Ought to You Purchase an iPhone 16 or iPhone 17? Here’s How They Examine

Now that Apple has debuted the iPhone 17, chances are you’ll be questioning whether or not to get that flashy new gadget or purchase final 12 months’s iPhone 16 at a reduction. To assist with that call, this is a breakdown of how the 2 handsets evaluate. 

The iPhone 17 begins at $829 (or $799 in case you activate with a provider), the identical because the iPhone 16 when it got here out — with the caveat that the iPhone 17 begins with a better 256GB storage choice, versus 128GB. 

The iPhone 16 is now obtainable at a $100 low cost, although its baseline configuration has 128GB of storage. So, is it value saving some cash, or must you go all out with the most recent telephone?

Here’s what to find out about every telephone, from the cameras to the shows to the batteries.

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Screen variations

Some of the largest modifications between the iPhone 16 and 17 should do with the show.

Apple says it shrunk the borders across the display on the iPhone 17, increasing the show from 6.1 inches on the iPhone 16 to six.3 inches on the iPhone 17 with out increasing its dimensions. The new Ceramic Shield 2 cowl on the iPhone 17 presents 3x higher scratch resistance, based on the corporate. 

The baseline iPhone 17 will get a show with a 120Hz refresh charge, versus the 60Hz show on the iPhone 16. That means the iPhone 17 lastly helps an always-on show, so you’ll be able to look on the time, your notifications and Live Activities with out waking the display.  

The iPhone 17 additionally good points an anti-reflective coating and a 3,000-nit peak brightness, in comparison with 2,000 nits on the iPhone 16. That ought to make it simpler to see your telephone in vibrant daylight.  

Camera variations

Both the iPhone 16 and 17 have a 48-megapixel wide-angle digicam. But the iPhone 17 upgrades the ultrawide digicam from 12 megapixels on final 12 months’s telephone to 48 megapixels. 

The front-facing digicam additionally will get an improve, going from 12 megapixels on the iPhone 16 to 18 megapixels on the iPhone 17. There’s a brand new Center Stage characteristic for the selfie digicam that may mechanically regulate from a portrait orientation to panorama to verify everyone seems to be within the shot. That means you do not have to manually rotate your telephone to its aspect anymore when there are extra folks to slot in the body. 

Both the iPhone 16 and 17 have a Camera Control button on the aspect to rapidly launch the digicam, snap some photographs and use Apple’s Visual Intelligence software to be taught extra about what’s round you.

Processor and RAM

The iPhone 17 packs an A19 chip, an improve from the A18 chip within the iPhone 16. One key distinction is that the iPhone 17 begins at 256GB, whereas the iPhone 16 began at 128GB for a similar $829 worth when it debuted. 

Both telephones additionally help the Apple Intelligence suite of AI capabilities, which incorporates writing instruments, picture turbines and notification summaries. 

Battery life

Apple would not share particular battery specs, however it does measure longevity by way of video playback hours. The iPhone 16 helps as much as 22 hours of video playback, based on Apple, whereas the iPhone 17 bumps that as much as 30 hours. Stay tuned to CNET’s assessment of the iPhone 17 to see how that interprets in the true world and the way the telephone holds as much as our battery checks.

A brand new AI-powered Adaptive Power characteristic arriving with iOS 26 may help preserve the battery by making “small performance adjustments,” like “allowing some activities to take a little longer,” based on Apple. 

The iPhone 17 arrives with the upcoming working system onboard, however you may additionally be capable of obtain iOS 26 on the iPhone 16, in addition to some older iPhones, as soon as it turns into obtainable publicly. That ought to assist to stretch your battery life on both gadget.

Color choices and design

What’s on the within could also be most necessary, however folks additionally care what their telephone appears to be like like. Like the iPhone 16, the iPhone 17 is available in a spread of enjoyable colours: black, white, mist blue, sage (a lightweight inexperienced) and lavender.

For comparability, the iPhone 16 is out there in black, white, pink, teal and ultramarine.

Both telephones have an aluminum body.

If you are leaning towards the iPhone 17, preorders begin Friday, and the telephone hits retailer cabinets on Friday, Sept. 19.   

Apple iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16

	Apple iPhone 17	Apple iPhone 16
Display measurement, tech, decision, refresh charge	6.3-inch OLED; 2,622 x 1,206 pixel decision; 1-120Hz variable refresh charge	6.1-inch OLED; 2,556 x 1,179 pixel decision; 60Hz refresh charge
Pixel density	460ppi	460 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	5.89 x 2.81 x 0.31 in	5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 in
Dimensions (millimeters)	149.6 x 71.5 x 7.95 mm	147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm
Weight (grams, ounces)	177 g (6.24 oz)	170 g (6 oz.)
Mobile software program	iOS 26	iOS 18
Camera	48-megapixel (huge) 48-megapixel (ultrawide)	48-megapixel (huge), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)
Front-facing digicam	18-megapixel	12-megapixel
Video seize	4K	4K
Processor	Apple A19	Apple A18
RAM + storage	RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB	RAM N/A + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Expandable storage	None	None (Face ID)
Battery	Up to 30 hours video playback; as much as 27 hours video playback (streamed). Fast cost as much as 50% in 20 minutes utilizing 40W adapter or increased by way of charging cable. Fast cost as much as 50% in half-hour utilizing 30W adapter or increased by way of MagSafe Charger.	Up to 22 hours video playback; as much as 18 hours video playback (streamed). 20W wired charging. MagSafe wi-fi charging as much as 25W with 30W adapter or increased; Qi2 as much as 15W
Fingerprint sensor	None (Face ID)	None (Face ID)
Connector	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None
Special options	Apple N1 wi-fi networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. 1 to 3000 nits brightness show vary. IP68 resistance. Colors: black, white, mist blue, sage, lavender.	Apple Intelligence, Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, 1 to 2,000 nits show brightness vary, IP68 resistance. Colors: black, white, pink, teal, ultramarine.
US worth begins at	$829 (256GB)	$829 (128GB)