SpecEagle review · Apple

iPhone 16 Plus review: A big screen and big battery without the Pro price.

SpecEagle Editorial·Sep 2024·$899
Overall
85/100
Class rank
#2 of 50
Tier
Premium
Buy?
Yes
The verdict, up front

The big-battery iPhone for people who will not pay Pro money.

The iPhone 16 Plus pairs the longest battery life in the standard line with the fast A18 chip. The same 60 Hz screen that holds back the iPhone 16 is its one real weakness here too.

01Display

80/100

80/100 trails the 84-point cohort average for premium phones of 2024.

TypeSuper Retina XDR OLED, 60 Hz
Size6.7 inches
Resolution2,796 × 1,290 px (460 ppi)
Peak brightness2,000 nits HBM
ProtectionCeramic Shield

02Camera

86/100

At 86/100 this is one of the strongest camera showings among premium phones of 2024 — 8 points above the cohort average.

Main48 MP, f/1.6, sensor-shift OIS
Ultrawide12 MP, f/2.2, macro
Selfie12 MP, f/1.9
Video4K @ 60 fps · Dolby Vision
FeaturesCamera Control button · Photographic Styles

03Performance

92/100

At 92/100 this is one of the strongest performance showings among premium phones of 2024 — 11 points above the cohort average.

ChipsetApple A18 (3 nm)
CPU6-core
GPUApple 5-core GPU
RAM8 GB
Storage128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB

04Battery

89/100

89/100 puts it above the 84-point average for premium phones of 2024.

Capacity4,674 mAh
Wired~27 W USB-C PD
Wireless25 W MagSafe

05Build

88/100

At 88/100 this is one of the strongest build showings among premium phones of 2024 — 6 points above the cohort average.

06Value

84/100

84/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2024.

What works
  • Largest battery in the non-Pro iPhone line — excellent endurance.
  • A18 chip keeps it fast and Apple-Intelligence-ready for years.
  • Big, bright 6.7" display for media.
  • Cheaper than a Pro Max by $300.
What doesn't
  • 60 Hz display at $899 is hard to defend.
  • No telephoto lens.
  • USB-C limited to USB 2.0 speeds.
  • Charging slower than Android rivals.
Cross-shop it against
Xiaomi 14T Pro
€799 · score 84/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 50-phone cohort of premium devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .