Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review: A big, brilliant iPhone

iPhone 16 Pro Max

MSRP $1,199.00

Score Details

“If you like big phones and need all the latest and greatest features, it's hard to go wrong with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.”

Pros

• Beautiful display
• Powerful performance
• Camera Control is a nice addition
• Great battery life
• Improved ultrawide camera
• Varied ecosystem, reliable software

Cons

• Apple Intelligence lacks compelling reason to use
• Dull color options
• Too large for some

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is the biggest iPhone you can get, with a screen that’s even larger than the previous model. The hand-stretching size also means the phone holds a big battery, which will turn out to be one of its greatest strengths, but is it worth the extra money over the very similar Apple iPhone 16 Pro? We’ve used the phone since its release to find out, and the good news is it’s a fantastic iPhone and a worthy upgrade if you are coming from an older model.

About our Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review

We originally published our Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review in October 2024, when it was written by Christine Romero-Chan, and Andy Boxall updated it at the end of March 2024 after using the smartphone every day. Each section has been revised, based on our extended use and following the introduction of Apple Intelligence features. Andy Boxall also added a new section detailing his ongoing positive experience with the phone over the past six months.

iPhone 16 Pro Max: specs

Six months with the iPhone 16 Pro Max

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is the only phone I have consistently used over the last six months, and there’s a good reason: It does absolutely everything I could want, utterly reliably, and without any fuss. It returns two days of battery life on a single charge, the camera is good enough to even take photos I’m happy to publish with my written work, and the the size — although big — makes it a fantastic multimedia phone.

But it’s more than that. It’s the massive ecosystem around the iPhone that makes it a joy. Whether that’s Apple Pay (I never reach for my bank card or wallet at all anymore), Apple’s Podcast and Music apps, the simplicity of connecting my AirPods Pro 2, how seamless Apple CarPlay is, or the fast and fuss-free method to set up a new iPhone, it’s all just easy. I spend a lot of time setting up and using Android phones, only to sometimes be frustrated by the way they work, and adore that the reliable iPhone is always there. It’s trustworthy and free of irritation.

This is why it’s a recommendation from me. I want a phone that doesn’t need a lot of attention once it has been set up, and few are able to deliver like the iPhone 16 Pro Max. From the battery life to the app support, it’s a brilliant every day partner.

iPhone 16 Pro Max: design

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a titanium frame with a brushed metal finish, flat edges, a matte glass back, and the Action button on the left-hand side, above the volume buttons. The triple-lens camera layout has an identical design to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The “latest generation” Ceramic Shield covers the screen, making it resistant to impact and scratches. Unfortunately, if you put an iPhone 15 Pro Max and an iPhone 16 Pro Max next to each other, you wouldn’t be able to discern a difference at first, so anyone hoping for a visual update will be disappointed.

That is, until you look toward the bottom on the right edge of the frame. That’s where Apple has put in the new Camera Control button, which sits flush with the frame, rather than sticking out a bit like the other buttons. There’s a few things that you can do with the Camera Control, which I’ll get to in a moment, but that’s basically the key differentiator between the iPhone 16 Pro Max (and the rest of the iPhone 16 line) and previous generations. The iPhone 16 Pro Max retains Apple’s overall design from the last several years — whether you love it or hate it, Apple seems to be sticking with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” motto.

It’s a tried and true design, for sure, but I have to admit that it’s growing a bit stale. I would have liked to see some changes made to the Pro models this year like Apple did with the base model iPhone 16. The iPhone 16 Pro models also come in four rather uninspired shades: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Desert Titanium. Seeing the incredibly saturated colors of the base model iPhone 16, the colors Apple chose for the Pro models are pretty dull.

It’s obvious this is a big smartphone, but it’s no larger than other big devices like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Yes, it’s hard to comfortably use with one hand and not risk an expensive drop, it takes up a lot of room in your pocket, and it rarely sensibly fits in cubby holes in the car, but you’ll forgive it when you watch videos, play games, or browse the web. The screen is a delight, and its size makes the iPhone 16 Pro Max the model to choose if you want to enjoy its multimedia ability.

iPhone 16 Pro Max: Camera Control

Now, let’s talk about the biggest new feature on the iPhone 16 hardware this year, including the iPhone 16 Pro Max: Camera Control. The Camera Control sits below the halfway point on the right edge of the frame, underneath the sleep/wake button. It’s not the best position as you can press the Camera Control unintentionally, and you may have to adjust the way you hold the phone when taking landscape photos. The default pressure sensitivity for actually pressing the button is also set a bit too high, which can cause camera shake when capturing a photo.

