diff --git a/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/build-config.ts b/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/build-config.ts
index c950ab2c894b..1b213e76d805 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/build-config.ts
+++ b/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/build-config.ts
@@ -11,11 +11,6 @@ const config: BuildEntries = {
         exportEntries: ['./preview'],
         entryPoint: './src/preview.tsx',
       },
-      {
-        exportEntries: ['./config/preview'],
-        entryPoint: './src/config/preview.ts',
-        dts: false,
-      },
       {
         exportEntries: ['./cache.mock'],
         entryPoint: './src/export-mocks/cache/index.ts',
diff --git a/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/package.json b/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/package.json
index ab32c2131d86..6a8d2a07a776 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/package.json
+++ b/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/package.json
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@
       "types": "./dist/export-mocks/cache/index.d.ts",
       "default": "./dist/export-mocks/cache/index.js"
     },
-    "./config/preview": "./dist/config/preview.js",
     "./headers.mock": {
       "types": "./dist/export-mocks/headers/index.d.ts",
       "default": "./dist/export-mocks/headers/index.js"
@@ -89,7 +88,6 @@
     "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
     "next": "^15.2.3",
     "postcss-load-config": "^6.0.1",
-    "semver": "^7.3.5",
     "typescript": "^5.8.3"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
diff --git a/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/preset.ts b/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/preset.ts
index b34294dd7977..eb02256953ee 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/preset.ts
+++ b/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/preset.ts
@@ -11,10 +11,8 @@ import type { StorybookConfigVite } from '@storybook/builder-vite';
 import { viteFinal as reactViteFinal } from '@storybook/react-vite/preset';
 
 import postCssLoadConfig from 'postcss-load-config';
-import semver from 'semver';
 
 import type { FrameworkOptions } from './types';
-import { getNextjsVersion } from './utils';
 
 const require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
 
@@ -37,20 +35,8 @@ export const core: PresetProperty<'core'> = async (config, options) => {
 };
 
 export const previewAnnotations: PresetProperty<'previewAnnotations'> = (entry = []) => {
-  const annotations = [
-    ...entry,
-    fileURLToPath(import.meta.resolve('@storybook/nextjs-vite/preview')),
-  ];
-
-  const nextjsVersion = getNextjsVersion();
-  const isNext16orNewer = semver.gte(nextjsVersion, '16.0.0');
-
-  // TODO: Remove this once we only support Next.js v16 and above
-  if (!isNext16orNewer) {
-    annotations.push(fileURLToPath(import.meta.resolve('@storybook/nextjs-vite/config/preview')));
-  }
-
-  return annotations;
+  const result = [...entry, fileURLToPath(import.meta.resolve('@storybook/nextjs-vite/preview'))];
+  return result;
 };
 
 export const optimizeViteDeps = [
diff --git a/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/preview.tsx b/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/preview.tsx
index 6be65e13db4a..e5eeaeb53672 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/preview.tsx
+++ b/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/preview.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import type * as React from 'react';
 
 import type { Addon_DecoratorFunction, LoaderFunction } from 'storybook/internal/types';
 
-import type { ReactRenderer } from '@storybook/react';
+import type { ReactRenderer, StoryFn } from '@storybook/react';
 
 // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/ban-ts-comment
 // @ts-ignore we must ignore types here as during compilation they are not generated yet
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { createRouter } from '@storybook/nextjs-vite/router.mock';
 
 import { isNextRouterError } from 'next/dist/client/components/is-next-router-error';
 
+import './config/preview';
 import { HeadManagerDecorator } from './head-manager/decorator';
 import { ImageDecorator } from './images/decorator';
 import { RouterDecorator } from './routing/decorator';
diff --git a/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/utils.ts b/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/utils.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 5a02840b80b6..000000000000
--- a/code/frameworks/nextjs-vite/src/utils.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
-import { join } from 'node:path';
-
-import { resolvePackageDir } from '../../../core/src/shared/utils/module';
-
-export const getNextjsVersion = (): string =>
-  JSON.parse(readFileSync(join(resolvePackageDir('next'), 'package.json'), 'utf8')).version;
diff --git a/code/frameworks/nextjs/build-config.ts b/code/frameworks/nextjs/build-config.ts
index e7c8f55e43c4..85accd9abcae 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/nextjs/build-config.ts
+++ b/code/frameworks/nextjs/build-config.ts
@@ -11,11 +11,6 @@ const config: BuildEntries = {
         exportEntries: ['./preview'],
         entryPoint: './src/preview.tsx',
       },
-      {
-        exportEntries: ['./config/preview'],
-        entryPoint: './src/config/preview.ts',
-        dts: false,
-      },
       {
         exportEntries: ['./cache.mock'],
         entryPoint: './src/export-mocks/cache/index.ts',
diff --git a/code/frameworks/nextjs/package.json b/code/frameworks/nextjs/package.json
index 1ef54af00623..2396c7ba80fe 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/nextjs/package.json
+++ b/code/frameworks/nextjs/package.json
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@
       "default": "./dist/export-mocks/cache/index.js"
     },
     "./compatibility/draft-mode.compat": "./dist/compatibility/draft-mode.compat.js",
-    "./config/preview": "./dist/config/preview.js",
     "./export-mocks": "./dist/export-mocks/index.js",
     "./headers.mock": {
       "types": "./dist/export-mocks/headers/index.d.ts",
diff --git a/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/config/webpack.ts b/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/config/webpack.ts
index 369f885557bc..fc5a73678606 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/config/webpack.ts
+++ b/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/config/webpack.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,9 @@
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 
 import type { NextConfig } from 'next';
-import semver from 'semver';
 import type { Configuration as WebpackConfig } from 'webpack';
 
