iPhone 16 Plus vs iPhone 15 Plus: Should you wait?
AppleIf you’re torn between the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 15 Plus, we’ve got you covered. We’ve gathered the rumored specs of the iPhone 16 Plus and compared them against those of the iPhone 15 Plus to see how they stack up.
The iPhone 15 Plus sits in the middle of the iPhone 15 lineup. It doesn’t have the muscle or the cameras of the Pro models, but it features a larger screen than the iPhone 15. It also offers outstanding battery life that even beats the iPhone 15 Pro Max in some tests.
The iPhone Plus model is a newer addition to the iPhone lineup. Before the iPhone 13 series, Apple offered the iPhone Mini, which was much smaller in size. However, the Mini models were discontinued, and the Plus models, which are much larger, took their place.
It’s clear that the iPhone Mini isn’t making a comeback anytime soon. The upcoming iPhone 16 series should continue to feature a Plus model, the iPhone 16 Plus. The new iPhone should bring a couple of upgrades and a few downgrades, if leaks are to be believed.
Price comparison
AppleThe iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 16 Plus might have the same price tag. The former starts at $899 for the 128GB storage variant. If you need more storage, you can opt for the 256GB version for $999 or the 512GB model for $1149.
The exact pricing of the iPhone 16 Plus isn’t clear at the moment. If Apple sticks to previous pricing trends, we might see the 16 Plus with the same starting price as the 15 Plus.
Design
The iPhone 16 Plus might not look the same as the iPhone 15 Plus. Many reports, including a dummy leak, suggest Apple has decided on a vertically aligned camera system with a pill-shaped camera bump for the iPhone 16 Plus.
This is a departure from the traditional square-shaped bump that accommodates the diagonally placed lenses on previous iPhones, including the iPhone 15 Plus. The new arrangement could allow Apple to make the camera bump slimmer.
The iPhone 16 Plus might get extra buttons. Apple reportedly plans to replace the mute switch with the Action button. The volume buttons will be located below the Action button.
The iPhone 16 Plus might also be getting a dedicated “Capture Button”. This new button is rumored to act as a shutter button for both photos and videos, and it could even have a two-stage function. A half-press could activate autofocus, while a full press would capture the shot.
Display
You can expect the iPhone 16 Plus to feature a similar display as the iPhone 15 Plus. Expect to see a 6.7-inch OLED display on both the phones. The refresh rate may also remain the same at 90Hz. However, Apple is reportedly using a new micro-lens tech on the iPhone 16 Plus display, which could improve brightness and reduce power consumption.
Performance
Apple/PexelsiPhone 16 Plus could bring a new chipset. Rumors suggest it won’t be the A17 Pro chip found on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. The smartphone might instead use a new A17 chip manufactured on TSMC’s inferior N3E process.
However, analyst Jeff Pu claims the iPhone 16 Plus could be powered by an A18 series chip. This might not be the same chip as the iPhone 16 Pro models as the A18 series might include two chips. The chip powering the Pro models might get an extra GPU core.
One leak suggests that the iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro chip will be slightly faster than the A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro. Benchmark tests show an improvement of around 10% in multi-core performance. In single-core performance, the chip managed to achieve a maximum score of 3,570 compared to 2,890 for the A17 Pro. The iPhone 16 Plus’ A16 Bionic scored 2568 in single-core and 6808 in multi-core.
Specs
The iPhone 16 Plus might keep the same storage options as the 15 Plus. The former is currently available with up to 6GB RAM and 512GB storage. You can, however, expect the 16 Plus to bring Wi-Fi 7 technology as well as an Apple-made 5G modem.
What’s interesting is that the iPhone 16 Plus might experience a downgrade in the battery department. The iPhone 15 Plus packs a 4383 mAh battery, but according to a leaker, Apple may reduce the iPhone 16 Plus’ battery capacity to 4006mAh.
You can expect the iPhone 16 Plus to bring a lot of AI features. These features will likely be introduced through iOS 18, which will eventually make its way to the iPhone 15 Plus.
As for the cameras, expect to see the same two rear sensors you did with the iPhone 15 Plus. We are talking about a 48MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide.
Which iPhone should you choose?
If you’re planning to upgrade in the next couple of months, go for the iPhone 15 Plus. Apple keeps most of the exciting features limited to the Pro models, so you likely won’t be missing out on anything. In fact, the iPhone 15 Plus might be the better phone if the rumors about the 16 Plus’s battery come true.