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The iPhone 16 Plus is the forgotten child of the iPhone lineup.
In fact, with every iPhone release, the existence of the Plus version feels more and more perplexing. And I think that is mostly down to a lack of a compelling argument from Apple about who the iPhone 16 Plus, or any Plus iPhone for that matter, is actually for.
It sits in a weird position of being more expensive than the standard iPhone 16 but with not that much more to offer. But is that right?
I’m going to take a closer look at the iPhone 16 Plus and compare it to other models to see whether it is worth purchasing. If you can’t decide which to buy, then this is the article for you!
iPhone 16 Plus vs iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 Pro
Here’s a detailed comparison table for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, and iPhone 16 Pro:
| Feature | iPhone 16 | iPhone 16 Plus | iPhone 16 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | £799 | £899 | £999 |
| Display Size | 6.1″ | 6.7″ | 6.3″ |
| Display Type | Super Retina XDR Display | Super Retina XDR Display | Super Retina XDR Display |
| ProMotion Technology | Not available | Not available | Available |
| Always-On Display | Not available | Not available | Available |
| Body Material | Aluminium with color-infused glass back (Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, Black) | Aluminium with color-infused glass back (Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, Black) | Titanium with textured matt glass back |
| Action Button | Not available | Not available | Available |
| Chipset | A18 chip | A18 chip | A18 Pro chip |
| CPU | 6-core CPU | 6-core CPU | 6-core CPU |
| GPU | 5-core GPU | 5-core GPU | 6-core GPU |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 16-core | 16-core |
| Camera System | Advanced dual-camera (48MP Fusion, 12MP Ultra Wide) | Advanced dual-camera (48MP Fusion, 12MP Ultra Wide) | Pro camera system (48MP Fusion, 48MP Ultra Wide, Telephoto) |
| Macro Photography | Not available | Not available | Available (48MP macro photography) |
| Video Recording | 4K at 60 fps | 4K at 60 fps | 4K at 120 fps |
| Spatial Video | Available | Available | Available |
| Optical Zoom | .5x, 1x, 2x | .5x, 1x, 2x | .5x, 1x, 2x, 3x |
| Battery Life (Video Playback) | Up to 22 hours | Up to 27 hours (claimed), actual nearer to 23/24 hours | Up to 27 hours |
| USB Connectivity | USB-C (supports USB 2) | USB-C (supports USB 2) | USB-C (supports USB 3 for up to 20x faster transfers) |
| Water Resistance | Water resistant to a depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes | Water resistant to a depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes | Water resistant to a depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes |
iPhone 16 Plus Features
Before we get into some deeper comparisons, let’s get a proper understanding of the iPhone 16 Plus’ specifications.
The iPhone 16 Plus comes in black, white, pink, teal and ultramarine with an aluminium frame and Ceramic Shield front glass. There is capacity for up to 512GB of storage, with 128GB and 256GB options in between. It weighs 199 grams.
There is a Super Retina XDR display that is, and here’s the important bit, 6.7 inches wide across the diagonal. This gives it a pixel density of 460 ppi and a resolution of 2796 x 1290.
Good To Know
A higher pixel density means a sharper and more vibrant display. The Samsung S24 has a ppi of 416 for comparison.
Inside, the iPhone 16 Plus is powered by the standard A18 chip, not the A18 Pro. There is a new 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores, a 5-core GPU and a redesigned Neural Engine optimised for Apple Intelligence.
There are two rear camera sensors; the main 48MP Fusion camera and the 12MP Ultrawide, the former also allowing for a 12MP 2x telephoto zoom.
The battery is charged via USB-C instead of lightning and is 4,674mAh which gives you about 27 hours of video playback and 100 hours of audio playback, although testing has revealed these to be overstatements.
Of course, it comes with the all-new, all-confusing, Camera Control button and the Action Button.
What’s it like to actually use? Well, much like a normal iPhone but bigger and more cumbersome in the hand. You can really feel how big it is when you hold it which also makes it uncomfortable.
But how does this all compare to the other iPhone 16 models?
iPhone 16 Plus vs iPhone 16
Thankfully, comparing the standard iPhone 16 to the iPhone 16 Plus is very easy. There are only two differences.
Design and display
First is the display size. The standard iPhone 16’s display is 6.1 inches wide across the diagonal, 0.6 inches smaller than the iPhone 16 Plus. There is no resulting pixel density drop either, with both phones on 440 ppi. But, as I said above, this does result in a larger, heavier phone.
The iPhone 16 weighs 20 grams less than the Plus at 170 grams which is a significant difference when holding them for extended periods. After about ten minutes or so, you really begin to notice how heavy the Plus feels in comparison.
