Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Go big or go home?

Apple officially unveiled nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max arsenic nan apical choices for nan eventual iPhone experience. Both battalion Apple’s astir powerful telephone hardware yet, almost reaching nan level of Apple’s M bid Mac chips.

But nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max person small to differentiate them isolated from their size. Apple splits nan Pro bid into 2 classes: large Pro and small Pro models. With different-sized bodies, nan aspects that evidently alteration are nan size of nan screen, arsenic wello arsenic nan phones’ heft, and artillery capacities. But is location much to this than instantly meets nan eye? Is location a logic to bargain nan Pro Max if you usually for illustration smaller phones, aliases vice versa?

Below, we categorize each of these differences and talk really varying dimensions impact nan personification acquisition otherwise connected nan iPhone 16 Pro and nan iPhone 16 Pro Max, and whether there’s 1 that comes retired connected top.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: specs

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: design

The iPhone 16 Pro. Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The iPhone 16 Pro and nan iPhone 16 Pro Max fundamentally person nan aforesaid creation but pinch 1 very evident difference: nan size. The modular iPhone 16 Pro has overmuch smaller dimensions, akin to nan smaller iPhone 16. The Pro Max, connected nan different hand, has a overmuch larger footprint to facilitate nan monolithic display. The larger size besides leads to nan iPhone 16 Pro Max weighing astir 30 grams heavier than nan modular Pro. However, contempt these differences, nan 2 phones are arsenic heavy astatine 8.25mm, which is impressive.

Camera Control fastener connected nan iPhone 16 Pro. Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is fundamentally a scaled-up type of nan 16 Pro, though nan camera is almost nan aforesaid size. Both phones besides identical buttons, including nan caller Camera Control button, but whitethorn person different placements according to nan size. That intends nan region your thumb needs to recreation to entree those buttons will vary. The easiness pinch each of nan phones will dangle connected your preferences and nan size of your hands.

Other than that, location aren’t immoderate different ways nan 2 iPhones differ. They moreover get identical colour options, including nan caller copper-ish Sand Titanium (initially rumored to beryllium coffee). Other awesome differences betwixt nan phones dishonesty successful nan display.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: display

The iPhone 16 Pro Max. Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

The quality betwixt nan displays connected nan 2 phones is highly apparent, pinch a clear favoritism betwixt nan modular iPhone 16 Pro and nan iPhone 16 Pro Max. Simultaneously, some phones are getting a marginal summation successful show sizes complete nan non-Pro iPhone 16 models, arsenic good arsenic nan older iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, acknowledgment to leaner bezels and somewhat larger bodies.

The iPhone 16 Pro now gets a 6.3-inch display, up from nan 6.1-inch connected nan erstwhile generation. Meanwhile, nan iPhone 16 Pro Max now goes up to 6.9 inches, taller than nan iPhone 15 Pro Max arsenic good arsenic stalwarts, specified arsenic nan Galaxy S24 Ultra and nan Pixel 9 Pro XL, successful nan Android ecosystem.

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The size quality results successful different surface resolutions arsenic Apple intends to connection nan aforesaid level of sharpness (same pixel density) connected some displays. The 2 displays besides get nan aforesaid brightness of up to 2,000 nits and up to 120Hz adaptable refresh rate, and some travel pinch Dynamic Island.

Apart from nan size, location isn’t overmuch to disagree betwixt nan iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max’s displays.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: performance

iOS 18’s caller Control Center Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Apple furnishes nan iPhone 16 Pro and nan iPhone 16 Pro Max pinch astir nan aforesaid hardware, and nan aforesaid applies to nan insides of nan 2 phones arsenic well. Both of them are powered by Apple’s latest A18 Pro spot pinch a caller and much businesslike creation than nan predecessor that powers nan iPhone 15 Pro.

Without galore differences to nan numbers of cores connected nan CPU, GPU, and nan Neural Engine, Apple says nan caller chipset now offers 15% faster capacity than nan past year’s A17 Pro. The CPU gets 2 dedicated units to tally low-power AI applications disconnected it alternatively of tossing them to nan Neural Engine.

The GPU gets 20% amended graphics capabilities and 2X faster ray tracing rendering. The Neural Engine doesn’t get a noticeable upgrade complete nan iPhone contempt nan event’s accent connected Apple Intelligence. Nonetheless, it tin still process up to 35 TOPS (trillion operations per second), which is astir arsenic bully arsenic nan Neural Engine connected nan Mac’s M4 silicon.

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

One insignificant quality betwixt nan iPhone 16 Pro and nan Pro Max is nan disposable retention options connected some phones. While nan iPhone 16 Pro comes pinch 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options, nan Pro Max lacks a 128GB variant, pursuing nan aforesaid shape from nan iPhone 15 Pro range. Storage of 128GB admittedly makes small consciousness for phones of this caliber, and would beryllium filled quickly, particularly if you grounds plentifulness of videos pinch nan iPhone 16 Pro. At nan aforesaid time, it would person helped make nan larger iPhone 16 Pro Max much accessible and lowered nan value by $100 aliases so. It would besides make consciousness arsenic Apple lets you upload practically each of your files, media, and moreover information from apps to iCloud.