One press of the Camera Control launches the Camera (or another app that supports it), and another press captures a photo, while a press and hold starts a video recording. You can also do a double half-press to switch between various camera settings, and slide your finger on Camera Control to make adjustments. Placement aside, the Camera Control feature is fun, and because the Camera Control now opens the Camera app, you can remap the Action button or lockscreen icon to something else. Switching to solely use the Camera Control has a steep learning curve, and after years of using the touchscreen controls to take photos and video, it’s a very hard habit to break.

Is it worth the effort? Yes, it can be. The Camera Control does more than just activate the camera. A swipe switches between camera lenses and the front camera, while a soft press activates the new Camera Styles and Tones, which can be adjusted in real time. Explore further and the depth and exposure can be manually adjusted too. That’s quite a lot of functionality on a single button, and getting used to it will take some time. The problem is, it’s often far easier, faster, and more natural to use the touchscreen. The button itself is typically well-engineered with lovely haptic feedback, but not everyone will feel it’s worth struggling with the learning curve when using the touchscreen is faster.

iPhone 16 Pro Max: display

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a massive 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with ProMotion and always-on technology. Its resolution is 2868 x 1320 pixels at 460 pixels per inch (PPI) density. Typical brightness is 1,000 nits, 1,600 nits for HDR content, and a maximum of 2,000 nits outdoors. This year, the Pro models can also get all the way down to 1 nit minimum brightness, which means less eye strain when using your phone in dark environments. The Dynamic Island also makes a return.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max’s screen looks great. Apple keeps the iPhone’s display looking fairly neutral, whereas, on some competitor phones, the display is set to “Vivid” by default, which makes things overly bright. Colors still pop on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and blacks are rich and deep. The adaptive refresh rate is a big reason to buy the Pro models over the standard iPhone 16 models, and once you’ve seen the smoothness of Apple’s 120Hz screen compared to a 60Hz screen, you won’t want to go back. From app opening animations to scrolling through Safari, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s ProMotion screen is a delight. Special mention should go to the wide viewing angles and immense brightness, so it’s visible in almost all situations and environments.

Not everyone will be a fan of the 6.9-inch screen’s overall size, and for some it will be too big. If you have small hands, you’re likely to find it impossible to use one-handed, and even two handed use can cause fatigue after extended periods. Remember, this is not only Apple’s biggest phone, but also its heaviest. This is the price you pay for enjoying the large, smooth screen. However, not everyone will find it bothersome. Plus, the more you use the phone the more you’ll adapt to how it works best for you. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a beautiful screen, and if you’re at all concerned about the size of the device, we strongly recommend the smaller iPhone 16 Pro.

iPhone 16 Pro Max: software and performance

The iPhone 16 Pro Max shipped with iOS 18, and over the months following release, Apple Intelligence features were added in updates. Due to the A18 Pro processor and 8GB RAM, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is speedy in daily use and performance. The biggest change that you’ll notice from the get-go is the new home screen customization options. You can put your app icons and widgets anywhere on the screen, even with blank spaces. However, there are limitations like no 2×2 widgets in the middle, and sometimes the app icons just like to do their own thing while you’re rearranging, which can lead to wanting to tear your hair out.

I do really like having the Dark theme for app icons and widgets, however, as I always keep my phone in dark mode. This has led me to stop using custom icons through Shortcuts, though the dark theme icons also depend on the developers supporting the feature. You can now also change your Control Center layout and even lock screen shortcuts. I did change up the Control Center a bit, but I’ve been stuck on muscle memory for years, so rearranging everything and adding new controls has taken some time to get used to. The same goes for the lock screen shortcuts. I don’t like that it can be a bit of a tedious process, though, as moving controls around even the slightest bit can shuffle everything else.

Messages got some nice upgrades too, with support for RCS messaging with Android users, as well as the ability to schedule iMessages to send later. I’ve been loving the RCS support as now photos and videos with Android users won’t be pixelated and unusable, but actually high resolution. And Photos has a big new redesign, though it’s either “love it” or “hate it” with most people. I think I fall in the latter. As far as software support goes, most of its devices are supported for at least five years, and that likely applies to the iPhone 16 Pro Max as well.

