iPhone 16: price, cameras, Apple Intelligence features, and everything you need to know
Apple’s iPhone 16 has landed – here’s what you need to know
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With the iPhone 16,Applehas taken its standard smartphone and elevated it to new heights. As you’ll read in ouriPhone 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 excellentiPhone 15.
The iPhone 16,iPhone 16 Plus,iPhone 16 Pro, andiPhone 16 Pro Maxrank among thebest iPhonesever made, and they could get even better whenApple Intelligencefeatures begin to roll out in earnest over the coming months. If well implemented, the iPhone 16 could become one of thebest 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
iPhone 16: price and release date
The iPhone 16 was announced at the ‘It’s Glowtime’Apple eventon Monday, September 9, and began shipping on Friday, September 20. For a look at the latest deals, check our our dedicatediPhone 16 dealspage.
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$1,949for 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 15was at launch, even in regions where pricing has remained static.
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iPhone 16 specs
Below, we’ve detailed the keyiPhone 16 specs.
iPhone 16 colors
The confirmediPhone 16 colorsare 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
Save for its vertically aligned rear camera lenses (which have been re-arranged to allow for spatial video capture) and the additions of both theiPhone 15 Pro’s multi-purpose Action button and an all-newCamera Control button, the standard iPhone 16 looks a whole lot like the standardiPhone 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 chipsetmight 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 tostop malicious apps from disabling the camera and microphone indicators.
We also now know that theiPhone 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 aChatGPT-powered Siri, text summarization, writing assistance, and generative image creation. These tools will bring the iPhone 16 in line with rival devices like theGoogle Pixel 9andSamsung 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.
TheiPhone 16 also supports wireless MagSafe charging at up to 25W, which is almost double the previous 15W limit, and45W 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 thebest camera phonesaround.
My analysis
Axel is TechRadar’s Phones Editor, and has been reviewing and writing about the best mobile devices (iPhones included) for several years. Based in the UK, he handles news and feature coverage for the phones section of the site, and regularly edits TechRadar’s phones-related reviews and buying guides. You’ll find Axel’s byline on over 1,500 TechRadar articles.
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 hisiPhone 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.
Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.
Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.
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