Afrigather 
The iPhone 16 Professional is right here with the everyday Apple fanfare and glamour. However is an iPhone 16 Professional purchase really an improve from the likes of the iPhone 15 Professional? For a lot of Apple lovers in Africa—whether or not in Nigeria, Kenya, or different international locations—the improve won’t be well worth the hype, and positively not the worth. Whereas Apple retains elevating the bar with the flamboyance and parade that herald iPhone launches, it does so little in precise machine upgrades. On this article, we spotlight the iPhone 15 Professional and 16 Professional for important improve analysis.
Verdict: For many who have already got the iPhone 15 Professional, a leap to purchase the iPhone 16 Professional is probably not a precedence, particularly in African markets the place sturdy trade-in packages are missing.
Right here’s a breakdown of the variations—and why you would possibly wish to maintain onto your iPhone 15 Professional. Or why you might wish to purchase the iPhone 15 Professional as a substitute of coughing up additional bucks simply to get the iPhone 16 Professional.
Efficiency and chipset
The iPhone 16 Professional comes geared up with the A18 Professional chip, a step up from the A17 Professional discovered within the iPhone 15 Professional. Nonetheless, the leap in efficiency is barely noticeable for many customers. Day-to-day duties reminiscent of shopping, multitasking, and even gaming present little distinction in pace.
- iPhone 15 Professional: A17 Professional chip, 8GB RAM
- iPhone 16 Professional: A18 Professional chip, 8GB RAM
If you happen to’re upgrading for a efficiency enhance, the iPhone 16 Professional affords little benefit. The A17 Professional already delivers a stellar expertise, and for informal customers, it’s greater than ample.
Digital camera: Similar script, completely different actor
Apple constantly hypes digicam upgrades with every new iPhone, however this 12 months’s enchancment is minimal at finest. The iPhone 16 Professional introduces the 48MP Fusion large digicam, which is just a slight improve from the iPhone 15 Professional’s 48MP large digicam. Each have an f/1.78 aperture, that means their low-light efficiency is nearly similar.
- iPhone 15 Professional: 48MP Extensive, f/1.78; 12MP Extremely Extensive, f/2.2
- iPhone 16 Professional: 48MP Fusion Extensive, f/1.78; 12MP Extremely Extensive, f/2.2
If images is your major focus, don’t anticipate the iPhone 16 Professional to ship groundbreaking outcomes. The enhancements are refined, and the 48MP macro mode on the 16 Professional is a minor enhancement most customers gained’t discover.
Structural and show aesthetics
The iPhone 16 Professional has a 6.3-inch show, in comparison with the 6.1-inch display screen of the iPhone 15 Professional. The rise in dimension is hardly noticeable in on a regular basis use, and the OLED shows on each fashions supply equally vibrant colours and sharpness. Whereas the decision on the 16 Professional is barely larger, the visible distinction between the 2 gadgets is negligible. Possibly it’d have felt extra thrilling if it got here as a foldable model.
- iPhone 15 Professional: 6.1″ show, 2556 x 1179 decision
- iPhone 16 Professional: 6.3″ show, 2622 x 1206 decision
African shoppers might not discover the additional display screen area well worth the premium worth. The present excessive value of those gadgets makes it particularly laborious to justify.
Battery and charging: Barely higher
Battery life is one other space the place the iPhone 16 Professional affords minimal enhancements. The 16 Professional boasts as much as 27 hours of video playback, in comparison with 23 hours on the 15 Professional. There’s additionally an improve to 25W MagSafe charging from the 15W on the 15 Professional, however this solely shaves off a couple of minutes of cost time.
- iPhone 15 Professional: As much as 23 hours video, 15W MagSafe charging
- iPhone 16 Professional: As much as 27 hours video, 25W MagSafe charging
For African consumers, this improve gained’t prevent from carrying your energy financial institution round. In different phrases, the marginal enchancment in battery life is unlikely to justify the expense.
Video and audio recording
The iPhone 16 Professional options Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos help, which had been additionally current on the iPhone 15 Professional. The standard of the stereo audio system stays the identical throughout each fashions, with immersive sound, however nothing vital that units the 16 Professional aside. Whether or not you’re watching films or streaming music, the distinction between the 2 gadgets might be laborious to detect.
