TechRadar Verdict
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is bigger and more powerful than ever.
Power and battery life both get a boost to make this the big-screen smartphone of your dreams.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Two-minute review
I get the frustration.
Still a Super Retina XDR OLED
First, this iPhone is bigger.
The titanium body is slightly larger, and six grams heavier, than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The screen is a hair’s breadth away from seven inches.
Camera Control says hello
The other major difference is a new button on the right side, below the power/sleep/Siri button.
Apple would prefer that we do not call it a button though it is, in part, one.
It even includes gesture recognition.
On the inside of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a faster and more efficient A18 Pro.
If there was ever a pocket supercomputer, the iPhone 16 Pro Max might just be it.
The 5x optical zoom is mostly unchanged, as is the 12MP True Depth selfie camera.
The differences between the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, however, are more subtle this year.
The 5x tetraprism lens is now on both phones.
Perhaps the only other notable difference is that the iPhone 16 Pro inexplicably starts with only 128GB of storage.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
In short, I love the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
It’s big, powerful, and up for anything.
Yes, I was playing a console-level game on it using an Xbox controller because I can.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I feel similarly about the Camera Control button.
In the meantime, the Action button might sit unused until Apple eventually shows it the door.
Apple also made a point at this year’siPhone 16 launchevent of talking about some big trade-in deals.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I still prefer the black.
In some ways, that’s true.
The 16 Pro Max is 163mm x 77.6mm x 8.25mm and weighs 227 grams.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
That’s six grams heavier, 3.1mm taller, and 0.9mm wider than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
There’s also a speaker slot along the very top edge of the display.
The materials and build quality are once again excellent.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Will it add ‘Duper’ to it, so it becomes ‘Super-Duper Retina XDR’ display?
There are more pixels than last year.
That’s more pixels, but not a higher density.
Getting wet is not a problem for the IP68-rated iPhone 16 Pro Max
It houses Face ID, depth sensors, and a 12MP TrueDepth camera.
The camera takes excellent selfies, and is my go-to for biometric unlocking.
While the display’s core specs haven’t changed, they’re worth touting.
Speaking of which, everything I did on the iPhone 16 Pro Max looked fantastic.
It’s a situation of “Who moved my cheese?”
as many of your core features may have shifted or been replaced.
The iPhone 15 Prom Max is on the left. Notice the slimmer bezel on the iPhone 16 Pro Max (right).
Apple seems a bit obsessed with summarization.
Impressive, though I worry that such a boil-down might leave out important nuances.
Now you have an easy-to-access app to manage a sometimes confusing password and security world.
The dynamic Island also houses the TrueDepth camera.
One of my favorite new iOS 18 features is Math Notes.
It’s a smart bit of machine learning.
The most visible and noticeable is Siri.
Siri has a whole new look in iOS 18 (when Apple Intelligence arrives). The entire display lights and waves with each query.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Siri really seems more alive than ever.
This, though, might be the most exciting part of the update.
Nor are app insights that might help dig into applications to enable features and actions.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
It’s generally better at maintaining the context of a conversation than before.
I asked where I was, and it brought up a map with my location.
Siri instantly brought up a list of local restaurants.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I then asked, “What if I needed a place to stay tonight?”
This last question seemed to trigger something in Siri because it responded by asking if I needed emergency services.
To double-check I asked the question again and got the same answer.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
At least Siri has my best interests at heart.
One other nice Siri update is the surreptitious “Text to Siri”.
It’s a nice, discreet way of getting the answer or help you need.
Clean Up did a very good job of removing all those cars.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
There are, though, millions who feel otherwise and may find these tools helpful.
Photos is where Apple Intelligence shines.
The new Clean Up option in Edit is effective at removing unwanted objects from photos.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I wanted to keep them, so I chose an object I wanted to remove drawing over it.
Precision is not a necessity; I drew over parts of it and Clean Up identified the complete object.
I used clean-up to remove them one by one.
The camera array looks unchanged but we’ve got faster sensors and more megapixels.
It did a good job.
In all Apple Intelligence shows early promise but, comparedGoogleGemini and Galaxy AI, it seems a bit limited.
There’s no AI image generation, not even the promised Genmojis.
Astrophotography continues to improve.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
And the autofocus is now enhanced with dual autofocus sensors.
