Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.3-inch Apple iPhone 17 Pro (with Apple A19 Pro) that was released on September 9, 2025, against the Apple iPhone 16 Pro, which is powered by Apple A18 Pro and came out 1 year before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Memory

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 17 Pro
  • 41% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (2538K versus 1801K)
  • Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
  • Has 50% more RAM: 12GB versus 8GB
  • Newer Bluetooth version (v6.0)
  • The phone is 1 year newer
  • Supports higher wattage charging (40W versus 30W)
  • 11% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 3992 and 3591 points
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 16 Pro
  • Delivers 75% higher peak brightness (1777 against 1015 nits)
  • The rear camera has a 5x optical zoom

Review

Evaluation of Apple iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro crucial features
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview Score
Final comparison evaluation
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
📱 Primary usage:

Value for money (Beta)

To get an accurate value-for-money index, update the default prices with actual prices from your country’s retailers (for the selected memory configs) and press the "Calculate" button.
Currency
12 / 256 GB
VS
8 / 128 GB
23.1
(Mediocre)
Value Index
61.8
(Average)

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Display

Type OLED OLED
Size 6.3 inches 6.3 inches
Resolution 1206 x 2622 pixels 1206 x 2622 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
PPI 460 ppi 458 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (1-120 Hz) Yes (1-120 Hz)
Max rated brightness 3000 nits 2000 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR 1600 nits 1600 nits
HDR support Yes, Dolby Vision Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen protection Ceramic Shield 2 -
Screen-to-body ratio 90.4% 91.1%
Display features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display tests
RGB color space - 99.9%
PWM - 239 Hz
Response time - 1 ms
Contrast - ∞ Infinity
Peak brightness test (auto)
1015 nits
1777 nits
Sources: NotebookCheck [3]

Design and build

Height 150 mm (5.91 inches) 149.6 mm (5.89 inches)
Width 71.9 mm (2.83 inches) 71.5 mm (2.81 inches)
Thickness 8.75 mm (0.34 inches) 8.25 mm (0.32 inches)
Weight 206 g (7.27 oz) 199 g (7.02 oz)
Waterproof IP68 IP68
Advanced cooling Vapor chamber -
Rear material Glass Glass
Frame material Metal Metal
Colors Silver, Blue, Orange White, Black, Silver, Gold
Fingerprint scanner No No
Repairability Good (3.04/5) Average (2.83/5)
Drop resistance Very good (B) · 180 drops Good (C) · 90 drops
Screen-to-body ratio
91.1%

Performance

Chipset specifications of Apple iPhone 17 Pro and Apple iPhone 16 Pro
SoC
Chipset Apple A19 Pro Apple A18 Pro
Max clock 4260 MHz 4040 MHz
CPU cores 6 (2 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4 cores at 2.6 GHz:
- 2 cores at 4.26 GHz:
- 4 cores at 2.42 GHz: Sawtooth
- 2 cores at 4.05 GHz: Everest
Manufacturing TSMC TSMC
Lithography process 3 nanometers 3 nanometers
Neural processor (NPU) Apple Neural Engine Neural Engine
GPU
Graphics 6 core Apple GPU 6 core Apple GPU
GPU shading units 768 768
GPU clock 1620 MHz 1490 MHz
FLOPS ~2488.3 GFLOPS ~2289 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Benchmark comparison of Apple iPhone 17 Pro and Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
3992
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
10688
Compute Score (GPU)
44342
Compute Score (GPU) 44342 33278
Single-core score 3992 3591
Multi-core score 10688 9090
Sources: Geekbench [3], [4]
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
2538751
1801176
CPU 753740 555276
GPU 926158 546980
Memory 217137 176885
UX 641716 522035
Total score 2538751 1801176
Samples [6 tests] [9 tests]
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
Stability - 71%
Graphics test - 13 FPS
Graphics score - 1732
3DMark Solar Bay
Graphics test - 29 FPS
Section 1 - 35 FPS
Section 2 - 30 FPS
Section 3 - 21 FPS
Graphics score - 7585
Sources: 3DMark [5]

