Apple iPhone 15 Plus vs Apple iPhone 16 Plus
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 15 Plus and the Apple iPhone 16 Plus, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Battery | 4,383 mAh | 4,674 mAh |
| Wired charging | 15W | 20W |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.7 in | — |
| Main camera | 48 MP | 48 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 201 g | — |
| Released | Sep 2023 | Sep 2024 |
Summary: Apple iPhone 16 Plus is ahead on our rating, battery, wired charging.
Display
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (HBM), 2000 nits (peak) | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR display, True Tone, Wide color (P3), Haptic Touch |
| Size | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~88.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display |
| Resolution | 1290 x 2796 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 2796‑by‑1290-pixel resolution at 460 ppi |
| Features | Dynamic Island, True Tone, Wide color (P3), Haptic Touch, Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating | Dynamic Island |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | Ceramic Shield glass (2024 gen) |
| Brightness | — | 1000 nits max (typical), 1600 nits peak (HDR), 2000 nits peak (outdoor) |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm) | Apple A18 (3 nm) |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.46 GHz Everest + 4x2.02 GHz Sawtooth) | 6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) | 5‑core GPU |
| OS | — | iOS 18, upgradable to iOS 26.6 |
| Neural Engine | — | 16‑core Neural Engine |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 6GB | 8 GB LPDDR5X |
| Internal Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB NVMe | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB NVMe |
| Card Slot | No | No |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | Dual: 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS; 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 0.7µm | — |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama), Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Night mode, next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control, 2x optical zoom (enabled by quad-pixel sensor) | 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range, Digital zoom up to 10x, Camera Control, Sapphire crystal lens cover, True Tone flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control, Night mode, Latest-generation Photographic Styles, Spatial video recording |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps, Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps, stereo sound rec. | 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24/25/30/60 fps, 1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25/30/60 fps, Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps, Action mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps, Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps, Time‑lapse video with stabilization, Night mode Time-lapse, QuickTake video up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps, Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video (Fusion Main) |
| Dual Camera System | — | Advanced dual-camera system |
| 48MP Fusion Main | — | 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor‑shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP) |
| 12MP Ultra Wide | — | 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120° field of view, 100% Focus Pixels |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | Single: 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF | — |
| Features | HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, SL 3D depth/biometrics sensor, Retina Flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Night mode, next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control | Retina Flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting with six effects, Animoji and Memoji, Night mode, Latest-generation Photographic Styles |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24/25/30/60 fps, 1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25/30/60 fps, Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps, Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps |
| 12MP | — | ƒ/1.9 aperture, Autofocus with Focus Pixels |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 4383 mAh, non-removable | Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery |
| Charging | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min (advertised); 15W MagSafe wireless; 15W Qi2 wireless (requires iOS 17.2 update); 4.5W reverse wired | Fast-charge capable (up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher), MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging |
| Capacity | — | 4674 mAh (18.11 Wh) |
| Video Playback | — | Up to 27 hours |
| Audio Playback | — | Up to 100 hours |
Body
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 in) | 160.9 mm x 77.8 mm x 7.80 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches) |
| Weight | 201 g (7.09 oz) | 199 grams (7.03 ounces) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield), glass back (color-infused), aluminum frame | Aluminum design, Ceramic Shield front, Color-infused glass back |
| Protection | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) | — |
| SIM | — | Dual eSIM (US); Dual nano-SIM (Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China); nano-SIM and eSIM (elsewhere) |
| Water & Dust Resistance | — | IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot | Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 5.3 |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, DisplayPort | — |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | September 12, 2023 | September 9, 2024 |
| Status | Available. Released September 22, 2023 | Available. Released September 20, 2024 |
| OS | iOS 17, upgradable to iOS 26.2 | — |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 15 Plus or Apple iPhone 16 Plus?
Apple iPhone 16 Plus — 4,383 mAh for the Apple iPhone 15 Plus versus 4,674 mAh for the Apple iPhone 16 Plus.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 15 Plus or Apple iPhone 16 Plus?
Apple iPhone 16 Plus — Sep 2023 for the Apple iPhone 15 Plus versus Sep 2024 for the Apple iPhone 16 Plus.
Is the Apple iPhone 15 Plus or the Apple iPhone 16 Plus rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 15 Plus 8/10 and the Apple iPhone 16 Plus 9/10.