iPhone 16 Plus: latest news, rumors and everything we know so far

[TechRadar]

The iPhone 16 Plus probably won’t be the most popular phone in the iPhone 16 line. In fact, based on past form it will likely be the least popular, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max probably set to take the top spot in sales, but this could still be an exciting handset.

Thanks to leaks and rumors we already have a good idea of what to expect from the iPhone 16 Plus, even though it probably won’t land until September. So below you’ll find everything we've heard so far, including the rumored release date, price, design, and specs.

We’re sure to hear plenty more rumors about this phone ahead of launch though, and we’ll be collecting them all here. As such, keep checking back if you want the most complete possible picture of the iPhone 16 Plus pre-launch.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The larger-screen alternative to the iPhone 16
• When is it out? Probably September 2024
• How much will it cost? Likely at least $899 / £899 / AU$1,649

iPhone 16 Plus: expected release date and price

The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Likely to be announced in the first half of September
• Should ship before the end of September
• May cost around $899 / £899 / AU$1,649

Based on past form, 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 the Friday, and the phone will probably ship on the following Friday, meaning that it will be in buyers’ hands before the end of September.

As for the 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 slightly more, and there’s even a chance it will cost less.

According to a Nikkei Asia report, high production costs could push the price of the iPhone 16 line up, though the publication doesn’t say how much by.

On the other hand, a rumored change in the manufacturing process for Apple’s smartphone chipsets could lead to a lower price. In either case though, we wouldn’t expect a drastic difference.

iPhone 16 Plus: expected design

The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Could have a new 'Capture button'
• May include the Action button from the iPhone 15 Pro
• The cameras could be arranged vertically

Visually, one of the biggest changes we might see on the iPhone 16 Plus is to the camera arrangement, which this year could see the lenses arranged vertically rather than diagonally. We first heard this back in May 2023, but since then an iPhone 16 component leak and iPhone 16 molds have backed this up, by showing this design.

We’ve also seen this design in leaked iPhone 16 prototype images, which you can see below. These show three designs that were apparently under consideration, of which the one in black is expected to launch, though all have vertical cameras.

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(Image credit: MacRumors)

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(Image credit: MacRumors)

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(Image credit: MacRumors)

Since then, a set of iPhone 16 series dummy units has leaked, which you can see below. Another similar iPhone 16 series dummy unit photo has also emerged, and in both cases these show a vertical camera layout for the iPhone 16 Plus.

Some of these images also show two new buttons – there’s 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 more interestingly there’s a new button under the power key, rumored to be called a ‘Capture button’.

This new button will apparently be dedicated to shooting videos according to one source, with another adding that the Capture button will let you 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 a video.

The same source claims that the Capture button will be mechanical, which is at odds with previous leaks saying the Capture button will be capacitive.

As for the iPhone 16 Plus’s colors, leaks suggest it will come in pink, yellow, blue, green, black, white, and purple shades. We’ve also heard that the iPhone 16 Plus might use color-infused glass like its predecessor.

iPhone 16 Plus: expected display

The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Rumored to have a 6.7-inch display
• A 60Hz refresh rate is rumored
• Might have a brighter screen than the iPhone 15 Plus

The iPhone 16 Plus might not see any major display changes, with a 6.7-inch screen rumored for this phone, just like the iPhone 15 Plus has.

Sadly, the same source also says that the iPhone 16 Plus will once again be stuck with a 60Hz refresh rate.

We have however heard that the iPhone 16 Plus might at least have a brighter screen than its 2,000-nit predecessor, and the iPhone 16 Plus might also have smaller bezels around the display.

iPhone 16 Plus: expected cameras

The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Reportedly a 12MP ultra-wide camera like last year
• Probably the same 48MP main and 12MP selfie cameras too
• Might be able to record spatial video

So far we haven’t head much about the iPhone 16 Plus’s cameras, but that’s probably because there might 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 does. They don’t mention the main snapper, but since that got an upgrade to 48MP last year, we wouldn’t expect further upgrades this year.

And nor do we expect any additional lenses, as leaks haven’t mentioned a third lens, and leaked imagery shows just two – so if you want a telephoto camera, you’ll probably have to pick one of the Pro models.

There’s no news on the iPhone 16 Plus’s front-facing camera either, but there’s a good chance it will be 12MP like last year, especially as even the iPhone 15 Pro Max only has a 12MP selfie camera.

There may be some upgrades to the camera software and functionality though, including the ability to shoot spatial video for use with an Apple Vision Pro. It's speculated that the rumored move to a vertical lens arrangement is to allow for this.

iPhone 16 Plus: expected specs and features

The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

• Rumored to have an A18 chipset
• Could have 8GB of RAM
• The battery might be smaller this year

There’s some uncertainty over what chipset the iPhone 16 Plus will have. The iPhone 15 Plus has the A16 Bionic, inherited from the previous year’s Pro models. 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 getting an A18 chipset.

In which case, the iPhone 16 Plus could get a serious power upgrade over its predecessor – though it’s possible that there will be multiple versions of the A18. So, for example, the iPhone 16 Plus might get the standard A18, while the iPhone 16 Pro gets an A18 Pro. Either way though, this should be more powerful than the A17 Pro.

That said, it might not be drastically more powerful, with one leak suggesting the rumored A18 Pro will be 10% faster than the A17 Pro, and another saying it might be less powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which is likely to power Android rivals.

The A18 Pro reportedly also won’t support speedy LPDDR6 RAM, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 might.

Speaking of RAM, the iPhone 16 Plus might have 8GB of the stuff, up from 6GB in the iPhone 15 Plus. We’ve heard talk of 8GB of RAM for the iPhone 16 Plus multiple times now, and we’ve also heard that the iPhone 16 – and therefore probably also the iPhone 16 Plus – might start at 256GB of storage, which is double its predecessor.

The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

This increase in RAM, storage, and power could in part be to help with AI, which Apple is expected to make a big play for this year, with major AI features likely to be announced as part of iOS 18 at WWDC 2024 on June 10.

One of those features could be an AI-overhaul for Siri, and we’ve also heard that the iPhone 16 Plus might have improved microphones, so this upgraded Siri can hear and understand your requests better.

There could be bad news for the phone’s battery though, as according to one leak the iPhone 16 Plus will have a roughly 9% smaller battery than its predecessor.

The exact capacity of the iPhone 16 Plus’s battery will apparently be 4,006mAh (down from 4,383mAh), which is something we’ve now heard from multiple sources, so it’s likely true.

That said, the same sources say the other iPhone 16 models will have larger batteries than their predecessors; it would be odd if Apple would reduce just the Plus model’s.

Still, the iPhone 16 Plus might at least benefit from a graphene heat sink, which would help keep it cool.

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