Predicting most specs of an upcoming iPhone is tricky until details start leaking, but predicting the release date is far easier, as Apple tends to stick to a pattern.
So, while there aren’t any real iPhone 16 release date leaks yet, we can take a good guess at when these phones – including the iPhone 16 itself, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max – are likely to launch.
Below then, you’ll find our predictions for the iPhone 16 announcement date, the date that 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 announces new iPhones in September, with the iPhone 15 series for example being unveiled on September 12 of 2023.
More specifically, the company tends to use either 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 3 or September 10.
However, sometimes Apple holds its events on a Wednesday instead, 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 did so before, such as with the iPhone 12 line which was announced in October of its release year.
But that seems unlikely, especially since as of May at least, iPhone 16 production was reportedly on schedule, so there would be no obvious reason for a delay. So for now the dates above are our best guesses, with September 3 or 10 being the most likely of all.
iPhone 16 pre-order date predictions
Apple typically opens pre-orders for its new phones on the Friday of the week they’re announced. So if the company announces the iPhone 16 line 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.
These predictions assume our announcement date predictions are right though. If Apple chooses a different day to announce the iPhone 16 then the pre-order date will probably differ too.
iPhone 16 shipping date predictions
Apple also follows a predictable pattern for the date when its new phones ship and go on general sale. This is typically a week after pre-orders open.
So if as predicted above the 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 the following Friday, September 20.
Again though, this assumes our pre-order date predictions are accurate, which in turn assumes our announcement date predictions are correct. So there’s a chance Apple could deviate from these dates.
Will all four expected iPhone 16 models land at the same time?
Based on past form we’d certainly expect all four models to be announced at the same time, and there’s a very high chance that they’ll all ship at the same time too.
The only reason they might not is if Apple is hit with production issues, as happened with the iPhone 12 series for example, where the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12 Pro Max didn’t ship until almost a month after the other models.
So far though there are no reports of any production issues with the iPhone 16 series, so we’re not currently anticipating any delays for any model.