Compare iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 16e

Which one is best for you?

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 16e sit at opposite ends of Apple's lineup, but both bring 5G, a 48MP rear camera and Face ID into your hands. iPhone 18 Pro leans into pro-grade performance and photography, while iPhone 16e keeps things simpler and more affordable. 

Both phones feature a Super Retina XDR display and a 48MP rear camera, so you get crisp visuals and detailed photos with either. Face ID secures both, and each connects over 5G and charges via USB-C. iPhone 18 Pro adds ProMotion technology for smoother scrolling, where iPhone 16e keeps a standard refresh rate. 

iPhone 18 Pro pulls ahead with an A20 Pro chip built for AI workloads, a variable-aperture main camera for stronger low-light shots, and 8x optical-quality zoom that suits creators and travellers who want real reach. Its 6.3-inch display is brighter with better anti-reflection, and Ceramic Shield 2 front glass offers 3x better scratch resistance. An 18MP Center Stage front camera and front-and-rear Dual Capture video make it a stronger choice if you film or video call often, while up to 24 hours of use per charge keeps you going longer than iPhone 16e's 26 hours of video playback in real-world mixed use. 

Choose iPhone 18 Pro if you want pro-level cameras, AI-ready performance and a brighter ProMotion display; choose iPhone 16e if you want a dependable 5G phone with a solid 48MP camera at a more accessible price.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro

Buy iPhone 18 Pro

Apple iPhone 16e

Buy iPhone 16e
Battery
  • Non-removable
  • Fast battery charging
  • Qi2 wireless charging
  • Non-removable
  • Fast battery charging
  • Qi wireless charging
Body
  • Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back, Aluminum unibody design
  • Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
  • Splash, water and dust resistant
  • Ceramic Shield front, Glass back and Aluminium design
  • eSIM
  • Splash, water and dust resistant (IP68)
  • Available
Camera
  • 48MP + 48MP + 48MP
  • 48MP + 12MP
Camera details
  • 48MP (Fusion Main) + 48MP (Fusion Ultra wide) + 48MP (Fusion Telephoto)
  • 18MP Center Stage
  • 8x optical‑quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 16x zoom range
  • Adaptive True Tone flash
  • Apple Reference Image (Fusion Main)
  • Auto image stabilization
  • Dual Capture
  • Focus and Depth Control
  • Lens correction (Fusion Ultra Wide)
  • Macro photography
  • Next-generation portraits
  • Night mode
  • Photographic Styles 3
  • Photonic Engine
  • Pro controls
  • ProRAW
  • Sapphire crystal lens cover
  • Smart focus tracking
  • Spatial photos
  • Super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP)
  • Variable aperture options (Fusion Main)
  • Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos
  • 48MP (f/1.6, Main: 26mm)
  • 12MP (f/1.9, TrueDepth)
  • Advanced red‑eye correction
  • Auto image stabilization
  • Burst mode
  • Deep Fusion
  • Digital zoom up to 10x
  • Hybrid Focus Pixels
  • Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG
  • Night mode
  • Panorama (up to 63MP)
  • Photo geotagging
  • Photographic Styles
  • Photonic Engine
  • Portrait Lighting with six effects
  • Portrait mode with Depth Control
  • Sapphire crystal lens cover
  • Smart HDR 5
  • True Tone flash
  • Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos
Capacity
  • 256 GB/512 GB/1 TB/2 TB
  • 128 GB/256 GB/512 GB
Colour
  • Burgundy / Black / Silver / Glacier
  • White / Black
Connectivity
  • 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G
  • Wi‑Fi 7
  • Bluetooth 6
  • GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC
  • NFC with reader mode
  • USB-C connector - USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s)
  • 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G
  • Wi‑Fi 6,802.11ax with 2x2 MIMO
  • Bluetooth 5.3
  • GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC
  • NFC with reader mode
  • USB Type-C (up to 480Mb/s)
Dimensions
  • 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm
  • 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm
Display
  • 6.3 inch
  • 6.1 inch
Display details
  • OLED display, Super Retina XDR display
  • 2622 x 1206 pixels
  • ProMotion technology
  • Always-On display
  • Dynamic Island
  • Haptic Touch
  • HDR display
  • True Tone
  • Wide color display (P3)
  • 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)
  • 2532‑by‑1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi
  • 6.1‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display
  • 800 nits max brightness (typical); 1200 nits peak brightness (HDR)
  • Display Zoom
  • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
  • Haptic Touch
  • HDR display
  • Reachability
  • Super Retina XDR display
  • True Tone
  • Wide color (P3)
Features
  • Accelerometer
  • Apple Pay
  • Barometer
  • High dynamic range gyro
  • High-g accelerometer
  • Proximity sensor
  • Dual ambient light sensors
  • MagSafe
  • Accessory Identification NFC
  • Spatial Audio playback
  • User‑configurable maximum volume limit
  • Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes
  • Voice over LTE (VoLTE)
  • Share experiences like movies, TV, music, and other apps in a FaceTime call with SharePlay
  • AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos
  • Apple Pay
  • Barometer
  • Dual ambient light sensors
  • Face ID
  • High dynamic range gyro
  • High-g accelerometer
  • Proximity sensor
  • Screen sharing
  • Share experiences like movies, TV, music, and other apps in a FaceTime call with SharePlay
  • Spatial Audio and stereo recording
  • Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes
  • Voice over LTE (VoLTE)
  • Wind noise reduction
Memory
    Information not available
  • 8 GB RAM/8GB RAM
Platform
  • iOS 27
  • Apple A20 Pro
  • 6‑core CPU
  • 7‑core GPU
  • iOS 18
  • Apple A18
  • New 6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
  • New 4‑core GPU
Weight
  • 211 g
  • 167 g
Video
  • 4K Dolby Vision video recording up to 120 fps (Fusion Main), up to 60 fps (Ultra Wide, Telephoto)
  • Academy Color Encoding System
  • Action mode (up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps)
  • Apple Log 2
  • Audio Mix
  • Cinematic mode effects from video
  • Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field
  • Dual Capture (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps)
  • Improved low-light video
  • Macro video recording, including slo‑mo and time‑lapse
  • Pro controls for lens aperture, shutter speed, white balance
  • ProRes RAW
  • ProRes video recording up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording
  • QuickTake video (up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision HDR)
  • Second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization
  • Slo‑mo video support for 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps
  • Smart focus tracking
  • Spatial video recording at 1080p at 30 fps
  • Spatial Audio and stereo recording
  • Studio-quality four-mic array
  • Time-lapse video recording with stabilization up to 4K Dolby Vision
  • Wind noise reduction
  • 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
  • 1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
  • 720p Dolby Vision video recording at 30 fps
  • Audio Mix
  • Audio zoom
  • Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
  • Continuous autofocus video
  • Digital zoom up to 6x
  • Night mode Time-lapse
  • Optical image stabilization for video
  • Playback zoom
  • QuickTake video
  • Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
  • Spatial Audio and stereo recording
  • Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
  • Time‑lapse video with stabilization
  • True Tone flash
  • Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264
  • Wind noise reduction
Operating system
  • iOS
  • iOS 27
    Information not available
WIFI calling
  • Available
  • Available
Box Contains
  • USB-C Charge Cable (1 m)
  • Documentation
  • USB‑C Charge Cable (1m)
  • Documentation
eSIM
  • Available
    Information not available