-import { addScopedAlias, getNextjsVersion, resolveNextConfig } from '../utils';
-
-const nextjsVersion = getNextjsVersion();
-const isNext16orNewer = semver.gte(nextjsVersion, '16.0.0');
+import { addScopedAlias, resolveNextConfig } from '../utils';
 
 const tryResolve = (path: string) => {
   try {
@@ -26,10 +22,7 @@ export const configureConfig = async ({
 }): Promise<NextConfig> => {
   const nextConfig = await resolveNextConfig({ nextConfigPath });
 
-  // TODO: Remove this once we only support Next.js 16 and above
-  if (!isNext16orNewer) {
-    addScopedAlias(baseConfig, 'next/config');
-  }
+  addScopedAlias(baseConfig, 'next/config');
 
   // @ts-expect-error We know that alias is an object
   if (baseConfig.resolve?.alias?.['react-dom']) {
@@ -65,17 +58,14 @@ const setupRuntimeConfig = async (
   baseConfig: WebpackConfig,
   nextConfig: NextConfig
 ): Promise<void> => {
-  const definePluginConfig: Record<string, any> = {};
-
-  // TODO: Remove this once we only support Next.js 16 and above
-  if (!isNext16orNewer) {
+  const definePluginConfig: Record<string, any> = {
     // this mimics what nextjs does client side
     // https://github.com/vercel/next.js/blob/57702cb2a9a9dba4b552e0007c16449cf36cfb44/packages/next/client/index.tsx#L101
-    definePluginConfig['process.env.__NEXT_RUNTIME_CONFIG'] = JSON.stringify({
+    'process.env.__NEXT_RUNTIME_CONFIG': JSON.stringify({
       serverRuntimeConfig: {},
       publicRuntimeConfig: nextConfig.publicRuntimeConfig,
-    });
-  }
+    }),
+  };
 
   const newNextLinkBehavior = (nextConfig.experimental as any)?.newNextLinkBehavior;
 
diff --git a/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/preset.ts b/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/preset.ts
index 27b5c5ed1a18..6acb68e17e18 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/preset.ts
+++ b/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/preset.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import nextBabelPreset from './babel/preset';
 import { configureConfig } from './config/webpack';
 import TransformFontImports from './font/babel';
 import type { FrameworkOptions, StorybookConfig } from './types';
-import { getNextjsVersion } from './utils';
 
 export const addons: PresetProperty<'addons'> = [
   fileURLToPath(import.meta.resolve('@storybook/preset-react-webpack')),
@@ -49,17 +48,8 @@ export const core: PresetProperty<'core'> = async (config, options) => {
 };
 
 export const previewAnnotations: PresetProperty<'previewAnnotations'> = (entry = []) => {
-  const annotations = [...entry, fileURLToPath(import.meta.resolve('@storybook/nextjs/preview'))];
-
-  const nextjsVersion = getNextjsVersion();
-  const isNext16orNewer = semver.gte(nextjsVersion, '16.0.0');
-
-  // TODO: Remove this once we only support Next.js v16 and above
-  if (!isNext16orNewer) {
-    annotations.push(fileURLToPath(import.meta.resolve('@storybook/nextjs/config/preview')));
-  }
-
-  return annotations;
+  const result = [...entry, fileURLToPath(import.meta.resolve('@storybook/nextjs/preview'))];
+  return result;
 };
 
 export const babel: PresetProperty<'babel'> = async (baseConfig: TransformOptions) => {
diff --git a/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/preview.tsx b/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/preview.tsx
index b13dfd70ba53..9c204f4dce32 100644
--- a/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/preview.tsx
+++ b/code/frameworks/nextjs/src/preview.tsx
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { createRouter } from '@storybook/nextjs/router.mock';
 
 import { isNextRouterError } from 'next/dist/client/components/is-next-router-error';
 
+import './config/preview';
 import { HeadManagerDecorator } from './head-manager/decorator';
 import { ImageDecorator } from './images/decorator';
 import { RouterDecorator } from './routing/decorator';
diff --git a/code/yarn.lock b/code/yarn.lock
index 570f12def78e..882fc3cde4de 100644
--- a/code/yarn.lock
+++ b/code/yarn.lock
@@ -6566,7 +6566,6 @@ __metadata:
     "@types/node": "npm:^22.0.0"
     next: "npm:^15.2.3"
     postcss-load-config: "npm:^6.0.1"
-    semver: "npm:^7.3.5"
     styled-jsx: "npm:5.1.6"
     typescript: "npm:^5.8.3"
     vite-plugin-storybook-nextjs: "npm:^2.0.7"