Two Weeks With the iPhone 16 Pro Max

Now that it's been two weeks since the iPhone 16 models were released, we've been able to spend enough time with the new devices to share a more in-depth review on their performance, battery life, feature set, and more.


We've been testing the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, but the gap between the Pro models and the standard ‌iPhone 16‌ models is narrower than usual this year. The Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, and upcoming Apple Intelligence features are available across the lineup, which leaves fewer features to set the two iPhone tiers apart and justify the cost of the Pro upgrade.

You do get the 120Hz ProMotion display, the 5x Telephoto lens, upgraded 48-megapixel Ultra Wide lens, and slightly bigger displays with the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ and Pro Max, but many people are going to be happy with the standard ‌iPhone 16‌ models.

Camera Control is kind of a love it or hate it feature that takes some time to get familiar with. It makes opening the camera and snapping a photo much quicker, but getting used to adjusting settings with the button rather than the display takes a good amount of time to get used to. On the bigger iPhones, it's difficult to use the button one-handed, especially in portrait mode.

Macro mode images are better and Photographic Styles and the customization that comes with them are great, but there isn't a lot of additional improvement to be seen with the cameras for photo taking. For videos, there's a 4K 120fps mode that can be adjusted later, and a new Audio Mix feature for adjusting video sound.

The A18 Pro chip is fast, but so was the A17 Pro from last year, and you're not going to notice a difference in performance if you're coming from an ‌iPhone‌ released in the last couple of years. The benefit of the A18 Pro is support for both current and future ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features coming in the next few years. The first ‌Apple Intelligence‌ options will be released in October, and while those won't necessarily stress the chip, future image generation capabilities could take advantage of the additional power you get with the A18 Pro.

Battery life has increased for all ‌iPhone 16‌ models, and there is a noticeable difference in battery life with the Pro Max that many users will notice day-to-day depending on workload compared to older iPhones.

If you got a new ‌iPhone 16‌, let us know what you think of it now that a couple of weeks have passed.

Related Roundup: iPhone 16 Pro

Popular Stories

Apple Glass

Apple Smart Glasses: Everything We Know So Far

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by
Google made waves yesterday by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand. Current Development Status Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired Feature 1

macOS 16: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday May 20, 2025 7:31 am PDT by
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system. macOS 16 Name? Every year ...
Apple Glasses Purple Feature

Apple Smart Glasses Launching in 2026

Thursday May 22, 2025 12:22 pm PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a set of smart glasses by the end of 2026, reports Bloomberg. The glasses will be comparable to the Meta Ray-Bans and the Android XR glasses that Google showed off earlier this week. Apple's smart glasses are expected to include cameras, microphones, and AI capabilities, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. The glasses will be able to take photos, record video, provide...
maxresdefault

OpenAI Buys Jony Ive's AI Startup to 'Completely Reimagine What It Means to Use a Computer'

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:27 am PDT by
OpenAI is acquiring io, the hardware-based AI startup co-created by Jony Ive, OpenAI announced today. Ive has been working with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on io for two years, and the duo expects to develop a family of AI devices. In a video shared by OpenAI, Altman and Ive outlined their partnership and what they expect to create as a result of the merger. "I have a growing sense that everything ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...

Top Rated Comments

Jamie0003 Avatar
8 months ago
Verdict: it’s an iPhone
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Killerbob Avatar
8 months ago
I got the iPhone 16 Pro, my wife the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and our daughter the iPhone 16 Plus.

I can already say that these iPhones are the absolute best we have ever had. I am running iOS 18.1 Beta, and my girls iOS 18, and probably part of the joy is the OS, but the phones... WOW.

Our mobile device ecosystem is complete, with us using one M4 iPad Pro (on iPadOS 18.1 Beta), two M2 iPad Airs, and Apple watches.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BelgianChoklit Avatar
8 months ago

I upgraded from a iphone 13 pro to a 16 pro and the screen, speed are great. I even like that apple finally used a usb-c port instead of the dreaded lightning. I got mine nearly free from att.
Not to ruin the party, but you do realize you pay for that phone through your subscription right? That isn't free.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ralph_sws Avatar
8 months ago
I'll wait for a 1 month review
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
toph2toast Avatar
8 months ago
Like some others on this thread, I upgraded from the 13PM to the 16PM.

Aside from the upgraded display (its beautiful), overall speed, battery life, etc. , one of the most enjoyable features for me has been the Dynamic Island. As someone who's been dealing with "the notch" since the iPhone X, i've been pleasantly surprised with how useful the displayed information can be, based on what I'm doing. From directions, to battery life on my airpods, sports scores, etc. its been great.

Overall I'm quite happy I upgraded.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Flojomojo Avatar
8 months ago

I upgraded from a iphone 13 pro to a 16 pro and the screen, speed are great. I even like that apple finally used a usb-c port instead of the dreaded lightning. I got mine nearly free from att.
Dreaded?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)