More on that in a bit.
The 12MP 5x optical zoom is essentially unchanged from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Last year’s Pro model was stuck with just a 3x optical zoom camera.
Similarly unchanged is the 12MP FaceTime camera on the front.
Apple has also made some impressive updates in the video and audio arenas.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
That’s not exactly what Apple meant.
When I turned on the In-frame mix, my voice was reduced to a background whisper.
If you’ve been keeping count, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has four cameras.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I also shot it with the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro.
What I found is that all were good at freezing the rotating fan blades.
If I upped the camera capture quality to 48MP raw, that introduced some motion.
It’s fun to step down through the various slow-motion modes. Each can make your video look like an action movie.
I had better luck with a series of photos of pigeons on a New York City art installation.
Apple’s baseline photography across all these cameras is excellent.
There’s a sharpness and color fidelity that will be the envy of most competitors.
Audio Mix is one of better updates. Studio could be a podcaster’s lifesaver.
Low-light performance is excellent.
Apple is also upping its game on the image style front.
You could use these as one-offs, or set it so all your photos have the same effect applied.
A faster sensor means I could capture birds in flight without the blur.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Maybe fashion photographers and influencers will love it.
My goal is always to capture people exactly as they are.
It’s a true sandwich of technology, featuring a touch-sensitive surface and haptic response.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Ringed in metal, it features a sapphire cover that’s slightly recessed from the body of the iPhone.
If you hold the iPhone in landscape mode, your index finger may discover it naturally.
You select one with another light press, and then dial through your choices.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
A double haptic press digs deeper into the camera menu, where you’ll find Moods and Undertones.
Perhaps Camera Control will launch a landscape-mode trend.
Expect to see a lot of third-party camera apps using it in the future.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
One other camera feature worth mentioning is the facility to capture spatial photos and videos.
I took photos and videos in my backyard and then transferred them to myApple Vision Pro.
It outperforms the A17 Pro and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in most benchmarks.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
That the iPhone 16 Pro Max is essentially a mini-computer in your pocket should surprise no one.
I’m not sure I could find a task this phone couldn’t handle.
The good news is that this does not adversely impact performance or battery life.
The Ultrawide update adds megapixels to improve macro photography(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
There’s also Bluetooth 5.3 support, and second-generation Ultrawideband.
It helps in the Find My app, which I used when I purposely misplaced my newAirPods 4.
Apple also upgraded its satellite services.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The satellite service is currently free for the first two years of iPhone ownership.
The iPhone 16 line ships with a 60W-capable USB-C cable but no charging adapter.
Using those two accessories, I recharged the iPhone 16 Pro Max to 44% in 30 minutes.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Apple claimed 50% in 30 minutes, so this is pretty close.
A full charge took about two hours.
There’s even some movement on the Right to Repair front.
Styles controls from Undertones (in skin) and Moods for the overall look and feel of the photo should appeal to those who like more creative control over their photography.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Apple is claiming that the iPhone 16 line offers the simplest battery replacement yet.
Instead of stretch-release adhesives, the iPhone 16 line uses ionic liquid adhesive to hold the battery in place.
It will react to a low-voltage current (even a 9v battery) and release from the enclosure.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Either way, I can’t wait to see this in action.
Should you buy the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max?
it’s possible for you to get in on the ground floor now, though.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review: Also consider
Apple’s latest flagship iPhone not exciting you?
Here are three alternatives from the Android frontier.
Yes, it also has Samsung’s own brand of AI (Galaxy AI).
Hello, new Camera Control button
If you’ve got the option to walk away from iOS, this is the smartphone for you.
Where possible, I used the iPhone 16 Pro Max as if it were my everyday smartphone.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed September 2024
It takes some getting used to but Camera Control is a game changer for accessing all sort of camera settings without ever touching the screen.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Spatial Photography is now an official menu selection in the Camera app. You can capture stereo photos and video and watch them on the Vision Pro.
Main Camera shot(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
12MP 5X optical zoom(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
2x(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The portrait mode selfie game is strong with this phone(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
5x(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
48MP Main camera(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
5x(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
5x(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
5x(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Ultrawide(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Main(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Yes, you can charge from 0 to almost 50% in 30 minutes with the raght adapter and Qi-2 MagSafe charger.
