iPhone 16 Pro Max: A Comprehensive Look at Apple's Latest Flagship

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 13 Pro Max: Should you upgrade?

Are the upgraded display, performance, and camera setup worth trading in your older iPhone? The iPhone 16 series is finally here, and if you're thinking about upgrading from one of the best iPhones to Apple's newest flagship, there's a lot to consider. Breaking down the biggest iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max differences and upgrades is important for those of you out there with a 13 Pro Max who may be coming to the end of a two-year contract. And we here at Tom's Guide are here to help you find answers. Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max worth upgrading to? Here's how the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 Pro Max compare. While Apple no longer sells the iPhone 13 Pro Max (refurbished models excluded), you can still snag one from various third-party retailers and carriers. The iPhone 16 Pro Max was released on September 20, but like the rest of the iPhone 16 series, it's been hit with shipping delays. Most major retailers are estimating orders won't arrive until the middle or end of October. Even if you bought the iPhone 13 Pro Max at its launch price of $1,099, you'll likely have bought it for less than the price tag of a brand-new iPhone 16 Pro Max. The starting price for the iPhone 16 Pro Max is $1,199, about $100 more, and that cost only goes up if you spring for a model with more storage or AppleCare Plus. Granted, it's worth noting that the base storage capacity for the iPhone 16 Pro Max has been bumped up to 256GB from the iPhone 13 Pro Max's 128GB, which combined with the big upgrades it comes with should help take the sting out of the extra cost a bit. It's surprising how much of a difference three years makes on iPhone designs. The iPhone 16 Pro Max got a small bump in screen size, up to 6.9 inches from the iPhone 13 Pro Max's 6.7 inches. And since Apple accomplished this by shaving down the bezels on the 16 Pro Max to its thinnest yet, this jump doesn't dramatically increase the handset's footprint. It's a win-win! As for dimensions, compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is slightly taller (163mm vs. 160.8 mm) and thicker (8.3mm vs 7.7mm), but Apple's shaved down the weight significantly (to 227g from 240g). The iPhone 13 Pro Max's design is definitely starting to look dated at this point, with it still featuring many hallmarks of older iPhone models like the Lightning port, traditional notch, classic ring switch, and stainless-steel frame that's flat on all sides. By comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a much sleeker, almost futuristic-looking design with its titanium body, dynamic island, USB-C port, and slightly curved frame, which was introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. In addition to having a titanium band, Apple claims the improved Ceramic Shield display is 50% tougher than the last generation, so you shouldn't have to worry as much about screen cracks. Apple's also added some new buttons since the iPhone 13 series: the customizable Action Button (which was also introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro line) and the new Camera Control button, a recessed capacitive button that can launch your camera app, take photos/videos, and use haptics to give you feedback. While neither the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max displays got any upgrades in terms of brightness or refresh rate compared to the last generation, they still boast some of the best OLED panels you'll find on a handset. Especially when compared to older models. The 16 Pro Max's maximum brightness of 2,000 nits dwarves the iPhone 13 Pro Max's maximum brightness of up to 1,200 nits in HDR mode. At launch, the iPhone 13 Pro Max's 12MP sensors across its main, ultrawide, 3x telephoto and selfie cameras were fantastic. But in the years since, Apple has made some serious improvements in the iPhone's camera loadout. As for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it got a slew of camera upgrades, starting with a new 48MP Fusion Camera for the main shooter that more quickly reads data to speed up focusing and cut shutter lag down to zero. It packs a new 48MP ultrawide camera, up from 12MP on its predecessor, that can upgrade your macro shots to a higher resolution to achieve some truly stunning shots. And like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it packs a tetraprism zoom lens capable of up to 5x optical zoom. The iPhone 16 Pro Max's video capabilities can't be overstated either, with this generation getting 4K video capture that lets you shoot stunning footage at up to 120 frames per second. One of the coolest new iPhone 16 Pro Max video features is Audio Mix, which employs a combination of spatial audio capture and AI to help minimize background noise in your videos. The iPhone 16 Pro Max packs 8GB of RAM and Apple's new A18 Pro chip built on second-generation 3-nanometer tech. By comparison, the iPhone 13 Pro Max has an A15 Bionic chip, just like the standard iPhone 13 used, and 6GB of RAM. That's significant, as Apple says 8GB of RAM is the bare minimum needed on a device to run Apple Intelligence, so if you have an older phone you're interested in testing out all of Apple's AI-powered features, you're going to want to upgrade. With support for Wi-Fi 7 and a Snapdragon X75 5G modem, the iPhone 16 Pro Max features faster connection speeds than the 13 Pro Max, which is saddled with an older Snapdragon X60 5G modem and support for Wi-Fi 6. Both phones currently run iOS 18, but again, if you're looking to try out the major selling point of Apple's latest update, Apple Intelligence, once it arrives, then you're SOL unless you have an iPhone 15 series or newer. Apple claims the iPhone 16 Pro Max has the best iPhone battery life ever, and we're inclined to agree based on the results of our testing. With its 14,685mAh battery, we were able to get over 18 hours of continuous web surfing over 5G at 150 nits of screen brightness. By comparison, the iPhone 13 Pro Max, with its smaller 4,352 mAh, only eked out 12 hours and 16 minutes of battery life under the same conditions. Charging wise, both phones charge at about the same rate, reaching 100% capacity in about an hour and forty minutes. The iPhone 16 Pro Max gets the added bonus of support for Qi2 and MagSafe up to 25W, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max is stuck with regular MagSafe and 20W wired charging. The iPhone 16 Pro Max also switches out the Lightning port found on the iPhone 13 Pro Max for a USB-C port. At this point, the iPhone 13 series almost feels like it's from another era with how many hardware improvements and upgrades Apple's brought to its handsets. While there's still some value to be wrung out of these Pro phones, there are compelling reasons to upgrade aplenty. With the iPhone 16 Pro Max, you get a bigger display, better performance, longer-lasting battery, an upgraded camera setup, and, most importantly, access to Apple's AI-powered features once the company finally starts rolling out Apple Intelligence. Granted, Apple Intelligence isn't fully here yet, so forking over your hard-earned cash for the promise of a stellar new feature is a pretty hard sell. And the iPhone 13 Pro Max, while undeniably showing its age, is still alive and kicking. So it could be worth holding out until next year when the iPhone 17 series starts to come into focus.

