iPhone 16 (2024) complete guide: Launch date, features, specs and more

Apple has updated the iPhone for 2024. We are updating this article as the news is breaking. Please click here for the latest version.

What we expected:

• iPhone 16: same 6.1-inch display, A17 processor, 8GB RAM, Action button
• iPhone 16 Plus: same 6.7-inch display, A17 processor, 8GB RAM, Action button,
• iPhone 16 Pro: larger 6.3-inch display, A18 processor, 8GB RAM, new 48Mp ultrawide lens, touch-sensitive “camera control” on the side, larger ‘stacked’ battery
• iPhone 16 Pro Max (or Ultra): larger 6.9-inch display, A18 processor, 8GB RAM, new 48Mp ultrawide lens, touch-sensitive “camera control” on the side, super telephoto camera, larger ‘stacked’ battery

As expected the iPhone 16 Pro and Max have larger displays, the Action button is confirmed, and camera improvements and a more powerful processor are available in all the new models.

iPhone 16 release date: When does the iPhone 16 come out?

The iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max handsets were announced at Apple’s iPhone event on September 9.

• Pre-orders on Apple’s website will start at 5 a.m. PDT, at 8 a.m. EDT, and 1 p.m. in the U.K on Friday, September 13.
• The phones will go on sale on September 20.

iPhone 16 price: How much will the iPhone 16 cost?

Here are Apple’s prices of the new iPhones.

• iPhone 16: From $799/£799
• iPhone 16 Plus: From $899/£899
• iPhone 16 Pro: From $999/£999
• iPhone 16 Pro Max: From $1,199/£1,199

In the U.S. you will pay more for an unlocked iPhone, you pay more if you don’t want the handset to be locked to a network. In the U.K. these prices are for unlocked iPhones.

Want to buy a new iPhone 16? Don’t pay more than you need to! We have also collected the best deals for the iPhone in a separate article.

These prices are the same as the 2023 generation of iPhones. Below you can see the new and old pricing for the iPhone 15. The Pro and Pro Max models are discontinued.

• iPhone 15: Was $799/£799, Now from $699/£699
• iPhone 15 Plus: Was $899/£899, Now from $799/£799
• iPhone 15 Pro: Was $999/£999, DISCONTINUED
• iPhone 15 Pro Max: Was $1,199/£1,199, DISCONTINUED

The price of the iPhone 14 has also changed. It started at $829 / £849 at launch in 2022. In 2023-2024 the price starred at $699/£699. Now the price starts at $599/£599. The iPhone 14 Plus is discontinued.

The iPhone 13 has been discontinued.

Should I buy an iPhone 16 or Plus, 16 Pro or Pro Max?

The answer to this question depends on a lot of things, including the phone you are upgrading from, your budget, and the features that you need from a smartphone. We have various articles that attempt to answer the question, which we will link to below.

For help choosing the best iPhone for you read our iPhone comparison chart where we compare every iPhone. We also have an iPhone buying guide to help you decide which iPhone best meets your needs.

iPhone 16 Design: Do the new iPhones look different?

All four iPhone 16 handsets boast some design changes from the previous generation.

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus Design

Here’s what the new iPhone 16 looks like:

The iPhone 16 is now in ultramarine, teal, pink, white and black, the new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have darker tones than the 2023 models, making sure that there is no mistaking the 2024 model for the previous generation.

The most obvious design difference is probably the new Camera Control button on the side. More on that below.

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus Screen

The screen has a new ceramic glass formulation that Apple says is 50% tougher than the first gen ceramic glass, and a lot stronger than anything else on the market.

The screen size itself hasn’t changed. It’s still 6.1-inch or 6.7-inch for the larger model. It is still the case that only the Pro and Pro Max offer the ProMotion and Always On features.

iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max Design

Here’s what the new iPhone 16 Pro looks like:

The new iPhones are constructed from new microblasted Grade 5 titanium and the colors are a little darker than 2023’s generation with Natural Titanium, White Titanium and Black Titanium. A new colors named Desert Titanium.

For the iPhone 15 Pro the color choices were: Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium.

iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max Screen

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have new screen sizes. The iPhone 16 Pro features a 6.3-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max display is 6.9-inches. Previously the displays were 6.1-inch or 6.7-inch, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have the same 6.1-inch or 6.7-inch displays as previously.

To make the screen size change possible without changing the dimensions Apple has reduced the bezels. The iPhone 16 Pro now has the “Thinnest bezels on any Apple product”.

iPhone 16 Specs: What are the specs of the iPhone 16?

For 2024 the iPhone 16 isn’t getting the iPhone 15 Pro’s hand-me-downs. The 16 and 16 Plus are powered by a new chip: the A18, which is an improvement on last year’s A16, which had previously powered the iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 16 Pro gets an even better chip: the A18 Pro.