Another quality betwixt nan iPhone 16 Pro and nan Pro Max seems to beryllium their expertise to ward disconnected heat. While testing, we recovered that nan iPhone 16 Pro tin get uncomfortably basking while juggling apps. Though Apple doesn’t specify, 1 tin fishy nan smaller telephone forces Apple to trim nan size of nan passive vapor cooling tech inside. Even if that’s not nan case, nan smaller aboveground area could lend to nan slower dispersion of power during intensive scenarios specified arsenic gaming.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: artillery and charging

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Another basal consequence of nan smaller size of nan iPhone 16 Pro versus nan Pro Max is constricted abstraction for its artillery pack. The iPhone 16 Pro Max boasts a 4,685mAh battery, which is overmuch larger than nan 3,582mAh iPhone 16 Pro battery. This isn’t surprising, considering nan iPhone 15 Pro had a 25% smaller artillery than nan iPhone 15 Pro Max.

In existent use, this quality successful capacity translates to a large disparity. The iPhone 16 Pro mostly lasted little than a time pinch reasonably normal use, while nan iPhone 16 Pro Max’s larger compartment meant it sewage a batch much juice retired of azygous charge. How overmuch more? A day-and-a-half to 2 days of use. That’s a overmuch much acceptable consequence for a premium device, and it’s a large separator for nan large phone.

When it comes to charging speeds, Apple eliminated immoderate disparity betwixt nan 2 devices — and arsenic a matter of fact, that’s nan lawsuit pinch each iPhone 16 phones. While nan full bid didn’t get nan 45 watts of accelerated charging for illustration we expected, each nan iPhone 16 phones max retired astatine 30W pinch a MagSafe Charger. They tin besides scope up to 50% complaint successful 30 minutes pinch a 20W adapter aliases higher complete a wired USB-C connection. In addition, nan phones support up to 25W wireless charging pinch MagSafe and 15W wireless charging utilizing accessories pinch nan much communal Qi2 protocol. Both phones tin pump complaint wirelessly into accessories, specified arsenic AirPods, though they won’t complaint nan Apple Watch.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: cameras

Photographic Styles connected nan iPhone 16 Pro. Joe Maring / Digital Trends

With nan iPhone 15 series, Apple introduced a caller 5x telephoto camera but constricted it to nan iPhone 15 Pro Max. This year, some nan iPhone 16 Pro and nan 16 Pro Max get nan nonstop aforesaid camera systems, including nan 5X telephoto. The identical camera systems connected some phones besides see nan caller 48-megapixel superior camera that tin now sprout images faster and an improved 48MP ultrawide-angle camera that tin harvester 4 pixels into 1 for brighter shots. The 12MP selfie camera remains unchanged from nan erstwhile year.

With nan caller superior camera, Apple besides includes nan expertise to sprout 4K HDR videos astatine 120 frames per second, which tin beryllium slowed down to 24 fps for much gripping cinematic effects. As pinch different performance-intensive tasks, nan iPhone 16 Pro Max’s larger assemblage to springiness it an separator successful thermal performance.

Using nan Camera Control connected nan iPhone 16 Pro. Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Both phones besides get 4 microphones now that let a much holistic sound capturing, particularly tuning it for spatial usage cases. Besides capturing sounds astatine different distances, nan microphone array tin besides destruct inheritance sound utilizing instrumentality learning.

With identical cameras, some phones person nan aforesaid capacity while taking photos, though nan iPhone 16 Pro Max has an advantage for videos — whether you see its resilience against power aliases nan advantage of serving arsenic a bigger viewfinder.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: package and updates

Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

Apple’s iOS 18 boots correct disconnected nan bat connected each caller iPhone 16 models. Apple Intelligence and Android-like customization features are cardinal to nan latest type of iOS, and we expect an undiluted acquisition crossed some nan iPhone 16 Pro and nan iPhone 16 Pro Max. iOS 18 besides brings 1 cardinal summation to Messages, successful nan shape of RCS support.

The only advantage of nan iPhone 16 Pro Max would deduce from its larger surface and its expertise to edit icons for apps aliases successful nan Control Center much easily. However, considering Apple intimately controls nan acquisition crossed its phones — and not conscionable nan flagship models — we don’t foresee limitations pinch either of nan models.

Once again, nan varying usability of screens connected some devices depends mostly connected your preferences much than immoderate different factor.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: value and availability

The iPhone 16 Pro has a starting value of $999, which gets you nan 128GB variant. Meanwhile, nan 256GB version goes up to $1,099. The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts astatine $1,199 for its guidelines 256GB variant.

Both nan iPhone 16 Pro and nan iPhone 16 Pro Max are presently disposable for preorders. Apple is expected to statesman deliveries starting September 20, but you would apt person to hold a fewer much weeks because of precocious request for nan Pro models.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: which 1 should you buy?

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

The iPhone 16 Pro and nan iPhone 16 Pro Max are mostly replicas of each other, pinch basal differences based connected nan size. The smaller iPhone 16 Pro is lighter and easier to wield. At 6.3 inches, it does not needfully person a mini screen, and should suffice unless you explicitly for illustration larger displays.

The larger iPhone 16 Pro, contempt nan other bulk, has definite advantages. Foremost, nan larger area accounts for amended cooling successful much demanding tasks, specified arsenic gaming aliases videography. If you intend to usage nan iPhone for a fewer years, nan advantage whitethorn go much evident arsenic nan processing demands for iOS and apps intensify. The bigger surface besides gives you much existent property for watching video content, gaming, aliases while signaling videos. We besides expect your thumb to remainder astatine a much relaxing position while utilizing Camera Control fastener connected nan iPhone 16 Pro Max compared to nan smaller Pro.

Despite those insignificant trade-offs pinch each of nan phones, nary of them is simply a deal-breaker. Both are among nan champion phones you will beryllium capable to bargain for nan remaining portion of nan twelvemonth done September adjacent year. Most importantly, these are nan champion devices if you wish to beryllium among nan first to acquisition Apple Intelligence features that will beryllium available successful nan coming months.