Frequently asked questions

iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion up to 120Hz, brighter output and better anti-reflection. iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display without ProMotion. Both are crisp, but iPhone 18 Pro feels smoother and easier to read outdoors.

Both have a 48MP rear camera, but iPhone 18 Pro adds a variable aperture for improved low-light photos and 8x optical-quality zoom. iPhone 16e offers a 2x optical-quality Telephoto. iPhone 18 Pro also has an 18MP Center Stage front camera, while iPhone 16e has a 12MP front camera.

iPhone 18 Pro offers up to 34 hours of video playback and faster wired charging up to 50% in around 15 minutes. iPhone 16e delivers up to 26 hours of video playback. Both would last a full day for most people, but iPhone 18 Pro charges quicker.

Yes, both phones support 5G connectivity. iPhone 18 Pro also includes WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6, while iPhone 16e uses USB-C connectivity and 5G. You’ll easily stay connected with either phone.

iPhone 18 Pro runs on the A20 Pro chip with a next-generation vapour chamber and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine built for AI. iPhone 16e uses an A18 chip that still enables Apple Intelligence. iPhone 18 Pro is the stronger choice for power users and AAA gaming.

iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, while iPhone 16e has a more compact 6.1-inch display. iPhone 16e is the smaller and lighter option if you prefer a phone that is easy to handle one-handed. iPhone 18 Pro gives you more screen for media and editing.

Both phones feature Ceramic Shield front glass and splash, water and dust resistance. iPhone 18 Pro adds Ceramic Shield 2 front with 3x better scratch resistance and a Ceramic Shield back. iPhone 16e has Ceramic Shield front but lacks the upgraded back.

iPhone 16e offers many core features, including a 48MP camera and 5G, at a more accessible price. iPhone 18 Pro costs more but adds ProMotion, an advanced camera system, faster charging and an AI-ready chip. Both are great value but at different price points.

Yes, both phones use Face ID for secure unlocking and authentication. You get the same biometric convenience with either model. iPhone 18 Pro pairs Face ID with its 18MP Center Stage front camera for sharper video calls.

iPhone 18 Pro includes WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6 and 5G, giving you faster wireless speeds and newer standards. iPhone 16e connects over WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and 5G. If you want the latest wireless technology, iPhone 18 Pro is the better choice.