The iPhone 16 series is finally official. Apple introduced the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max on Monday, confirming almost all the rumors that floated online in the past few months.
Apple also confirmed the big divide that’s coming to the iPhone experience. Starting with the iPhone 16 series, we’re going to have two types of iPhones: The ones that run Apple Intelligence out of the box and the ones that will only get the non-AI features in iOS 18.
That marks the first year when buying an iPhone in September isn’t as easy as it used to be. If you like generative AI apps and features, you will have to buy an iPhone 16 flavor from Apple or search for an iPhone 15 Pro model from other retailers.
Everything else in Apple’s lineup, even the more affordable iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models that Apple will sell for another year, will not be able to run any Apple Intelligence features. The old phones might be $100 cheaper than before, but they’ll never get Apple Intelligence.
I’ll also point out the oddity of the iPhone SE 3 now. It still costs $429, but it’s a phone that doesn’t deserve a place in Apple’s late 2024 iPhone lineup. It’s too old to be here, but Apple will keep selling it until it can replace it with the iPhone SE 4.
To AI or not to AI, this is the big iPhone question
At the end of the iPhone 16 event, Apple announced which handsets will be discontinued. As you can see in the following slide, the iPhone 13 is officially gone from Apple’s September 2024 lineup.
As is customary, last year’s Pro models are also gone. That’s the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, the only old iPhones that can run Apple Intelligence.
What you’re left with are four generations of extremely capable phones. I’m not including the iPhone SE 3 in the list. From iPhone 14 to iPhone 16 Pro Max, all of them come in two sizes and are available in three storage tiers. The iPhone 16 Pro actually has four storage options.
The only problem is that they won’t deliver the same iPhone experience once Apple starts rolling out its AI apps.
If you’re shopping for a new iPhone, you’ll need to decide whether you want to be in the Apple Intelligence camp or the non-AI camp.
Going for an iPhone 16 model means you’ll use Apple Intelligence as soon as Apple starts rolling out the features. The rollout will be staggered, beginning this October.
Pick an iPhone SE 3, iPhone 14, or iPhone 15, and you will get a great iOS 18 experience. Apple added many exciting features to the new operating system, and iOS 18 should work fine on either phone. But you won’t get Apple Intelligence now or later down the road.
It’s very unlikely that Apple Intelligence features in iOS 19 will be compatible with these old handsets. They lack the power to deliver on-device private AI experiences.
How much does a new iPhone cost?
The good news in all of this is that Apple kept the iPhone prices unchanged. The iPhone 16 phones have the same pricing structure as the iPhone 15 series. As you’ll see below, the older phones all got $100 cheaper than last year.
Therefore, you’ll get plenty of price points to choose from. It starts at $429 for the 64GB iPhone SE 3 and goes all the way up to $1,599 for the 1TB iPhone 16 Pro Max.
You’ll find confusing price points along the way, where you’ll have to decide between iPhone generation and storage, just like in previous years. But, and I’ll keep repeating it, this time it’s different. You’ll first have to decide whether you want to use AI for the foreseeable future.
Finally, remember that Apple offers a $30 discount on all non-Pro, non-SE iPhones it sells. Below are the real prices for all iPhone models.
For example, the iPhone 16 starts at $799, which includes the $30 discount. If you select your carrier during purchase, you get that price. Otherwise, you pay $829 for the handset.
The same applies to all storage tiers and older non-Pro, non-SE models. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone SE 3 don’t get the same $30 discount.
iPhone SE
- 64GB iPhone SE: $429
- 128GB iPhone SE: $479
- 256GB iPhone SE: $579
iPhone 14
- 128GB iPhone 14: $629
- 256GB iPhone 14: $729
- 512GB iPhone 14: $929
iPhone 14 Plus
- 128GB iPhone 14 Plus: $729
- 256GB iPhone 14 Plus: $829
- 512GB iPhone 14 Plus: $1,029
iPhone 15
- 128GB iPhone 15: $729
- 256GB iPhone 15: $829
- 512GB iPhone 15: $1,029
iPhone 15 Plus
- 128GB iPhone 15 Plus: $829
- 256GB iPhone 15 Plus: $929
- 512GB iPhone 15 Plus: $1,129
iPhone 16
- 128GB iPhone 16: $829
- 256GB iPhone 16: $929
- 512GB iPhone 16: $1,129
iPhone 16 Plus
- 128GB iPhone 16 Plus: $929
- 256GB iPhone 16 Plus: $1,029
- 512GB iPhone 16 Plus: $1,229
iPhone 16 Pro
- 128GB iPhone 16 Pro: $999
- 256GB iPhone 16 Pro: $1,099
- 512GB iPhone 16 Pro: $1,299
- 1TB iPhone 16 Pro: $1,499
iPhone 16 Pro Max
- 256GB iPhone 16 Pro Max: $1,199
- 512GB iPhone 16 Pro Max: $1,399
- 1TB iPhone 16 Pro Max: $1,599
Quick price comparison
The following list gives you a better look at Apple’s current price points across its late 2024 iPhone lineup. The prices are in ascending order, giving you an idea of what sort of iPhone you can buy for a specific budget.
As I said before, you’ll want to pay attention to Apple Intelligence before making your choice. After that, you’ll want to decide how much storage you want from your iPhone and how old it should be.
Of note, I’ve listed all of Apple’s new iPhone 16 models in bold.
$429: 64GB iPhone SE
$479: 128GB iPhone SE
$579: 256GB iPhone SE
$629: 128GB iPhone 14
$729: 256GB iPhone 14, 128GB iPhone 14 Plus, 128GB iPhone 15
$829: 256GB iPhone 14 Plus, 256GB iPhone 15, 128GB iPhone 15 Plus, 128GB iPhone 16
$929: 512GB iPhone 14, 256GB iPhone 15 Plus, 256 GB iPhone 16, 128GB iPhone 16 Plus
$999: 128GB iPhone 16 Pro
$1,029: 512GB iPhone 14 Plus, 512GB iPhone 15, 256GB iPhone 16 Plus
$1,099: 256GB iPhone 16 Pro
$1,129: 512GB iPhone 15 Plus, 512GB iPhone 16
$1,199: 256GB iPhone 16 Pro Max
$1,229: 512GB iPhone 16 Plus
$1,299: 512GB iPhone 16 Pro
$1,399: 512GB iPhone 16 Pro Max
$1,499: 1TB iPhone 16 Pro
$1,599: 1TB iPhone 16 Pro Max
