iPhone 16 Pro

iPhone 16 Pro was the first compact Pro with Camera Control and a 5x telephoto when Apple announced it on 9 September 2024, and it stretched the screen to 6.3 inches. Two newer Pros have followed. The question now is whether their upgrades are worth paying for over a used or refurbished 16 Pro.

Against the 17 Pro and 18 Pro

Spec	iPhone 16 Pro	iPhone 17 Pro
US launch price	$999	$1,099
Starting storage	128GB	256GB
Build	Titanium	Aluminum unibody
Telephoto	12MP 5x, 120 mm	48MP 4x, 8x optical-quality
Front camera	12MP TrueDepth	18MP Center Stage
Outdoor peak brightness	2000 nits	3000 nits
Screen size and pixels	6.3-inch, 2622 × 1206	Same
Qi2 charging	Up to 15W	Up to 25W
Fast wired charge	About 50% in 30 minutes, 20W adapter	20 minutes, 40W adapter
Pro video extras	ProRes, Log, ACES	Adds ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, genlock

The 17 Pro’s changes land where you’d notice them: a higher-resolution telephoto and selfie camera, a brighter screen in sun and faster charging. The 16 Pro keeps the longer 5x reach and the titanium. The 18 Pro, Apple’s current compact Pro as of 19 September 2026, keeps the 17 Pro’s 48MP 4x telephoto, 18MP Center Stage camera, 3000-nit peak and 25W Qi2, adds the A20 Pro chip, and launched at $1,199 with 256GB. For more on the one-year step, see iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro.

Cameras

The main camera is a 48MP Fusion at 24 mm and ƒ/1.78 with second-generation sensor-shift stabilization, and it also gives a 12MP 2x view at 48 mm. The Ultra Wide is 48MP as well (13 mm, ƒ/2.2, 120 degrees). The 5x Telephoto is 12MP at 120 mm and ƒ/2.8, folded through a tetraprism with 3D sensor-shift stabilization. Optically that spans a 10x range, from 2x out to 5x in, and digital zoom reaches 25x.

Camera Control lets you set a default lens and adjust exposure, depth, zoom, cameras, styles and tone. The LiDAR Scanner helps with Night mode portraits.

Video is where the Pro earns its name: 4K Dolby Vision at up to 120 fps on the main camera, ProRes up to 4K at 120 fps when recording externally, Log and ACES, plus 4K Cinematic mode at 30 fps, 2.8K Action mode at 60 fps and 1080p spatial video at 30 fps. Selfies come from a 12MP TrueDepth camera at ƒ/1.9 with autofocus.

Screen and design

The 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED (6.27 inches as a rectangle) has 2622 × 1206 pixels at 460 ppi, ProMotion up to 120Hz, an Always-On mode and the Dynamic Island. Typical brightness is 1000 nits, with 1600 nits for HDR, 2000 nits outdoors and a 1-nit minimum.

The titanium design comes in black, white, natural or desert titanium, with a latest-generation Ceramic Shield front and a textured matte glass back. It measures 149.6 × 71.5 × 8.25 mm, weighs 199 grams and carries an IP68 rating to 6 meters for 30 minutes.

Battery and charging

Apple rates the 16 Pro for 27 hours of video playback, 22 hours of streaming and 85 hours of audio. Wired, it takes about 30 minutes to reach 50% on a 20W or higher USB-C adapter. MagSafe charges at up to 25W from a 30W adapter, with magnets for alignment and accessory identification; Qi2 pads manage 15W and older Qi pads 7.5W.

Connections

The USB-C port carries DisplayPort video and USB 3 data at up to 10 Gb/s with a USB 3 cable. Wireless covers Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3, plus Thread, NFC with reader mode and a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, and cellular covers 5G with mmWave and Gigabit LTE on models A3083 and A3084. Location uses precision dual-frequency GPS with NavIC. Satellite messaging, Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance and Find My work out of cell range, and Crash Detection is built in.

Price

iPhone 16 Pro launched at $999 in the US with 128GB, with 256GB, 512GB and 1TB above it. It went on sale in stores on 20 September 2024, after pre-orders from 13 September 2024. Apple no longer sold it by 19 September 2026, so today it’s a used or refurbished buy, set against a 17 Pro that launched at $1,099 and an 18 Pro at $1,199. Prices on a two-year-old Pro vary with storage and condition, so check before you buy.