iPhone 16 series sale starts tomorrow: Should you buy the new generation iPhones?

Apple unveiled the new-generation iPhones –– iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max –– on September 9. Now, almost two weeks later, the smartphones are set to go on sale in the Indian market, and globally. Starting tomorrow, September 20, the iPhone 16 series will be available for purchase at the two official Apple stores in India (in Mumbai and Delhi) and at other third-party retailers. The smartphones will also be available for purchase via the official Apple India website. Of course, the availability is subject to the stocks lasting. However, the real question here is not if the phones will be available to buy tomorrow, but if you should even buy the next-generation iPhones. Short answer: For sure. Long answer: Read on.
Unless you are someone who is already on the iPhone 15 Pro series, or if you are someone who is looking to buy a new Pro iPhone at a budget, the iPhone 16 series makes complete sense to buy. Especially if you are upgrading from the iPhone 14 or earlier, or if you’re thinking of entering the Apple ecosystem without a strict budget, the iPhone 16 series makes a compelling case to be your next device. The iPhone 16 series arguably brings significant improvements across design, performance, and camera capabilities. Let’s have a look at some of the upgrades that the iPhone 16 series sports:
Before we go into details about the hardware and software upgrades on the iPhone 16 series, let’s first look at the interesting pricing of the new iPhones in the Indian market this time. While other competing brands like Samsung and Google are increasing the prices of the phone every year, the starting price of the iPhone 16 series is the same as the iPhone 12’s four years ago –– it is priced starting at Rs 79,900. Cherry on the cake: The iPhone 16 Pro is priced Rs 15,000 lower than last year’s iPhone 15 Pro. The iPhone 16 Pro was launched at a starting price of Rs 1,19,900, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro was priced at Rs 1,34,900 for the base variant, at the time of launch last year. In fact, even now, the iPhone 15 Pro is priced more than the iPhone 16 Pro’s launch price. You can club these with several bank offers and trade-in offers, and get a sweet deal on the new phones.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models are crafted from aerospace-grade aluminium with new colour-infused back glass. It is available in ultramarine, teal, pink, white, and black. The design feels fresh and premium. The two screen sizes — 6.1-inch for the standard and 6.7-inch for the Plus — offer versatility depending on your needs. Both models feature a peak brightness of 2000 nits, and can dim down to a mere 1 nit for more comfortable viewing in dark settings.
Apple brings the much-talked-about Action Button from its previous Pro models to the standard iPhone 16 series. This button offers instant access to various functionalities, like taking voice memos, identifying songs, or launching a translation app. If you’re someone who loves customisation, the Action Button can be programmed with shortcuts or used for specific in-app functions, offering a seamless and personal touch to your smartphone experience.
One of the most significant upgrades in the iPhone 16 series is the introduction of the A18 chipset, a beast built on Apple’s second-generation 3nm technology. For those on an iPhone 14 or earlier, the performance leap is noticeable — Apple claims up to 30 per cent faster performance compared to the iPhone 15’s A17 chip. With improved efficiency and system memory bandwidth, this means faster app launches, better multitasking, and smoother overall usage. Whether you’re a power user or just someone who values a snappy interface, the A18 delivers.
If you’re still holding onto your iPhone 14, the camera upgrades alone might justify the switch. The iPhone 16 series boasts a new 48-megapixel main camera with a 2x telephoto zoom option and faster f/1.6 aperture for better low-light performance. The 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera is also enhanced, letting in 2.6 times more light for sharper, brighter photos. In essence, as Apple describes it, the iPhone 16 offers the versatility of four different camera lenses in one device –– also enabling Spatial Video and Photo capture for a more immersive experience.
The new Camera Control button allows users to adjust settings with simple touch gestures, making it easier to frame your shots and control essential functions like Zoom or Exposure without fumbling through menus. Whether you’re a casual photographer or an aspiring pro, these features will elevate your photography game.
Apple is also stepping up its AI game with Apple Intelligence, an AI-powered feature capable of understanding and generating languages, images, and more. This AI functionality is baked into everyday tasks, from summarising emails to prioritising notifications. Siri can even guide you step-by-step in real-time, and the new Visual Intelligence lets you point your camera at objects like menus or flyers to get quick information or add events to your calendar.
Apple hasn’t revealed specific battery sizes, but it promises the best battery life ever in the iPhone 16 Pro Max, thanks to optimisations in power management. For users who spend a lot of time on their devices, this means longer hours between charges, even when using power-hungry apps or features like 4K video recording or Spatial Audio capture.
For anyone using an iPhone 14 or older, the iPhone 16 is not just a worthy upgrade — it’s almost a no-brainer if you crave the latest tech. The jump in performance, camera quality, and customisability makes it a substantial improvement over previous models. And if you’re new to the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone 16 series offers the best of what Apple has to offer. If budget isn’t a major constraint, this is the perfect entry point into the latest Apple smartphones.