This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, Digital Trends and Yahoo Inc. may earn a commission.
Apple has officially announced the iPhone 16, and now you can begin to make your iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max preorder plans. At the time of this writing, things are still shaping up and we’re still figuring out all of the details about where to preorder the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. However, you can already begin to plan your preorder on Apple’s page, which also gives up a glimpse at carrier-specific deals. Here, we’re focusing specifically on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, which are housed separately in the Apple store, but we’ve also covered iPhone 16 and iPhone Plus preorder deals. We’re going to look at how to plan your order via Apple and what we know about other retailers’ offers. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will officially release on September 20.
We found that getting the best deal from the Apple store was not entirely straightforward. Follow along with our guide for your best price.
When are iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max preorders available?
If you preorder though Apple, you can begin at 5 a.m. on the September 13, with other places sure to follow. However, you can go ahead and plan your preorder on the Apple store now, and that is what we recommend for most people that want to get in on the action quick. With the most exciting iPhone 16 gen AI features belonging to the Pro and Pro Max versions of the phone, it makes sense to worry about missing out from being too slow to tap the ‘Order’ button. But that could lead to errors when navigating the confusing order page, inputting your trade in phone, etc. Please note that some carrier-specific deals on the Apple store page say “Get ready on 9.11” instead of “Pre-order on 9.13” though it is not fully apparent what it means to get ready at this time.
As a result, we recommend plotting your purchase from Apple now, checking on what your final price will be. Then, reading on for other deals we know about from other carriers to compare. Finally, bookmark this page and come back Friday to double-check your methods and see the full lineup of offers that will, by that time, be more apparent.
Where are the best iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max preorder deals?
Presently, the only place we’re seeing iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max preorder deals is on Apple. Even there you are only able to plan your order.
However, just because the product isn’t listed with Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, or even on carrier sites like AT&T doesn’t mean it won’t be later. We’ve already, for example, got a sneak peek as to what AT&T will be offering. We expect more and more information between now and the Friday. One point to note, though, is that Apple already has carrier deals on its site, meaning it is still going to have most of the best iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max preorder deals on its site, ready for you to plan out.
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max — Apple preorder guide
If you aren’t in the mood for planning out everything today, you can bookmark the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max order page and see the basics on preorder deals all in one spot. At the top of the page (in the red rectangle in the image above) you’ll see a brief overview of all of the current offers. It’s worth noting, though, that there is some fine print and navigating through the store page isn’t a perfect experience. To see what we mean, tap the button below and follow along with our iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max ordering guide, where we’ll show you exactly what to click to get the lowest price.
PRE-ORDER NOW
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max carrier deals — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile
Getting and understanding the available carrier deals from Apple’s store is the trick to getting the best preorder deal on the phones. Unfortunately, the numbers and steps to get there are somewhat confusing. By the end of this section, however, you’ll know how to get an iPhone 16 Pro for as low as $0.00/month from your favorite carrier and get the best Apple Store deal on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
We’ll start by entering a phone into “Apple Trade In.” but ignore the price — it is wrong. When we go to get the best carrier deals, later, you’ll find that the trade in is worth more than stated. It makes planning frustrating, but at least it errs in your favor and they’re letting you get started early. Also note that Verizon makes planning easier, as they’re offering a flat rate on any trade in phone of any condition. So, if you’re going with Verizon everything will be a little easier to navigate.
If the supplied phone meets all of the conditions to be in “good condition” go ahead and tap “Yes” for the relevant box. Note, however, that you can still trade in a phone that is missing one of the conditions to be considered “good” by Apple. Just tap “No” and follow the on-screen questionnaire to the best of your ability. With this requirement out of the way, you’re now ready to find your best rate on an iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max via AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile.
Once you’ve input your trade-in phone, tap “Finance” under “Payment options.” and hit the “Carrier” button. You’ll get a screen that looks something like the image above. These financed deals on the phone offer the very best rates on the phone in exchange for committing to a carrier for two or three years.
On this screen you’ll get your carrier-specific pre-order offers from Apple. In orange, at the top of each offer, you’ll see the full amount you’re getting back in bill credits from the carrier. Then, just below the bolded text you’ll see a monthly price for the phone and how many months you’ll need to be with them. Remember, you’ll need to stay with the carrier for the full duration of the term, so you’ll still be paying for service even with a great deal. Note that the amount that you can expect to get back will change depending on the version of the phone and how much storage you are after.
At this time, you’ll want to do your planning to see how much you get back on each phone, with each carrier, at each storage amount until you find something that fits your budget and needs. You can quickly change to other version of the phone (and storage sizes) by scrolling up and choosing them. However, you’ll need to remember to tap the ‘Carrier’ button again when you scroll back down to properly compare the offers. While experimenting with the page, my entered phone sometimes deleted itself when switching between the Pro and Pro Max versions, but not always. This seems to be an error happening on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max page only, so be sure to check if your trade-in phone is still inputted if you see an odd price increase.
So, what’s the best pre-order deal you can get this way? For AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile you can get $999 in trade-in credit applied to the iPhone 16 Pro 128GB storage version when we traded in a “good” iPhone 15 Pro Max. This makes it $0.00/month with your phone plan purchase. All other versions of the iPhone 16 Pro and all of the iPhone 16 Pro Max storage versions required some additional payment for the phone.
PRE-ORDER NOW
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max deals — Boost Mobile
Don’t have a trade in phone? No problem — if you want to go with Boost Mobile. When you finance with Boost Mobile and connect on their Boost Mobile Infinite Access Plan for 36 months, you’ll receive $1,000 in Boost Mobile credits. That means that you can get the 128GB version of the iPhone 16 Pro for $0 additional dollars per month.
This is one of the best ways to get an iPhone 16 Pro preordered on the cheap if you don’t have a phone for trade-in.
PRE-ORDER NOW
AT&T’s iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max preorder deals
You can’t yet see AT&T’s iPhone 16 preorder deals in their shop. However, we do have a sneak peek as to what they’ll be. You can get the iPhone 16 Pro “On us” according to information circulating from AT&T, or at least so long as you have an eligible trade-in. If you want the iPhone 16 Pro Max you have two deals to look forward to from AT&T. The first gives you up to $1,000 off with an eligible trade in phone. Alternatively, if you’re a new AT&T Fiber internet customer you’ll be eligible to get the iPhone 16 Pro Max on them. Tap the button below to find AT&T’s iPhone selection, which will all of the iPhone 16 series when they become available for preorder sometime on the 13th.
PRE-ORDER NOW
