iPhone 16 Pro vs 14 Pro vs 15 Pro - Should you upgrade? 🤔
Camera control ain't there yet...
I think the new camera control button for the iPhone 16 series is a great idea. It may not be a new idea, but from the way Apple has implemented it, it’s obvious a lot of thought has gone into making it more useful than just a shutter.
With this new feature, I could scroll through different color profiles, zoom lengths, the different cameras, and various kinds of adjustments. I could even adjust how easy it is to press from Accessibility settings, because it isn’t actually a button, it’s a force sensitive Taptic area that simulates the feeling of a 2-step button like MacBook trackpads. It’s 2-step because you can light press to engage the scrolling gesture, then a deep click to shoot.
I’ve been training myself to use it instead of tapping the screen, but I’m not so satisfied with it yet. I think it should be easier to engage the shutter, and the scrolling action seems a little slow to respond when I start sliding my finger across.
I am getting used to it, but it does need a little bit of patience to use. It just has to be more responsive. It would be great if it could emulate a stepped dial which goes “click click click” as I slide my finger across. Although it has something resembling that, it doesn’t feel like a real dial yet, so they haven’t really nailed it. Nonetheless, it is quite a useful addition to the camera experience for creators.
As far as the camera is concerned, if zoom isn’t a priority for you, the 16 Pro isn’t a big upgrade over the 15 Pro, but it is a much bigger upgrade over the 14 Pro. Let me break that down for you. And we’re also going to discuss whether you should upgrade from the 14 Pro or the 15 Pro.
iPhone 16 Pro vs 15 Pro camera comparison
Image sharpness
Compared to the 15 Pro, the first noticeable difference you can see is that the image sharpness. The 15 Pro applies more sharpening across the different cameras, whereas you’re going to get a softer image on the 16 Pro. In my opinion, it’s less gritty, and a bit more pleasing. With both on neutral color tone, the 16 Pro seems to present a more contrasty picture of the scene’s color.
Telephoto zoom
Besides that, the 16 Pro does have better telephoto zoom. It has 5x telephoto camera instead of a 3x telephoto camera. This enhancement allows for digital zoom up to 25x.
But let’s compare them at 15x, which is the max the 15 Pro can go. We can see that 16 Pro’s shot is cleaner because it’s cropping in from 5x telephoto, not 3x. That being said, the algorithm’s not perfect yet, because in certain shots like this one of the bushes, it’s actually not able to clean the picture up as well as the 15 Pro.
Video shooting
In terms of the difference in shooting video, the 16 Pro has better stabilisation, but you won’t see the difference until you use the telephoto lenses. With more excess crop to play with, the 16 Pro can stabilise video better at the same 9x digital zoom as the 15 Pro. Of course, the 16 Pro can zoom in even further to 15x, but I recommend using that only when you’re stationary, or if it’s on a tripod.
👉 Watch the comparison of front camera video shooting
iPhone 16 Pro vs 14 Pro camera comparison
Image sharpness & Telephoto
Compared to the 14 Pro, the 16 Pro is a more noticeable upgrade. On neutral settings, the 16 Pro produces pictures that look more vibrant and contrasty, while 14 Pro looks washed out. Furthermore, the 14 Pro’s noise level is higher at 3x telephoto onwards, a difference that’s even more stark when shooting in low light. While both the 15 Pro and the 14 Pro have up to 15x telephoto, the 16 Pro can do up to 25x.
Video shooting
For videos, the 14 Pro looks comparable to the 15 Pro at 1x and 2x wide angles. However, the 14 Pro, similar to the 15 Pro, only does up to 9x digital zoom, not as far as the 16 Pro’s 15x. Its stabilization is also noticeably shakier and jitterier at 3x zoom and beyond.
👉 Watch the comparison of front camera video shooting
Upgrade from 15 Pro?
Overall, coming from the 15 Pro, the 16 Pro does feel like an incremental upgrade. Not going to lie, with Apple Intelligence still on the way, the 16 Pro doesn’t feel like a fresh experience at all. Yes, it’s got the new and more powerful A18 processor that’s better for games with raytracing, the camera control button, and a slightly larger screen, but I’m not feeling a noticeable difference with the user experience versus the 15 Pro.
The main draw for me to upgrade to the 16 Pro would be the camera, being able to shoot in 120 fps slow mo in 4K, and having 5x optical telephoto with up to 25x digital zoom, as opposed to the previous 3x telephoto and 15x digital zoom. This also means better videos stabilisation. As a creator, that is something I care about, and could drive me to upgrade since I can get buttery smooth slow-motion in 4K. But these things alone might not move the needle for most people who already have the 15 Pro.
Upgrade from 14 Pro?
iPhone 14 Pro
If it’s a choice against the 14 Pro, that’s a whole different story. Even if we’re not talking about the new camera-control or the Action button, which really are just quality of life improvements, the 16 Pro is a much better device for creators than the 14 Pro. The USB-C port itself is already a big upgrade. It charges faster than a lightning connector, allows power sharing with another device, and much faster data transfer, so you can move huge video files or raw files to your laptop in minutes. That has made a difference to my workflow as a creator.
The USB-C port is a big upgrade
Other than that, its camera performance is also better, with lower noise for photos especially in low light, 25x digital zoom instead of just 9x along with better videos stabilisation. And of course, 120fps slow mo. For creators, these enhancements make the 16 Pro a bigger jump.
Apple Intelligence
Another key factor to consider is that Apple Intelligence is coming to the 15 and 16 Pro models, but not the 14 Pro. From what Apple has demonstrated, this is going to be the single most important change to the whole iOS experience, even more impactful than iOS 18. The reason the 14 Pro won’t support Apple Intelligence comes down to one thing: processing power. It requires at least the A17 Pro chip with 8GB of ram, while the 14 Pro only has 6GB. So if someone with 14 Pro wants to experience Apple Intelligence, they’ll have to upgrade to the 15 Pro at least. For smoother performance, the 16 Pro, with its new A18 Pro processor would be the better option.
I’ll be talking about my take on Apple Intelligence when it launches in my country, so stay tuned!
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