Apple
Apple iPhone 16 Plus
The iPhone 16 Plus is Apple's large-screen entry in its 2024 iPhone 16 lineup, offering an expansive display and the A18 chip in a size that sits below the Pro models.
### Overview
The iPhone 16 Plus is a refined iteration in Apple's lineup, featuring a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with vibrant colors and a peak brightness of 2000 nits. It brings a large-screen experience without the added weight or cost of the Pro Max, and represents one of the closest experiences Apple has offered between its standard and premium tiers. Available in Pink among other bold colorways, it's a strong pick for media consumption and everyday power users who want big-screen iPhone performance at a non-Pro price.
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### Pros
- **Large, Vivid Display:** The 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display delivers a crisp, bright, and immersive experience that shines in most scenarios, from gaming to watching movies. The 2000-nit outdoor brightness means it holds up well in direct sunlight too. - **Outstanding Battery Life:** Users consistently praise battery endurance, with some reporting it lasts two days on light use — a meaningful advantage for travelers or heavy users who don't want to carry a charger everywhere. - **Pro-Level Performance Chip:** The 16 Plus shares the same 8GB of RAM, 5G support, Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence capability, and Camera Control button as the more expensive iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. You're not getting a watered-down processor. - **Bold Color Options Including Pink:** Five attractive, bold color options — Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, and Black — make this one of the more expressive iPhones Apple has offered, a genuine differentiator from the subdued titanium tones of the Pro line.
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### Cons
- **Stuck at 60Hz:** The display is a 60Hz panel — even phones like the Galaxy A55 midrange or the Pixel 8a at $499 have higher refresh rates. For a media-focused large-screen phone, this is a frustrating omission. - **No Telephoto Lens:** The thing most notably missing from the Pro line is the telephoto lens — a real limitation for anyone who shoots at distance or wants optical zoom beyond 2x. - **Awkward Camera Control Placement:** The placement of the Camera Control button is far from ideal, especially if you have medium to small hands, and especially on big models such as the iPhone 16 Plus. - **Value Squeeze from Both Sides:** The gap to the Pro devices has grown, and for $100 extra, you can get the Pro model, which comes with a ProMotion screen, a titanium frame, and one extra camera — making the Plus feel like a tough sell at full price.
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### Who It's For
If you're coming from an older iPhone and want a taste of new AI features, the Camera Control button, and solid power without paying the Pro Max price, the iPhone 16 Plus is a nice alternative. It's also well-suited to remote workers requiring long battery life and screen real estate for video calls and document editing, and budget-conscious upgraders from iPhone 12 or earlier. The Pink finish makes it especially appealing to buyers who want a phone that feels personal and expressive, not just functional.
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### Not Right For
Buyers who prioritize display smoothness or optical zoom photography — the 60Hz screen and dual-lens camera system will feel like a step back compared to Android flagships or Apple's own Pro models at a similar price point.
Key features
- Pink plus
- great for media
All the screen real estate of a Max-class iPhone without the Pro price tag.
What stands out
- Large display makes it well-suited for video, browsing, and reading
- Powered by Apple's A18 chip, bringing strong performance and Apple Intelligence support
- Battery life on the Plus form factor has historically been a standout, benefiting from the larger chassis
- Available in a range of finishes including Pink, which has proven popular
What to weigh
- Lacks the ProMotion 120Hz display found on the Pro and Pro Max models
- No telephoto camera, which limits optical zoom compared to the Pro lineup
- Larger footprint may be unwieldy for one-handed use
Great fit if
- Shoppers who prioritise screen size for media consumption and don't need Pro camera features
- Users upgrading from an older large-screen iPhone who want Apple Intelligence support
- Those who want a big-battery iPhone at a lower price than the Pro Max
Skip it if
- Anyone who relies on optical zoom or advanced camera hardware — the Pro models are the better fit
- Users who prefer a compact, one-hand-friendly phone
- Those who want a high-refresh-rate display for gaming or scrolling