Read Mark’s full iPhone 16 review
The iPhone 16 Plus is 6.3 inches tall and 3 inches wide, compared to 5.81 inches and 2.8 inches for the iPhone 16. Again, this is noticeable when you hold it. If you have small hands, or even medium-sized ones, then the Plus is truly unwieldy. A broadsword compared to a cutlass.
Of course, this means you get more screen real estate which is beneficial if you watch a lot of videos or game seriously on your phone. But you are trading it off with useability, portability and comfort.
You need to ask yourself, are the extra inches actually worth it?
Speaking of large displays, check out our Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review!
Battery life
The second is battery life. The iPhone 16 Plus has a larger capacity than the iPhone 16 which is 3,582 mAh. That’s a fairly significant difference of about 1092 mAh. Apple says this gives the iPhone 16 22 hours of video playback and 80 hours of audio playback.
If true, that would give an advantage of 5 hours of video playback and 20 hours of audio to the iPhone 16 Plus. However, these tests are conducted under controlled conditions by Apple and are virtually never representative of an everyday use case.
Good To Know
The iPhone 16 Plus has a physically larger battery, but it also has to power a bigger display. That means they kind of cancel each other out.
Our tests, as well as many others, have revealed that when used normally, such as scrolling on social media apps, recording video and using hotspot for a full day, the battery of the iPhone 16 Plus lasts from about 1-3 hours more than the standard iPhone 16.
Price
Finally the price. The cheapest iPhone 16 is $799/£799 compared to $899/£899 for the iPhone 16 Plus.
In summary, you are paying $100/£100 more for a larger screen and a battery that provides relatively small increases in battery life.
Do you want an iPhone 16 with a bigger display but no other upgrades? Then the iPhone 16 Plus is there…but wait, there might be a better option for you!
iPhone 16 Plus vs iPhone 16 Pro
If you have the extra $100/£100 to spend on the iPhone 16 Plus, then perhaps you should consider adding another $100/£100 to leapfrog over to the iPhone 16 Pro.
There are a lot of differences between these two devices, as you can see in the table above, but I’ll speak on the most important ones.
Design and display
In terms of design, the iPhone 16 Pro is made of titanium instead of aluminium. For some, that’s a big deal; the titanium does give it a premium feel and is more durable. But honestly, it’s a matter of personal taste. If you can look past it, then the Plus wins.
The display of the iPhone 16 Pro is 6.3 inches across the diagonal so four inches less than the Plus, but larger than the standard iPhone 16. So if you do want a bit more screen, but aren’t fussed over the full monty, then the Pro could be a good solution for you.
Chip and performance
Inside the phones, the differences become more significant. The iPhone 16 Pro comes with the A18 Pro chip. This sounds quite flashy but the real-world performance gains are minimal.
The A18 Pro chip is the same as the standard A18 other than an extra GPU core meaning it has 6 rather than 5. Benchmarks suggest that in most tasks, there are barely any discernable differences between the two chips. Some activities like gaming see about a 10% performance increase for the iPhone 16 Pro.
In all honesty, 99% of users will never notice the difference between the A18 and A18 Pro chips.
Cameras
Finally, the cameras. This is what paying the extra money for the Pro iPhones gets you.
The iPhone 16 Pro has three rear camera sensors. The main sensor is the same 48MP as the one in the Plus, but the Ultrawide becomes a whopping 48MP in the Pro. That’s a big difference and makes your ultrawides much sharper.
The third lens is a telephoto with 5x optical zoom. You also get the option to shoot in 4K at 120fps on the Pro, as well as an excellent 48MP macro. In short, the photography setup on the iPhone 16 Pro is more dynamic, intricate and varied than the Plus. But the main camera itself produces pretty much the same photos.
Verdict: Should You Buy The iPhone 16 Plus?
The standard iPhone 16 is an excellent smartphone. If you buy it, you won’t be disappointed. But if you want a larger display and a slightly longer battery life, then the iPhone 16 Plus exists.
Does that mean you should buy it? In my opinion, no. If you are willing to spend an extra $100 on an iPhone, then ask yourself if you could stretch to $200 because you are much better off buying the 16 Pro.
Want even more power? Read our iPhone 16 Pro Max review!
You get good battery life, a larger screen than the standard version, a superior chip and a more feature-packed camera system. In short, you get much better value for money and more future-proofing.
The iPhone 16 Plus simply doesn’t offer enough, namely a significantly longer battery life, to justify the costs. Either settle for the standard iPhone 16 or go Pro.
Cover image courtesy of Apple
