The wait is finally over. After more than a year of frantic tips and rumours, Apple has finally unveiled the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max to the world at its “Glowtime” event.
One of the most exciting upgrades to the line-up in years, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are filled with the company’s new Apple Intelligence smarts via iOS 18, making Siri more useful and your iPhone apps more connected than ever before. But as leaked ahead of time, the AI features have been delayed, with Apple confirming they won’t come to the UK until December.
Design-wise, the latest handsets boast a new DSLR-like camera control button on the side for taking pictures and videos. A single click launches the camera, another click takes a picture, while a click and hold records a video. You can slide your finger across the button to zoom in and out and swipe through features. Both boast better camera arrays for the perfect shot.
The iPhone 16 Pro line-up also features larger 6.3in and 6.9in displays and the tiniest bezels. They have bigger batteries, even slimmer bezels and a brilliant new desert titanium colourway, as well as a new A18 Pro Bionic chip that makes Apple’s new iPhone faster and more powerful than ever before, ready to take on any AI-based on-device task.
On top of the new iPhone 16, Apple also unveiled two new AirPods models and a new Apple Watch Series 10. The smartphones will officially launch on Friday 20 September, but you’ll be able to pre-order all four handsets starting this Friday 13 September. You can even pre-configure your chosen iPhone 16 now so that when the time comes, you can quickly skip to the front and place your pre-order.
When can you pre-order the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro in the UK?
The iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be available to pre-order in the UK from 1pm BST on Friday 13 September (spooky!). You’ll be able to pre-order directly from Apple, but other retailers, including Amazon, Currys and mobile carriers should also jump in with their own pre-orders and contract deals on the same day.
As mentioned above, you can already pre-configure your chosen iPhone 16, including the model, colour, storage size, trade-in and Apple Care options. Plus, you can even add your payment details on Apple’s website. Apple will save all your preferences, so all you need to do is confirm that everything’s correct and click the pre-order button, skipping the whole hubbub you used to slog through on iPhone pre-order day.
Apple iPhone 16 price: How much does the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro cost in the UK?
While rumours ahead of the iPhone launch suggested that components of successive iPhones were getting increasingly expensive and more difficult for Apple to absorb, the entire iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max remain the exact same price as the iPhone 15 line-up.
The base iPhone 16, which features a new 48MP camera system, a bigger battery and the new camera control button starts from £799 for the 128GB model, while the larger iPhone 16 Plus starts from £899.
The iPhone 16 Pro starts from £999 for the 128GB model, which is the same price as the iPhone 15 Pro at launch, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts from £1,199 for the 256GB models.
What iPhone 16 pre-order deals could we see this year?
Carriers won’t be revealing their pre-order deals until Friday, but turning back the clock to the iPhone 15 launch could provide some clues as to what iPhone 16 deals we could see. With the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro costing the same as the iPhone 15, we don’t expect carrier deals to differ too heavily.
The best iPhone 15 Pro Max deal we spotted last year was from Sky Mobile. The phone carrier was offering up the handset for £39 per month on a 36-month contract with no up-front cost. You had to add on a data plan, with an 8GB plan costing £8. Altogether, you would have to pay £47 over 36 months. We’re expecting to see deals around the same price this year for the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
If you didn’t mind paying an up-front cost, Mobiles.co.uk had the best iPhone 15 Pro deal at launch. The online retailer, owned by Currys, was offering up a 24-month contract for £39.99 per month with 100GB of data. The only catch was you had to pay £149 up-front. Hopefully, Mobiles.co.uk will reduce this up-front cost, while keeping the same monthly charge for the iPhone 16 Pro.
If you were looking for a deal on the base iPhone 16, Sky had the cheapest monthly deal on the handset. You paid just £26 per month over 36 months, and there was no up-front cost. Again, you had to add on an £8 data plan, bringing the price up to £34 per month, but it was still a better deal than other carriers. We should hopefully see similar this year for the base model iPhone 16.
And if you’re looking to buy the iPhone 16 outright, it’s worth taking advantage of trade-in deals from the likes of Apple and Amazon. Last year, Apple was offering up to £715 of credit if you traded in your old device for the new model, and Amazon was offering up to £484 in credit. All of that goes a long way in paying for the shiny new model.
Voucher codes
For the latest discounts on phones and tablets, try the links below:
Prefer a folding phone? We’ve rounded up the best foldable handsets to buy now
