iPhone 16 Lineup: Which Model is Right for You?

I’ll help you decide which one is right for you.
Avatar for Moses Johnson

by Moses Johnson

As you may have heard, this year, there are four incredible new iPhones, and they’re all built for Apple intelligence – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. These new iPhone 16 models have been redesigned, inside and out. From the colorful iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, to the titanium iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, i’m going to explain the differences between them.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus feature a new rear camera design, and come in white, black, teal, pink, and ultramarine.

iPhone 16 devices are shown in black, white, pink, teal, and ultramarine.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are made with titanium, and come in four finishes. White titanium, natural titanium, black titanium, and the new desert titanium.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max in black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium.

The entire iPhone 16 lineup was built for Apple intelligence, and it’s integrated throughout the iPhone experience, with privacy at the core.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus also feature a new camera control, a 48 megapixel fusion camera with 2x telephoto, and a new 12 megapixel ultrawide camera with macro. They come with the latest generation photographic styles, spatial photo and video, and new sound editing tools with audio mix. All powered by the new custom A18 chip, and they now feature action button, the latest ceramic shield, and a big boost in battery life.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus in ultramarine are shown side by side.  

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max take things even further, with the largest Pro displays and thinnest borders yet, at 6.3 and 6.9 inches. They run on the powerful new A18 Pro chip, and give you the best battery life ever on iPhone 16 Pro Max. Plus, they have a new 48 megapixel fusion camera with 4K 120 Dolby Vision for dramatic slo-mo, a 5x telephoto camera now on both models, a new 48 megapixel ultrawide camera, and four new studio quality microphones.

An up-close look at iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro.  

Which model is right for you?

These new iPhones have been redesigned, from the addition of the action button on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, to the largest pro displays yet on iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Every iPhone 16 comes with camera control, giving you a new way to interact with your camera, so it’s easier to take photos and adjust your controls.

Every iPhone 16 has been updated internally to give you better performance across the board and to make it easier to repair. And with features like water resistance and the latest Ceramic Shield, you can trust that it’s durable.

Every iPhone 16 model comes with Apple intelligence built in. This new personal intelligence is designed with privacy at its core, meaning your iPhone is aware of your personal data without collecting your personal data.

With Apple intelligence, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are helpful when it comes to things like writing, expressing yourself visually, and getting everyday things done with Siri. With Apple intelligence, you get writing tools that help you summarize, rewrite, and proofread. Plus, they can help you change your tone to sound more professional, concise, or friendly.

On iPhone 16 Pro, a user’s original email copy is shown being entered before the user asks Apple Intelligence-powered writing tools to make the copy more professional. iPhone 16 Pro displays the more professional version of the user’s original email copy created with Apple Intelligence.

Apple intelligence also helps you express yourself in other ways, by creating and sending your own custom genmoji and messages. Plus, Siri will understand your personal context, working across apps to help you get more done, like finding information in your photos. Siri also has richer language understanding, meaning you can speak to it more naturally and it will know what you’re talking about. Apple intelligence also extends the notifications with new, priority notifications, meaning your iPhone will surface what’s most important, and summarize it to help you see key details more quickly.

Five iPhone 16 devices are shown, featuring Apple Intelligence features such as Writing Tools, Siri, and Priority Notifications.

All the amazing features of iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro wouldn’t be possible without advancements in chip design. A18 and A18 Pro are two new custom designed chips that make everything about your iPhone faster and smoother. iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus come with a new neural engine and improve CPU and GPU performance. The new A18 chip is a two generation leap from last year’s A16 Bionic. You can see and feel the difference. And iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max run on the A18 Pro, which takes performance on iPhone to the next level. A18 Pro gives you speed and efficiency gains across the board. It handles new camera features, demanding apps, multitasking, and it even makes graphic intense mobile games look great with two times faster ray tracing. And with iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, you’ll feel that difference.

Camera control responds to your finger pressure with haptic feedback as you navigate through your camera settings. A click launches your camera instantly, while a light double press launches an all new clean preview UI where you can slide to switch between adjustable controls like depth of field, zoom, and cameras.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have a versatile main camera that lets you take 48 megapixel photos with great resolution. And it comes with a 2x optical quality telephoto for added flexibility. And there’s a new 12 megapixel ultrawide camera with macro.

Now all Pro models have the same seriously powerful cameras. A new 48 megapixel ultrawide camera, a 48 megapixel fusion camera, and a 5x telephoto. iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro also come with the latest generation of photographic styles, allowing you a new level of customization when it comes to setting the tones and overall vibe of your photos with multiple new looks.

A close-up of the cameras on the back of iPhone 16 Pro.

The entire iPhone 16 lineup comes with powerful new features and camera control, giving you more creative flexibility over your photos. But photos are just the beginning. This year Pro video is stepping its game up.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max have a new 48 megapixel main camera with a second generation quad pixel sensor that enables 4K 120 and Dolby Vision, giving you even more creative flexibility and incredible slow motion. It adds a stunning cinematic quality to your films, no matter how awkward or ungraceful your subject.

iPhone 16 Pro can process more video data more quickly than ever before, thanks to A18 Pro and the new image signal processor that’s two times faster than iPhone 15 Pro. This all comes together to unlock beautiful slow-mo effects. And now, you can change your frame rate after the fact.

All new iPhones come with audio mix, which lets you remove background noise in your videos and focus on voice using the intensity slider, basically making it sound like you’re recording in a sound booth.

It’s easy to upgrade or switch to iPhone. Trading can be done with Apple in-store or online right from your phone, with options for in-store pickup or fast delivery. And if you’d like to visit Apple at an Apple store, you can get a closer look at the iPhone 16 lineup and Apple staff will help you figure out the best option, whether you’re financing or trading in your old phone for credit towards your new one. Once you have your new iPhone, Apple staff will even help you set it up. And you can enjoy extra peace of mind when you add AppleCare Plus.

That’s the exciting news about iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. With their huge design updates, massive leaps in performance and powerful new camera features, there’s sure to be an iPhone that’s right for you.

We hope this article has helped you find the right iPhone 16 model.

Avatar for Moses Johnson

Author: Moses Johnson

Moses is the Editorial Director of iGeekCentral and has been writing about Apple for over 10 years. Formerly a magazine journalist, his work has appeared in over 20 newsstand print publications and online brands covering a range of topics, from the latest trends in technology to the mysteries of ancient history. He continues to run iGeekCentral, and provides editorial oversight as well as business direction.

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