iPhone 16 Plus is the most sensible iPhone for most people this year

The iPhone 16 series is here and as it has been the case for the last few years, there are again four phones: the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. And as it has been the case for the last few years, the most sensible iPhone for the most people in India this year is again the Plus model. You see, the iPhone 16 gets consumers almost all the functionality that the iPhone 16 Pro Max offers but at a significantly lower price.
No, this does not mean that the iPhone 16 Plus is the best iPhone. That would be the iPhone 16 Pro Max because of the top class features it offers. There are some features and hardware — most notably next-gen camera system — that are reserved only for the Pro variants. These features and hardware matter. But they also matter mostly to two types of users — those who know what these features are and how they are going to be useful to them. For example, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has this feature called Audio Mix with 4-way microphone array, which is incredible for content creators and filmmakers because they can shoot something even in noisy environments and get clean audio. And two, the Max matters to those who must blindly, faithfully and absolutely, have the best, not because they need it but because they need to show it.
For everyone else, and that means the majority of phone users, the iPhone 16 Plus is the better iPhone to buy this year. Particularly this year.
Why this year? Because apart from some “pro” features — extensive Audio Mix, a more colour-precise display, titanium frame etc — the major difference between the iPhone 16 Plus and the mighty Max is the camera system. Apart from one less lens, it doesn’t have the 5X telephoto, the iPhone 16 Plus is more or less similar to the iPhone 16 Pro phones. In fact, some people might even prefer it because of its lower weight of 200 grams, compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max which is going to tip 250 grams with a case.
In other words, the iPhone 16 Plus has a large screen which is vibrant and sharp enough. It has got a fantastic build quality, although no titanium as noted earlier. It has the same ceramic shields on rear and front that the Pro variants have. It has the same main camera. It has the same IP68 rating. Similar battery life. It has similar functionality for Apple Intelligence features, which are currently not available on the iPhone but should start coming from October with iOS 18.1. It even has the same Camera Control button and the Action Button.
Unlike last year, even the chipsets this time have a parity as all iPhones get new chipsets. The iPhone 16 Plus has A18 chipset, which lacks a few execution engines that the A18 Pro in the Pro phones has but in regular use — or rather under almost any use — would be as good as the Pro chipset.
Like noted earlier, there are a few things that the iPhone 16 Plus is missing compared to the Pro phones. But those are the things for which Apple is charging a premium that may not justify itself. For example, if you are going to use the phone in a case, do you really care that it has a titanium frame or a robust aluminium frame. Similarly, if you are not going to use a telephoto lens, or do not care much about teeny tiny softness in the photos taken with the ultra wide camera, do you really need to pay Rs 30,000 more for the Pro.
It is understandable that once you get close to Rs 1 lakh, like you would do if you are considering the iPhone 16 Plus at Rs 89,900, the price difference may not matter as much as it does in the mainstream phone segment. But do consider this: the main appeal of the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Max is their large screen. And if you don’t want the iPhone 16 Plus, you will need to move to the iPhone 16 Max, which means shelling out Rs 54,900 more.
That is a lot of money for features that you may not even use. Most people, we believe, are looking for a remarkable solid-day-to-day phone and not something specific that shoots ProRes video recording in 120FPS. And at day-to-day use, whether it is gaming or streaming a TV show or browsing Instagram or checking out a few open tabs in Safari, the iPhone 16 Plus would work out wonderfully well. And that makes it, in our opinion, the most sensible and value for money iPhone 16 series phone in India this year for most people.