A great, big iPhone
The iPhone 16 Plus isn’t the best iPhone, but I can still easily recommend it to someone who wants a big iPhone that’ll last a long time.
Pros
- Nice big screen
- Excellent design
- Long battery life
Cons
- No ProMotion
- No dedicated zoom camera
Key Features
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Review Price: £899
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Apple Intelligence One of few phones that support Apple Intelligence for AI skills
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Two new buttons The iPhone 16 Plus has the Action Button plus the new Camera Control button for quick access to the camera
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Serious power With the jump from the A16 to the A18, the iPhone 16 Plus packs plenty of power
Introduction
The iPhone 16 Plus is all about one thing – Apple Intelligence.
Typically Apple hypes up a new iPhone release with hefty claims about the camera, performance and an improved design. But this time around, the firm’s first attempt at AI software takes top billing.
As with the other iPhone 16 models, Apple Intelligence isn’t a reason to upgrade – yet. However, there are plenty of other exciting features here, from a faster chip to the same Camera Control button found on the iPhone 16 Pro.
Is the iPhone 16 Plus the best iPhone for you? I’ve spent the last month thoroughly testing it to find out.
Design
- Larger than the standard iPhone 16
- Two new buttons
- Camera Control isn’t a complete hit
There are two new additions to the iPhone 16 Plus design – the Action Button and Camera Control. One is completely new, while the other has made its way across from the Pro iPhones.
I’ll start with the more interesting of the two, and that’s Camera Control. First, it’s great to see Apple bringing new features to the entire range, rather than starting off on the pricier Pro and then drip-feeding it down the range. Camera Control feels genuinely new, and it’s great all buyers get to experience that.
Camera Control is a pill-shaped button just below the power key. It’s a real physical button that moves when pressed. But it’s also got a capacitive pad over it so it can respond to both presses and gestures.
One press opens the camera, another takes a photo and a longer press starts recording video. They’re simple skills. Things get a little more complicated with the gestures. When you’re in the camera, a lighter press opens a settings menu, which you can swipe through with a flick. It’s quite a tricky skill to master, and even after a few weeks, I struggle to use it effectively.
Camera Control is hit-and-miss. I like having quick access to the camera from anywhere. Plus, taking a photo without touching the screen is a bonus. However, the implementation is a little, well, half-baked. You can’t press the button lightly to focus and the positioning of the button is just a little off. It doesn’t sit where my finger would rest when taking both landscape and portrait photos and requires awkward manoeuvrability.
The second new button is the Action Button. This is far more basic, acting as an extra shortcut key that can be assigned to various actions, like turning on the flashlight or flipping between Focus modes. The Action Button has replaced the old mute switch, although you can set it to perform the same function.
I’d love it if you could add multiple functions to the button. Having one action for a single press, and another for a double or triple press should be the next step.
Additional keys aside, the iPhone 16 Plus is familiar – even to those who haven’t upgraded in several years. The sides and back are flat, the corners rounded and the camera array still quite subtle. It’s constructed from aluminium, with a nice fingerprint-resistant finish on the back.
Like previous iPhones, this device is IP68-rated for protection from accidental drops in water and has Ceramic Shield covering the display. Many will still instantly layer over a screen protector, but if you’re careful the screen should stay free of obvious dinks.
This is the larger of the two standard iPhone 16 models. Naturally, it’s heavier too – 199g, although this is 2g lighter than the iPhone 15 Plus and about 30g lighter than the titanium iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The phone comes in various pastel colours, including Pink, White and Ultramarine. For once, I like all the colours available this year, especially Ultramarine (pictured) and the very tasteful Teal.
Screen
- No ProMotion, so still 60Hz
- Bright and sharp
- Great size for video and games
If you’re choosing between the two big Apple phones this year, then it’s the screen where the Pro Max really distinguishes itself as the ‘flagship’.
While the Pro Max has a slimmer bezel and a larger 6.9-inch screen, the Plus remains a 6.7-inch OLED with the same sized bezel. The Pro also remains the only model with a ProMotion display, leaving the iPhone 16 Plus with a 60Hz panel.
I hear the same arguments every year. Some say the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz is negligible. Others say that if cheap Android phones like the Motorola Moto G04 can have fast displays, an £899/$899 phone should do.
