Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review

Introduction

The top iPhone is back this year with an even larger screen, more powerful hardware, larger battery and faster charging. Meet the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max - the best iPhone Apple has produced yet and the iPhone to get if you are after a maxed-out feature set.

The year, the iPhone 16 Pros are enjoying their first screen enlargement since the iPhone 12 series and it has worked out really well for them. The small Pro now makes even more sense, while the large Pro Max with its 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen is a multimedia consumption monster. And the best part is that the screen increase came mainly from trimming the bezels - the 16 Pro Max is a mere 1mm wider than the 15 Pro Max.

There is a new Apple chip of course, one that the maker advertises as the next big thing. The A18 Pro has a faster six-core processor and more powerful Apple GPU with expanded and improved hardware support for features like raytracing and more. The memory bandwidth has been increased for faster AI tasks that will be needed for Apple Intelligence.

The cameras have always been a strong selling point for the iPhones and the triple-camera setup on the 16 Pro Max has become even better. While the 48MP primary and the 12MP 5x telephoto remain mostly the same (Fusion camera and next-gen sensor shift stabilization aside), there is a new 48MP ultrawide-camera for even more impressive panoramic photos. Now the Pro model supports up to 4K120fps video capturing, spatial clips, there are studio-quality microphones, audio mixing options for videos, and more.

Let's not forget the new Camera Control key, which can do a ton of stuff and is Apple's attempt at reimagining how iPhone users control their cameras.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max introduces the second-generation MagSafe charging, which allows for up to 25W wireless charging (or 15W with Qi2 chargers).

The iPhone 16 Pro Max supports the richest connectivity suite, including USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with DPort, Ultra WideBand, Wi-Fi 7, Satellite connectivity, and more.

Finally, the iOS 18 will introduce Apple Intelligence quite soon, which will kick off the AI era for the company - at least in countries outside the EU and China for the time being.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.0x77.6x8.3mm, 227g; Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), titanium frame (grade 5); IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min), Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified).
• Display: 6.90" LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM), 1320x2868px resolution, 19.55:9 aspect ratio, 460ppi; Always-On display.
• Chipset: Apple A18 Pro (3 nm): Hexa-core (2x4.04 GHz + 4x2.X GHz); Apple GPU (6-core graphics).
• Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 1TB 8GB RAM; NVMe.
• OS/Software: iOS 18.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS; Telephoto: 12 MP, f/2.8, 120mm, 1/3.06", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, 5x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 0.7µm, PDAF; Depth: TOF 3D LiDAR scanner.
• Front camera: Wide (main): 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/3.6", PDAF, OIS; Depth: SL 3D.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, 3D (spatial) video/audio, stereo sound rec; Front camera: 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS.
• Battery: 4685mAh; Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min (advertised), 25W wireless (MagSafe), 15W wireless (China only), 15W wireless (Qi2), 4.5W reverse wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.3; NFC.
• Misc: Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer; stereo speakers; Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip), Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max specs sheet is so rich that we cannot think of something that is missing. Sure, the pill-shaped notch could have been smaller, the wired charging - faster, but overall - the iPhone 16 Pro Max appears to have it all.

Unboxing the iPhone 16 Pro Max

Quite expectedly, the thin iPhone box, in which the iPhone 16 Pro Max arrives, contains only the phone and a braided USB-C cable.

The SIM ejection tool is here to stay for another year. There is no Apple sticker, in case someone cared about that.