The iPhone 18 Pro costs $1,199 against the $829 Apple charges today for a 128GB iPhone 16, and the extra $370 buys a telephoto camera with 8x optical-quality zoom, a 120Hz ProMotion display, 14 more rated hours of video playback, USB 3 transfer speeds, a 60W fast-charge claim and up to 2TB of storage. Both phones run iOS 27 and both run Apple Intelligence, so this is a hardware decision, not a software one.
The iPhone 16 launched on September 20, 2024 at $799, according to Apple’s press release, and it is still on Apple’s Store page. The 18 Pro was announced on September 9 with the A20 Pro chip, variable-aperture camera and 36-hour battery; pre-orders open September 12 and it ships September 18.
Key facts
| Spec | iPhone 16 | iPhone 18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | A18, 5-core GPU | A20 Pro (2nm), 7-core GPU, dual 16-core Neural Engine |
| Display | 6.1-inch OLED, 2556 x 1179, 460 ppi, no ProMotion | 6.3-inch OLED, 2622 x 1206, 460 ppi, ProMotion 120Hz, Always-On |
| Rear cameras | 48MP Fusion main, 12MP Ultra Wide | 48MP main, 48MP Ultra Wide, 48MP 4x telephoto |
| Video playback | Up to 22 hours | Up to 36 hours |
| USB-C | USB 2, 480 Mb/s | USB 3, up to 10 Gb/s |
| Weight | 170 g | 211 g |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Price | $829 (128GB, Apple Store today); $799 at launch | $1,199 (256GB) |
What the iPhone 16 already has
The reason this decision is harder than it looks is that the 16 was the first standard iPhone built for Apple Intelligence. Apple’s iOS 27 page lists full Apple Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 or later, so the 16 gets Siri AI in beta, Image Playground, Clean Up and the rest on September 14, the same day as the 18 Pro.
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It also has a Dynamic Island, a 48MP Fusion main camera with a 12MP 2x crop, MagSafe at 25W, Qi2 at 25W and USB-C. What it lacks is the Pro list: no ProMotion, no dedicated telephoto, no USB 3, no Always-On display and a 512GB ceiling.
On the display, Apple’s sheet for the 16 does not list ProMotion; the 18 Pro’s 6.3-inch panel refreshes at up to 120Hz, stays on for the lock screen and peaks at 1600 nits for HDR and 3000 nits outdoors. Both are 460 ppi, so the Pro is bigger, smoother and brighter, not sharper.
Cameras: 2x crop against a real 8x
| Camera | iPhone 16 | iPhone 18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Main | 48MP Fusion, 26 mm, f/1.6 | 48MP Fusion, 24 mm, variable f/1.48 to f/4.0 |
| Ultra Wide | 12MP, 13 mm, f/2.2 | 48MP, 13 mm, f/2.2, 120-degree field of view |
| Telephoto | 12MP 2x crop, 52 mm, f/1.6 | 48MP 4x, 100 mm, f/2.8, plus 12MP 8x crop at 200 mm |
| Zoom range | 2x in, 2x out (4x range) | 8x optical-quality in, 2x out (16x range) |
| Front | 12MP, f/1.9 | 18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 |
The 16’s 2x is a crop of the main sensor; the 18 Pro has a physical 100 mm lens and then crops it to 200 mm, which is four times the reach. The Ultra Wide jumps from 12MP to 48MP, the front camera from 12MP to 18MP, and the main camera gains the four-stop variable aperture explained in our iPhone 18 Pro camera guide. If you rarely zoom, the 16’s main camera is the same 48MP class; if you do, the Pro is a different tool.
Battery, charging and chip
Apple rates the iPhone 16 at up to 22 hours of video playback and 18 hours streamed, against 36 and 33 hours for the 18 Pro, with a typical-use rating of 24 hours the 16 never received. The 18 Pro charges to 50 percent in about 15 minutes with a 60W adapter, half the 16’s time; MagSafe and Qi2 are 25W on both. The 18 Pro battery article covers the 35W MagSafe claim.
The A18 in the 16 has a 5-core GPU. The A20 Pro is a 2nm chip with a 7-core GPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine; Apple states its gains against the A19 Pro, not the A18, so there is no Apple percentage for this pairing. The Pro also adds Bluetooth 6, the C2 modem and dual eSIM, and its aluminum unibody with a Ceramic Shield back replaces the 16’s aluminum-and-glass build, at 211 g against 170 g.
Price and who should jump
On Apple’s US Store page the 18 Pro is $1,199, $1,399, $1,799 and $2,399 for 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB, or $49.95 a month over 24 months as explained in our 18 Pro price breakdown. Apple’s trade-in estimate for an iPhone 16 is up to $430, which cuts a base 18 Pro to $769 at best.
Jump if you want the telephoto, shoot video that needs USB 3 to offload, or want 1TB or 2TB. Stay on the 16 if your camera use is the main lens and a day of battery is enough: you already have Apple Intelligence, MagSafe and the same 460 ppi sharpness.
What Apple has not said
- Apple has not published a performance comparison between the A20 Pro and the A18; its figures reference the A19 Pro.
- Apple’s spec sheet for the iPhone 16 does not state a refresh rate; it lists no ProMotion.
- Current Apple Store prices for the 256GB and 512GB iPhone 16 were not captured in our sources.
- Apple has not published RAM for either phone, or a typical-use battery rating for the 16.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro open Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT, with availability on Friday, September 18 from $1,199; iOS 27 lands on both phones on Monday, September 14.
