Apple's iPhone 16 Plus takes the regular iPhone and adds two things: a much larger screen and longer battery life.
The new plus-size model has the same specs as the Vanilla 16, a camera and several additional buttons, offering a larger screen. Apple's most expensive 16 Pro Max is a phone experience on a budget with its huge 6.9-inch screen.
Instead, it costs from £899 (€1,099 / $899 / A$1,599), which sits right between the £799 iPhone 16 and £999 iPhone 16 Pro models.
The 16 Plus has a bright, sharp 6.7-inch display like its predecessor, and maintains a slower 60Hz refresh rate, making scrolling less fluid than Apple's iPhone Pros and rivals. . It's even better for movies and TV shows while traveling.
It's an aluminum and glass sandwich reminiscent of the rear-mounted cameras on the iPhone 12. Although the Plus is fairly light for a large phone at 199g, it requires two-handed use most of the time. A lawsuit or a phone call could be advice.
The two new buttons match the other 16 series iPhones this year. The action button replaces the volume switch on previous models and can be used to open apps, perform actions, turn on the flashlight, or activate focus or silent modes. The camera control button quickly opens the camera, after which you can adjust settings such as zoom or depth and take photos with just one finger.
It runs iOS 18 without Apple's much-touted AI features. The iOS 18.1 update won't be available in beta until late October in the US and December in the UK, Australia and other English-speaking countries outside the US, while the rest of Europe will have to wait more.
Budget
-
screen: 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR (OLED) (460 ppi)
-
Processor: Apple A18
-
RAM: 8GB
-
Storage: 128, 256 or 512GB
-
Operating system: iOS 18
-
Camera: 48MP main + 12MP Ultra; 12MP front
-
Link: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Thread, USB-C, Satellite, UWB and GNSS
-
Water resistance: IP68 (6 meters for 30 minutes)
-
Dimensions: 160.9×77.8×7.8mm
-
Weight: 199 grams
A fast A18 chip with epic battery life
The 16 Plus has the same new A18 chip as its smaller brother and performs significantly better than its predecessor, with room to stay fast longer and the 8GB of RAM and AI processor needed to support instant Apple Intelligence. Characteristics.
Greater energy efficiency allows the 16 Plus to get incredible battery life, with a combination of 5G and Wi-Fi, up to nine hours of intensive screen use and almost 72 hours of general use between charges. That means charging it every three days is a day or more than the regular iPhone 16. The 16 Plus lasted up to two days despite heavy 5G use.
Consistency
Apple claims the battery should last more than 1,000 full charge cycles to at least 80% of its original capacity and can be replaced for £95. Screen repair for breach of warranty costs £349. 16 Plus includes repair guides and is rated seven out of 10 for repair by iFixit experts.
Contains more than 30% recycled materials, including aluminum, cobalt, copper, gold, lithium, plastic, rare earths, steel, tin and tungsten. The company breaks down the phone's environmental impact in its report. Apple offers free exchange and recycling programs, even for non-Apple products.
Excellent camera
The dual camera setup on the back is typical of the iPhone 16. It has faster versions of its 48MP main and 12MP ultrawide cameras compared to previous models, which makes a difference in motion and low-light environments .
The main camera takes better pictures, while the new macro photography mode is more fun on the ultra-wide camera. The Photo Styles feature adjusts the color, tone, and palette of photos to change their appearance when they are taken or after the fact. If you don't like Apple's default look for photos, you can get more creative with your own settings.
The camera can take spatial photos and videos for viewing on headphones like the Vision Pro, and the 16 Pro has an amazing audio-to-video mixing feature.
Overall, the 16 Plus has a good camera, but the lack of an extended zoom camera is disappointing, especially at this size and price.
Price
The iPhone 16 Plus costs £899 (€1,099/$899/A$1,599) with 128GB of storage.
In comparison, the iPhone 16 costs £799, the iPhone 16 Pro costs £999, the iPhone 16 Pro Max costs £1,199, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL costs £1,099, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus costs £999 and the Fairphone 5 costs £499.
Judgment
The iPhone 16 Plus occupies a strange place in Apple's 2024 smartphone lineup. It resembles the smaller, cheaper iPhone 16 in capabilities and hardware, meaning it lacks the zoom camera, advanced display, and other capabilities of the company's Pro iPhones.
While the 6.7-inch screen is substantial, the 16 Pro Max has an even bigger and better screen, so it's not the biggest screen on an iPhone and you'll have to pay a premium for it. Instead, the Plus has incredible battery life that can last up to three days of typical use between charges and even last longer than days of heavy use.
So the 16 Plus is for those who don't want a bigger but better screen or want longer battery life. The downside is that it costs £100 more than the already excellent regular iPhone 16, is difficult to use with one hand and is a bulky lump in your pocket.
Advantages: Fast and good dual camera with macro mode, large screen, action button, camera control button, photography styles, USB-C, very long battery life, long software support, Face ID.
Cons: There's no telephoto camera, the screen is slower than the competition, and the iPhone Pro, which lacks Always-On Display mode, requires two hands to use for extended periods of time.
