The iPhone 16 can now be purchased, ahead of its availability on September 20. If you want to be one of the first to have Apple’s latest pocket computer – now with Camera Control! – you’ll want to preorder it. Some combinations of model, storage, and color tend to sell out and you could be waiting a while to get exactly what you want.
Pre-orders begin at 5am PT on Friday, September 13. That equates to 8am ET, 1pm British Standard Time, or noon UTC. Not sure what to buy? Check out of guide to iPhone 16 for more on the new features and differences between models.
Read: How to pre-order iPhone 16, Plus, Pro and Pro Max on Friday for more advice.
Pre-order directly from Apple
Apple is a perfectly fine place to buy your new iPhone. It’s one of the only places you can get an unlocked model, not tied to any particular carrier—this is especially useful if you get cellular service from something other than one of the big national carriers.
Apple does offer some trade-in deals with up to $650 off, though you’ll need to activate through one of the major carriers. There’s always fine print you should read and Apple’s deals aren’t always as good as going directly to the carriers themselves, but at least in the U.S., Apple’s “carrier-activated” deals more or less mirror what you get right from the carrier stores.
U.S.
U.K.
It will also be possible to buy the iPhone 16 from various other resellers. Read: Where to get the best iPhone 16 deals in the U.S. and Where to get the best iPhone 16 deals in the U.K.
In the U.S. try:
In the U.K. try:
Buy from a major carrier
The other place to preorder an iPhone 16 and be pretty sure you can get the model you want on September 20 is to buy direct from one of the major national carriers. Most of the deals for these carriers involve “free” phones or steep discounts offered as bill credits over several years and require you to pay off your iPhone gradually rather than all at once, and many require you to trade in a phone, open a new line, or both.
In the U.S. try:
AT&T: Up to $830 off iPhone 16 or $1,000 off iPhone 16 Pro, as bill credits over 36 months, you have to trade in an eligible phone, and you have to have a qualifying postpaid unlimited voice and data plan.
T-Mobile: Up to $830 off iPhone 16 or $1,000 off iPhone 16 Pro, as bill credits over 24 months, with Go5G Next or Go5G Business Next plan. Must trade in phone for iPhone 16 Pro offer.
Verizon: Get up to $1,000 off on if you have the Unlimited Ultimate plan, up to $830 off with the Unlimited Plus plan, and up to $415 off with the Unlimited Welcome plan. Must trade in a phone.
Boost: You can get a full year of FREE Boost Mobile wireless service when purchasing the iPhone 16 at full price with the $25/mo Unlimited plan, or apply the offer to the $50/mo Unlimited+ or $60/mo Unlimited Premium plans. Available to both new and existing customers, this offer has no trade-in or line requirement. Boost is also offering $1,000 off the iPhone 16 lineup with its $65/month Infinite Access plan, which includes unlimited 5G data, global roaming AND an upgrade to the latest iPhone every year. Boost Mobile customers who combine $1,000 off the iPhone 16 lineup with the Infinite Access plan and trade in an iPhone can receive up to $1,650 in credits or even get the iPhone 16 Pro Max for free.
In the U.K. try:
Mobiles.co.uk has the following deals on its website:
- iPhone 16, iD Mobile, 100GB, £29.99 per month*, £199 upfront, extra £50 with trade-in: here.
- iPhone 16 Plus, iD Mobile, 100GB, £29.99 per month*, £349 upfront, extra £50 with trade-in: here.
- iPhone 16 Pro, iD Mobile, 100GB data, £39.99 per month*, £169 upfront, extra £50 with trade-in: here.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max, iD Mobile, 100GB, £49.99 per month*, £199 upfront, extra £50 with trade-in: here
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld
Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.