Grandpa Selfies and More: Why I Bought the iPhone 16 Pro Max

I watched the Apple iPhone 16 event earlier this month and knew within 15 minutes of the iPhone 16 Pro Max segment that I'd be upgrading. My phone is the one piece of tech I never go anywhere without; as a full-time digital nomad, I work remotely from around the world, so I rely on a robust smartphone not only to stay connected to family and friends but also to watch entertainment, read books, manage travel logistics and even run parts of my business. There are times when I'm on a bus or plane for hours on end (or worse, stranded in the airport terminal) and still need to work, so a more souped-up smartphone like the iPhone 16 Pro Max line is a better fit for me. Although I already have the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which I bought last year while living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the prospect of longer battery life, a great camera and a slightly larger display has convinced me to trade up again. Other users appear to agree on these prospects. In a survey on smartphone shopping conducted by CNET earlier this month, respondents said the biggest factors to upgrading their phone are longer battery life, more storage and better camera features (61%, 46% and 38%, respectively). It seemed like Apple's Glowtime event focused more on these upgrades than AI features like Apple Intelligence, and I liked that the attention was more on practical improvements than AI hype. It's now been a week since I made my purchase, and I'm loving the new features. Here are four reasons why I upgraded to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is available now. The new iPhone 16 Pro Max's main camera is 48 megapixels and can shoot 4K video at 120 frames per second (which is new for the iPhone), but what got me even more excited is the new camera control button. When I saw the camera control button functions being demonstrated, I thought about how much easier it will be to take selfies on the go, like what I recently did at the Paris Olympics, and have already started thinking about the photos I want to snap while at Mount Fuji in Japan, my next travel destination. Read more: The iPhone 16 Pro's High-Res Slow-Motion Video Is the Best Apple Feature in Years As CNET's Corinne Reichert explained, the camera control button "looks similar to a side fingerprint reader," and is a little indented. Pressing the button will open the camera app, and additional presses or glides of your finger will let you toggle between various settings. This seems handy for perfecting the shot while your arm is still outstretched without having to reset multiple times, which is travel selfie gold. This has probably been my favorite new feature. I take a lot of photos for my business and when I travel. I also have the cutest grandbabies, one of whom is five and loves taking selfies with grandpa. The camera control button makes it much easier to open the camera app, find and adjust the settings I need, and take photos one-handed. The photos I'm taking are better quality with the camera control button and the improved camera array. I frequently use tech accessories in my travels to stay connected and get work done, so battery life is an important consideration. External battery chargers and power banks help ensure I don't run out of juice (unless I forget to charge the charger itself, which has definitely happened before), but sometimes travel days get extended in ways I can't plan for. I also FaceTime with my kids a lot, and don't want to have to ration those opportunities because of battery life, which is why I generally lean more toward the advanced iPhone models. The iPhone 16 Pro Max battery life was only mentioned briefly, but it was enough for me to go investigate the specs. Apple says the battery will enable up to33 hoursofvideo playback, up to 29 hours of streamed video playback and up to 105 hours of audio playback. Apple also said the newest version of the Pro Max has 25-watt MagSafe fast-charging capabilities, which will let you wirelessly charge the phone to 50% in around 30 minutes. I'd like to test this for myself to confirm, but it sounds promising. I'm not a big AI user, so Apple integrating its proprietary Apple Intelligence technology (which conveniently also abbreviates to AI) into a device I already interact with will help someone like me get more familiar with the features. To be clear, Apple Intelligence features will also be in iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max models as part of iOS 18, which is currently available as a developer beta and formally releases later this month. The feature I'm most excited about is Apple's visual intelligence, which uses AI to identify things around you. This will be especially helpful when traveling to foreign countries and needing to identify things I'm not used to, though there might be language barriers at first; Apple said the visual intelligence feature will only work in English through the end of this year, and will expand to other languages in 2025. I'm excited about Apple Intelligence's writing and editing tools, as I compose a lot of emails, social media posts and article drafts on the fly, so having those features on my iPhone will be handy. I could also see myself getting a lot of utility out of the AI image finding function. (Like a lot of people, I have thousands of photos on my phone.) I'm also looking forward to the Siri upgrade that still gets the gist of what you're saying in case you mumble your way through a voice command. The iPhone 15 Pro Max I currently have has a 6.7-inch screen, which is a decent size. I like that the new iPhone 16 Pro Max has both a slightly larger 6.9-inch screen and thinner bezels (the angled borders on the front of your phone that aren't a part of the screen itself). Thinner bezels will make the screen feel even larger as I watch movies, take video calls and read books. I'm also a big fan of the new speakers in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. I listen to music and watch YouTube videos with louder and clearer sound coming from the four speakers on this new phone. The new iPhone 16 Pro Max's case is made with a ceramic shield. Apple says the material is "grade-five titanium," which I'm not entirely familiar with, but know the material will result in less scratching, which I am all too familiar with. I've dropped my iPhone more than a few times as I scramble to catch a train or flight, so the extra protection will come in handy. I think the iPhone 16 Pro Max will improve my day-to-day life as a digital nomad and business owner. It's a lifestyle that can be challenging at times, but is worth it for going on adventures and documenting new experiences along the way. Preorders for the iPhone 16 Pro Max began on Sept. 13, and the devices officially go on sale on Friday, Sept. 20. It depends on which model you're referring to. The iPhone 16 Pro display is a 6.3-inch OLED, whereas the iPhone 16 Pro Max display is a 6.9-inch OLED. The most notable upgrades for the iPhone 16 Pro Max are the camera control button, a larger display with smaller bezels, a new A18 chip and Apple Intelligence, the company's in-house AI functionality. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a larger display, faster charging and more storage, but also starts at a $200 higher price point than the iPhone 16 Pro.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Great for photos, but is it worth it? Hands-on review

CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. Apple just released its latest lineup of iPhones, which include the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, but when comparing these new phones to last year's models, the updates seem a bit lackluster -- offering just small improvements and a handful of promises. Having owned every iPhone model since the original was released in 2007, I've always been one of the early-adopters and have purchased the latest model as soon as Apple begins accepting preorders. This year was no different. I preordered the iPhone 16 Pro Max with 512GB of internal storage in the new desert titanium color. It replaced my iPhone 15 Pro Max, also with 512GB of storage. Keep reading to learn more about this phone and whether it's worth upgrading, or if you should stick with the iPhone model you're currently using. Pro Tip: If you're thinking about making the switch from an Android phone to an iPhone 16, we've got you covered with our coverage of five reasons to make the transition. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is Apple's top-of-the-line smartphone and the model with the largest display. It's designed for those who need the fastest performance possible, and who can benefit from having the largest smartphone display that Apple has to offer. This smartphone is designed to be a high-performance communications device that can also serve as a productivity, entertainment, health/fitness and safety tool, as well as a powerful still image and video camera. This is the iPhone you want if you're interested in taking pro-quality photos or shooting video at up to 4K (120fps) resolution. Thanks to its Apple A18 Pro processor, it's also the model that can handle high-end gaming or tasks that require a tremendous amount of processing power. Unless you need both the added processing power of the A18 Pro chip (that's available in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max) and want the additional on-screen real estate offered by the iPhone 16 Pro Max, one of Apple's less expensive iPhones may be more suitable for you. Compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the iPhone 16 Pro Max offers a faster and more powerful processor and a slightly larger display. The CPU is up to 15% faster, while the GPU runs up to 20% faster. That said, being a "power user," when working with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, I never once thought to myself, "Gee, this smartphone is too slow," nor did I ever become frustrated by any unwanted lagging -- even when playing high-end, graphic-intensive games. This makes me wonder if even more processing power is worth the investment. The phone also now supports Wi-Fi 7, as opposed to Wi-Fi 6E. And battery life is more efficient, compared to last year's model. You can expect up to four additional hours of runtime per charge. The two significant new features are the Camera Control button that's located on the side of the smartphone, as well as the Apple Intelligence (AI) integration that will soon be part of a yet-to-be-released version of iOS 18. This AI functionality is expected to be released later this fall. The only users who will benefit from the Camera Control button are those who heavily use their iPhone to take photos or shoot video -- and even then, using the Camera Control button is optional. The iPhone 16 Pro Max's housing is now made using Grade 5 titanium, which is lightweight and incredibly durable. Plus, to make the display slightly larger than last year's model, Apple has decreased the size of the bezel around the screen. This allows for a 6.9-inch display, compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max's 6.6-inch display. This display size difference is inconsequential. At the moment, that's a difficult question to answer, since Apple Intelligence will not be introduced into any iPhones until later this fall. However, what we expect is a more personalized Siri digital assistant that not only understands what's being said, but also the context that's used when making requests or asking questions. Apple Intelligence will allow apps to more seamlessly work together and exchange relevant information in a way that can streamline common tasks, while helping users maintain their privacy and security. Apple Intelligence will also help with composing text. When used as an audio recording device, it will be able to transcribe and then summarize recordings. AI-assisted language translations and more seamless scheduling and to-do list management have also been promised. For someone who takes a lot of pictures or shoots video, Apple Intelligence introduces easier to use and more powerful image enhancement and editing tools, such as the Clean Up feature offered by the Photos app that can be used to remove unwanted objects from photos. This feature works decently, but only in certain situations. AI can also assist in the actual picture taking or video shooting process to ensure the best possible results. However, until Apple actually unlocks all of the Apple Intelligence features, it's difficult to predict how useful the AI-driven functionality will actually be. From a hardware standpoint, the improvements made to the iPhone 16 Pro Max's camera system aren't dramatic. However, Apple has made major enhancements to both the Camera and Photos apps that come preinstalled with iOS 18. This gives the camera system new capabilities. Combined with the faster processor, overall camera performance is noticeably better. There are also more tools for taking, editing, enhancing, organizing and sharing photos and video content. Most noticeable is the addition of the Camera Control button. This physical button on the side of the phone can be used to quickly launch the Camera app, adjust the app's settings, and then work as a shutter button. The result is an experience that's closer to using a traditional point-and-shoot camera than ever before. Of course, all of the camera controls and options previously available via the touchscreen continue to be offered. Thus, the Camera Control button provides an alternative and optional way to work with the Camera app. