The short verdict
iPhone 17 edges it on score
The iPhone 17 leads overall; pick the iPhone 16 if its strengths below matter more to you.
iPhone 16
8.5
iPhone 17
8.7
Choose the iPhone 16 if
- iPhone buyers who find it at a real discount and want two rear cameras on a budget
Choose the iPhone 17 if
- Most iPhone buyers who want a 120Hz screen, long battery life and 256GB without paying Pro prices
Key differences
Measured differences only. Ties and tiny gaps are left out.
Why pick theiPhone 161 win−$169Cheaper today$490 vs $659
Check priceBest price · eBay · check the store for today’s priceCheck price at eBay ↗
Why pick theiPhone 170 winsNo measured advantages in our spec data. Check the full specs below.
Check priceBest price · eBay · check the store for today’s priceCheck price at eBay ↗
Full specs
Side-by-side specifications
Display8 differences
Screen size
6.1"
6.27"
Display type
Super Retina XDR display · HDR · True Tone
Super Retina XDR display · ProMotion up to 120Hz · Always-On
Resolution
1179 x 2556
1206 x 2622
Refresh rate
—
120 Hz
Peak brightness
1000 nits max brightness (typical) · 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR) · 2000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)
1000 nits max brightness (typical) · 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR) · 3000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)
Protection
Ceramic Shield front
Ceramic Shield 2 front
Panel
True Tone · Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating · 6.1-inch (diagonal) all-screen OLED display · 1000 nits max brightness (typical)
The iPhone 17 display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design
Screen Protection
Ceramic Shield front
Ceramic Shield 2, Mohs level 5 | Anti-reflective coating
Performance7 differences
Chipset
A18
A19
CPU
Hexa-core (2x4.04 GHz + 4x2.20 GHz)
Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4xX.X GHz)
Accessibility
Built-in accessibility features supporting vision
Vocal Shortcuts · Type to Siri · RTT and TTY support · Spoken Content · Zoom · Live Captions
Chip
A18 chip · 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores · 5-core GPU · 16-core Neural Engine
16-core Neural Engine · Hardware-accelerated ray tracing · 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores · 5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators · A19 chip
Capacity 1
128GB
512GB · 256GB
Gpu cores
5-core GPU
5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators
Operating system
See what’s new in iOS · iOS iOS is the world’s most personal and secure mobile operating system, packed with powerful features and designed to protect your privacy.
iOS iOS is the world’s most personal and secure mobile operating system, packed with powerful features and designed to protect your privacy.
Memory1 difference
Internal storage
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
256 GB
Main camera1 difference
Modules
48MP Fusion Main: 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (
48MP Dual Fusion camera system -
Battery & Charging3 differences
Capacity
3,561 mAh
3,692 mAh
Wired charging
Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes
Wireless charging
25W wireless (MagSafe)
25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2
Network1 difference
SIM
Dual eSIM (two active eSIMs; stores eight or more eSIMs)
Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International) eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA) Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) | IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified)
Connectivity4 differences
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 6.0
Positioning
GPS · GLONASS · Galileo
GPS (L1+L5) · GLONASS · GALILEO
Cellular and wireless
Express Cards with power reserve · Apple second-generation Ultra Wideband chip 11 · TDD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53) · TDD-5G NR (Bands n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n77, n78, n79) · UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz) · GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
FDD-5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n66, n70, n71, n75) · TDD-5G NR (Bands n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n77, n78, n79) · NFC with reader mode · GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) · Apple N1 wireless networking chip · Apple second-generation Ultra Wideband chip 11
External buttons and connectors
Built-in stereo speaker Built-in microphone · Exposure
Action button · Side button · Silent Mode
Sensors & Security1 difference
Other sensors
Face ID · Barometer · High dynamic range gyro
Face ID
Body3 differences
Dimensions
height: 5.81 inches (147.6 mm) · width: 2.82 inches (71.6 mm) · depth: 0.31 inch (7.80 mm)
height: 5.89 inches (149.6 mm) · width: 2.81 inches (71.5 mm) · depth: 0.31 inch (7.95 mm)
Weight
170 g
177 g
Colors
Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine
Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender
Launch & Software3 differences
Released
2024-09-20
September 9, 2025
Operating system
iOS 18
iOS 26
In the box
i, Phone 16, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m)
iPhone 17 · USB-C Charge Cable (1 m) · Documentation
Benchmarks1 difference
AnTuTu score
1,721,149
2,109,773
Camera3 differences
Sensors
High dynamic range gyro · Dual ambient light sensors · High-g accelerometer · Proximity sensor · Barometer · Face ID
Barometer · Face ID · Proximity sensor · Dual ambient light sensors · High-g accelerometer · High dynamic range gyro
Camera
Photographic Styles 2 · Photo geotagging · Night mode · Panorama (up to 63MP) · Digital zoom up to 10x
Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos · Also enables 12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto: 52 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels · Sapphire crystal lens cover · 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range · Deep Fusion · Smart HDR 5
Video recording
Dolby Vision · 25 fps · 30 fps
Dolby Vision · 30 fps
Battery & charging5 differences
Battery claims
Up to 22 hours · Up to 18 hours · Up to 80 hours
Up to 30 hours
Charging and expansion
DisplayPort · USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s) · USB-C connector with support for: · Charging
USB-C connector with support for: · DisplayPort · Charging · USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s)
Charging Watt
Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes
Magsafe and wireless charging
Magnetometer · Qi2 wireless charging up to 25W 6 · MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W 6 · Magnet array · Alignment magnet · Accessory Identification NFC
Qi2 wireless charging up to 25W 6 · Alignment magnet · Magnetometer · Magnet array · MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W 6 · Accessory Identification NFC
Power and battery 5
Video playback Up to 22 hours · Fast-charge capable: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes 6 with 20W adapter or higher (available separately) paired with USB-C charging cable, or 30W adapter or higher paired with MagSafe Charger (both available separately) · Video playback (streamed) Up to 18 hours · Audio playback Up to 80 hours · Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Video playback Up to 30 hours · Video playback (streamed) Up to 27 hours · Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery Fast-charge capable: Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes 6 with 40W adapter or higher (available separately) paired with USB-C charging cable Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes 6 with 30W adapter or higher paired with MagSafe Charger (both available separately)
Design2 differences
Size and weight 2
0.31 inch (7.80 mm) · 2.82 inches (71.6 mm) · 6.00 ounces (170 grams) · 5.81 inches (147.6 mm)
6.24 ounces (177 grams) · 2.81 inches (71.5 mm) · 5.89 inches (149.6 mm) · 0.31 inch (7.95 mm)
Weights
6.00 ounces (170 grams)
6.24 ounces (177 grams)
Audio3 differences
Audio calling 16
FaceTime audio · Wi-Fi calling 9 · Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes · Screen sharing · Voice over LTE (VoLTE) 9 · Spatial Audio
Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes · Spatial Audio · Voice over LTE (VoLTE) 9 · Screen sharing · SharePlay · FaceTime audio
Audio calling 18
Wi-Fi calling 9 · FaceTime audio · Spatial Audio · Screen sharing · Voice over LTE (VoLTE) 9 · SharePlay
Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes · Voice over LTE (VoLTE) 9 · Screen sharing · FaceTime audio · Wi-Fi calling 9 · Spatial Audio
Audio playback
Spatial Audio playback · Supported formats include AAC
Supported formats include AAC
General1 difference
Finish
Aluminum design Ceramic Shield front Color-infused glass back (Black, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine) · Black
Black
Specs verified against manufacturer data. Prices in USD before tax; we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Community
One vote per person. Results appear after you vote.