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-09-16 (Anatoli)AnTuTu 112304042
📘 2026-06-03 (Vin)Geekbench 6 CPU3890 / 10107
📘 2026-05-11 (Atti rajan)AnTuTu 112301246
📘 2026-04-10 (Resul)AnTuTu 112538751
📘 2026-02-23 (FiLsImRoZeR)AnTuTu 112106484
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-09-27 (FontFrontPromptORG)Geekbench 7 CPU3087 / 8369
📘 2026-08-21 (Neuron)AnTuTu 111500141
📘 2026-07-04 (Lks jaay)Battery lifeBattery report
📘 2026-06-15 (Anton)AnTuTu 111782199
📘 2026-06-04 (Rain)Geekbench 6 CPU3656 / 9628

Memory

RAM
RAM size 12 GB 8 GB
Memory type LPDDR5X LPDDR5X
Channels 4 4
Storage
Storage size 256 GB 128 GB
Storage type NVMe NVMe
Memory card No No

Software

Operating system iOS 26 (Can be upgraded to iOS 26.5) iOS 18 (Can be upgraded to iOS 26.5)
OS size - 18 GB
OS updates 7 years 7 years
Security updates 7 years 7 years

Battery

Capacity 4252 mAh 3582 mAh
Max charge power 40 W 30 W
Battery type Li-Ion Li-Ion
Replaceable No No
Wireless charging Yes (25 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse charging Yes Yes
Bypass charging No No
Fast charging Yes (70% in 30 min) Yes (58% in 30 min)
Full charging time 1:18 hr 1:38 hr
Battery cycles 1000 cycles 1000 cycles
Battery life tests
Web browsing 09:51 hr 11:41 hr
Watching video 19:54 hr 17:46 hr
Gaming 06:49 hr 05:35 hr
Standby 117 hr 132 hr
General battery life
26:48 hr
28:13 hr
Smartphones With Long Battery Life (111th and 85th place)

Main camera

Matrix 48 megapixels 48 megapixels
Image resolution 8064 x 6048 8064 x 6048
Zoom Optical, 4x Optical, 5x
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K video recording No No
4K video recording Up to 120FPS Up to 120FPS
1080p video recording Up to 120FPS Up to 120FPS
Slow motion 240 FPS (1080p) 240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens 120° 120°
Lenses 1) Standard: 48 MP
2) Telephoto: 48 MP
3) Ultrawide: 48 MP
4) Depth
1) Standard: 48 MP
2) Telephoto: 12 MP
3) Ultrawide: 48 MP
4) Depth
Camera features - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support
- Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Standard lens
Image resolution 48 MP 48 MP
Aperture f/1.78 f/1.8
Focal length 24 mm 24 mm
Sensor Sony IMX903 Sony IMX803
Sensor size 1/1.28" (≈ 0.78 inch) 1/1.28" (≈ 0.78 inch)
Pixel size 1.22 micron 1.22 micron
Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Optical Optical
Telephoto lens
Image resolution 48 MP 12 MP
Aperture f/2.8 f/2.8
Focal length 100 mm 120 mm
Sensor Sony IMX973 Sony IMX913
Sensor size 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) 1/3.06" (≈ 0.33 inch)
Pixel size 0.7 micron 1.12 micron
Stabilization Optical Optical
Ultra-wide lens
Image resolution 48 MP 48 MP
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length 13 mm 13 mm
Sensor Sony IMX972 Sony IMX972
Sensor size 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch)
Pixel size 0.7 micron 0.7 micron
Stabilization Digital Digital