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is now able to shoot video at 4K (120fps) resolution with support for Dolby Vision. This is the highest resolution and frame rate an iPhone has ever offered. This is combined with enhanced spatial audio recording capabilities when shooting video, so it's easier to capture and create more immersive and visually compelling content. The still photography options are also enhanced. There are two upgraded 48MP cameras and one 12MP camera on the back of the phone, which support both the ProRAW and HEIF photo file formats. This allows users to capture a higher level of detail, even in low light situations. Using digital zoom capabilities, you now get up to 25x zoom. The phone's macro (extreme close-up) capabilities have been enhanced, too. The behind-the-scenes processing that happens when shooting photos or video allows the phone to capture more accurate colors, including more life-like skin tones. And with the help of Photographic Styles, it's easier to infuse your own creativity when creating content. The redesign of the Photos app offers more features and control over the stored images. However, the redesigned interface is not as intuitive as it once was. It's different enough that it's been taking me time to acclimate to the new design (and I have been using the beta version of iOS 18 on the iPhone 15 Pro Max for over a month already). I fear some users will find the new interface downright confusing. The best way to see how well the iPhone 16 Pro Max performs, outside of photography or videography, is to push its processing power by playing graphic-intensive games. I installed and played "Diabolo Immortal." Visually, this is one of the more advanced iPhone games available from the App Store, and it looks and sounds fantastic on this phone. Another new thing is the ability to further customize the appearance of what appears on the iPhone's screen. For savvy users, these added features are fun to work with. However, for someone who's already overwhelmed by all of the iPhone's customizable options, navigating through the Settings app and personalizing the phone is now a more convoluted process. I'd love to say that anyone who is using an older iPhone or Android phone should switch to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but I am not comfortable making this claim. Instead, I'd certainly recommend the iPhone 16 Pro Max to anyone who is using an iPhone that's three or more years old. These people who will see the greatest improvement in overall performance, especially if they want a larger screen, too. However, if you're an iPhone 15 Pro Max user thinking about upgrading to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the only significant enhancement is the addition of the Camera Control button, since both phones can run the latest version of iOS 18 and will take advantage of Apple Intelligence once it's released.

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max review: Built for Apple Intelligence*

We are now well into the era in which yearly smartphone updates have become rather ordinary. Where the Apple Store lines would once stretch around the block and attract local news crews, today the first question everyone asks is, "Should I upgrade this year?" The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max fit into this zeitgeist neatly. Yes, they're better. They're faster, have better cameras, and include one new feature (the Camera Control button). But for most of the things most people use their iPhones for, many of these improvements won't make much of a difference over last year's model, or the year before. Enter Apple Intelligence. When hardware fails to excite, it's up to slick new software to make you feel like you just have to get the new iPhone. And with all the buzz around generative AI lately, Apple Intelligence is that gotta-have-it software. It's a suite of new AI features that summarizes notifications and emails, makes Siri a lot smarter, lets you generate custom images and emojis, transcribe calls, and more. So important is this AI stuff to the iPhone 16 that Apple's marketing calls them the first iPhones "built for Apple Intelligence." (Yes, the iPhone 15 Pro works with Apple Intelligence but Apple no longer sells that model.) There's just one problem: Apple Intelligence isn't out yet, and it's going to dribble out in multiple stages over months. It's also coming to regular non-Pro iPhone 16 models. So, why buy and iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max? Let's see if Apple's latest Pro iPhones can make a case for themselves. Note: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max have identical features and performance, save for the obvious (size and battery life). This review covers both models. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max look very much like last year's Pro phones at a glance. Technically, both models are just a touch larger and heavier than their predecessors, and combined with slimmer bezels you get a slightly larger display: 6.1 inches becomes 6.3, and 6.7 becomes 6.9. The titanium body and colors are basically the same. There's white, black, and natural titanium. Last year's special color, blue titanium, has been replaced by desert titanium, which has a bronze look to it. The only thing that really looks or feels any different is the new Camera Control button, located about where the 5G mmWave antenna was on earlier iPhone U.S. models and the SIM tray was on some international models -- about 2/3rd of the way down the right side under the power button. This new feature also comes with the regular iPhone 16. Despite the size difference, the displays more or less look like those on the iPhone 15 Pros, with equal brightness, ProMotion, and always-on capabilities. A small improvement I really appreciate is that the display now goes all the way down to a mere 1 nit of brightness. It's just the thing for those who use their phone in bed with the lights off -- but again, this is also available on the non-Pro models. The size increase over last year's iPhones is not dramatic, but I still found myself gravitating more to the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro while I used to prefer the Pro Max. The slightly larger display makes the smaller of the two Pro phones more usable without saddling me with the undesirable bulk of Apple's biggest phone. If you're one of those who doesn't love the size of the Pro Max but uses it because you need that screen size, take a close look at the Pro this year. There's nothing wrong with this year's design, but the iPhone is in serious need of a refreshed design. Big, heavy, thick metal slabs with large, offset camera bumps that make the phone wobble on your desk (and make it hard to seat properly on some charging stands or wireless chargers in cars) just feel a little old and dull in 2024. Not much has changed since iPhone 12. Most of what is new in the iPhone 16 Pro is on the inside, but the one big new external feature for the entire iPhone 16 line is the Camera