There are three main things people want out of a new phone: a better battery, better camera, and zippier performance. The good news is that the iPhone 16 Pro Max noticeably has all three.
Apple has sold the new series of iPhone 16 handsets with a few headline features: Apple Intelligence being the main one, and then a new camera button, a slightly bigger screen, and the usual spec bumps.
What’s interesting, though, is that the iPhone Pro series is usually where all the big new physical features debut. But this year, the iPhone 16 base range is much more robust than usual, making it a more attractive option for people who want the latest features, and the Pro line better for actual pros.
While the iPhone 16 Pro Max is no longer the only place to get the latest and greatest of everything, it’s still the model that packs the most punch (and takes up the most pocket space). It’s perfect for users who take their photography seriously.
iPhone 16 Pro Max review
First impressions
I expected the iPhone 16 Pro Max to be bigger. A lot was made of the new, larger screen (6.9 inches instead of the 6.7 inches of the previous generation), and I was bracing myself for it to be huge, tablet-like and not fit in my pockets anymore. But, truth be told, I really can’t tell the difference unless they’re side by side.
It’s also pretty much exactly the same level of awkwardness trying to fit it into the pocket of a pair of women’s jeans. That’s not to say it isn’t nice to have more real estate, just that it’s not especially obvious.
Beyond that, the new Desert Titanium colour is a striking combo of that pinkey/beigey “nude” colour and gold which shouldn’t work, but somehow does. And the camera button is my new favourite thing. It’s an absolute game-changer for people with pets or kids who need to be able to take a photo quickly of something cute or future blackmail material.
iPhone 16 Pro Max specs and price in Australia
| iPhone 16 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display OLED 2622 x 1206 resolution 2,000 nits peak brightness 120Hz refresh rate Always-On display |
6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display OLED 2868 x 1320 resolution 2,000 nits peak brightness 120Hz refresh rate Always-On display |
| Dimensions | 149.6 (H) x 71.5 (W) x 8.25 (D) mm 199 grams Titanium |
163 (H) x 77.6 (W) x 8.25 (D) mm 227 grams Titanium |
| Processor | A18 Pro chip 6-core CPU 6-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine |
A18 Pro chip 6-core CPU 6-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine |
| Storage | 128GB 256GB 512GB |
128GB 256GB 512GB |
| Memory (RAM) | 8GB | 8GB |
| Camera | .5x, 1x, 2x, 5x optical zoom 48MP Fusion main camera 48MP Ultra Wide camera 12MP Telephoto camera 12MP TrueDepth front camera Camera Control button |
.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x optical zoom 48MP Fusion main camera 48MP Ultra Wide camera 12MP Telephoto camera 12MP TrueDepth front camera Camera Control button |
| Battery and charging | Up to 27 hours of video playback MagSafe, Qi2 and Qi wireless charging up to 25W |
Up to 33 hours of video playback MagSafe, Qi2 and Qi wireless charging up to 25W |
| Connectivity | Nano-SIM and eSIM USB-C (Gen 3) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) Bluetooth 5.3 NFC Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip |
Nano-SIM and eSIM USB-C (Gen 3) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) Bluetooth 5.3 NFC Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip |
| Network bands | 5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4×4 MIMO LTE |
5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4×4 MIMO LTE |
| Software | iOS 18 | iOS 18 |
| Durability | IP68 Dust-resistant and water-resistant to a depth of six metres for up to 30 minutes |
IP68 Dust-resistant and water-resistant to a depth of six metres for up to 30 minutes |
| Price (RRP) | 128GB: $1,799 256GB: $1,999 512GB: $2,349 1TB: $2,699 |
256GB: $2,149 512GB: $2,499 1TB: $2,849 |
| Warranty | One year | One year |
| Official website | Apple Australia | Apple Australia |
The big headlines here are the more powerful A18 Pro chip with a 6-core GPU having one extra GPU core over the regular 16, making it better for games. The 48MP Ultra Wide is also new (more megapixels than the old one). The extra four hours of battery video playback life is particularly appreciated, as is the new faster MagSafe charging.
Another key detail is that it’s now a little over 3mm taller and 1mm wider.
Battery
When it comes to my phone batteries, I am a cruel and unforgiving user. My best test for this phone’s battery came over the weekend, when I used my phone for several hours in the morning for social media, games and taking photos and videos of my child, and then went for a five-hour bike ride.
During that ride I streamed music to my headphones over Bluetooth, had Google Maps running the entire time, had it connected to my Apple Watch so I could see my speed on the screen (flicking between Google Maps and Fitness), took several calls, and had Siri send messages for me. This was also in full sunlight, so I turned up the brightness to a pretty high level.
