The Apple iPhone 16 is the latest handset from smartphone giant – with the full range including the iPhone 16 Plus with a bigger screen, plus the 16 Pro and Pro Max with the most premium cameras. So what’s new to tempt you to upgrade?
Apple claims ‘a huge leap in battery life’, massively more powerful processers, and the toughest smartphone glass on the latest handsets, but the main upgrade is the launch of Apple Intelligence. This uses built-in AI technology to try to make your life easier when using your phone and increase its capabilities. The uses of the technology are widespread; Apple claims Siri will have improved understanding of your questions, and communication tools can summarise transcripts, create text from audio recordings and prioritise important notifications. The same technology can edit people out of your photos and create your own emojis.
However, Apple Intelligence won’t come to the UK iPhones until December 2024, and if you have an iPhone 15, you’ll get the features too.
The new Camera Control button is likely to be another popular upgrade. This is a subtle button on the side of the phone that launches different camera tools instantly depending on how you press it. This includes launching the camera app quickly, zooming in and out, and switching to video mode.
We round up the best deals for the handsets and contracts below, and find out whether considering the Apple iPhone 15 can save you money without compromising what’s important to you.
Check our guide to the best iPhone deals to see how much you could safe on a previous generation iPhone.
Best Apple iPhone 16 Sim-free deals
‘Average price’ or ‘lowest price’ are based on Which? market knowledge and information supplied by our partners. Average price and lowest price are checked for the six calendar months prior to publication. Not all retailers are included in our checks.
It’s rare to find a big discount on the newest Apple iPhones. However, most retailers are offering extras to tempt you to buy. For example, Currys are offering you an extra £50 if you trade in any eligible handset, and many retailers are offering three months of Apple Music or Apple TV+ for free when you purchase.
Last year, the Apple iPhone 15 dropped in price by about £50 six months or so after its release. If you can’t wait to see if the iPhone 16 drops in price though, we’ve covered the best current prices below.
- Average price £799
- Lowest price £799
See below for the most up-to date prices on this model. Click through to see if the retailers are offering any extras, such as discounts or free trials of Apple subscriptions, or trade-in offers.
Read our guide to the best mobile phones to see which models impressed when we put them through over 40 lab tests, or see the best and worst mobile providers.
Best iPhone 16 Plus Sim-free deals
The Apple iPhone 16 Plus is the same as the iPhone 16, but with a bigger 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display.
- Average price £899
- Lowest price £899
Check current handset-only prices below. Click through to see if the retailers are offering any extras, such as discounts or free trials of Apple subscriptions, or trade-in offers.
Best iPhone 16 Pro Sim-free deals
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro has a slightly bigger screen than the iPhone 16, but its the higher-specification cameras that you really pay for. This includes extra megapixels for sharper zoomed-in shots, and Apple’s most advanced 48Mp camera.
- Average price £999
- Lowest price £999
Here are the current handset-only prices at popular retailers. Click through to see if the retailers are offering any extras, such as discounts or free trials of Apple subscriptions, or trade-in offers.
Looking for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max? This pricey and most premium model seemed to be popular when pre-orders came out, and doesn’t seem to be readily available yet.
But you can pre-order it from retailers including John Lewis, Carphone Warehouse, or direct from Apple for delivery from mid-October 2024.
Best Apple iPhone 16 contract deals
There are hundreds of contract deals for the iPhone 16 and they change all the time. The key to getting a good deal is knowing how to work out the total cost to compare to other options. Use our phone contract calculator below to do that for deals you’re weighing up, and bear the following in mind before you take the plunge:
- Check the period over which you’ll pay off the handset. Many providers now offer 48-month repayment plans, which can make the monthly cost appear low but may not save you money in the long term.
- Find out how much the Sim price may rise after the first year, and remember you can switch the Sim part of the deal after the two years are up (see our ‘top pick’ Sim deals below).
- Watch out for up-front costs, and look out for other ways to save, such as trading in money for your old handset.
Compare contract deals on the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, and use our calculator to work out total cost.
Best Sim-only deals
Getting a Sim-only deal for your handset can be a great way to get a real bargain on your monthly data and calls allowance. Here’s our pick of some of the best low, medium and high-data deals.
Best low data Sim deal
Ideal for light users, there are a range of low-data deals available at rock-bottom prices from rival networks to the traditional ‘big four’. Here’s our current pick:
Best medium data Sim deal
If you need a bit more data each month, but still stick to wi-fi fairly often, you can still get a good price on Sim that will deliver.
Best high data Sim deal
For those who like streaming and browsing a lot away from wi-fi zones, a high-data Sim deal offers peace of mind that you won’t go over your allowance.
Not found one that’s quite right for you? Browse all the best Sim-only deals on Which? Mobile Switch.
Also consider: the iPhone 15
With the release of the iPhone 16, it looks like the iPhone 15 has dropped in price. It has many similar features including the Dynamic Island notch on-screen, high-resolution cameras, and importantly, it will get Apple Intelligence when it launches in the UK. You can read our full Apple iPhone 15 review, compare Apple iPhone 15 contract deals, or check prices below.
- Average price £696
- Lowest price £589
You can also browse the best iPhone deals to find more discounts on Apple handsets.
Why you can trust our mobile phone tests
We buy every mobile phone we test anonymously to make sure its the same product that you buy – and to keep our results impartial.
Our phones go through more than 40 different tests in lab conditions. Our camera testing is in-depth – from overall picture quality in daylight conditions, to evaluating colour accuracy, image stabilisation and quality of the optical zoom. We use a robotic arm to interact with the phone to measure its battery life through the day at different brightness settings, and test how long it takes to charge, and benchmark the speed of each phone’s processor to compare it to others on the market as well as putting it through daily tasks to make sure you don’t end up with a sluggish performance.
For your peace of mind, we also test if the phone is durable enough to survive getting caught in the rain or being dropped on hard surfaces. Read more about how we test mobile phones.
Love a bargain? Bookmark our guide to the best mobile phone and Sim-only deals to see our top picks each month.