The iPhone 16 Plus probably won't be the most popular phone in the iPhone 16 line. In fact, based on its previous form, it will probably be the least popular, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will probably take first place in sales, but it could still be an interesting phone.
Thanks to leaks and rumors we already have a good idea of what to expect from the iPhone 16 Plus, although it probably won't arrive until September. Below you'll find everything we've heard so far, including the rumored release date, price, design, and specs.
However, we will surely hear many more rumors about this phone before the launch, and we will compile them all here. As such, check back if you want the most complete picture possible of the iPhone 16 Plus pre-release.
Come to the point
- What is it? The largest screen alternative to the iPhone 16
- When does it come out? Probably September 2024
- How much will it cost? Probably at least $899 / £899 / AU$1649
iPhone 16 Plus: expected release date and price
- It will probably be announced in the first half of September.
- It should ship before the end of September.
- It may cost around $899 / £899 / AU$1649
Based on the report above, the iPhone 16 Plus will almost certainly be announced during the first or second week of September, probably on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
Pre-orders will likely open on Friday and the phone will likely ship the following Friday, meaning it will be in the hands of buyers before the end of September.
As for price, the iPhone 16 Plus could cost a similar amount to the iPhone 15 Plus, which starts at $899 / £899 / AU$1,649. However, it could also cost a little more and there's even a chance it could cost less.
According to a report from Nikkei Asia, high production costs could raise the price of the iPhone 16 line, although the publication does not say by how much.
On the other hand, a rumored change in the manufacturing process for Apple's smartphone chipsets could lead to a lower price. However, in any case, we wouldn't expect a drastic difference.
iPhone 16 Plus: expected design
- Could have a new 'Capture button'
- May include the iPhone 15 Pro Action button
- The cameras could be arranged vertically.
Visually, one of the biggest changes we could see on the iPhone 16 Plus is the camera layout, which this year could see the lenses arranged vertically rather than diagonally. We first heard this in May 2023, but since then a leak of iPhone 16 components and iPhone 16 molds backed it up by showing this design.
We've also seen this design in leaked images of the iPhone 16 prototype, which you can see below. These show three designs that were apparently under consideration, of which the one in black is expected to launch, although all have vertical cameras.
Image 1 of 3
Since then, a set of dummy units of the iPhone 16 series have been leaked, which you can see below. Another similar photo of iPhone 16 series dummy unit has also emerged, and in both cases they show a vertical camera design for the iPhone 16 Plus.
Some of these images also show two new buttons: there is an Action button where the mute switch used to be, as can already be found on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, and most interestingly, there is a new button below the power key. It is rumored to be called the “capture button”.
This new button will apparently be dedicated to recording video according to one source, with another adding that the Capture button will allow you to zoom the camera in and out with a swipe, while a light press will focus it and a hard press will take a photo or start recording. record a video.
The same source claims that the Capture button will be mechanical, which contrasts with previous leaks that said the Capture button will be capacitive.
As for the colors of the iPhone 16 Plus, leaks suggest that it will come in shades of pink, yellow, blue, green, black, white, and purple. We also hear that the iPhone 16 Plus could use color-infused glass like its predecessor.
iPhone 16 Plus: expected screen
- Rumored to have a 6.7-inch screen
- Rumored 60Hz refresh rate
- It could have a brighter screen than the iPhone 15 Plus
The iPhone 16 Plus may not see any major display changes, and this phone is rumored to have a 6.7-inch display, just like the iPhone 15 Plus.
Unfortunately, the same source also says that the iPhone 16 Plus will once again have a 60Hz refresh rate.
However, we've heard that the iPhone 16 Plus could at least have a brighter display than its 2,000-nit predecessor, and that the iPhone 16 Plus could also have smaller bezels around the screen.
iPhone 16 Plus: expected cameras
- Reportedly a 12MP ultra-wide camera like last year
- Probably the same 48MP main and 12MP selfie cameras as well
- It could record space video.
We haven't talked much about the iPhone 16 Plus cameras so far, but that's probably because there may not be any real changes to them.
According to analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 16 Plus will have a 12MP ultra-wide camera, just like the iPhone 15 Plus. They don't mention the main snapper, but given that it was upgraded to 48MP last year, we wouldn't expect any more upgrades this year.
And we don't expect any additional lenses either, as the leaks haven't mentioned a third lens and the leaked images show only two, so if you want a telephoto camera, you'll probably have to go with one of the Pro models.
There is also no news on the front camera of the iPhone 16 Plus, but it is very likely that it will be 12MP like last year, especially since even the iPhone 15 Pro Max only has a 12MP selfie camera.
However, there may be some updates to the camera's software and functionality, including the ability to record spatial video for use with an Apple Vision Pro. The rumored move to a vertical lens arrangement is speculated to allow this. .
iPhone 16 Plus: Expected specifications and features
- Rumored to have an A18 chipset
- It could have 8GB of RAM
- The battery could be smaller this year
There is some uncertainty about what chipset the iPhone 16 Plus will have. The iPhone 15 Plus features the A16 Bionic, inherited from the Pro models of the previous year. So if Apple continues that pattern, then it would make sense for the iPhone 16 Plus to have an A17 Pro, which you'll currently find in the iPhone 15 Pro line.
We've specifically heard the A17 Pro mentioned in an iPhone 16 Plus leak, but a slightly more recent leak points to all four expected iPhone 16 models receiving an A18 chipset.
In which case, the iPhone 16 Plus could get a significant power upgrade over its predecessor, although there may be multiple versions of the A18. So, for example, the iPhone 16 Plus could have the standard A18, while the iPhone 16 Pro will have an A18 Pro. Either way, it should be more powerful than the A17 Pro.
That said, it may not be drastically more powerful: one leak suggests the rumored A18 Pro will be 10% faster than the A17 Pro, and another says it could be less powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which will likely power Android . rivals.
The A18 Pro also reportedly won't support fast LPDDR6 RAM, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 might.
Speaking of RAM, the iPhone 16 Plus could have 8 GB, compared to 6 GB for the iPhone 15 Plus. We've heard talk of 8 GB of RAM for the iPhone 16 Plus several times and we've also heard that the iPhone 16, and therefore probably also the iPhone 16 Plus, could start with 256 GB of storage, which is double that of its predecessor . .
This increase in RAM, storage, and power could be in part to help with AI, which Apple is expected to make a big play of this year, with major AI features likely to be announced as part of iOS 18 at WWDC 2024. 10th of June. .
One of those features could be an overhaul of the AI for Siri, and we're also hearing that the iPhone 16 Plus could have improved microphones, so this updated Siri can better hear and understand your requests.
There could be bad news for the phone's battery, however, as according to a leak, the iPhone 16 Plus will have a battery that's about 9% smaller than its predecessor.
The exact battery capacity of the iPhone 16 Plus will apparently be 4,006 mAh (up from 4,383 mAh), which is something we've heard from multiple sources, so it's probably true.
That said, the same sources say that the other iPhone 16 models will have larger batteries than their predecessors; It would be strange if Apple reduced only the Plus model.
Still, the iPhone 16 Plus could at least benefit from a graphene heatsink, which would help keep it cool.
you might also like
- iPhone 16: Release date speculation, latest leaks, price predictions and more
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: latest news, rumors and everything we know so far
- Best iPhone: which Apple smartphone reigns supreme?