Control button. It's a real physical button set flush with the edge of the body, touch and pressure sensitive, with haptic feedback. Press the button once and you open the Camera app. You can select a third-party camera app to launch in Settings > Camera, and and app like Instagram will typically launch right into its photo/video-taking mode. Once in the Camera app, a firm press takes a photo. Press and hold to take a video for as long as you hold the button. Tap once lightly and you'll pop up a Camera Control function (zoom by default) which you adjust by swiping back and forth or dragging the control on the display. Double-tap lightly for a list of different functions that can be adjusted in this way: exposure, depth, camera selection, photographic styles, or tone. It does a lot -- and it's not always obvious what to press to do something. I have mixed feelings about the Camera Control button. The full press to launch your most-used camera app is a huge boon. It's fast, you can do it without fiddling with the screen, and it allows you to replace the camera launch on your lock screen with something else without losing any utility. Pressing the button as a shutter, or holding it down to take video, works great. It's a gamechanger for snapping photos while wearing gloves. The pressure-sensitive functions, on the other hand, are too fiddly. It's too easy to accidentally do a light press when you mean to click the shutter, or vice-versa. Sliding back and forth to adjust a control requires a lot of fine motor control in a small space; I often found myself going past the zoom I intended and having to carefully nudge my finger just a millimeter the other way to go get it right. I don't really enjoy the way using the Camera Control button makes the whole camera interface go away, either, as it's not always my only or last adjustment before I take the shot. In the end, I turned that Clean Preview option off in Settings and rarely used the Camera Control button for adjustments. I always use it to launch the camera and as a shutter, though. As far as photo and video quality goes, Apple is once again making small but significant strides. A faster video pipeline enables up to 4K at 120fps. The Photos app lets you change the playback framerate. Improved microphones allow for wind noise reduction and better overall sound quality. The new Photographic Styles are a little more nuanced with easier control and can be applied non-destructively after the shot is taken. The ultrawide camera has been upgraded to 48 megapixels, though to my eye the shots don't look very different from the older 12MP camera. The 5x telephoto lens is no longer restricted to the Pro Max model, so those who like the smaller Pro size can enjoy zoomier zoom. And it's clearly the biggest upgrade from standard to Pro other than titanium. My favorite new feature? The ability to change audio mix on a video with a tap, between Standard, In-Frame, Studio, and Cinematic. They make a huge difference. (This feature is yet another that's also available on the standard iPhone 16.) But these are relatively minor changes. Power-users trying to film their next indie epic on iPhone will love this stuff but the vast majority of users will find that, maybe, if they squint just right, the new iPhone takes slightly better pictures than the old one. The biggest camera upgrade this year is definitely the dedicated button, and the non-Pro models get that, too. The A18 Pro is similar to the A18 found in the regular iPhone 16, with a few small upgrades. It's got the same 2 performance and 4 efficiency CPU cores but with larger caches, which should improve performance a bit. There's an additional GPU core. The media engine (video encode and decode, image processing, etc.) is beefier. Both chips are made on an upgraded 3nm manufacturing process that delivers better power efficiency, and Apple has improved thermal design and management to help minimize throttling when the phones get hot. How does all this translate into performance? Well, this thing is fast. Single-core CPU performance is 15 percent higher than the A17 Pro, and it crushes every other smartphone on the market. Multi-core performance is around 10 percent faster, and considerably faster than any Android phone. It is not a stretch to say this iPhone is like having an M1 Macbook Air in your pocket, and in some ways, faster. The GPU gets a nice uplift in performance, too. In really advanced high-end graphics applications, especially those with ray tracing, we're seeing an improvement of 30 percent or more. New to our testing suite is Geekbench AI, a cross-platform benchmark that performs a suite of common machine-learning tasks like object identification, image segmentation, and machine translation. It can be run on the CPU, GPU, or Neural Engine; we're testing the latter to see improvements in Apple's dedicated AI hardware over time. The Neural Engine in the A18 Pro is anywhere from 10-40 percent faster than that in the A17 Pro. It's hard to compare the same test on different hardware when it uses different software frameworks, but no other mobile device appears close to Apple's NPU performance. Every year we say Apple has, on balance, the fastest smartphone around. And this year we repeat that. It's not what most people are buying iPhones for-they've been more than fast enough for years. There is something to be said for the future-proofing of having an overpowered iPhone today so that it can continue to run powerful software for years to come. On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro has 8GB of RAM, same as last year's iPhone 15 Pro and the standard iPhone 16. That doesn't seem like a lot for a $1,000+ phone these days. And if you don't think that will matter in a few years, just ask the iPhone 15 owners whose year-old phone can't run Apple Intelligence because it has 6GB of RAM, while the iPhone 15 Pro owners can. Perhaps the best improvement of the iPhone 16 Pro hardware is its fantastic battery life. Apple stuffed in slightly larger batteries this time around, but battery life is a combination of so many things -- processor and RAM efficiency, power usage of wireless chips, efficiency of the display, and more. And all of it is better. We use Geekbench 4's old battery rundown test, which loops the Geekbench 4 CPU and GPU tests (with short breaks between) until the battery dies. We do this after setting the display to a constant brightness of 200 nits with all adaptive brightness features off. That's about as bright as you would set it in a normal office environment. We expected and improvement, but not this much of one! The iPhone 16 Pro lasted 54 percent longer than the iPhone 15 Pro, and the 16 Pro Max kept running for about 43 percent longer than the 15 Po Max! We got almost 19 hours on the Pro Max and about 16.5 hours on the Pro. I can't say I experienced a 50 percent improvement in battery life