Everything you need to know about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus: technical sheet, price and our opinion

Every year, Apple unveils new iPhones. Hardware improvements are often minor compared to the previous generation, and the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus released in September 2023 are no exception. In this article, we have taken the time to compile all the characteristics of these two Apple devices.

Introduction

The four iPhone 16 models (16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max) were presented by Apple during its traditional back-to-school conference in September 2024. Named this year “It's Glowtime”, this conference, it also allowed us to unveil the new Apple Watch Series 10 as well as the AirPods 4 with and without noise reduction. Pre-orders for the iPhone 16 began on September 13, 2024, and in-store sales began on September 20, 2024.

Screen: OLED still there

It was expected, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus retain a “Super Retina XDR” screen already present on the iPhone 15. The only change, the arrival of aminimum brightness at 1 nit.

Regarding the size of the screens, there is no change to report compared to older generations. For the iPhone 16, count approximately6.1 inches screen diagonal. This figure rises to6.7 inches for iPhone 16 Plus.

Performance: place for the A18 chip

It's probably the surprise of the year. While rumors announced an A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus (as in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max), the Apple brand chose a chipUnreleased A18. A generational change that allows you to gain a little power and fluidity.

However, the A18 and A17 chips remain close in terms of architecture. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus still have the right to a 6-core CPU, a 5-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine, like the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. On the RAM side, iPhone 16 and 16 Plus now include it8 GB (6 for the previous generation).

For wireless connectivity, Apple is finally taking the plunge and integrating the standardWi-Fi 7in its iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.

At first glance, two new features appear on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. The first is thebouton Action, already seen on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and also available on iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.

The second, unpublished, is acamera control button. It allows you to take photos in one click, but also to more easily access many parameters such as zoom, focal length aperture or even filters and even Apple Intelligence.

Concerning the case, Apple offers 5 finishing choices (see image below): blue, green, white, black and pink.

The material used is aluminum, with a tinted glass back and a latest generation Ceramic Shield front.

Here is the height and weight information:

• iPhone 16 :170 g, 147.6 mm in height, 71.6 mm in width and 7.8 mm in thickness
• iPhone 16 Plus :199 g, 160.9 mm in height, 77.8 mm in width and 7.8 mm in thickness

Performance in photography

The camera is one of the main reasons why we buy a new smartphone. If the changes are not very numerous between the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 16, we will first note modifications in the design, with a return of the two cameras one under the other.

This new architecture is not the only change. Also on the menu is the taking of space photos and videos. And then, Apple did not fail to add the following features to its iPhone 16: 48-megapixel wide-angle sensor and 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor (for macro photos in particular), anti-reflective coating, but also intelligent reduction wind noise for video recordings.

In video, here is what the iPhone 16 (and the 16 Plus version) is capable of:

Battery life of iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus benefit from an improvement in general autonomy. Here is the technical information on this subject:

• iPhone 16 :approximately 3,500 mAh battery allowing 22 hours of video playback time, 18 hours of video streaming time and up to 80 hours of audio playback time
• iPhone 16 Plus :approximately 4,700 mAh battery provides 27 hours of video playback, 24 hours of video streaming, and up to 100 hours of audio playback

Both smartphones benefit from fast charging (50% charge in 30 minutes) wired with a minimum 20 W power adapter, and MagSafe with a minimum 30 W power adapter.

Other functions

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus also benefit from the following features:

• USB-C connection
• eSIM technology to support two active SIM cards (one physical and the other eSIM)
• Face ID
• Dynamic Island
• 5G
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Accident detection and emergency SOS via satellite
• Flash photo True Tone
• Photo optical zoom 0.5x, 1x and 2x
• Portrait lighting photo mode
• IP68 waterproof rating (up to 6 meters deep for 30 minutes)
• Screen with True Tone display

The costs

The price of the iPhone 16 follows the same logic as that of the iPhone 15 last year when they were released. No increase for Apple in 2024, therefore, compared to 2023. Here are the prices offered today for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus:

iPhone 16

• 128 Go : 969 €
• 256 Go : 1 099 €
• 512 Go : 1 349 €

iPhone 16 Plus

• 128 Go : 1 119 €
• 256 Go : 1 249 €
• 512 Go : 1 499 €

Anything new with iOS?

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are powered by the operating systemiOS 18. This new version of the platform arrived in September 2024 with agood batch of new products, asApple Intelligence, in-house AI, new possibilities for customizing the home screen (color effects for icons, removal of app names, etc.), a new Passwords application, improvements for the control center , among many others.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus: crack or pass?

With these improvements, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are not a revolution, but they bring their share of new features, especially when compared to the iPhone 14 or previous models. If you already own an iPhone 15,the change is certainly not worth the nearly 1,000 euros requested by Apple.

If, on the other hand, you don't have an iPhone or a fairly old model, it might be interesting to look at the iPhone 16. If the differences compared to the iPhone 15 are quite small, the phone should have a better lifespan, it will be updated for longer and the integration of new Apple Intelligence features could be a real point to take into consideration for the future.

Where to buy iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus?

In the tables visible below, you can see which merchants offer the best prices for either of the two smartphones. These price comparators are updated in real time, so you are sure to find the best promotions of the moment, at least as far as the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are concerned.