What about Apple Intelligence? It’s a lot like other mobile AI systems, such as Galaxy AI, in that some features will be useful some of the time, and to some people. Few will use Apple Intelligence’s features every day, as often the only way you’ll notice it’s there are the notification summaries on the lock screen. Siri has been upgraded, the Image Playground app lets you mess around with generative AI images, and there’s Apple’s Clean Up tool in the Photos app. It’s all worth exploring, and for the most part operates really well, but it’s far from compelling enough to be considered a reason to buy the phone. This isn’t really an Apple Intelligence problem, but a mobile AI problem in general.

iPhone 16 Pro Max: cameras

If you’re looking to get a new iPhone for the cameras, you can’t go wrong with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Both phones have the same triple-lens camera setup this year, so even if you get the smaller Pro, you aren’t missing out on camera features. The iPhone 16 Pro Max (and regular iPhone 16 Pro) have a 48MP Fusion camera (Apple’s new marketing term for the primary camera), a 48MP ultrawide lens, and a 12MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. Unfortunately though, the selfie camera is still the same at only 12MP.

So far, I’ve been very impressed with the quality of photos I’ve captured with the iPhone 16 Pro Max. As someone who only had the iPhone 15 Pro last year, I’ve really enjoyed having the 5x optical zoom with both Pro models this time around. Photos I’ve taken look true to life with colors that pop, detailed textures, and overall sharpness. Macro photos are also improved with the new 48MP ultrawide lens.

The entire iPhone 16 family also has the new Photographic Styles, which lets you fine-tune the tone and color of your photos, rather than just applying a generic aesthetic on the entire image like before. And the style can be changed after the fact too, which is a big improvement.

Aside from the telephoto camera, the Pro models have other features that also differentiate themselves from the base model iPhone 16. These features include Apple ProRAW shooting, night mode portraits, 4K Dolby Vision recording at 120fps, ProRes video recording, Log video recording, and there is also a “studio-quality” four-mic setup.

These are for sure great features if you’re a YouTuber or plan to create your own film. But for the average person, it may be more than necessary. Still, if you really want the telephoto and new ultrawide camera, then the Pro models are the way to go. How does it compare to some other smartphone cameras? The iPhone 16 Pro Max’s camera was beaten by the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, but the iPhone 16 Pro beat the Google Pixel 9 Pro. The iPhone 16 Pro also performed well against the Samsung Galaxy S25+.

iPhone 16 Pro Max: battery life and charging

Since the iPhone 16 Pro Max has the largest battery in the lineup, it should be no surprise that battery life has been excellent. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 4,685mAh battery inside, and it lasts at least two full days, plus has much better than the battery life we got from the regular iPhone 16 Pro. Over the months following release, the phone’s battery settled down to return at least five hours screen time each day without gaming, and eight-to-10 hours of use is entirely possible.

Apple didn’t make any improvements to charging speed when plugged in, unfortunately. You still have about 27W-30W wired charging speeds, which means about 50% charge in 30 minutes. MagSafe wireless charging is faster, however, now at 25W instead of 15W. Wireless charging with a Qi2 charger is now 15W, and reverse wireless is 4.5W.

iPhone 16 Pro Max: price and availability

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is available to buy now directly from Apple, retailers like Best Buy and Amazon, or carrier stores starting at $1,199 for the 256GB model, $1,399 for 512GB, and $1,599 for 1TB. If that’s a bit high, you can look for trade-in deals to knock off some dollars from the retail price.

What else should you consider? The most obvious is the Apple iPhone 16 Pro, which is technically the same as the Pro Max but with a smaller screen and battery, just for a slightly lower price. If you are also interested in an Android phone, then the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and depending on where you live, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra too. Each matches the iPhone 16 Pro Max for performance and outright ability, and have superb camera systems too.

iPhone 16 Pro Max: verdict

Get past the fact the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a big phone, and you’ve got the best phone Apple currently makes. It brings together everything we like about the iPhone 16 Pro, and then packs in a battery which lasts for two days, with a screen that’s as immersive, colorful, and bright as you could want.

The two big new features — the Camera Control and Apple Intelligence — aren’t reasons to buy the phone, but are fun additions in the right situations, and to the right people. What this means is, if you own an iPhone 15 Pro Max or even an iPhone 14 Pro Max, you may not see much difference in the ownership experience if you upgrade. But for owners of iPhone models more than two years old, especially if it doesn’t have a 120Hz ProMotion screen, you’re going to love it.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has been a superb, reliable, versatile, and feature-packed partner since its release, and we have no hesitation in recommending it.