in my day-to-day use, but it definitely lasted hours longer. For several days, I took my iPhone 16 Pro off the charger in the morning at 90 percent (where I set my charge limit with iOS 18's new options) and finished the day with 40 percent. Only when I ran through several strenuous benchmarks or played a high-end 3D game for hours on end did I ever come close to running through the battery. Everybody loves longer battery life, and the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max deliver a big boost over last year's model. And if you're coming off a phone that is two or three years old, it's going to feel like your new iPhone is lasting literally twice as long. If the new iPhone just a little faster, or takes a little bit better photos or videos, it's not going to inspire users to upgrade. Battery life might, but what we are looking for are major new features. Camera Control is one, but the big one, the one that's supposed to sell you on the iPhone 16, is Apple Intelligence, Apple's name for its home-grown suite of generative AI tools. The marketing tagline for the iPhone 16 Pro is "Hello, Apple Intelligence." Apple calls it "the first iPhone built for Apple Intelligence." It will summarize all your notifications! It will make images and custom emojis! It will erase people from the background of your photos! It will transform Siri into a super smart personal assistant that actually understands you! The Camera Control button will launch a new Visual Intelligence feature that gives you AI-powered info on whatever you point your camera at! You've probably seen the ads showcasing these awesome features. They may make you want to run out and buy an iPhone 16. There's only one problem: It isn't out yet. And it's not going to be out soon, not really. Apple Intelligence is coming to iPhone 16 in bits and pieces over the next half year, or longer if you don't live in an English-speaking region. Apple isn't even clear about whether the entire European Union will get Apple Intelligence at all. We have a breakdown in our guide that describes the features and when they are coming, but only the first tranche of AI features are available for us to test in beta: notification/email summaries (very useful), writing tools (less useful), and a Siri update that makes it understand you a little better (meh) and gives the screen a full glowing edge (nice). In other words, the selling point of iPhone 16 is nothing more than a pinky-swear from the world's most valuable megacorp. This is a phone designed to run, and marketed on, untestable promises. We're reasonably sure about the quality and usability of the AI features coming in iOS 18.1 because we've been testing it for weeks, but without the ability to thoroughly test the others, we can't possibly consider them as a feather in the iPhone 16's cap. So consider this part one of our review. More than ever, it's hard to recommend the Pro model iPhone over the non-Pro model. It's a tiny bit faster, has a dedicated 5x telephoto camera, and can take some really fancy high-end video in formats that only pros will care about. It has ProMotion and an always-on display, but frankly, it's kind of crazy that Apple doesn't include those things on the regular iPhone at this point. The big selling points -- longer battery life, the Camera Control button, Apple Intelligence (eventually) -- are all available on the non-Pro model which also now has the Action button, the new Photographic Styles, and macro photography, too. In benchmarks and specs sheets, the iPhone 16 Pro is clearly better than last year's iPhones, but when you use it every day, does it really feel different? Without Apple Intelligence, the most substantive improvements are longer battery life and the Camera Control, both of which are on the regular iPhone 16. Perhaps, when all the major Apple Intelligence features are actually available, our recommendations will change. But for now, the iPhone 16 Pro, for as good as it is, might not be worth your money. Our recommendation is to hang on to your current iPhone if it's only a year or two old. If you're coming from an iPhone 13 or earlier, it's time to upgrade, but even then, the iPhone 16 or 16 Plus is a better deal than the iPhone 16 Pro for all but the most demanding and picky iPhone photographers and videographers.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Review

Apple's reasonably sized iPhone 16 Pro (starting at $999) offers all the capabilities of the gigantic iPhone 16 Pro Max (starting at $1,099) without compromising usability. For the first time, the Pro matches the Pro Max feature for feature, with the same processor, cameras, buttons, and software wrapped up in a smaller package. This is great news for those who've stretched their budget (and their hands) on the larger model in the past to get specific Max features. If you need the biggest screen and longest battery life in an iPhone, the 16 Pro Max is still the way to go. For other creators, the 16 Pro offers a practically identical experience in a device that actually fits in your pocket for $100 less. That said, most people probably don't need the slight bump in power and advanced camera modes offered by the Pro line, which is why the standard iPhone 16 (starting at $799) earns our Editors' Choice award. Design: Just a Few Nips and Tucks The iPhone 16 Pro looks nearly identical to last year's iPhone 15 Pro, but don't let the similarities deceive you. Apple has adjusted more than is obvious to the eye. To start, it has grown a smidge. The 16 Pro measures 5.89 by 2.81 by 0.32 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.03 ounces, up fractionally from its predecessor (5.77 by 2.78 by 0.32 inches, 6.60 ounces). It's also slightly bigger than the iPhone 16 (5.81 by 2.82 by 0.31 inches, 6.0 ounces). The Pro Max is significantly larger at 6.42 by 3.06 by 0.32 inches and 7.99 ounces, but the 16 Pro is in close proximity to its nearest Android competitors, the $999 Google Pixel 9 Pro (6.0 by 2.8 by 0.3 inches, 7.0 ounces) and the $999 Samsung Galaxy S24+ (6.2 by 3.0 by 0.3 inches, 6.95 ounces). Unlike the gargantuan Pro Max, the iPhone 16 Pro is comfortable to hold, use, and carry. The 16 Pro carries over the titanium frame and Ceramic Shield glass of last year's iPhone. Combined with the IP68 rating for protection against dust and water, you have what Apple claims is the most durable iPhone yet. Titanium is certainly strong, and Apple's Ceramic Shield is plenty tough, but the Galaxy S24+ and Pixel 9 Pro both use aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and have the same IP68 rating. All of these phones are resistant to scratches, dirt, and water, but you should still use a case. Apple keeps the Pro model color options muted this year. The 16 Pro is available in Black Titanium, Desert Titanium, Natural Titanium, or White Titanium. We received the Black Titanium model. Apart from the size, the