Apple's September 9 "It's Glowtime" event was an exciting one for those of us who appreciate the more budget-friendly iPhone models, including the most Pro features we've ever seen in base models. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus offer tons of updates, including new features like the Camera Control button and an upgraded camera system, faster performance thanks to the A18 chip, and Apple Intelligence features only available in the iPhone 16 series and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Read on to learn why the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are the upgrades for (almost) everyone!
2024 Release Date & Pricing for iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Plus
Availability
- Pre-order September 13
- In stores and shipping September 20
iPhone 16 Prices
Despite adopting lots of iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max features, the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus are priced the same as last year’s models were when they first came out. Customers in the USA can get up to $800 off when trading in an iPhone 12 or later model and may find even better trade-in deals through their cellular service carrier.
iPhone 16
- $799 or $33.29/month for 128 GB
- $899 or $37.45/month for 256 GB
- $1099 or $45.79/month for 512 GB
iPhone 16 Plus
- $899 or $37.45/month for 128 GB
- $999 or $41.62/month for 256 GB
- $1199 or $49.95/month for 512 GB
The iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Plus at a Glance
The most notable features of the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus include:
- Apple Intelligence
- New A18 Bionic chip
- Action Button
- The all-new Camera Control button
- New Ultra Wide camera with Macro photography option
- All-day battery life—2 hours longer than the iPhone 15!
- Messages via satellite
- Aluminum with color-infused glass back (Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, Black)
The iPhone 16 Adopts Popular iPhone 15 Pro-Line Features
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus don’t include a lot of brand-new features, with the exception of the Camera Control button, but they do offer updated hardware and capabilities that make them as good or better than last year's iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone Pro Max. Since the iPhone 15 Pro cost $999+ at launch, upgrading to the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro this year is a really smart move.
Apple Intelligence, the upgraded camera system that enables Macro Photography and other photography features, and an upgraded chip were top reasons to buy the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max last year. Now, they're all reasons to upgrade to the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Plus. In an unusual move from Apple, this year's baseline iPhones run on an even more powerful chip than last year's premium iPhones: the brand-new A18 chip.
If you have an iPhone 14 or earlier, upgrading to the 16 or 16 Plus just makes sense. For anyone who has a newer iPhone, like an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, you may want to wait until the 2025 iPhones come out. If you want the best that Apple has to offer, though, you may want to consider the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max.
iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Plus Camera & Apple Intelligence Features
Of course, the new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have updated camera features. The most outstanding is the haptic Camera Control button, which offers a quick and easy way to take photos and videos, as well as the ability to adjust zoom, exposure, depth of field, and more. Apple promises that third-party apps will eventually work with Camera Control as well. Later this year, we'll be able to use the Camera Control button for the new visual intelligence feature. Visual intelligence will let users click and hold the Camera Control button to find out where to buy items, learn about places and objects, and pull up info like a store's hours of operation, details about events on a poster, the names of plants, dog breeds, and much more.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will also offer all the Apple Intelligence features previously restricted to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, including a smarter, more responsive Siri, help with editing, rewriting, and summarizing using systemwide Writing Tools, prioritized notifications and emails, and much more. Apple will roll out more and more Apple Intelligence features and integrations over the next year and with each coming operating system; this is only the beginning!
I'm really excited to pick up one of the new iPhones, especially since my current phone is the iPhone 14. I'm thinking of picking up the iPhone 16 Plus in Ultramarine. To get the most of our your new iPhone, make sure to subscribe to our free Tip of the Day newsletter and stay up to date on all things Apple!