I started using my phone that day at 6 AM, and by 3 PM (when I got back home), I was down to 20%. Few other phone batteries would have lasted that whole distance, let alone still have juice left over. My iPhone 15 Pro Max would usually be down to 10% after a four-hour ride, without Maps running.
It was hardly a scientific test, but I have been extremely impressed by this battery.
iPhone 16 Pro Max camera
This is the main reason to get the iPhone 16 Pro Max over the regular 16. With it, you get a telephoto lens and can take Apple ProRes photos. For me as a new parent, it’s a no-brainer to go for the 16 Pro range over the regular 16, because I’m going to be printing out a lot of these photos. Having the extra megapixels and being able to zoom in on my family being cute on the other side of the room or playground means that I don’t miss cute moments and get true candids.
The camera system this year is completely new and includes fun features like a 48MP macro camera.
In a side-by-side comparison, you can see that the photos from the 16 Pro Max look more natural than those from the 15 Pro Max. The colours aren’t as vibrant as those on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but look more realistic and less processed. The one you prefer will come down to personal opinion.
There is a crispness about the Google macro shots that I prefer, and the colours seem more on point. That’s not to say that the 16 Pro Max isn’t a huge step up from the 15, or that it’s bad, it’s just another way of doing it.
Though, I have to say that I prefer the 15 Pro Max portrait photo. The plant really seems to pop here, and the lighting is perfect.
Stepping away from the comparison photos to have a look at some pictures of people.
I love this photo of my daughter mid-giggle. The Fusion camera has captured all the details brilliantly despite all the movement going on.
And this photo of her taken with the selfie camera also shows how much the selfie camera has improved. You can really see the light in her eyes.
All up, the cameras this year are great. As for which is best, it comes down to how you like your photos processed.
Camera Control button
Smartphone makers have spent years trying to remove all the buttons from phones. Yet the Camera Control button is the best new feature Apple has added in a while.
You can press it to open the camera and then press it again to take a photo, hold it to take a video, or scroll it to change a setting (like exposure, zoom, etc). It means you can reassign the part of your lock screen that used to quickly open the camera, and it makes it quicker and easier to get a photo in the moment. I find that it’s gotten me to take more photos, and play with the zoom settings more than I used to.
The Camera Control button is across the whole iPhone 16 range, so it’s not exclusive to the Pro Max, but combining it with the fancier cameras is neat.
General performance
Generally, this is a great phone. It’s fast, the graphics are beautiful, and it just gets out of the way of what I want to do. Playing NBA 2K25 on it looks amazing.
| Device | CPU single-core | CPU multi-core |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | 3,350 | 8,021 |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 2,141 | 6,690 |
| Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 1,961 | 4,736 |
As you can see, it’s fast as hell, which is a technical term now. The step up from the iPhone 15 Pro Max is fairly small, but it’s roughly twice as fast as the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which absolutely justifies the upgrade.
| Device | Wild Life Extreme benchmark |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | 4,748 |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 4,531 |
| Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | 2,572 |
The graphics score is almost three times that of the 11 Pro Max, which is huge, and a bit more than double that of the 12 Pro Max. It’s also speedier than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, demonstrating Apple’s continued dominance in the system-on-a-chip market.
Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence wasn’t available at launch for testing with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, so I haven’t used it. It does seem curious, however, that one of the major selling points for the phone, used in a lot of the ad copy, conveniently isn’t available during the review period, or when most early adopters are buying the phone.
I don’t want to make any suggestions about what this says about Apple’s confidence in the feature. I always welcome giving features more time to bake if required, rather than getting developers to crunch.
It does gesture towards the fact that Apple appears to only be including so many AI features to keep up with other phone brands, rather than this being an organic choice. Reports from overseas beta testers seem mixed, but it’s a beta, so it’s difficult to judge from that.
On a personal level, I feel that generative AI is making us collectively dumber and lazier, and objectively training the models is destroying the environment at a faster rate while revitalising the fossil fuel industry, it’s turbocharging scams, and stealing from artists and writers to spit out garbage. But, AI is the technology buzzword in 2024, so every device has to have it regardless of its detrimental effect on society.
In short, I haven’t tested Apple Intelligence, but it’s coming later this year.
Who is the iPhone 16 Pro Max for?
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is for iPhone users who want the best of the best and have the cash to splash. This phone is more firmly aimed at people who use the pro features of the camera. So, if you don’t know how to use the pro features and aren’t sure about dropping that much money for a phone, then the regular 16 is better suited. But that long battery life, the excellent cameras, and the better graphics mean that this is, as always, the best iPhone ever released.
If you have an iPhone 14 or 15 Pro Max, then you don’t even need to be thinking about this phone. It’s nothing to you unless you really want a physical camera button. The 13 is borderline, as is the 12. Older than that, it might be time to upgrade.
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