Apple claims that the A18 in the iPhone 16 offers 17% more memory bandwidth. It’s also based on the second generation of the 3nm process, with even smaller transistors, which should mean it is faster and more energy efficient. Apple says the 6-core CPU is 30% faster than the iPhone 15 was.

There is also a new 5-core GPU, which Apple described as “Desktop-class”. Apparently, this is 40% faster than the GPU in the iPhone 15.

For gamers, the A18 delivers up to 30 percent higher sustained performance for gaming, according to Apple. Hardware acceleration brings ray tracing to the iPhone 16. Honor of Kings World was announced, coming next year

iPhone 16 Pro Specs: What are the specs of the iPhone 16 Pro?

Like the iPhone 16 the 16 Pro gets a new processor, this time the A18 Pro chip, which Apple says is “faster and more efficient than A18.”

Like the A18 this chip uses the 2nd-gen 3n process, and offers better performance and efficiency than the A17 Pro. Apple says the CPU is up to 15 percent faster and 20% more efficient.

It also features a faster and more efficient Neural Engine. Apple says the AI runs up to 50 percent faster than on A17 Pro.

There’s a 6-core GPU that runs 20 percent faster than in the previously generation. Ray tracing is 2X faster.

iPhone 16 Camera: What is the camera like in the iPhone 16?

The Camera Control button is one of the most notable new features. Users will be bale to click to launch the Camera app, click to take photo, perform a long click to take video. The button will even recognise touch gestures, so, for example, light press can be used to adjust zoom. This button will work with 3rd party apps as well.

The Camera Capture button is a big change on the outside of the iPhone, but there are changes coming to the iPhone 16 camera itself. The 48MP main camera in iPhone 16 will offer 24MP photos. A 2X telephoto and a New Ultra Wide camera with autofocus, will be available. Apple says the lease can let in 2.6X more light.

Macro photography will now be available on the iPhone 16. Spatial capture for Vision Pro will also be available.

iPhone 16 Pro Camera: What is the camera like in the iPhone 16 Pro?

Apple said that the A18 Pro powers “never-before-seen camera features”.

There is a new 48MP Fusion camera and an 48MP Ultra Wide camera.

New photography features include updates to Photographic Styles, which now understands skin tones and adjusts shadows. A new control pad makes it easy to adjust color. After an image is captured it will be easy to slide through styles using the Camera Control button.

For video, new features include Cinematic slow motion at 4K120fps. Users will be able to adjust FPD after capture.

There are also four studio mics and Audio Mix uses machine learning to separate background noises from speech.

iPhone history

iPhone 16 will be the latest in a long line of smartphones from Apple. Below you can find links below to our reviews of all iPhone models, including the latest generation, which is iPhone 15 and iPhone SE 3 (we’re also anticipating a release of the iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 17 – but not until 2025). Find out about Apple’s September event details and how to watch the Apple September event live stream; or for other Apple products, learn more about all the new Apple products coming this year and when is the next Apple event. You might also want to check out our advice on when is the best time to buy a new iPhone, our iPhone buying guide, best iPhone deals and our comparison of every iPhone that is available to buy today.

1. Original iPhone (2007) review
2. iPhone 3G (2008) review
3. iPhone 3GS (2009) review
4. iPhone 4 (2010) review
5. iPhone 4s (2011) review
6. iPhone 5 (2012) review
7. iPhone 5c (2013) review
8. iPhone 5s (2013) review
9. iPhone 6 (2014) review
10. iPhone 6 Plus (2014) review
11. iPhone 6s (2015) review
12. iPhone 6s Plus (2015) review
13. iPhone SE (1st generation; 2016) review
14. iPhone 7 (2016) review
15. iPhone 7 Plus (2016) review
16. iPhone 8 (2017) review
17. iPhone 8 Plus (2017) review
18. iPhone X (2017) review
19. iPhone XR (2018) review
20. iPhone XS (2018) review
21. iPhone XS Max (2018) review
22. iPhone 11 (2019) review
23. iPhone 11 Pro (2019) review
24. iPhone 11 Pro Max (2019) review
25. iPhone SE (2nd generation; 2020) review
26. iPhone 12 (2020) review
27. iPhone 12 Mini (2020) review
28. iPhone 12 Pro (2020) review
29. iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020) review
30. iPhone 13 (2021) review
31. iPhone 13 mini (2021) review
32. iPhone 13 Pro (2021) review
33. iPhone 13 Pro Max (2021) review
34. iPhone SE (3rd generation; 2022) review
35. iPhone 14 (2022) review
36. iPhone 14 Plus (2022) review
37. iPhone 14 Pro (2022) review
38. iPhone 14 Pro Max (2022) review
39. iPhone 15 (2023) review
40. iPhone 15 Plus (2023) review
41. iPhone 15 Pro (2023) review
42. iPhone 15 Pro Max (2023) review