For me, the jump from 60Hz to 120Hz makes a huge difference. The display on the Pro iPhone is smoother and moves in a more natural way than the iPhone 16. It’s far nicer to interact with. It’s hard to go back. But, Apple does use an OLED panel that is of far higher quality than a budget Android, so simply having a 120Hz panel isn’t a complete win.
I hope this is the final iPhone with a 60Hz panel. ProMotion needs to no longer be a pro feature, but a standard across the range.
Refresh rate grip aside, the iPhone 16 Plus has a very good display. It can hit 2000 nits of peak brightness when it’s particularly harsh outside and the 461PPI makes it sharp. There’s myriad HDR support too, and the OLED screen does a very good job of displaying high dynamic range content with a deft touch.
This larger iPhone 16 model is a better choice for watching content and gaming, as the extra 0.6-inch of screen real estate makes a big difference. I also find the Dynamic Island less obtrusive on a larger screen.
Camera
- 48MP Fusion Camera is reliable in all conditions
- 12MP ultrawide captures lovely colours
- Strong video capabilities
Both the iPhone 16 and the 16 Plus have the same camera tech, comprising of a 48MP ‘Fusion’ camera and a 12MP ultrawide.
That Fusion branding is new to this year’s iPhone, referring to the 4-in-1 pixel binning tech and the ability to crop in for a 2x digital zoom. These features aren’t new to the iPhone 16, it’s just a rebrand of the feature set. There’s still no dedicated zoom camera on the iPhone 16 Plus, with that reserved for the Pro series.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max remain the better picks for overall camera prowess. Not only for the dedicated 5x zoom lens but for the wider array of shooting modes and slightly larger sensors. Saying that, the iPhone 16 Plus is still a very good camera phone. It captures reliably excellent shots in all conditions, shoots wonderful video and is very easy to use.
What I love most about the cameras on the standard iPhones is that they’re reliable, and with the deeper integration of Photographic Styles now you can tweak the colours to your personal preference. Prefer a warmer image? Great, you can set that as default. The same if you want something cooler, or more luminous.
Whether snapping of my dog or an evening walk home from the pub, shots from the iPhone 16 Plus are packed with detail. The clarity is excellent and the colours are mostly true-to-life.
As Lewis mentioned in his iPhone 16 review, some images can look ever so slightly too saturated – with greens and reds a little too punchy. But it’s nowhere near what you’d find from the Samsung Galaxy S25, and this can be mostly tuned out with some fiddling in settings.
Low light performance is good, although this is where the Pro models stand out. The iPhone 16 Plus also falls below the Pixel 9 Pro ($999/£999) in this regard. There’s a bit more noise here in photos when it’s darker, and while the lens has an anti-reflective coating there’s still pronounced lens flare when the camera picks up bright light sources.
The iPhone 16 Plus is limited when it comes to zoom. The lack of a dedicated zoom camera means digital zoom is the only choice, and that’s only really any use up to 2x.
You can get a little closer, just not by much. There is a dedicated ultrawide camera though, which is nice for landscape shots and fitting more into scenes. If I had the choice, I would take the zoom camera every single day.
The selfie camera is unchanged. It’s still a 12MP effort that eschews many of the ‘beautifying’ features found in much of the competition. The results are detailed and natural, but nothing stands out.
Video has always been a strong point of an iPhone and that’s most definitely the case here. The iPhone 16 Plus is miles ahead of the Pixel 9 Pro with its video. The footage is naturally coloured and stabilised without feeling artificial. The iPhone 16 Pro has a few extra video features, like ProRes capture and 4K/120fps shooting – but for most the standard set of features is more than adequate.
Performance
- Similar performance to the Apple A18 Pro
- Wi-Fi 7
- 128GB starting storage size
Apple has ditched the slightly misguided generation-wide chipset split with the iPhone 16 range. Last year the iPhone 15 came with the year-old 4nm A16 Bionic while the iPhone 15 Pro models got the new 3nm A17 Pro. It led to a confusing range, and I think damaged the iPhone 15 as it made it look inferior than it was.
