 3nm process) |
6-core CPU | 6-core CPU (up to 30% faster) |
16-core Neural Engine | Upgraded 16-core Neural Engine optimized for generative models (runs ML models 2x faster) |
5-core GPU | 5-core GPU (up to 40% faster) |
Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | |
6GB memory | 8GB memory (+33%) |
Wi-Fi 6 | Wi?Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO |
Thread networking technology |
A18 晶片和增強(qiáng)型 GPU 帶來(lái)的效能提升對(duì)於從事遊戲、影片編輯或其他圖形密集型任務(wù)的用戶特別有意義。硬體加速的光線追蹤將使遊戲玩家受益匪淺,使 iPhone 16 能夠渲染更真實(shí)的光照和陰影。同時(shí),神經(jīng)引擎升級(jí)使 Apple Intelligence 等機(jī)器學(xué)習(xí)任務(wù)的速度提高了一倍。
對(duì)於日常用戶來(lái)說(shuō),從6GB 到8GB 的??內(nèi)存跳躍可確保更好的多任務(wù)處理和麵向未來(lái)的需求,而Wi-Fi 7 和Thread 網(wǎng)路將提高連接速度以及與智能居家設(shè)備的兼容性。 iPhone 16 的改進(jìn)對(duì)於需要更高效能和麵向未來(lái)的無(wú)線技術(shù)的用戶來(lái)說(shuō)意義重大,儘管那些更隨意使用裝置的用戶可能會(huì)注意到不太直接的影響。
相機(jī)
iPhone 16 增強(qiáng)iPhone 15 上已經(jīng)令人印象深刻的相機(jī)設(shè)定。超廣角相機(jī)升級(jí)為 f/2.2 光圈,與 iPhone 15 上的 f/2.4 光圈相比,可提供更好的低光性能。 iPhone 16 還引入了微距攝影和微距視訊錄製,使用戶能夠捕捉詳細(xì)的特寫鏡頭,而相機(jī)控制按鈕則為拍攝照片和影片帶來(lái)了新的輕鬆度和精確度。
iPhone 15 | iPhone 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4800 萬(wàn)像素主相機(jī),帶f /1.6 光圈 | 48兆像素融合攝像頭,帶f/1.6光圈 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1200 萬(wàn)像素超廣角攝像頭,配備f/2.4光圈 | 1200萬(wàn)畫素超廣角鏡頭,配備f/2.2光圈,可改善低光性能 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fusion 相機(jī)鏡頭上的防反射塗層 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
微距攝影和微距錄影,包括慢動(dòng)作和縮時(shí)拍攝 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
攝影風(fēng)格 | 下一代攝影風(fēng)格 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
以1080p、30 fps 進(jìn)行空間錄影 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
以24 fps、25 fps、30 fps 或60 幀率進(jìn)行4K 錄影fps | 以24 fps、25 fps、30 fps 或60 fps 錄製4K 杜比視界影片 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
以25 fps、30 fps 或1080p 高畫質(zhì)錄影60 fps | 以25 fps、30 fps 或60 fps 的速度錄製1080p杜比視界影片 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
戲院模式高達(dá)30 fps 的4K HDR | 電影模式高達(dá)4K 杜比視界(30 fps) | tr>||||||||||||||||||||||||
QuickTake 影片 | QuickTake 影片(在杜比視界HDR 下高達(dá)4K 60 幀/秒) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
相機(jī)控制鈕功能:
|
音訊錄製
與iPhone 15 相比,iPhone 16 在音訊錄製方面帶來(lái)了多項(xiàng)增強(qiáng)功能iPhone 15 提供立體聲錄音,而iPhone 16 則引入了空間音訊錄音,可提供更身臨其境的聲音體驗(yàn),尤其是在Apple Vision Pro 耳機(jī)上播放時(shí)。風(fēng)噪聲降低和新的音頻混合功能等附加功能進(jìn)一步提高了錄製音訊的品質(zhì)和靈活性,使 iPhone 16 成為捕捉高品質(zhì)聲音的更強(qiáng)大的設(shè)備。
iPhone 15 | iPhone 16 |
---|---|
Stereo recording | Spatial Audio and stereo recording |
Wind noise reduction | |
Audio Mix |
Battery Life and Charging
The iPhone 16 brings noticeable improvements in battery life and charging efficiency compared to the iPhone 15. With up to 22 hours of battery life on the iPhone 16 and 27 hours on the iPhone 16 Plus, the new models offer a modest boost. In addition, MagSafe wireless charging is now significantly faster, supporting up to 25W with a 30W adapter, a 66.67% increase over the iPhone 15's 15W limit.
iPhone 15 | iPhone 16 |
---|---|
iPhone 15: Up to 20 hours of battery life iPhone 15 Plus: Up to 26 hours of battery life |
iPhone 16: Up to 22 hours of battery life iPhone 16 Plus: Up to 27 hours of battery life |
MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W with 20W adapter or higher | MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher (+66.67%) |
Release Date
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be available for pre-order starting on Friday, September 13, 2024, with the official launch and availability in stores beginning Friday, September 20, 2024.
Is It Worth Upgrading?
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, while bringing some notable improvements, offer what might feel like an incremental upgrade over the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus for most users. The most significant advancements come from Apple Intelligence and the introduction of the Action Button and Camera Control, both of which provide new ways to interact with the device.
Apple Intelligence is arguably the most important new feature, as it enhances the iPhone's ability to understand user context and assist in everyday tasks like prioritizing notifications, summarizing texts, and pulling real-time information through Visual Intelligence. For users who rely heavily on their phone for productivity and communication, this AI-driven functionality is a meaningful addition. The Action Button and Camera Control button are welcome hardware changes, offering customizable, quick access to key functions and improved control over photography and videography.
Outside of these features, however, the upgrades feel more conservative. The performance gains with the A18 chip, new Neural Engine, and GPU architecture offer incremental improvements in speed and efficiency, which will benefit high-performance tasks like gaming, but may not be immediately noticeable for everyday users. The camera updates, including better ultra wide low-light performance and Macro photography, are valuable for photography enthusiasts, but they don't dramatically alter the overall camera experience for casual users. Similarly, the improvements in battery life and charging speeds are useful but relatively minor, providing a modest boost over the iPhone 15 lineup.
For users with an iPhone 15, the upgrade might not feel substantial unless you're looking to take full advantage of Apple Intelligence or the new buttons. If your phone usage revolves around basic tasks, the iPhone 15 remains an excellent device, and upgrading may not be necessary. However, if you're someone who is interested in AI or more intuitive camera controls, the iPhone 16 offers enough to justify the switch. Overall, the iPhone 16 is a step forward, but the upgrades are relatively modest.
The above is the detailed content of iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 16 Buyer\'s Guide: 30+ Upgrades Compared. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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