Apple iPhone 16 Plus review
For those seeking an iPhone with more capabilities than the base model but away from the premium offerings, the iPhone Plus has long served as the ideal option. In this review we’ll be taking a thorough look at another member of the Plus family, the iPhone 16 Plus, and breaking down what it offers compared to those that came before.
The Apple iPhone 16 Plus can be bought in various colours such as Teal and Ultramarine, with storage spaces starting at 128GB.
Specs
• Dimensions – 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8mm
• Weight – 199g
• OS – iOS 18
• Display – 6.7” Super Retina XDR OLED
• Resolution – 2796 x 1290
• Processor – A18
• RAM – 8GB
• Storage – 128GB; 256GB; 512GB
• Rear cameras – 48MP Fusion; 12MP ultra-wide
• Battery – up to 27 hours video playback
• Water and dust resistance – IP68
• Connectivity – 5G; 4G; Bluetooth 5.3
Design
At its core, the iPhone 16 Plus follows in the footsteps of its predecessors with that familiar sleek design. The rounded corners are here, along with the flat screen and durable aluminium frame; it’s all incredibly familiar. However, there are some significant updates to the iPhone 16 Plus’ design that make it both easier to use and more functional, starting with the Camera Control button.
We fell in love with this feature because of how it makes using the iPhone 16 Plus' camera far easier, opening it up to a wider range of users that might find diving into the Camera app a bit overwhelming. You can adjust exposure and other elements of a photo with a simple tap of the button, freeing you up to focus on the shot.
The Action button also features on the iPhone 16 Plus, bringing with it the fantastic mapping options that impressed us on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Want to quickly open the Flashlight app or take a photo? The Action button can do these things in a single press, or a double press if you so desire; either way, we really appreciate the impact that it has on the iPhone 16 Plus’ versatility.
Display
If you’ve ever used an iPhone since 2017, you’ll be very familiar with the Super Retina XDR display. This high-clarity screen technology is once again present on the iPhone 16 Plus, and generally, it shares many similarities with its base model sibling such as an OLED panel and support for HDR.
The biggest difference between the two is screen size, with the iPhone 16 Plus measuring at 6.7”. When watching videos, playing games or just generally browsing, this display showcases everything in superb detail and clarity, boosted further by the 2000 nits peak brightness. It’s a fantastic-looking screen, and being 0.6” larger than the base iPhone 16, it’s the ideal option if you want a more vivid viewing experience.
One tweak from previous handsets that might fly under the radar is a thinner bezel around the screen. The effect is subtle but impactful, presenting more of the display without needing to actually make the phone bigger.
Performance & software
Due to Apple’s release pattern of their chipsets, the iPhone 16 Plus comes with a hugely significant boost in performance thanks to the A18 processor. For context, the iPhone 15 Plus was equipped with the A16 processor, so you’re looking at a multi-generation leap here.
Without the processing power supplied by the A18 chip, we wouldn’t have the iPhone 16 Plus’ crowning feature: Apple Intelligence. Like Galaxy AI, Apple Intelligence is an AI model that can be used to automate tasks such as note taking and information gathering. Writing Tools is one of the standout features, impressing us with its ability to summarise group chats and remove the need for trawling through tons of messages. If you need to put together a response, you can direct the AI to put this together based on the tone you want to use, be it formal or informal. It works incredibly well, never feeling like a chore to make use of.
Alongside Writing Tools, there are various other features on the iPhone 16 Plus that elevated the experience beyond what previous handsets could muster. Image Wand is particularly exciting; you can draw out a sketch of something and see it come to life as the AI turns it into a fully-detailed image. For students and artistic professionals, Image Wand is something of a game-changer.
Apple Intelligence is very much the star of the show, but iOS 18 plays its part by layering the iPhone 16 Plus with several handy features such as a reworked Gallery app and AI-generated emojis.
Cameras
Amongst the pantheon of great iPhone cameras, the iPhone 16 Plus sits firmly between the base models and the premium Pro Max handsets. Fundamentally, it is the same device as the iPhone 16 where cameras are concerned, but ticks an extra photography box with its much larger display.
In the camera array you’ll find a 48MP main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide lens. Interestingly, the ultra-wide lens sports a larger aperture than what was on the iPhone 15 Plus, enabling more light to enter the camera and capture a greater level of detail while reducing image noise. The iPhone 16 Plus’ macro photography features also benefit from this aperture increase; close-up shots of small subjects are considerably more detailed. Macro photography wasn’t supported on the iPhone 15 Plus, so if this is an area of photography that interests you, the 16 Plus is more than up to the task.
Another area that the iPhone 16 Plus excels in is filmmaking, and this is largely due to support for Dolby Vision. Videos can be shot at 25, 30 and 60 frames per second in 4K or 1080p resolutions, with Dolby Vision giving these videos a monumental boost to colour levels and contrasts.
The final big addition to the iPhone 16 Plus takes inspiration from a very different Apple device: the Vision Pro headset. What we’re talking about here is spatial 3D, the technique of giving depth to an image by making it pop out of the frame. After you’ve taken a spatial photo or recorded a video, you can view these on the Vision Pro in three dimensions and enjoy them in a completely different way. This feature is certainly one for the enthusiasts.
Battery
As you can see, the iPhone 16 Plus is a powerful phone and fantastic for a wide range of users. In terms of how long you can use it for, then, the 16 Plus supports up to 27 hours of video playback and up to 100 hours of audio. This is quite a jump from the base iPhone 16’s 22 hours of video playback, so you can get more out of it throughout the day.
When it comes to recharging the iPhone 16 Plus, you’ll typically be able to charge it back up to 50% in around 35 minutes. This will of course be dependent on the wattage of your charger, so it’s possible to reduce the recharge time even further.
Summary
That’s a wrap on the iPhone 16 Plus, and it’s safe to say that those innovations in AI are what take this handset to new heights. Apple Intelligence drives the iPhone 16 Plus’ fantastic functionality, ultimately shaping it into one of the smartest and best phones you can buy.
Want to move any data across from your old iPhone? Our step-by-step guide has everything you’ll need to get started.