Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Review: Totaly Waste?
The iPhone 16 Pro Max represents Apple’s pinnacle of smartphone technology, boasting an expansive display, lightning-fast chip performance, and advanced camera capabilities. Designed to be your go-to entertainment device, this superphone may challenge your ability to fit it into a pocket or bag.
Pricing and Positioning
With a starting price of £1,199 (€1,449/$1,199/A$2,149), the 16 Pro Max stands at the top of the iPhone 16 lineup, surpassing the £999 16 Pro and £899 16 Plus models. The price tag reflects its premium features, including double the base storage compared to its smaller counterparts.
Display and Design
Unlike previous iterations, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max share the same powerful cameras, chips, and overall capabilities. Users can choose between a more compact 6.3-inch screen and the impressive size of the 16 Pro Max’s 6.9-inch display. This new screen size is 0.2 inches larger than the 15 Pro Max, making it one of the largest smartphones available, outpacing competitors like Samsung and Google.
The display itself is a visual delight—bright, sharp, and smooth with a 120Hz refresh rate that enhances scrolling and animations. When watching widescreen videos, the visible area is just 10% (18mm) shorter than an iPad mini, creating an experience that feels more like watching a tablet than a phone.
Size and Usability
Though the bezels have been minimized, contributing to the larger display, the 16 Pro Max is slightly heavier, weighing in at 6g more, and it measures 3.1mm longer and 1mm wider than its predecessor. Compared to the standard 16 Pro, it is significantly taller by 13.4mm, wider by 6.1mm, and heavier by 28g.
Due to its size, you’ll likely need both hands to operate it comfortably, and a phone grip may be advisable to prevent hand strain during extended use.
Specifications
- Screen: 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR (120Hz OLED) (460ppi)
- Processor: Apple A18 Pro
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage Options: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
- Operating System: iOS 18.1
- Camera:
- 48MP main
- 48MP ultra-wide
- 12MP 5x zoom
- 12MP front-facing
- Connectivity:
- 5G
- Wi-Fi 7
- NFC
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Thread
- USB-C
- Satellite
- UWB
- GNSS
- Water Resistance: IP68 (up to 06 meters for 30 minutes)
- Dimensions: 163 x 77.6 x 8.25 mm
- Weight: 227g
A18 Pro Chip and Battery Performance
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is powered by the rapid A18 Pro chip, the same as its smaller sibling, and comes with a minimum of 256GB of storage, suitable for most users, even those looking to capture high-quality video.
The battery life is impressive, lasting about 55 hours of general use between charges, with nearly eight hours of active screen time on a mix of 5G and Wi-Fi. This is an improvement of 10 to 15 hours over its predecessor and the 16 Pro, allowing for charging every few days under lighter usage. Even with intensive tasks like gaming, the 16 Pro Max outlasts most days of heavy use.
iOS 18.1 and Apple’s AI Innovations
Running on iOS 18.1, the iPhone 16 Pro Max offers new customization options, RCS support for messaging with Android users, and features from the iPad, such as the enhanced math notes tool. The recent update introduces the first AI features from Apple, currently in beta for US English, with broader support coming later for other English-speaking regions.
New Siri Interface and Writing Tools
Siri has received a visual overhaul, now appearing as a glowing edge around the screen. Users can input queries by double-tapping the gesture bar at the bottom, a neat addition. While Siri has improved in understanding natural language, it still lags behind competitors like Google’s Gemini.
The new writing tools offer proofreading, summarizing, and rewriting capabilities in various styles (friendly, professional, concise). These features are integrated across apps but can struggle with longer documents, often displaying delays in response.
Enhanced Mail and Photos Features
The Mail app highlights urgent emails and provides summaries instead of just the first line when viewing the inbox. A smart reply system suggests responses but can be hit or miss.
In the Photos app, natural language searches (e.g., “Sam drinking a beer”) are effective. The new AI Clean Up tool allows users to remove unwanted objects from photos but may falter with complex removals, leaving behind artifacts.
Voice Transcription and Call Recording
Voice transcription in the Notes app is quick but varies in accuracy, making it more suitable for getting the gist rather than precise transcription. Additionally, users can now record calls directly from the phone app, with notifications to the caller about the recording.
Notification Summaries and Environmental Considerations
Apple’s new notification summaries condense multiple notifications from apps like WhatsApp and security cameras, allowing users to manage alerts more effectively. Users can choose which apps to summarize, often finding it a useful feature.
Regarding sustainability, the battery is designed to last over 1,000 full-charge cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity. It can be replaced for £109, while out-of-warranty screen repairs cost £389. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a repairability score of 7 out of 10 from iFixit and contains over 25% recycled materials. Apple provides trade-in and free recycling options, even for non-Apple products.
Camera
The iPhone 16 Pro Max features a triple-camera system that closely resembles last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max and matches the setup on the smaller 16 Pro. This includes an impressive 48-megapixel main camera, a 5x optical zoom lens, and an upgraded 48MP ultra-wide camera.
Notably, the 16 Pro Max can capture spatial photos and videos, making it compatible with headsets like the Vision Pro. It also incorporates Apple’s new audio mix feature, which minimizes background noise to create the effect of each subject in the shot having their own lapel mic.
One of the standout enhancements is the upgraded photographic styles feature, which allows users to adjust tones and colors either while shooting or post-capture. The camera control button is effective for quickly accessing the camera and taking photos, though it can be a bit cumbersome for fine-tuning settings.
Price
The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at £1,199 (€1,449/$1,199/A$2,149) for the 256GB model. For comparison:
- iPhone 16: £799
- iPhone 16 Plus: £899
- iPhone 16 Pro: £999
- Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: £1,099
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: £1,249
- Fairphone 5: £499
Verdict
Apple’s largest iPhone has grown even bigger in 2024, which is both its main selling point and a potential drawback. It boasts all the features expected from a superphone: a stunning display, multi-day battery life, a powerful chip, and impressive cameras capable of outperforming most standard smartphones.
However, the sheer size makes it unwieldy, leading to hand strain during prolonged use and difficulty fitting into pockets or bags.
The initial features of Apple Intelligence introduced with iOS 18.1 are somewhat underwhelming, particularly when compared to competitors. Siri, in particular, could benefit from a significant upgrade to remain competitive. While the new AI notification summaries are a useful addition, they don’t present any game-changing features that would compel users to upgrade immediately.
Unlike previous years, the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max share the same features and specifications aside from size and battery life. If you can manage the size and are willing to pay the premium price, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a highly capable device. However, it may not be the first choice for everyone.
Pros
- Huge, vibrant screen
- Multi-day battery life
- Excellent cameras with 5x optical zoom
- USB-C connectivity
- Action and camera control buttons
- Top-tier performance
- Long software support
- Face ID
Cons
- Very expensive
- Heavy and difficult to hold
- Bulky frame makes it hard to carry
- Camera control can be tricky
- Initial Apple Intelligence features are somewhat disappointing