This time around, all the iPhone 16 models have a 3nm A18 chipset, though the Pro models do get the A18 Pro with slightly boosted performance. Check out our iPhone 16 Pro review for the full lowdown on that chip.
This remains a supremely capable smartphone. In most of my tests, the iPhone 16 Plus stands up well against its pricier Pro sibling – meaning you don’t necessarily need to spend more to avoid feeling shortchanged.
There is much stronger Android competition this year though, with phones like the OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S25 packing the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Qualcomm’s latest chip offers real competition to Apple’s performance dominance over the past few years.
The A18 adds support for Wi-Fi 7, a welcome upgrade for those who have the correct equipment. I tested this with a Wi-Fi 7 capable router and there are notable improvements over the speeds from the iPhone 15.
There’s the same Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, UWB and satellite connectivity as its predecessor. An upgrade in iOS 18 means you can now use the latter to send messages, rather than just call, when in a tricky spot. Storage sizes remain the same, with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB options. 256GB remains the sweet spot, and should really be the base storage now.
Software & AI
- Apple Intelligence adds some AI smarts
- iOS is more customisable than ever
- Plenty of software updates
Apple Intelligence is the key feature in all marketing for the iPhone 16 Plus.
This is even though Apple Intelligence launched a few months after the phone’s initial release, and even in early 2025 it’s still not available in the EU, China and other regions.
A few updates have passed since the arrival of Apple Intelligence and it remains a mixed bag. This is to be expected for a first-gen product, but it is a big move of Apple to pin much of this phone’s success on a smattering of software features that are still incomplete.
The current selection of Apple intelligence skills includes common AI features like writing tools to help you create more refined texts and emails and the ability to remove subjects from photos.
There are some transcription skills in the Phone app to note down incoming voicemails, too. These features are present on the likes of the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and aren’t that unique.
Of all the Apple Intelligence features that are available so far, Notification Summaries is both the one that I find myself utilising the most and the one that’s caused the most controversy. It tries to summarise groups of notifications down to their essential meaning, but it’s very hit-and-miss.
Sometimes, it’s great – giving you the cliff notes of a huge chain of WhatsApp messages so that you can ignore them completely or decide to delve. It’s a smart idea. Other times though, it completely missed the point of the conversation, swerving into the realms of bizarre and comical. It really struggles with sarcasm, often taking it to mean reality – leaving some quite funny results in the process.
The BBC noted that these Notification Summaries were also distorting real-life news, offering up completely wrong interpretations of those Breaking News notifications. Apple has since tweaked the system, italicising these summaries and turning them off for news apps.
More advanced AI skills sit within the Image Playground app and the Visual Intelligence feature. Visual Intelligence sits within the camera and kicks into life with a long press on the Camera Control.
Here you can search for stuff by taking pictures of it. You can also ask questions like ‘Which film is this scene in?’. Visual Intelligence uses ChatGPT for deeper knowledge and it does a good job of answering stuff correctly. It’s far from 100% accurate, but that’s AI.
I took a picture of a scene from Dexter and it accurately told me the show, and the actor on screen – but it couldn’t specify the episode. In another test, I took pictures of various items around my flat (an inhaler, AirPods, a specific Ikea chair) and it found each item and online listings for them.
Image Playground is the genAI addition. Inside this app you can use Apple Intelligence to create images of people from your Photos, adding novelty aspects and putting them in various environments. Want a cartoon image of your best friend wearing a hat and riding a horse on the moon? This is the app for you. It’s fun, if a little gimmicky.
It’s worth remembering that Apple Intelligence is still a very young service. As a result, not even all the initial promised features are here. While Siri has a slick new animation, its ability to interact with what is displayed on the screen is absent. I’d expect loads more, hopefully standout, features to arrive with iOS 19 too.
AI functions aside, Apple’s iOS 18 update introduces a bevvy of neat changes – though these aren’t exclusive to the iPhone 16 range. There’s upgraded torch functionality that lets you change the width of the light, RCS support for messaging Android users and a fully far more customisable Home screen experience with the ability to tweak icon colours.
Apple’s impressive long-term software support is great. This will see the phone receive OS upgrades for an extended period. The iPhone Xs (from 2018) got the iOS 18 update so the 16 Plus will be supported for many years to come.