biggest change in the iPhone 16 Pro's hardware is the new Camera Control key, which Apple bestows on all four iPhone 16 models. The Camera Control is positioned on the lower portion of the right edge, where it falls naturally under your finger or thumb. You can tap it to open and operate the camera. The power button is approximately 1.5 inches above the Camera Control, so you won't confuse the two. The Action Button returns and is on the phone's left side. I wish the Action Button were a bit larger and a bit farther away from the two volume keys, which are also on the left edge. All the buttons have outstanding travel and feedback. The bottom edge of the phone houses a high-speed USB-C port, a microphone, and one of the phone's two speakers. The other is located in a slit between the display glass and the top of the phone's frame. You won't find a physical SIM card tray anywhere because US iPhone models rely on eSIM only. The triple-camera array on the rear is unchanged in design. It still contains three lenses mounted on a raised glass square, which is a significant bump. Display: Sizing Up Apple has changed the script regarding the iPhone Pro displays. The iPhone 16 Pro's display grows from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, while the 16 Pro Max swells from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches. The 16 Pro display has a resolution of 2,622 by 1,206 pixels with a pixel density of 460 pixels per inch (ppi), while the Pro Max has a resolution of 2,868 by 1,320 pixels, also with a density of 460ppi. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 carries over its 6.1-inch screen with 2,556 by 1,179 pixels at 460ppi. The Pro screens aren't just about size. Both feature a variable refresh rate, which Apple has branded as ProMotion. The rate varies from 1Hz to 120Hz, which allows the Pro to have an always-on display -- a standard feature among many flagship Android phones. The higher refresh rate makes for smoother performance when scrolling and gaming. The displays produce 1,000 nits of typical brightness, 1,600 nits for HDR, and 2,000 nits at their peak. The 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio gives you inky blacks and ensures that HDR content looks its best. I was able to use the iPhone 16 Pro in bright and dark environments with no problem. Comparatively, the Pixel 9 Pro features a 6.3-inch OLED display with 2,856 by 1,280 pixels at a density of 495ppi with up to 3,000 nits of brightness, and the S24+ has a larger 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with 3,120 by 1,440 pixels at a density of 513ppi with up to 2,600 nits. Performance: Speed Bump Apple debuts a new processor with its new iPhones each year. For the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, that means the new A18 Pro chip. Apple says the A18 Pro has a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core NPU (Neural Engine). The iPhone 16 Pro includes 8GB of RAM and is available with 128GB ($999), 256GB ($1,099), 512GB ($1,299), or 1TB of storage ($1,499). The A18 Pro cuts through apps and games like a warm knife through butter. It handles multitrack Garageband and iMovie projects like the pro it is and allowed me to make mincemeat of my enemies in Resident Evil 7 Biohazard. Nothing tasked the processor at all, though it warmed up a little when playing Resident Evil. Running the iPhone 16 Pro through the usual bevy of benchmarks highlights its performance further. On Geekbench 6, a test that evaluates the CPU, the 16 Pro reached 3,279 and 7,855, respectively, for the single- and multi-core tests. For comparison, the iPhone 16 Plus with a regular A18 reached 3,091 and 7,129, the Galaxy S24+ with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor scored 2,289 and 7,075, and the Pixel 9 Pro with a Google Tensor G4 reached 1,961 and 4,718 on the same test. On the GFXBench Aztec Ruins test, which assesses GPU performance, the 16 Pro hit 58.8 frames per second (fps). Comparatively, the 16 Plus scored 57.5fps, the S24+ hit 83fps, and the Pixel 9 Pro hit 43fps. The 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test also provides a glimpse at GPU performance. Here, the 16 Pro hit 4,592 total frames at 27.5fps, which is notably higher than the iPhone 16 Plus' score of 3,881 frames at 23.2fps. Similar to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the iPhone 16 Pro became warm while running benchmarks, though it didn't get quite as hot and the heat didn't appear to impact performance. Battery: Longer Than Ever If there's one aspect of the iPhone 16 Pro that's not as great as the 16 Pro Max, it's battery life. The smaller size mandates a smaller battery. Thankfully, the 16 Pro's battery size is up 9.4% from the 15 Pro to 3,582mAh compared with the Pro Max's 4,685mAh. Apple says this battery lets the 16 Pro play local video files for up to 27 hours, stream online video files for up to 22 hours, and play audio for up to 85 hours. The good news here is that the 16 Pro makes solid gains over the 15 Pro, even if it can't match the 16 Pro Max. And it still trounces the Android competition. Our battery test involves streaming HD video over Wi-Fi with the screen brightness set to the maximum. The 16 Pro lasted 20 hours and 33 minutes. That doesn't quite match Apple's claimed 22 hours, but it's a huge improvement over the 15 Pro's battery life of 16 hours and 45 minutes. The Pro Max, meanwhile, ran longer at 22 hours and 5 minutes. In comparison, the Pixel 9 Pro's 4,700mAh battery lasted 17 hours and 25 minutes, while the Galaxy S24+'s 4,900mAh battery lasted 14 hours and 10 minutes. It's notable that the iPhone 16 Pro lasts so much longer than its Android peers, both of which have significantly larger batteries. Apple has evened out the charging features across the iPhone 16 line. That means the 16 Pro supports the latest MagSafe wireless charging at a speedy 25W as long as you have a 30W adapter handy. It can also charge at 15W on Qi2 charging pads and at 7.5W on older Qi charging pads. The phone supports up to 45W wired charging, which is the fastest ever for an iPhone. You don't get a charger in the box, but you do get a braided USB-C cable. Charging times are quicker across the board. Apple's latest Magsafe charger replenished the 16 Pro's battery fully in 71 minutes, which is significantly less than the 2 hours needed by the 15 Pro. The Galaxy S24+ charged a little faster at 60 minutes, while the Pixel 9 Pro needed 90 minutes. Connectivity: Strong Signals The 16 Pro has the exact same connectivity suite as the 16 Pro Max and performs at the same high level across the various wireless technologies contained within. It carries sub-6GHz (C-band) and mmWave 5G support and is compatible with most US carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. I ran speed tests on Verizon's network across New Jersey and New York City and saw excellent