Should you get the smaller or the bigger non-Pro iPhone this year? So, you’re looking for a shiny new iPhone? The iPhone 16 is certainly a very.
So, you’re looking for a shiny new iPhone? The iPhone 16 is certainly a very well-rounded device. Of course, a Pro model will be even better, but unless you really need the extra camera or the high refresh rate, you are probably better off sticking to one of the two vanilla models.
If there is one thing Apple excels at (and it’s definitely more than one thing), it must be consistency. Hence, it is hardly a secret, nor a surprise, that there is very little difference between the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16. The Plus is simply bigger, with a bigger display and a larger battery pack. Otherwise, the hardware and experience are identical.
So how much better is the Apple iPhone 16 Plus to deserve its price premium? Let’s look into it.Table of Contents:
For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor’s assessment in the following text.Size comparison
Let’s address the elephant in the room first – size. The 16 Plus is substantially bigger than the vanilla iPhone 16. The only dimension the two devices share is thickness, which is a nice touch. Other than that, the Plus is taller and wider. Makes sense, given that it has a 6.7-inch display diagonal, compared to 6.1 inches on the iPhone 16.
By today’s standard, we would actually call the Plus the more “mainstream” form factor. Bigger phones have just been the norm for some time now. The Plus feels nice in the hand and is very comfortable to hold, even if a bit slippery without a case.
The regular iPhone 16 is positioned as a “compact” phone. It is very pocketable and extremely easy to handle with one hand. That being said, be sure to go and check out both phones in person. We doubt that you will find the iPhone 16 Plus too big, but you might find the vanilla iPhone 16 a bit too small. That’s just our two cents on the matter.Display comparison
As mentioned, the iPhone 16 Plus has a significantly larger display than the iPhone 16. Not necessarily large by modern standards, but definitely larger. Technically, the Plus also has a higher display resolution. However, Apple has always aimed for a consistent pixel density across models without caring too much about resolution. This is the case here since both phones have a very crisp 460 ppi.
Apple uses very premium panels, even on its non-Pro devices. Both phones are nice and bright, with very similar brightness figures. OLED technology means perfect blacks, high contrast, and punchy colors. Apple offers HDR10 and Dolby Vision support on both iPhones and has a very flexible HDR implementation, allowing HDR video to play in a window, not just the entire display.
The big issue with the displays of the non-Pro iPhones is the fact that they are still 60Hz. Unfortunately, springing for a Pro model is the only way to get around that.
