Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Smartphone Review – Apple launched the new Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max in September 2024. The two smartphones will be available globally but won’t start shipping until September 20. You will be able to buy the new devices irrespective of your region. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are based on the same design as their predecessors, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, but with some noticeable additions that Apple believes will improve user experience.
Like all other iPhone releases, the two new Pro models have upgraded internals with more powerful chipsets, larger displays, better cameras, and even faster 5G connectivity, among other things. The company hopes that these changes will be enough to make the new iPhones more attractive to those in the market for a new phone. The iPhone 16 Pro is almost same specs and features with iPhone 16 Pro Max. So, let’s begin with a detailed review of the Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max and see if these two smartphones are worth purchasing.
Table of Contents
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max features 6.3 and 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED displays with 120Hz refresh rate support.
- The new smartphones have a new Apple A18 Pro 5G chipset, which can reach clock speeds of up to 2×4.04GHz.
- Both Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have the latest iOS 18.
- The new smartphones feature the same 48MP triple rear camera system with a 12MP selfie camera.
- The Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have larger batteries than their predecessor. They also support the same 25W wired and wireless MagSafe fast charging capabilities.
Design and Display
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have almost identical designs compared to their predecessor, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, but with a few new changes. First of all, the two phones come in new colors, Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Desert Titanium, which elevates the design language. The Titanium metal on the side frame has a slightly glossy finish this time, which looks great.
There’s also a new capacitive camera button that is touch-sensitive and has multiple functionalities built into it. The body of the new iPhones is completely flat except for the four corners, which are rounded. The side frame is made of Grade 5 Titanium, while the mid-frame that gives the phone its structural integrity is made of Aluminum. However, the rear and front panels of the phone are composed of glass.
Let’s talk about the screen. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max features 6.3 and 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED displays with 120Hz refresh rate support. This display has a 1.5K resolution, HDR10, and Dolby Vision technology, so movies and videos will look absolutely breathtaking. The screen can also get as bright as 2000 nits, so you will have no issues using the phone under direct sunlight. The display is protected by second-generation Ceramic glass that is 50% more scratch-resistant. The display bezels are also a bit thinner now, which will provide an even more immersive experience. The phone is protected against dust and water with an IP68 certification.
Memory and Internal
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have the new Apple A18 Pro 5G chipset, which is clocked at 2×4.04 GHz. This is the highest clock frequency we have ever seen, and it should allow the chipset to perform 15% better than the Apple A17 Pro. Since this is the fastest processor as of this writing, it will have no issues running any apps and games.
The GPU in the Apple A18 Pro is 20% faster than its predecessor and has double the Ray Tracing capabilities. All of your favorite games, including CODm, PUBG Mobile, Black Desert Mobile, Summoners War, and even Genshin Impact will run at the highest graphical quality with high framerates.
The new smartphones also have a better 5G modem inside, so expect even faster 5G connectivity with lower power consumption. Both Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have the latest iOS 18 out of the box but the Apple Intelligence feature will arrive in December with an iOS update. For memory and storage, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB of NVMe internal storage.
Camera
Both Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have the same 48MP triple-camera setup this time. The iPhone 16 Pro also gets the Tetraprism telephoto camera that was previously only available in the iPhone 15 Pro Max model. The primary 48MP camera can capture an incredible amount of details with high dynamic, perfect white balance, and a natural color tone. The pictures from this camera truly shine.
The 48MP ultra-wide camera captures some of the most incredible shots with no distortion or color shift compared to the primary camera. The last 12MP periscope telephoto camera can shoot at 5x zoom levels, and the pictures coming from it have a lot of details. However, if you zoom past the 5x levels, some of its pristine details will begin to fade.
As for selfies, there’s a 12MP sensor in the front, which is capable of taking fantastic selfies, even in the dark. Speaking of the dark, the night photography of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max is also incredible. When it comes to video recording, the rear cameras can shoot videos at 4K@120 FPS, while the selfie camera only shoots at 4K@60 FPS max. Both the rear and the selfie cameras have support for OIS (sensor-shift technology) and gyro-EIS, so any video captured from these cameras will have stable footage.
Battery and Others
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have larger battery capacities than their predecessor, but the exact capacity isn’t revealed yet. These high-capacity batteries in the new iPhones are expected to provide 2- 4 hours of extra battery backup. Therefore, you can expect the new iPhones to last around 2 days on a single charge with lighter usage, which includes watching movies and TV series, texting, calling, camera, and more.
When it comes to charging, both Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max support 25W wired and wireless MagSafe fast charging capabilities. Apart from that, the smartphones have support for dual-band Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, Face ID facial recognition system, Apple Pay, Ultra Wideband Gen 2, and USB Type-C connector for charging. So, you can use any USB Type-C charger, and you will be fine. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is available at a starting price of $1725 (Rs 1,44,900 in India) approx.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Pros and Cons
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max smartphone.
| Specifications | Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | September 2024 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.42 x 3.06 x 0.33 inches |
| Weight | 227 g |
| Size | 6.9 inches |
| Display | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED 120Hz HDR10 Dolby Vision 1000-2000 nits brightness 19.5:9 ratio ~460 PPI density Always-On display |
| Protection/Others | Ceramic Shield glass (2024 gen) IP68 dust/water resistant Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) |
| Resolution | 1320 x 2868 pixels |
| OS | iOS 18 |
| Chipset | 3nm – Apple A18 Pro |
| CPU | Hexa-core 2×4.04 GHz + 4×2.X GHz |
| GPU | Apple GPU (6-core graphics) |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Internal | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB NVMe |
| Camera | 48 MP (wide), dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP (periscope telephoto), dual pixel PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, 5x optical zoom 48 MP (ultrawide), PDAF TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) Max – 4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, 3D (spatial) video/audio, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie | 12 MP (wide), PDAF, OIS SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor) HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec. Max – 4K@24/25/30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| Loudspeaker | Yes (stereo speakers) |
| 3.5mm jack | No |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, dual-band, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort |
| Sensors | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip) Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite |
| Battery | Li-Ion Wired, PD2.0 25W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (China only) 15W wireless (Qi2) 4.5W reverse wired |
| Colors | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium |
| Expected Price | $1725 (Rs 1,44,900 in India) approx |
Conclusion
The new Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max come with a lot of new changes. The design of the phone looks even better now and has a dedicated camera button for quick photography. The bezels around the display are thinner, which provides an even better viewing experience. The chipset is now even faster and can play games at even higher framerate.
Even the camera, battery, and the charging system got some upgrades. Not to mention, the 5G connectivity will be faster while consuming less battery. All in all, it’s a fantastic flagship phone. So, if you are in the market for a new flagship smartphone, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max come highly recommended.
However, if you already own an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, then the new upgrades don’t justify another purchase. We would rather recommend that you use the iPhone 15 Pro for a few more years and upgrade directly to the iPhone 18 Pro or newer. The best alternative to these phones would be the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which will also get an upgraded version early next year. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s telephoto zoom camera performance is better and also costs a lot less now. However, the final decision is up to you, so it is better to choose a smartphone based on your requirements and needs.
