Apple iPhone 16 Plus Smartphone Review – Apple introduced its new iPhone 16 lineup with a grand event. Like the previous, it’s good to see a company is continuing the iPhone Plus phones tool. This year, the focus would be the integration of Apple Intelligence infusion, which was announced during the event. The new phone will provide a wide array of AI features, just like Google Pixel phones. Apart from this, the main events were the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max.
The iPhone 16 Plus has been confirmed to have a bigger screen size, but the battery capacity is still a mystery. During our review, we found some shocking facts about battery life. Still, there are tons of other things that we want to uncover about this new iPhone. In this review, we will cover every detail so that you can find flaws and positive points that fit your needs. That said, let’s dive into the primary highlights.
Table of Contents
Apple iPhone 16 Plus Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The phone equips a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel with FHD+ resolution and 2000 nits HBM.
- As for the software layering, you are getting the newest iOS 18 custom skin with additional AI features.
- Hardware configuration of the Bionic A18 chipset with 5-core Apple GPU brings flagship-level performance.
- A decent 48MP with a 12MP ultra-wide appears as a primary camera setup on this device with a 12MP selfie lens.
- iPhone 16 Plus comes with a massive Li-Ion battery that can refuel through the conventional wired and wireless charger.
Design and Display
The aerospace-grade aluminum frame is made of 85% recyclable material, and users can pick the Apple iPhone 16 Plus in more than five paint jobs. There are options available from White, Black, Ultramarine, Teal, and Pink. All of them look beautiful with solid colors and a glass back. It’s great the company invested in the front and back panels and offers corning-made glass. The overall appearance is pretty much identical to that of the previous generation phone except for the new color options.
Apart from this, the build quality isn’t that bad either, you are getting a curved and slim body phone. It roughly weighs 199 grams, which is considerably low. Furthermore, there aren’t any bezels either on the top or at the bottom. The side panel is grippy and slim, while the utility buttons are present on both sides. The best part is that the phone even offers IP68 certification that ensures decent resistance from dust and water.
The flat 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED brings an FHD+ resolution screen with a customizable dynamic island. As for the security measures, you are getting a biometric scanner near the selfie camera. As usual, the colors pop out from the screen, while the touch response is quite fluid with higher refresh rate support. Alongside this, the highest bringess level that the screen achieves is 2000 nits. Lastly, the phone is equipped with the new Ceramic Shield glass on the front display.
Memory and Internal
Under the hood, the Apple iPhone 16 Plus will be powered by the Apple A18 chipset, which is based on the 3-nm architectures. At the same time, it also brings complete support from the generative AI. All of those generative AI activities will appear from the 16-core neural engine. Furthermore, it also enhances mobile game performance as compared to the previous model. Similarly, the power consumption is less so the users can expect better screen time.
The CPU processing speed is improved further from the predecessor A17 Pro. It also improves the gaming experience. With the bigger battery size, the phone will support extensive gaming sessions. Alongside this, the iOS 18 will be preinstalled on this phone. Moreover, creative writing tools, photo editing, and advanced search for media will also be introduced in it. Besides, you can summarize your noticification, and emails, and even create a smart reply.
It gives you flexibility with Siri to automate some of your work, while there are endless possibilities for generating pictures and unique emojis. As for the overall UI experience, it’s pretty much identical to the previous version. In terms of the storage configuration, the device can be purchased from 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB NVMe space that is accompanied by 8GB RAM capacity. Even after the years, the company didn’t increase the RAM cap for the standard iPhone.
Camera
Finding flaws in the iPhone’s camera configuration is like finding a needle in a haystack. Even after dominating the image processing and picture quality for a decade, the company is still going strong. With the Apple iPhone 16 Plus, users can expect fabulous results regardless of lighting conditions. The beautiful image quality appears in almost every click, while the advanced HDR colors are noticeable.
In real-time usage, the phone produces impressive results from the sensor-shift OIS 48MP primary sensor. The main lens can adjust the focus from objects while managing the optical image stabilization. Furthermore, the 12MP ultra-wide lens. Lastly, the dynamic island offers a 12MP selfie and biometric sensor at the front display. In the camera control, the visual intelligence is also integrated, which helps users create AI art.
Following, the zoom controls can adjust the depth of field, fill exposure, and provide mesmerizing colors. As for video recording, the device can record up to 4K with Dolby Vision HDR support. Also, the wind noise detection has gradually decreased, while the ultra-wide lens can capture 2x better lowlight images.
Battery and Others
The Apple iPhone 16 Plus battery setup is expected to provide more screen time compared to the iPhone 16. During our usage, we found the phone works without any sweat for 6+ hours when it’s fully charged. During our usage, we run multiple games, stream videos, and run CPU throttling tests. Besides, the phone includes a USB Type-C charging port with 25W wireless charging through MagSafe. As for the wired charger, the phone can be refueled within an hour and a few minutes with a standard charger. Not to forget, the charger is not available in the box, you need to buy it separately.
The satellite connectivity not only works as an SOS feature, but it also lets users chat with friends and send audio messages in case of emergency. Although the features are currently limited to the US and Canada, it’s expected to be released for other countries soon. Last but not least, the start price of the iPhone 16 Plus would be $1070 (Rs 89,900 in India) approx in the United States. However, the price tag will vary from country to country.
Apple iPhone 16 Plus Pros and Cons
Apple iPhone 16 Plus Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Apple iPhone 16 Plus smartphone.
| Specifications | Apple iPhone 16 Plus |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | September 2024 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches |
| Weight | 199 g |
| Size | 6.7 inches |
| Display | Super Retina XDR OLED HDR10 Dolby Vision 1000-2000 nits brightness 19.5:9 ratio ~460 PPI density |
| Protection/Others | Ceramic Shield glass (2024 gen) IP68 dust/water resistant Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) |
| Resolution | 1290 x 2796 pixels |
| OS | iOS 18 |
| Chipset | 3nm – Apple A18 |
| CPU | Hexa-core |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Internal | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB NVMe |
| Camera | 48 MP (wide), dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP (120Ëšultrawide), dual pixel PDAF Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) Max 4K@24/25/30/60fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie | 12 MP (wide), PDAF SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec. Max – 4K@24/25/30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| Loudspeaker | Yes (stereo speakers) |
| 3.5mm jack | No |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, DisplayPort |
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip) Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite |
| Battery | Li-Ion Wired, PD2.0 25W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (China only) 15W wireless (Qi2) 4.5W reverse wired |
| Colors | Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine |
| Expected Price | $1070 (Rs 89,900 in India) approx |
Conclusion
The iPhone 16 Plus is a great device. Compared to its predecessor, it has received some fantastic new upgrades, such as a new design, faster chipset, Apple Intelligence, camera button, and more. These changes are designed to further elevate the user experience. However, these features new are also in the base iPhone 16 model and the iPhone 16 Plus didn’t receive anything more than that, which is a disappointment. Its display is still running on a 60Hz refresh rate, which is not acceptable for a device launching in 2024 at this price range.
Considering all these aspects of this smartphone, we can’t recommend the iPhone 16 Plus. We recommend that you look at an iPhone 16 Pro, which actually has a better refresh rate display, faster chipset, better camera experience, and more. However, the final decision is up to you, so it is better to choose a smartphone based on your needs and requirements.