Audio:
- iPhone 15 Professional: Stereo audio system, Dolby Atmos, Spatial Audio
- iPhone 16 Professional: Stereo audio system, Dolby Atmos, Spatial Audio
When it comes to video recording, the iPhone 16 Professional does have slight enhancements. Apple has launched Cinematic Mode in 4K at 60fps, whereas the iPhone 15 Professional is restricted to 4K at 30fps. Nonetheless, until you’re a filmmaker or videographer, this gained’t make a lot of a distinction in every day use.
Video:
- iPhone 15 Professional: Cinematic Mode in 4K at 30fps, 4K video recording at 60fps
- iPhone 16 Professional: Cinematic Mode in 4K at 60fps, 4K video recording at 60fps
For many African customers, this improve is unlikely to impression your expertise considerably. Each gadgets supply glorious video and audio high quality, however the iPhone 16 Professional doesn’t carry sufficient to the desk to warrant an instantaneous improve, particularly in case you’re happy with the iPhone 15 Professional’s already spectacular capabilities.
Storage: Similar ol’ story
Regardless of the ever-growing want for extra storage on account of bigger apps, higher-resolution movies, and a rise in 4K content material, Apple didn’t budge on storage choices. Each the iPhone 15 Professional and 16 Professional supply the identical storage capacities, starting from 128GB to 1TB.
- iPhone 15 Professional: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
- iPhone 16 Professional: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
For these hoping that Apple would improve the bottom storage to 256GB, particularly contemplating the rising digital calls for, you’ll be dissatisfied. This lack of change underscores the purpose that the iPhone 16 Professional isn’t a revolutionary improve.
Connectivity and future-proofing: Wi-Fi 7 benefit
The iPhone 16 Professional helps Wi-Fi 7, in comparison with the 15 Professional’s Wi-Fi 6E. Whereas this affords sooner speeds and higher reliability, most African customers might not have entry to Wi-Fi 7 infrastructure anytime quickly. If you happen to’re in an space the place 4G and even 5G is the norm, this improve gained’t matter in the present day.
- iPhone 15 Professional: Wi-Fi 6E, 5G
- iPhone 16 Professional: Wi-Fi 7, 5G
Until you’re planning to carry onto your telephone for a number of years, the connectivity enhancements are future-proofing moderately than rapid advantages.
Digital camera management: A mere gimmick
One new characteristic on the iPhone 16 Professional is Digital camera Management button, which permits extra exact changes for video seize. Whereas this would possibly attraction to content material creators or videographers, the typical person will probably by no means use it.
- iPhone 15 Professional: Lacks Digital camera Management
- iPhone 16 Professional: Digital camera Management for video seize
For many customers in Nigeria, South Africa, or different African international locations, this characteristic gained’t be a compelling motive to improve.
Macro images: Extra megapixels, similar expertise
The iPhone 16 Professional affords 48MP macro images, an improve from the 12MP macro mode on the iPhone 15 Professional. Whereas this sounds spectacular, the advance in on a regular basis macro photographs is minimal. Most customers gained’t discover a dramatic distinction in picture high quality.
- iPhone 15 Professional: 12MP Macro images
- iPhone 16 Professional: 48MP Macro images
This improve appears like extra of a advertising and marketing transfer than a considerable characteristic enhancement.
Remaining ideas before you purchase the iPhone 16 Professional in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya & co
For a lot of Apple lovers in Africa, upgrading to the iPhone 16 Professional won’t be price it. With minimal enhancements in digicam high quality, battery life, efficiency, and design, the variations between the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional are slim. Many of the modifications really feel beauty moderately than game-changing.
One main difficulty for African shoppers is the dearth of sturdy trade-in packages. In areas just like the U.S. and Europe, customers can simply change their outdated iPhones and add a small charge for the most recent mannequin. However in African markets, these techniques aren’t as accessible, making upgrading to a brand new iPhone far more costly.
If you happen to already personal an iPhone 15 Professional, contemplate sticking with it. If you happen to had been going to purchase the brand new iPhone 16 Professional, you might simply save your self the additional money and purchase the 15 Professional as a substitute. The 16 Professional affords marginal enhancements that don’t justify the fee, particularly in markets the place iPhone costs are inflated on account of taxes and import charges. Maintain on for the following main leap, which might supply extra significant upgrades.