Battery Life
- Better than the iPhone 16 for battery life
- Same 30W charging as the iPhone 15
- Faster 25W MagSafe charging
The iPhone 16 Plus is a great choice for someone who wants a phone that can comfortably last the day. It has a bigger battery than the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro and even though doesn’t have the Pro’s LPTO-enabled 120Hz refresh rate provides better power efficiency, it’s not far off the endurance of the Pro Max.
I typically get up at around 8:00 am, use the phone to play a podcast while I make a coffee, and check my commute in Maps. I’ll reply to texts and Slack messages, indulge in probably too much social media and take numerous video calls throughout the day – all while connected to AirPods or a Bluetooth speaker. Before going to bed at midnight. I’d usually get to the end of the day with around 30% left in the tank.
This is about 10-15% more than the iPhone 16 and about 5% less than the Pro Max. If you’re coming from a smaller iPhone, that additional endurance is noticeable and very welcome.
Of course, everyone’s phone use is different. If you play more games you’ll see a faster drain and those who rarely open TikTok or Instagram will see more juice left come the evening.
A full charge can take around 1 hour and 50 minutes. This is comparable to brands like Google and Samsung, but far below Xiaomi, OnePlus and Oppo. Apple has always focused on battery health over faster charging, and if you only charge at night you won’t notice any slowness.
MagSafe charging is faster now, provided you pick up the new charger. As there’s no charger included with the iPhone, bagging a MagSafe cable alongside your purchase is a smart move.
Should you buy it?
You want a big new iPhone under £1000/$1000
The iPhone 16 Plus is a very good, big phone that’s far more affordable than the Pro Max. It has a solid camera, great performance and reliable battery life.
You want the best big iPhone
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a far more capable camera setup and a more powerful chipset, plus a much better screen with 120Hz ProMotion.
Final Thoughts
If the rumours are to be believed, this could be the final Plus iPhone – with a retooled ‘iPhone 17 Air’ model arriving as a replacement with the iPhone 17 series. If this is the end of the series, then this stands as a very good last dance.
There’s no getting around the fact that this isn’t a truly exciting phone. It lacks the stunning screen and triple camera array of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and the dinky form-factor of the standard iPhone 16.
In actual use though, I really like it. The screen is great for games and video, while the durable body is light, well-constructed and available in far nicer colours than the Pro. The battery life is much better than the standard iPhone 16 and for £899/$899, it’s £300/$300 cheaper than the Pro Max.
The iPhone 16 Plus isn’t the best iPhone, but I can still easily recommend it to someone who wants a big iPhone that’ll last a long time.
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Tested for a month
- Compared to all other available iPhone models
- Benchmarked for performance metrics
- Over 1000 photos taken
FAQs
You’ll get a USB-C-to-USB-C cable, but no charging brick in the small box.
It’s both water- and dust-resistant with an IP68 rating.
Test Data
| Apple iPhone 16 Plus Review | |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 single core | 3456 |
| Geekbench 6 multi core | 8319 |
| 1 hour video playback (Netflix, HDR) | 6 % |
| Battery drain 60-min (music streaming online) | 2 % |
| Battery drain 60-min (music streaming offline) | 1 % |
| Time from 0-100% charge | 105 min |
| Time from 0-50% charge | 32 Min |
| GFXBench – Aztec Ruins | 60 fps |
| GFXBench – Car Chase | 60 fps |
Full Specs
| Apple iPhone 16 Plus Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £899 |
| USA RRP | $899 |
| Manufacturer | Apple |
| Screen Size | 6.7 inches |
| Storage Capacity | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Rear Camera | 48MP + 12MP |
| Front Camera | 12MP |
| Video Recording | No |
| IP rating | IP68 |
| Wireless charging | No |
| Fast Charging | No |
| Size (Dimensions) | 77.8 x 7.80 x 160.9 MM |
| Weight | 199 G |
| ASIN | B0DGJ3ZBGC |
| Operating System | iOS 18 |
| Release Date | 2024 |
| First Reviewed Date | 01/02/2025 |
| Resolution | 2796 x 1290 |
| HDR | No |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Ports | USB_C |
| Chipset | Apple A18 |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Colours | Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine |