iPhone 16 preorders are live: here’s where to buy Apple’s latest range of flagships

The time has finally come folks – Apple iPhone 16 preorders are officially available worldwide. After an initial announcement period, Apple and several other carriers have made these flagships available to buy and there are some great promotions available for those looking to upgrade. 

I’ve listed the main carriers for both the US and UK below and you’ll find information on everything you need to know before you lay down some cash. Overall, I’m not expecting iPhone 16 preorders to sell out but it’s worth picking up a device in the initial launch period versus later if you’re upgrading since the deals tend to be particularly good. 

Generally speaking, the preorder deals tend to be better than those over Black Friday. There are a few exceptions to this, however, which you can read about just down below.

Finally, if you’re looking for an in-depth overview of these devices, I’d recommend our hands-on iPhone 16 review, iPhone 16 Plus review, iPhone 16 Pro review, and iPhone 16 Pro Max review pages, all of which are being worked on as we speak.

Apple iPhone 16 preorders are now live

US

UK

When are iPhone 16 preorders being delivered?

The iPhone 16 series is officially released on September 20th, so that’s when you should receive your preorder if you buy one today. This is also when the iPhone 16 will be available to buy in-store if you’d prefer to simply head down to your local Apple Store to pick one up.

Is it worth preordering the iPhone 16?

Yes, but with one caveat. First up, the deals in the initial preorder period tend to be the best you’ll get at the major carriers outside of Black Friday. If you’re looking to pick up a device at AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile, then it’ll be worth securing a preorder to get the best possible value and a device sooner rather than later. This also applies to Apple, since we don’t expect the official store to budge on trade-in rebates of up to $650/£650 off anytime soon. 

You may want to wait, however, if you’re looking to pick up a device at one of the cheaper carriers in the US. Most of the prepaid carriers like Visible and Mint Mobile won’t be stocking the device until release, meaning you’ll have to wait a full week before you can pick one up. Visible has already confirmed that it will be offering $360 off all the latest devices, which is a great deal combined with the carrier’s super-cheap unlimited data plans (and no trade-ins are needed, either). 

What’s new with the iPhone 16?

• New A18 and A18 Pro chips
• Massive focus on new AI-integrated features
• 48MP “Fusion” camera
• Physical camera control function

Both the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro represent fairly substantial upgrades compared to the previous models. From the new A18 series chips built from the ground up for AI integration to the improved cameras, these devices offer plenty of enticing new features. 

First up, the A18 Series chipsets come with the debut of ‘Apple Intelligence’, which, as the name suggests, is a whole suite of new AI features across the entire range of existing Apple apps. Think ChatGPT-like language models for texts or emails, image and emoji generators, and a new ‘Visual Intelligence’ app that is just like Google Lens.

In terms of hardware, the iPhone 16 series not only features new chipsets but also an improved camera with a new physical camera control button that directly interacts with the camera app. Apple is calling the new 48MP main camera the ‘Fusion camera’ since it can seamlessly switch between high-resolution images and more storage-friendly images, plus Stereoscopic capture for Apple Vision Pro. 

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max feature slightly bigger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays with slimmer bezels versus their predecessors. The main upgrades for the Pro models this year include the option for 4K video at 120FPS (perfect for slow motion) as well as the usual 48MP wide angle lens and 5x telephoto (12MP and 2x on the standard iPhone 16).