Apple iPhone 15 vs Apple iPhone 16e
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 15 and the Apple iPhone 16e, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 16e |
|---|
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | — | 4,005 mAh |
| Wired charging | 15W | 20W |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.1 in | 6.1 in |
| Main camera | 48 MP | 48 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 171 g | 167 g |
| Released | Sep 2023 | Feb 2025 |
Summary: Apple iPhone 16e is ahead on wired charging, weight (lower is lighter).
Display
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 16e |
|---|
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (HBM), 2000 nits (peak outdoor) | Super Retina XDR OLED |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 90.1 cm² (~86.4% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches |
| Resolution | 1179 x 2556 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 2532 x 1170 pixels |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | — |
| Features | Dynamic Island, True Tone, Wide color (P3), Haptic Touch, 60Hz refresh rate | HDR display, True Tone, Wide color (P3), Haptic Touch |
| Pixel Density | — | 460 ppi |
| Refresh Rate | — | 60Hz |
| Brightness | — | 800 nits (typical), 1200 nits (peak HDR) |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 16e |
|---|
| OS | iOS 17, upgradable to iOS 26.6 (as of current information) | iOS 18.3, upgradable to iOS 26 |
| Chipset | Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm) | Apple A18 |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.46 GHz Everest + 4x2.02 GHz Sawtooth) | 6-core (2 performance + 4 efficiency) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) | 4-core |
| Neural Engine | — | 16-core |
| Modem | — | Apple C1 cellular modem |
| AI Features | — | Apple Intelligence support |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 16e |
|---|
| RAM | 6GB | 8GB |
| Internal | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | — |
| Card slot | No | — |
| Internal Storage | — | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Card Slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 16e |
|---|
| Dual | 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS; 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120° (ultrawide) | — |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama), Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, Night mode, Portrait mode with Focus and Depth Control, 2x optical zoom in/out, 4x optical zoom range, Digital zoom up to 10x | 2x optical-quality zoom (sensor crop), Autofocus, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), Dual-LED True Tone flash, Portrait mode, Night mode |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Cinematic mode (4K@30fps), stereo sound rec. | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60fps, 720p@30fps |
| Module | — | 48 MP Fusion, f/1.6, 26mm (wide) |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 16e |
|---|
| Single | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), PDAF | — |
| Features | HDR, Cinematic mode (4K@30fps) | Autofocus |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@25/30/60fps, slow-motion video at 120fps |
| Module | — | 12 MP TrueDepth, f/1.9, 23mm (wide) |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 16e |
|---|
| Type | Li-Ion, non-removable | Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion |
| Charging | Wired, 50% in 30 min (advertised), 15W MagSafe wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless | Fast-charging (up to 50% in 30 minutes with 20W adapter, sold separately), Qi wireless (up to 7.5W) |
| Talk time | Up to 16 hours | — |
| Capacity | — | 4005 mAh (15.55 W·h) |
| Video Playback | — | Up to 26 hours |
| Audio Playback | — | Up to 90 hours |
Body
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 16e |
|---|
| Dimensions | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm (5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 in) | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight | 171 g (6.03 oz) | 167 g |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield), glass back (color-infused), aluminum frame | Aluminum frame, Ceramic Shield front, glass back |
| SIM | Dual eSIM support (US), Nano-SIM and eSIM (International) | Dual eSIM (US); Dual nano-SIM (mainland China); nano-SIM and eSIM (elsewhere) |
| Durability | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) | — |
| Colors | — | Black, White |
| Water & Dust Resistance | — | IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 16e |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO | — |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | — |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS | — |
| NFC | Yes | — |
| Radio | No | — |
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, NavIC |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 15 | Apple iPhone 16e |
|---|
| Announced | September 12, 2023 | 2025, February 19 |
| Status | Available. Released September 22, 2023 | Available. Released 2025, February 28. Discontinued March 2, 2026. |
Frequently asked questions
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 15 or Apple iPhone 16e?
Apple iPhone 16e — 171 g for the Apple iPhone 15 versus 167 g for the Apple iPhone 16e.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 15 or Apple iPhone 16e?
Apple iPhone 16e — Sep 2023 for the Apple iPhone 15 versus Feb 2025 for the Apple iPhone 16e.
Is the Apple iPhone 15 or the Apple iPhone 16e rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 15 8/10 and the Apple iPhone 16e 8/10.
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