While we're still early in the iPhone 16 pre-order cycle — preorders began on September 13 — some delays that could impact how soon you get your new Apple phone are already emerging. Depending on which model you buy, your phone could arrive well past the September 20 release date Apple has set, with delivery dates slipping further into October as stock decreases.
We've collected the latest shipping data from Apple's website along with ship times posted by the three major U.S. wireless carriers. We looked at ship dates for each color across all four iPhone 16 models at their default storage sizes. (That's 256GB for the iPhone 16 Pro Max and 128GB for all others).
iPhone 16 delivery dates: Apple Store
| Model | Estimated U.S. delivery dates |
|---|---|
| iPhone 16 | September 20 (ultramarine, pink, white, black); October 1 - October 8 (teal |
| iPhone 16 Plus | September 20 (teal, pink, white, black); September 26 - October 1 (Teal); October 1 - October 8 (ultramarine) |
| iPhone 16 Pro | October 3 - October 8 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | October 8 - October 15 |
If you pre-order an iPhone 16 Pro from Apple, you'll need to wait for delivery at some point between October 3 and October 8.
If the iPhone 16 Pro Max is your desired phone, you're in for a longer wait across all four colors. Apple estimates a ship window of October 8 through October 15 for all 256GB iPhone 16 Pro Max variants.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are easier to get through Apple. Certain colors are scheduled to arrive on September 20, at least for now, while others are set for delivery sometime between September 26 and October 1, or October 1 and October 8. If you haven't pre-ordered yet, you'll want to do it soon so you don't get delayed shipping.
iPhone 16 delivery date: AT&T
| Model | Estimated U.S. delivery dates |
|---|---|
| iPhone 16 | September 20 |
| iPhone 16 Plus | September 20 (Teal, Black); September 24 - October 1 (White); October 1 - 15 (Ultramarine, Pink) |
| iPhone 16 Pro | October 1 - 15 (Desert Titanium, Natural Titanium); October 8 - 22 (Black Titanium, White Titanium) |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | October 8 - October 22 (Desert Titanium, Black Titanium, Natural Titanium); October 29 - November 12 (White Titanium) |
Over at AT&T, the pre-ordered Phone 16 Pro models are estimated to arrive between October 1 and October 15, except for the White Titanium model which arrives later.
iPhone 16 Pro Max orders at AT&T are coming a little later. Every color is delayed to at least October 8 to October 22, with the White Titanium model possibly making you wait until November 12.
Want an iPhone 16 model quickly from AT&T? All colors are set to arrive on September 20. iPhone 16 Plus pre-orders at AT&T are generally arriving a little later, with the Teal and Black due to arrive on September 20th, but the White expected to turn up from September 24 - October 1, and the Ultramarine and Pink delayed until October 1 - 15.
iPhone 16 delivery date: T-Mobile
| Model | Estimated U.S. delivery dates |
|---|---|
| iPhone 16 | September 20 |
| iPhone 16 Plus | September 20 (Black, Ultramarine, White); September 25 - October 1 (Pink), October 2 - 8 (Teal) |
| iPhone 16 Pro | September 20 (Desert Titanium, Black Titanium, Natural Titanium); September 25 - October 3 (White Titanium) |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | September 20 (Natural Titanium); September 25 - October 3 (Desert Titanium); October 4 - October 8 (Black Titanium); October 23 - November 6 (White Titanium) |
T-Mobile has the iPhone 16 Pro in stock and ready to ship for a September 20 arrival date in two of four colors. For those looking to preorder the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max from T-Mobile, it's set to arrive sometime between September 20 and November 6, depending on which color your pick.
Whether you preorder the iPhone 16 through T-Mobile, get an iPhone 16 Plus through T-Mobile, all models will ship on launch day a week from now, excluding Pink or Teal Plus models which will appear later.
iPhone 16 delivery date: Verizon
| Model | Estimated U.S. delivery dates |
|---|---|
| iPhone 16 | September 20 |
| iPhone 16 Plus | September 20; September 30 (Pink) |
| iPhone 16 Pro | September 20 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | October 4 (Natural Titanium); October 11 |
Verizon is doing well on iPhone 16 stock, with all color options of that phone getting delivered on September 20. That's also true of Verizon's iPhone 16 Plus pre-orders (excluding the Pink version) as well as iPhone 16 Pro models bought through the carrier.
Unfortunately, most of Verizon's iPhone 16 Pro Max orders have been delayed until October 11, so you'll have to wait a little longer if you want the top-of-the-line iPhone model in any color except Natural Titanium.
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