Is the iPhone 16 Still Worth It in 2026?

Key Points:

• The iPhone 16 is at least £100 cheaper than the iPhone 17 in 2026.
• You can find an iPhone 16 much cheaper on the used market.
• An iPhone 17e is the superior phone to the iPhone 16, and is available £100 cheaper again.

With the launch of the iPhone 17 in September 2025 as the new flagship, you'll no doubt be wondering whether the older iPhone 16 is still worth it. Both phones are fully equipped for one of Talkmobile's SIM Only plans, but there are some nuances to this answer that you need to know. Price, performance, and availability dictate the worth case for the previous-generation model. For the specific differences, our iPhone 16 vs iPhone 17 comparison goes in-depth, so we'll be analysing the iPhone 16 in more detail.

The iPhone 16 debuted in the UK on September 20, 2024, armed with the then-new A18 chip, a revised camera system, and a bigger, better battery than the previous model. It was available with an RRP of £799 for the 128GB model and £899 for the Plus variant with the same storage capacity. As the last stock option before the iPhone 17 brought over Pro-level features as standard, it's a less impressive, but easier to understand handset, and one that's now commonly available cheaper.

You can now buy the iPhone 16 directly from Apple for £699 with the iPhone 16 Plus available for £799. This is the same price tag that you'll find from trusted retailers, like John Lewis, Amazon, and Currys. This is, however, when purchased in a new SIM-free condition. As the iPhone 16 is nearing three-years-old, there's no shortage of substantially cheaper, secondhand offerings available from back market retailers, with rates for Grade A and Grade B condition handsets as low as £470 with a professional refurbishment through the likes of Amazon.

At face value, you're only really saving £100 (12%) when considering an iPhone 16 instead of an iPhone 17 at RRP. Given how much better a newer iPhone is for not much more money (better camera, bigger screen, larger capacity), the choice between both is cut and dry, but it's not necessarily as simple as that. That's because the iPhone 17e launched in March 2026 with an RRP of just £599, despite featuring a superior A19 chip, better battery life, and cheaper overall price. In other words, if you're looking at getting a cost-effective iPhone for less, you will be better served by an iPhone 17e than by buying the older iPhone 16 in 2026.

Then we need to consider the capacities of the iPhone 16 as stock, which is just 128GB for the cheapest at RRP. The iPhone 17e as standard, available £100 cheaper, features double the storage, so you're getting more for your money, paying less, and not compromising on an older handset.