DxOMark main camera tests

Photo quality
Video quality
Generic main camera score
Bokeh 170 80
Preview - 93
Zoom 141 142
Samples Photo samples of Apple iPhone 17 Pro from DxOMark Photo samples of Apple iPhone 16 Pro from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels 18 megapixels 12 megapixels
Image resolution 4896 x 3672 4032 x 3024
Aperture f/1.9 f/1.9
Focal length 20 mm 23 mm
Sensor Sony IMX914 Sony IMX714
Sensor size - 1/3.6" (≈ 0.28 inch)
Pixel size 1 micron 1.12 micron
Autofocus Phase autofocus Phase autofocus
Stabilization Optical Optical
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS
Depth sensor (TOF 3D) Yes Yes

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 6.0 5.3
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.2 3.2
USB features - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes Yes
GPS GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared port No No
Network
Type of SIM card eSIM eSIM
Multi SIM mode Standby -
eSIM support* Yes Yes
Hybrid slot No No
5G support Yes Yes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
Headphone audio jack No No
FM radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speakers test
Max loudness

Other

Category Flagship Flagship
Announced September 2025 September 2024
Release date September 2025 September 2024
Launch price (MSRP) $1099 $999
Successor - - Apple iPhone 17 Pro
SAR (head) - 1.24 W/kg
SAR (body) - 1.48 W/kg
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Face recognition sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Face recognition sensor
Bundled charger Not included Not included
Further details
Notes on iPhone 17 Pro:
    - The eSIM-only model has a larger battery than the Nano SIM + eSIM version – 4,252 mAh vs. 3,988 mAh.
    - Only the Chinese version offers dual Nano SIM slots and it also has a weaker 15-watt wireless charging system.
Notes on iPhone 16 Pro:
    - In the US, the smartphone only supports eSIM, while the international model comes with 1 physical SIM slot plus eSIM capability.
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

These smartphones have a lot in common, but we would recommend the Apple iPhone 17 Pro. It has a better camera, performance, gaming, and sound.

Cast your vote

So, which phone would you choose?
627 (35.8%)
1124 (64.2%)
Total votes: 1751

User opinions

You can share your opinion or ask a question in the comments below
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Avatar
denis October 13, 2025 at 08:19 PM
Hey, I’m curious—how does the 17 Pro have a higher battery rating, but the 16 Pro still manages to last almost an hour and a half longer?
+20 Reply
Avatar
tech boi January 15, 2026 at 06:20 AM
Battery is better maintained for a long life in 17 pro due to better thermal management ,even though size is larger in 17 pro ,optimization is better in 16pro for regular use, on heavier use 17 pro edges out due to better size and thermal management.
+1 Reply
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Marcus September 19, 2025 at 08:42 PM
Am i the only one that these phones have the same bezel thickness?
+1 Reply
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Jether September 10, 2025 at 01:39 PM
Why is the screen-to-body ratio on the iPhone 16 Pro thinner than on the 17 Pro?
0 Reply
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Lance November 12, 2025 at 06:43 PM
Change of body material (from titanium to aluminum) and changes in the layout of the components inside the phone. This might not answer your question but I'll give you an idea of what basically changed.
0 Reply
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ComputerNerd September 10, 2025 at 08:55 AM
Iphone 17 Pro wins easily. More RAM, better CPU, better battery, better telephoto camera, and a better selfie camera.
+12 Reply
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dud October 18, 2025 at 04:50 PM
it also has faster chargers more raw battery capacity.
+1 Reply
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tech mamba January 15, 2026 at 06:26 AM
everything better other than design and ngl 99% of the people who said iphone never changed designs are either android fanboys tryna say apple is soo lazy or they are influencers who wanna mae some content, the android fanboys now glazing the design of oneplus 15,oppo find x9 series,reno 15 pro series , we all know it is a iphone 16 pro rip off, samsung also copies apple there removed there sharp edges and got curves after a while it is good but they did make fun of apple,the samsung ai is good rn but that is cause they use an external server and we allll now how bad that server privacy is
+1 Reply