With the iPhone 16, Apple has taken its standard smartphone and elevated it to new heights. As you'll read in our iPhone 16 review, the addition of new buttons, new software, and a redesigned camera bump make Apple's latest base model a worthy upgrade over the already excellent iPhone 15.
The iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max rank among the best iPhones ever made, and they could get even better when Apple Intelligence features begin to roll out in earnest over the coming months. If well implemented, the iPhone 16 could become one of the best AI phones, too.
Below, we've rounded up everything you need to know about the iPhone 16, from its price and release date to its new hardware and software.
iPhone 16: key information
- The iPhone 16 began shipping on September 20
- Starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399
- It inherits the Action button from the iPhone 15 Pro
- ... and gets a new dedicated Camera Control button
- Camera Control can be used to instantly learn about your surroundings
- The iPhone 16 uses the new A18 chipset
- It comes with up to 512GB of storage
- ... and 8GB of RAM to power Apple Intelligence
- Apple Intelligence features will begin rolling out in October
- ... but the Apple Intelligence public beta is live now
- The iPhone 16's cameras are aligned vertically for spatial video capture
- It ships with iOS 18
- The iPhone 16 comes in Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, and Black
- The iPhone 16 charges at up to 45W, which is much faster than the iPhone 15
iPhone 16: price and release date
- Starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399
- Began shiping on September 20
The iPhone 16 was announced at the 'It's Glowtime' Apple event on Monday, September 9, and began shipping on Friday, September 20. For a look at the latest deals, check our our dedicated iPhone 16 deals page.
The iPhone 16 starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 for the model with 128GB of storage, with that price rising to $899 / £899 / AU$1,599 for the model with 256GB of storage and $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,949 for the model with 512GB of storage.
For reference, those are the same prices as we saw for the iPhone 15 at launch in the US and UK. In Australia, the iPhone 16 is actually AU$100 cheaper than the iPhone 15. Full iPhone 16 pricing can be found below.
Incidentally, the iPhone 16 is reportedly more popular than the iPhone 15 was at launch, even in regions where pricing has remained static.
iPhone 16 specs
Below, we've detailed the key iPhone 16 specs.
iPhone 16 colors
The confirmed iPhone 16 colors are Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, and Black.
For reference, the iPhone 15 launched in Yellow, Blue, Pink, Green, and Black, so Apple has swapped out three shades for new colors this year.
iPhone 16: new features
- New Action Button
- New Camera Control button
- New A18 chipset
- Will get Apple Intelligence features in October
- Vertical cameras for spatial video capture
Save for its vertically aligned rear camera lenses (which have been re-arranged to allow for spatial video capture) and the additions of both the iPhone 15 Pro's multi-purpose Action button and an all-new Camera Control button, the standard iPhone 16 looks a whole lot like the standard iPhone 15.
Of course, those three physical upgrades are not inconsequential – they're most definitely all welcome, especially the new Camera Control feature, which we'll dive into below – but alone, they're not enough of a reason to upgrade. The real exciting improvements for the iPhone 16 come under the hood.
For starters, Apple's latest standard model is powered by the new A18 chipset, which marks a two-step jump over the A16 Bionic chipset inside the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. That's a big deal, since Apple almost always slaps its previous-generation top-end chipsets on its new standard models; instead, this year, the iPhone 16 gets an exclusive chipset (well, alongside the iPhone 16 Plus).
That said, an early benchmark suggests the A18 chipset might not quite provide as much of a boost in power as we'd hoped.
It will however boost your privacy, as we've learned that it includes a way to stop malicious apps from disabling the camera and microphone indicators.
We also now know that the iPhone 16 comes with 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB of RAM on the iPhone 15. Apple has confirmed as much, but the revelation came as no surprise, as at least 8GB of RAM is needed to power Apple Intelligence features, which we know the iPhone 16 has (albeit not until October, when Apple Intelligence will begin rolling out in beta).
Among the most exciting Apple Intelligence features on the horizon are a ChatGPT-powered Siri, text summarization, writing assistance, and generative image creation. These tools will bring the iPhone 16 in line with rival devices like the Google Pixel 9 and Samsung Galaxy S24 – in other words, Apple is no longer behind in the AI race.
Apple hasn't yet disclosed the size of the iPhone 16's battery, but we do know that the new phone offers a "big boost in battery life." Given that the iPhone 15 is rated for 20 hours of video playback, that's a promising claim.
The iPhone 16 also supports wireless MagSafe charging at up to 25W, which is almost double the previous 15W limit, and 45W wired charging, which is over 50% faster than the iPhone 15 lineup. Nice work, Apple.
But back to the Camera Control button, which is the big new physical upgrade on all of the iPhone 16 models. This physical-but-also-capacitive button sits on the right-hand side of the phone, under the power button, and doubles as a shutter release.
One press of the Camera Control button immediately initiates the camera app, another press takes a photo, while holding it down starts a video. But that's not all: rather like a touch bar, the Camera Control button also supports various gesture controls, so can zoom and adjust exposure, among other useful things, using just your finger.
As mentioned, this new Camera Control button is joined by the old multi-purpose Action button on the iPhone 16, so presumably the combination of the two features could make the new phone (or at least the iPhone 16 Pro) one of the best camera phones around.
My analysis
So, should you upgrade to the iPhone 16? Well, the bottom line is this: the iPhone 16 is designed for those who want to access Apple Intelligence features without paying the premium demanded by the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max (or indeed last year's iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max).
On a design level, this is a very similar phone to the iPhone 15. It's the same size, it's got similar cameras, the same screen, and although Apple is promising "big" battery life upgrades for the iPhone 16, the iPhone 15's battery is already more than decent.
That said, there's more to the iPhone 16 than meets the eye. As TechRadar's Jacob Krol concluded in his iPhone 16 review: "The line between standard iPhones and Pro models is getting increasingly blurred, as the base iPhone 16 is now a powerful pick that mixes affordability with a lot of newness.
"And the speed of Apple’s A18 platform, combined with two excellent cameras and an entirely new Camera Control button, make the iPhone 16 a great choice for folks who don’t need to go Pro."
So, that's all positive stuff. I am a little disappointed that Apple stuck with a 60Hz display, and that we'll need to wait for Apple Intelligence features to be rolled out after the iPhone 16 is shipped. But if you don't want to be left behind in the AI race, or are sporting an older iPhone, then the iPhone 16 is well worth picking up.
If you're not too fussed about virtual assistance, though, and are holding out for some more consequential iPhone design upgrades, then Apple's latest standard model doesn't look like a must-own if you're coming from an iPhone 15.
