Apple has officially unveiled the iPhone 16 series of smartphones, with a quartet of new handsets offering a handful of upgrades over last year's iPhone 15 roster. The new lineup was announced at the "It's Glowtime" event and, say it with us now, they're the best iPhones yet (according to Apple).
As we've come to expect, there are two versions of the iPhone 16 and two further size options to choose from. We have the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, and after the iPhone 15's fairly radical redesign, the 16 series is more focused on under-the-hood upgrades.
The new devices come with Apple's latest processor; the A18 on the standard iPhone 16 and the A18 Pro on the Pro and Pro Max devices, and these new chips are the key to Apple's new AI tools. Apple Intelligence, as the company has wittily named it, is Apple's answer to Google's blossoming Gemini artificial intelligence system, meaning it will introduce smart text formatting, advanced photo editing, on-device image generation and a smarter Siri assistant. Unfortunately, Apple Intelligence won't be launching alongside the release of the iPhone 16, with Apple touting it to be a free software upgrade later down the line.
Both devices are expected to launch with iOS 18 too, which includes deeper home and lock screen customisation, a redesigned control centre, general updates to Apple's iOS apps across the board and a reduced latency game mode which makes Bluetooth controllers and AirPods more responsive.
As for new picture and sound upgrades, Apple is playing coy as it often does, but we are hopeful for upgrades in these key areas. The iPhone 15 introduced a 2000 nit display which was brighter than its predecessor, and it supported Dolby Vision, and the iPhone 16 appears to feature the same specs. The 16 and 16 Plus also come in the same 6.1- and 6.7-inch screen sizes as the 15 series, with all models in the new range sporting the OLED displays.
The Pro and Pro Max once again bring the ProMotion display technology into the mix, which is Apple's term for high refresh rate mobile displays. While we're still waiting for this to trickle down to the standard models, Apple is firmly of the opinion that its standard models are better served by 60Hz displays while the Pro models have a variable refresh rate of 10Hz to 120Hz.
As for exterior upgrades, the standard model sports a vertically stacked dual camera stack that reminds us of the iPhone 11, alongside a new camera control button for quick launching and interacting with the camera app. Furthermore, it gets the action button first introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro Max which can be customised to launch apps or use control centre tools.
Speaking of the camera, Apple has carried the 48MP main sensors from the 15 series and paired it with an upgraded ultrawide lens and a larger aperture for better low-light performance and autofocus. The Pro models get a higher resolution 48MP ultrawide and a 12MP telephoto zoom lens, alongside the 48MP main shooter of the standard 16 model.
Despite Apple claiming them to have a "stunning new design", the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max look practically identical to their predecessors. They do, however, feature a larger display (6.3- and 6.9 inches respectively) with the thinnest borders on an iPhone yet, and a familiar titanium frame as seen on the 15 Pro. It's touted to have "the best iPhone battery life ever" too, with all models in the new range reportedly getting prolonged battery life.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come in three bold new colours – blue, teal and pink – alongside the returning black and white, while the 16 Pro and Pro Max come in four colours: black titanium, white titanium, natural titanium and desert sand titanium. Pricing is as follows for the new models:
- iPhone 16: £799 / $799 / AU$1399
- iPhone 16 Plus: £899 / $899 / AU$1599
- iPhone 16 Pro: £999 / $999 / AU$1799
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: £1099 / $1099 / AU$2149
MORE:
iPhone 16: everything you need to know
And iPhone 16 Pro: price, release date and more
Read our full iPhone 15 Pro Max review