iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max
Unlike the 2023 pair of Pro iPhones, the 16 Pros don't differ in anything else other than size (and that one other aspect that comes as a result of it). What that means is the seemingly arbitrary choice to fit a 3x telephoto on the 15 Pro and a 5x one on the 15 Pro Max is no longer on the list of considerations in choosing a Pro from the 16 generation. So Apple has made it easier this year, right? Or is it the other way around?
Let's look into the similarities and see if we can find any less obvious differences.
Table of Contents:
For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor's assessment in the following video or in the text further below.
Size comparison
First and foremost - size. The Max doesn't take its name lightly and is, indeed, a huge smartphone. It's grown a little compared to last year's model, the three extra mm in height and nearly a mm of added width possibly being the last drop that pushes the lineup beyond some customers' tolerance of 'large'. That said, if 'large' is what you're after, the Max delivers.
The 16 Pro has gained a bit of weight and is also 3mm taller and a mm wider than last year's model - so in a way, it's the safety net for those that will be put off by the new Max's size, but don't quite want a small phone. On the other hand, if you're looking for a compact 'Pro', perhaps this one still qualifies - with enough context and rationalization.
The two phones share the same materials, build and color options, so there's not much to choose here. You can count on the titanium frame and third-gen Ceramic Shield display glass to offer plenty of protection against drops, shattering and scratches. Both phones are also IP68-rated, and, in typical Apple fashion, they exceed the standard's 1.5m depth requirement and should be good to as deep as 6m (for 30 mins, freshwater).
Display comparison
Body size goes hand in hand with screen size and the 16 Pro Max has the largest display there has ever been on an iPhone. The 6.9-inch panel offers ample viewing area and maybe a couple of extra lines in a list when compared to the iPhone 16 Pro's 6.3-inch screen - you'll have to scroll that little bit more on the non-Max, and stuff on screen will be somewhat smaller too.
Other than that, there's little to separate the two models. Apple has settled on the 460ppi pixel density as the fundamental property (Super Retina and all that) and varies the overall resolution depending on the diagonal. Maximum brightness is the same 900nits when in manual operation and around twice that if you let the auto brightness take over. You also get HDR10 and Dolby Vision support on both.
Both Pros have ProMotion, Apple's name for a high refresh rate display. You don't get much control over its behavior other than being able to turn it off and limit the refresh rate to 60Hz, but Apple probably knows what it's doing and gives you the optimal balance between smoothness and battery life.
Battery life
With great size comes great battery - are we quoting that right? Both models get a bump in battery capacity - 9.4% up for the Pro, 5.5% up for the Pro Max. The 16 Pro Max, in particular, is now almost up there with the Androids of its caliber, and with 1,100mAhs on top of the 16 Pro, you'd expect it to offer better endurance, even when accounting for the larger display.
Indeed, we got a better Active Use Score on the 16 Pro Max, with meaningfully higher numbers across all tests. That's not to say that the 16 Pro is bad - quite the opposite - just that the 16 Pro Max is the better option if you routinely have long days away from a power source.