iPhone 16 Pre-Order Date & Time: What You Need to Know

Apple’s new iPhone isn’t official yet, but the 2024 iPhone models will go on sale later on this month. We’ve been getting a lot of questions about iPhone 16 pre-orders and we’ll answer as many as we can in this guide.

Apple’s finally confirmed the iPhone 16 event date yet. As expected, it will take place in September.

If you’ve followed an iPhone launch before, you know that new iPhones typically don’t go on sale immediately after the announcement.

Apple likes to put gaps between the announcement, the pre-order date, and the release date.

With that in mind, here’s what you need to know about iPhone 16 pre-orders as we push into September toward the company’s announcement.

iPhone 16 Pre-Order Date

Apple’s confirmed the iPhone 16 event and it will take place on Monday, September 9th.

This means iPhone 16 pre-orders for all models should begin on Friday, September 13th though a sketchy rumor suggests we may see pre-orders arrive on Thursday, September 12th.

Apple will release four iPhone 16 models: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. We expect them to share the same pre-order period.

Assuming the models arrive at the same time, you can expect the iPhone 16 pre-order period to stretch from September 12th/13th to September 20th. Apple typically keeps pre-orders open for a week.

There’s a good chance we see shipping delays impact pre-orders. If you have your heart set on a specific iPhone 16 variant, you may want to put in a pre-order ASAP.

iPhone 16 Pre-Order Time

That brings us to the iPhone 16 pre-order time. Apple hasn’t confirmed, it won’t until the event, but based on previous years, we have a good feeling we know when iPhone 16 pre-orders will start.

In recent years, Apple and its partners have opened up iPhone pre-orders at 5AM Pacific. That’s what we expect from the iPhone 16’s pre-order time as well.

If you live on the west coast of the United States, and you want to buy an iPhone 16 model the second pre-orders open up, be prepared to wake up early.

Of course, waking up early won’t guarantee the model you want, but it gives you the best chance.

Like the pre-order date, look for Apple to confirm the pre-order time in the U.S., and other regions, on September 9th.

Where to Buy the iPhone 16

Once iPhone 16 pre-orders start, you’ll be able to buy the device at a number of different places. From Apple, to your carrier, to retailers, there won’t be a shortage of options.

As we’ve noted many times in the past, the Apple Store app is often the quickest, and easiest, way to pre-order a new iPhone. The app is free to download and it lets you buy the iPhone the same way you would through Apple’s website.

You can expect the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max to be compatible with a wide range of carriers, so if you aren’t stuck with one, make sure you shop around before pre-orders begin.

iPhone 16 Price & Trade-Ins

There’s been some back and forth about the price of the iPhone 16. Nothing is confirmed, but we don’t expect a huge price jump from last year, if there’s even one at all.

Still, the iPhone 16 series won’t be cheap. Fortunately, there will be trade-in offers available when pre-orders begin. These will help you save money. In some cases, a lot of it.

U.S. carriers will likely offer big discounts to make the iPhone 16 series more attractive to their customers.

We don’t know how much they’ll offer, but if you own a newer device and plan to trade it in, make sure you keep it in pristine condition in the buildup to the iPhone 16 release.

This is how you’ll get the most money back.