performance. The 16 Pro reached a download speed of 867Mbps and an upload speed of 201Mbps. The iPhone 16 Pro Max scored almost identical numbers, though a Pixel 9 Pro was a little slower at 674Mbps down and 131Mbps up. When tested with almost no signal at all, the phone still managed to reach 59Mbps down and 47Mbps up. The phone's Wi-Fi graduates from Wi-Fi 6E to Wi-Fi 7. This will largely impact performance down the road, but when tested on my home's gigabyte 6E service, it reached outstanding speeds of 823Mbps down and 776Mpbs up, which, again, is on par with the 16 Pro Max (798Mbps/774Mbps) and better than the Pixel 9 Pro (451Mbps/465Mbps). Bluetooth 5.3 is on board for connecting to devices like true wireless headphones and Bluetooth speakers. Other networking standards include dual-band GPS, NFC, and Threads. Voice calls sound great even when you're in noisy environments. The earpiece offers more than enough sound (74dB). The stereo speakers are loud enough for a small room (84dB) but they are a little weak when it comes to fleshing out the bass in our test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout." Camera: A Video Machine Apple has revived the dedicated camera button. All four iPhone 16 models include the new Camera Control, a touch-sensitive key on the side of the iPhone that opens the camera, as well as snaps photos and records video. It's a quick way to launch the camere and access some of the camera app's latest features. Using the Camera Control, you can access a handful of settings like exposure, depth of field, zoom, cameras, styles, and tone. Each of these is available elsewhere in the camera user interface, but Apple tethers them to the Camera Control for easier access. Tapping and swiping the key itself takes some practice -- it doesn't always do want you want or intend. Still, if you want to change the brightness setting or the color, it's possible. The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max share identical camera arrangements. Before now, the smaller Pro model has generally had a lesser telephoto camera. For example, the 15 Pro had a 3x telephoto lens while the 15 Pro Max had a 5x telephoto lens. The main camera has a 48MP main sensor with an aperture of f/1.78 and optical image stabilization. It combines full-resolution 48MP images with binned 12MP shots to generate 24MP final images. Apple says the 24MP photos offer the best balance of detail and exposure. The main camera is also responsible for capturing 2x zoomed photos with the central 12MP of the sensor. This is more or less the same arrangement as the 15 Pro series. The ultra-wide camera jumps from a 12MP sensor in the 15 Pro models to a 48MP sensor in the 16 Pro with a 120-degree field of view and an aperture of f/2.2. You can take full-resolution shots or bin it down to 12MP. The 12MP telephoto camera supports 5x optical zoom and 25x hybrid zoom, while the TrueDepth selfie camera as a 12MP sensor with an aperture of f/1.9. These last two cameras appear to be carried over from the 15 Pro. The 16 Pro supports advanced file formats, including ProRAW and HEIF, in addition to jpeg. Apple employs a lot of algorithms to create the iPhone's final images. It's often taking as many as nine shots each time you press the shutter button and pulling data from each frame before it merges them together. In this process, it's brightening lows, tamping down highs, and treating the color. Not everyone loves this process and would prefer their phones to capture photos that more closely resemble what their eyes see. You can take such photos with the iPhone 16 Pro, but you have to dive into the new Tone control to make it happen reliably. Some will want to put in that work and others would rather just open the camera and snap away. Whichever path you choose, you'll get sharp photos that have lots of detail and little noise. Shots taken in low light or at night show a little grain, but less so than the iPhone 15 or iPhone 14. Photos from the ultra-wide camera look much better than those from the iPhone 16 or 16 Plus. The shots contain more detal and appear more balanced. Your selfies will look great, especially during the day. The default bokeh settings for portraits are a little over the top, but you can dial them back to a softer look. The iPhone 16 Pro is an impressive video capture tool. It can record 1080p or 4K video at 24, 25, 30, or 60 frames per second in Dolby Vision. It packs advanced modes such as Cinematic Mode, Action Mode, ProRes, Log, and Academy Color Encoding System, slow motion, time-lapse, and spatial audio/video. New this year is a Fusion capture mode that records at rates up to 4K120. The result is super smooth action as well as the ability to adjust the frame rate after the fact for dreamy slow motion. It has stabilized sensors and includes four microphones for audio capture. There's no doubt in my mind that the iPhone 16 Pro has one of the top video capture suites available in a phone. Video looks great and the advanced modes give you an incredible degree of freedom to make adjustments afterward. Android phones have yet to match this level of video power. Software: Waiting on More Smarts iOS 18 is preinstalled on the iPhone 16 Pro. The phone will get at least five years of OS and security updates from Apple. Personalization features are among the biggest additions to the platform this year. For the first time since the original iPhone debuted in 2007, iOS users can place app icons and widgets anywhere they wish on the home screen. You can also recolor the icons, as well as make them bigger or smaller. It's a cinch to change the lock screen shortcuts, rearrange the Control Center, and cycle through wallpapers. You finally have the power to make the iPhone experience yours. Much more is on deck. Beginning in October, Apple will push iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence. This first AI-infused update will bring features like Writing Tools and a revitalized Siri to the iPhone. Future updates will ad generative AI functions like Image Playground and Genmoji. These features are what Apple has been heavily marketing even though they're not ready, so we're anxious to test them once they arrive. Verdict: A Better Pro, for Pros Only Apple has done a fine job retooling the iPhone 16 Pro. It contains meaningful updates this year that include a larger display, a turbocharged processor, a sharper telephoto camera, and a big jump in battery life. If you want a reasonably sized flagship phone with tons of power, it's easy to recommend the 16 Pro. If you want an even bigger screen or the absolute longest battery life from an iPhone, the 16 Pro Max is the obvious choice. But it's also worth noting that you probably don't need the increase in power or the professional camera features offered by the Pro models, so the regular iPhone 16 is our Editors' Choice winner and our top recommendation for most people.