
Why You Should Buy the iPhone 16 Plus Over the Pro
The new iPhone 16 series captured the spotlight on the market with its more streamlined design, A18 chip, and Apple's reliability as ever. But the moment you start looking through your choices, you can't help but ask, Do I need to buy the iPhone 16 Plus or shell out more for the Pro?
Here's why, for most people, the iPhone 16 Plus is the smart, reasonable, and cost-effective choice over the Pro.
The iPhone 16 Plus Hits the Sweet Spot
The iPhone 16 Plus offers a large 6.7-inch OLED display, excellent battery life, and the same A18 chip as the Pro models, offering responsive performance in gaming, multitasking, and camera processing.
It also features:
- OLED Super Retina XDR display with vivid colors and razor-sharp clarity.
- Dual 48 MP camera system shooting high, in-your-face photos for social, family, and everyday video productions.
- USB-C charging and MagSafe accessory compatibility, getting ahead of available accessories.
- Extended battery life that usually lasts a day and a half on heavy to medium usage.
Price Matters: You Don't Always Need Pro Features
The iPhone 16 Pro is significantly pricier for features that, although strong, you may not need in your everyday workflow.
What you give up with the Pro:
- 120 Hz ProMotion display: For niceties alone, 60 Hz on the Plus is smooth enough for most.
- Triple-camera lens with 5× optical zoom: Convenient if you're recording telephoto content shots all the time, but for regular photography.
- Stainless steel/titanium construction: Charming but weightier, and the aluminum construction of the Plus feels lighter in hand.
You are a:
- Student
- Working professional with constant productivity and social apps
- Content consumer (Netflix, YouTube, reading)
Everyday photographer
Then the iPhone 16 Plus will get all your tasks done without spending the money on features you won't use all the time.
The camera system is already great.
The iPhone 16 Plus has the same 48 MP primary camera sensor that appears on Pro models, and it includes support for high-res photos and videos. The portraits and night mode photos, thanks to night mode, Smart HDR, and Photonic Engine boosts, are sharp and clean.
Unless you really need the Pro's 5× optical zoom for wildlife shots or taking pictures down the block, the Plus's twin-lens setup is more than sufficient for Instagram Reels, travel logs, and family photos.
Battery Life and Screen Size: You Win With the Plus
One of the best things about the iPhone 16 Plus is its phenomenal battery life. The bigger body has a larger battery, usually outlasting the Pro when used normally.
With the large 6.7-inch screen, it's ideal for media viewing, reading text documents, and video calls with an equally ergonomic design that easily fits into pockets and bags.
Performance Is Practically Identical
Both iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro are built on the A18 chip, giving you the same fast app launch times, seamless multitasking, and readiness for future iOS upgrades.
Apart from recording professionally shot ProRes video or graphics-intensive creative apps, there is no performance difference between Plus and Pro under normal usage.
Which iPhone 16 to Buy
Buy the iPhone 16 Plus if you:
- Would like a bigger screen for reading, media use, and navigation.
- Need great battery life for travel, events, and long workdays.
- You don't care about 5× telephoto zoom or ProMotion for work.
- Need to save money without sacrificing needed performance and camera capability.
Opt for the iPhone 16 Pro only if:
- Capture large amounts of telephoto or ProRAW/ProRes content.
- Need a 120 Hz screen for gaming and scrolling smoothness.
- Would rather a slightly smaller, premium-looking phone with the highest specs.
Final Thoughts
While the iPhone 16 Pro is a great phone, for most people, the iPhone 16 Plus delivers the greatest value of performance, screen size, battery life, and price in the 2025 iPhones.
If you desire an iPhone that will last, work flawlessly, and take fantastic photos without paying for sophisticated features you use infrequently, the iPhone 16 Plus is the intelligent decision.