Introduction
The Apple iPhone Plus model has been the odd one out in the iPhone portfolio since its introduction and this does not change with the iPhone 16 series. The Apple iPhone 16 Plus has a refined design, more powerful hardware and more advanced cameras, and is touted as the iPhone with the best battery life. Yet it costs almost as much as the Pro.
It has a much larger screen and a much larger battery, and it’s significantly cheaper than the iPhone Pro Max, so it makes quite a bit of sense for someone who appreciates those two features but isn’t so much into photography with the rear cameras.
The iPhone 16 Plus has an updated design with thinner bezels and a redesigned camera bump. It retains the same 6.7-inch Super Retina
At the heart of the new iPhone 16 Plus is a new Apple A18 chip, with a more powerful processor, more advanced graphics and faster AI thanks to more and improved memory.
The camera department has seen a major update, even if you can’t see it right away. The 48MP primary camera has sensor-shift stabilization and Fusion capabilities, which promises 2x optical quality zoom, better than the 2x zoom on the iPhone 15 Plus. Then comes the improved 12 MP ultra-wide camera with a brighter aperture and autofocus support that enables macro photography.
Finally, the iPhone 16 Plus supports next-generation MagSafe and Qi charging, allowing up to 25W wireless charging via the new MagSafe Charger and up to 15W with any Qi2 pad.
Apple iPhone 16 Plus specifications at a glance:
- Body: 160.9×77.8×7.8mm, 199g; Glass front (Corning glass), glass back (Corning glass), aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6 m for 30 min), Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified).
- Display: 6.70″ Super Retina
- Chip set: Apple A18 (3nm): Hexa core; Apple GPU (5-core graphics card).
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM; NVMe.
- Operating system/software: iOS 18.
- Reversing camera: Broad (head): 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0 µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚, 0.7 µm, dual pixel PDAF.
- Front camera: Broad (head): 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/3.6″, PDAF; Depth: SL 3D.
- Video recording: Rear camera: 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound recording; Front camera: 4K at 24/25/30/60fps, 1080p at 25/30/60/120fps, gyro EIS.
- Battery: XXXXmAh; Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min (advertised), 25 W wireless (MagSafe), 15 W wireless (China only), 15 W wireless (Qi2), 4.5 W reverse wired.
- Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Double SIM card; WiFi 7; BT 5.3; NFC.
- Miscellaneous: Face ID, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass, barometer; stereo speakers; Support for Ultra Wideband (UWB) (gen2 chip), Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite.
There is no dancing around the elephant in the room. Without a high refresh rate, the iPhone 16 Plus’ screen feels dated, despite the high resolution, high maximum brightness and HDR capabilities.
iPhone 16 • iPhone 16 Pro • iPhone 16 Pro Max • iPhone 16 Plus
With the iPhone Pro moving closer to the Plus size, there will soon be no reason to buy the Plus.
Unpacking the iPhone 16 Plus
The Apple iPhone 16 Plus comes in a thin paper box containing a braided USB-C cable and a SIM card eject tool.
The paperwork is still there, but the Apple sticker is now gone.