Which iPhone 16 Model Should You Buy?

You watched Apple’s keynote, read WIRED’s comprehensive coverage, and made a decision: You’re upgrading to the iPhone 16. Now the question is … which of the four iPhone 16 models should you buy? There’s the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, and they start at $829 unlocked and go all the way up to $1,199.
Don’t worry, I’ll break down the differences and similarities of each model in this guide to help your find the right upgrade. All of these phones are available for preorder this Friday, September 13, and officially hit store shelves on September 20.
See Carrier Deals on the iPhone 16
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Ah, the age-old question. Should you get the new iPhone? Our philosophy here at WIRED is that you should only upgrade if you really need to. Is your current phone operating perfectly fine? If the experience is OK for the most part but maybe your battery life has deteriorated, try doing a battery swap first—Apple offers a battery replacement program for a modest fee—and this could breathe new life into your device. There are also more ways to repair an iPhone than ever before.
But if your current phone is frustrating to use, upgrade! Like the iPhone 15 range, the entire iPhone 16 lineup has the USB-C port. These new devices will also be able to take advantage of Apple Intelligence (alongside the iPhone 15 Pro), though these features won’t arrive until October. If you feel like you’d benefit from Apple’s upcoming artificial intelligence capabilities—or you just want to try it out—your best option is to upgrade.
If you’ve decided to upgrade, make sure you read our guide on how to sell your iPhone. Make sure you back up your iPhone first, and factory-reset it to erase your data from the device. We also have tips on how to set up your new iPhone to get the most out of your new handset.
The iPhone 16 range includes the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The first two are identical in all but screen size and battery life, and the same is true for both Pro models. Within each grouping of iPhones, you are largely deciding whether you want a small phone or a big phone.
That said, the bigger iPhones do tend to have the best battery life. Apple says the iPhone 16 Pro Max delivers the best battery life in an iPhone, though we’ll have to test that claim. If battery life is your number one priority, choose between the largest models: iPhone 16 Plus and the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
All of these iPhones have the Action button, which replaces the Mute switch and is now configurable, so you can replicate the Mute switch functionality or execute another action, like turning on a flashlight or triggering a shortcut. They all also have the new Camera Control button (yes, it’s a button). You can use it to open the camera and take a photo, but a light press shows different camera modes and you can slide your finger left or right across the button’s surface to cycle through various modes, zoom levels, and more. Eventually, you can use this button to trigger Visual Intelligence, which is like Apple’s version of Google Lens—point your iPhone at something in the real world to get more information about it.
Every iPhone 16 model can now take advantage of a cool video feature called Audio Mix. This lets you change up the way your videos sound when you’re editing them by choosing a sound profile. These include In-Frame, which focuses the audio on whoever is in the frame; Studio, which makes it sound like you were in a studio, cutting all background noise; and Cinematic, which makes sure whoever is at the center of the frame comes in clear, with a little bit of ambient noise mixed in. This feature will perform better on the iPhone 16 Pro models since they have upgraded microphones.
The redesigned Photographic Styles are also available in the entire range. These are almost like filters but better—instead of changing the look of the whole image, these Styles can maintain skin tones so they don’t look weird, and can adjust other parts of the photo like shadows and highlights. Apple is also giving you more control over how your skin tone looks, instead of going for more of a one-size-fits-all approach like Google does with its Pixel phones.
Apple Intelligence is the headline feature, and the only way to try out the new artificial intelligence capabilities is to use a phone that supports it: the iPhone 16 range, the iPhone 15 Pro, or the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I covered these features in broader detail in our iOS 18 guide, but to summarize, it includes a revamped Siri experience, the ability to generate emoji (and Genmoji!), and writing assistance features like proofreading and changing the tone of your messages.
The basics are otherwise the same across the board. They all have OLED screens that can hit a peak brightness of 2,000 nits in outdoor sunny conditions, an IP68 water-resistance rating, and Apple’s new twice-as-strong Ceramic Shield glass on the front and back. You also get MagSafe wireless charging support, which now supports the Qi2 standard for wider compatibility with accessories; Apple is selling a new MagSafe Wireless Charger that can juice up these phones even faster.
Here’s how they differ from each other and their predecessors:
Just because there are new iPhones doesn’t mean you have to buy one of these models. Apple is still selling the iPhone 15 for $699 and iPhone 15 Plus for $799; the iPhone 14 for $599 and iPhone 14 Plus for $699; and the iPhone SE (2022) for $429. The latter is expected to get a refresh in early 2025, so maybe don’t buy it at the moment. It’s also worth noting that while all of these phones support iOS 18—the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system—only the iPhone 15 Pro models and the iPhone 16 range can take advantage of Apple Intelligence features.
I strongly suggest you look at websites that sell used phones, such as Swappa or Gazelle, You can probably snag a relatively recent model at a lower price and in good condition.
I recommend you buy your iPhone 16 unlocked. This lets you easily switch carriers—when you buy from a carrier like AT&T, the device is locked to that network, and the unlocking process can be a hassle. Apple says the iPhones available at its store are unlocked, but there are two exceptions. If you buy an iPhone on an AT&T installment plan directly from Apple, it will stay locked until the duration of the installment plan. And if you buy an iPhone through Boost Mobile’s financing, it will be locked to Boost for the first 60 days after activation.
Keep in mind that there are no more physical SIM card slots in iPhones. The company pivoted to eSIM technology a few years ago, so you can transfer your eSIM between iPhones. You will likely need to contact your carrier if you are moving from Android to iPhone (or vice versa).
Preorders start on September 13 at 5 am PT (8 am ET). You get three free months of Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade.
If you buy the carrier version, you’ll automatically get a $30 discount off the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, bringing the prices down to $799 and $899.
Here are a few promotions from carriers and retailers carrying the iPhone 16 range. These are network-locked. Many of these “deals” come in the form of monthly bill credits on your phone plan—if it says, “$800” off an iPhone when you open a new line, you’ll see your monthly bill lowered over several months.