Predicting most of the specs of an upcoming iPhone is tricky until the details start to leak, but predicting the release date is much easier, as Apple tends to stick to a pattern.
So while there aren’t any real iPhone 16 release date leaks yet, we can guess when these phones — including the iPhone 16 itself, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max — have likely to start.
Below, you’ll find our predictions for the iPhone 16 announcement date, when the iPhone 16 line will go up for pre-order, and when the phones will actually be available.
iPhone 16 announcement date predictions
Apple usually unveils new iPhones in September, with the iPhone 15 series for example set to be unveiled on September 12, 2023.
More specifically, the company tends to use the first or second week of September to make its announcement, and its preferred day is a Tuesday. So that makes the most likely announcement date this year either September 3rd or September 10th.
However, sometimes Apple holds its events on Wednesdays, so September 4 and 11 are also possible announcement dates.
Of course, it’s always possible that Apple will break with tradition this year. It has done this before, such as with the iPhone 12 line which was announced in October of the year of release.
But that seems unlikely, especially since at least as of May, iPhone 16 production was reportedly on schedule, so there would be no apparent reason for a delay. So for now the above dates are our best guesses, with September 3rd or 10th being the most likely of all.
iPhone 16 pre-order date predictions
Apple usually opens pre-orders for its new phones on the Friday of the week they are announced. So, if the company announces the iPhone 16 lineup on September 3 or 4, then pre-orders will probably open on September 6.
If on the other hand the phones are announced on September 10 or 11, then you can expect pre-orders to open on September 13.
However, these forecasts assume that our predictions of the announcement date are correct. If Apple chooses another day to announce the iPhone 16, then the pre-order date will probably change as well.
iPhone 16 shipping date predictions
Apple also follows a predictable pattern for when its new phones ship and go on general sale. This is usually one week after pre-orders open.
So, if as predicted above, pre-orders open on September 6, then the iPhone 16 will probably go on sale on Friday, September 13. If however pre-orders start on September 13, then the phones will likely ship next Friday, September. 20.
However, again, this assumes that our pre-order date predictions are correct, which in turn assumes that our announcement date predictions are correct. So there is a chance that Apple may deviate from these dates.
Will all four expected iPhone 16 models be released at the same time?
Based on past form, we certainly expect all four models to be announced at the same time, and there’s a very high chance they’ll all ship at the same time.
The only reason it might not be if Apple is hit with production issues, as happened with the iPhone 12 series for example, where the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max didn’t ship almost a month after the other models.
So far though there are no reports of any manufacturing issues with the iPhone 16 series, so we’re not currently anticipating any delays for any models.