Phone comparison · UK prices · October 2026
iPhone 16 or iPhone 15: which should you buy?
The short answer
The iPhone 16 leads on battery life and speed. The iPhone 15 doesn't pull clearly ahead on anything we compare. The iPhone 16 costs £100 more than the iPhone 15.
Comparing 2 phones
.webp)
.webp)
What the extra money buys
The iPhone 16 costs £100 more than the iPhone 15.
You get: longer battery life in published tests, faster charging by cable, faster wireless charging and a faster chip.
You give up: nothing in the specs we compare.
Worth it if you want longer battery life in published tests and faster charging by cable. Keep the money if those extras don’t matter to you.
Differences in daily life
Battery and charging
Best: iPhone 16The iPhone 16 lasted longer in published battery tests (web browsing: 16 h 48 min vs 13 h 25 min on the iPhone 15), so it should go longer between charges.
It also charges faster by cable (25 W vs 15 W on the iPhone 15), so it tops up quicker with a compatible charger.
Screen
EvenBoth have similar sharpness (460 ppi and 461 ppi), close enough not to matter much day to day.
Speed
Best: iPhone 16The iPhone 16's chip (Apple A18) scores higher in benchmark tests than the one in the iPhone 15 (Apple A16 Bionic), so it should feel quicker in demanding apps and games.
It also has more memory (8GB vs 6GB on the iPhone 15), which helps it keep more apps open at once.
Size and weight
EvenBoth have similar weights (170 g and 171 g), close enough not to matter much day to day.
Still can't decide?
One quick question, one tap each.
Scores
| Score | iPhone 16 | iPhone 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | 55 | 50 |
| Screen | 77 | 77 |
| Camera | 80 | 79 |
| Speed | 87 | 82 |
| Toughness | 92 | 92 |
| Connections and extras | 87 | 80 |
| Overall | 80 | 77 |
How these scores are made: Each score is calculated from the maker's published specs and benchmark results, using one fixed formula for every phone. We have not tested these phones in the hand. How we score phones
Specs side by side
Display
- PPI
- 460461
- Screen-to-body ratio
- 86.8 %86.4 %
Core Specifications
- Chipset
- Apple A18Apple A16 Bionic
- Fabrication Technology
- 3 nm5 nm
- CPU max frequency
- 4040 MHz3.46 GHz
- Microarchitecture
- 2x 4.04 GHz – Performance cores 4x 2.0 GHz – Efficiency cores2x 3.46 GHz – Everest 4x 2.02 GHz – Sawtooth
- Memory type
- LPDDR5XLPDDR5
- GPU
- Apple A18 GPUApple A16 Bionic GPU
- RAM
- 8GB6GB
Software
- Operating System
- iOS 18.0, Upgradable to iOS 18.3iOS 17.0, Upgradable to iOS 18.2
Main Camera
- Video Resolution
- 2160p @ 24/25/30/60 fps 1080p @ 25/30/60/120/240 fps2160p @ 24/25/30/60 fps 1080p @ 25/30/60/120/240 fps 2160p @ 30 fps
- Features
- PanoramaHigh Dynamic Range (HDR) Panorama
- Lenses
- 48 MP, ƒ/1.6, 26 mm ( Wide-angle ), 1.0 μm, 1/1.56" Sensor size - Dual-Pixel PDAF - sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, ƒ/2.2, 13 mm, 120° ( Ultra-Wide angle ), 0.7 μm - Dual-Pixel PDAF48 MP, ƒ/1.6, 26 mm ( Wide-angle ), 1.0 μm, 1/1.56" Sensor size - Dual-Pixel PDAF - sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, ƒ/2.4, 13 mm, 120° ( Ultra-Wide angle ), 0.7 μm
Selfie camera
- Video Features
- 3D (spatial) audio, Dolby Vision HDR, Gyro-EIS, Stereo Sound RecGyro-EIS
General
- Announced
- Monday, 09 September 2024Tuesday, 12 September 2023
- Released
- Friday, 20 September 2024Friday, 22 September 2023
Battery
- Capacity
- 3561 mAh3349 mAh
- Wired charging power
- 25W15W
- Wireless charging power
- 25W15W
- Features
- MagSafe wireless charging, Qi2 wireless charging, Reverse wired charging, Wired charging from 0-50% in 30 minutes (official specs),MagSafe wireless charging, Qi2 wireless charging (requires iOS 17.2 or later), Reverse wired charging, Wired charging from 0-50% in 30 minutes (official specs),
Battery Life Test
- Browsing
- 16:48 hh:mm13:25 hh:mm
- Video watching
- 7:30 hh:mm7:51 hh:mm
- Playing games
- 9:52 hh:mm8:24 hh:mm
Design
- Weight
- 170 g171 g
- Resistance cert. meaning
- Dust and water-resistant (withstands high-pressure water jets; submersible up to 6m for 30 minutes)Dust resistanceWater resistance
Network
- Network_4G bands
- LTE: b1 (2100), b2 (1900), b3 (1800), b4 (1700), b5 (850), b7 (2600), b8 (900), b11 (1500), b12 (700), b13 (700), b14 (700), b17 (700), b18 (800), b19 (800), b20 (800), b21 (1500), b25 (1900), b26 (850), b28 (700), b29 (700), b30 (2300), b32 (1500), b34 (2000), b38 (2600), b39 (1900), b40 (2300), b41 (2500), b42 (3500), b48 (3800), b53 (2500), b66 (1700), b71 (600 MHz)LTE: b1 (2100), b2 (1900), b3 (1800), b4 (1700), b5 (850), b7 (2600), b8 (900), b11 (1500), b12 (700), b13 (700), b14 (700), b17 (700), b18 (800), b19 (800), b20 (800), b21 (1500), b25 (1900), b26 (850), b28 (700), b29 (700), b30 (2300), b32 (1500), b34 (2000), b38 (2600), b39 (1900), b40 (2300), b41 (2500), b42 (3500), b46 (5200), b48 (3800), b53 (2500), b66 (1700), b71 (600 MHz)
Connectivity
- WiFi support
- Yes ( Wi-Fi 7 )Yes ( Wi-Fi 6 )
- USB connectivity
- USB charging, USB Mass Storage device (UMS)USB charging
- Wi-Fi standards
- 802.11/a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be802.11/a/b/g/n/ac/ax
- Wi-Fi features
- Mobile Hotspot, Tri-bandDual-band, Mobile Hotspot