Apple announced four smartphones in September 2024, including two ‘Pro’ models. We’re here to compare those two models, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. Unlike last year, this time around both ‘Pro’ models have the same camera setup. They’re basically on the same playing field aside for their size. That’s something users will appreciate, as they won’t be sacrificing anything by getting the smaller model. Well, almost anything.
We will first list the two devices’ specifications and will take things from there. We’ll also compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output. One thing to note is that we didn’t review either of these two phones at this point in time, so this is based on some initial impressions, and what we know about the two phones in general. With that being said, let’s get to it.
Specs
Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, respectively
– Screen size:
6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED ( flat, 120Hz, HDR, 2,000 nits)
6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED ( flat, 120Hz, HDR, 2,000 nits)
– Display resolution:
2622 x 1206
2868 x 1320
– SoC:
Apple A18 Pro (3nm)
– RAM:
8GB
– Storage:
128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
– Rear cameras:
48MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.28-inch sensor, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF), 12MP (periscope telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 1/3.06-inch sensor, 1.12um pixel size, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 5x optical zoom).
– Front cameras:
12MP (f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, OIS)
– Battery:
Not confirmed yet
– Charging:
Wired, wireless & reverse wired charging
Speeds not confirmed yet
– Dimensions:
149.6 x 71.5 x 8.3 mm
163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm
– Weight:
199 grams
227 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Face ID (3D facial scanning)
– OS:
iOS 18
– Price:
$999+
$1,199+
– Buy:
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Design
Design-wise, the only difference between the two phones is their size. They’re identical in every other way. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is basically the larger variant of the iPhone 16 Pro. The two phones are made out of titanium and glass. They have flat sides all around, which do curve slightly towards the very edges, for comfort’s sake. Both phones have flat displays and flat backplates.
There is a pill-shaped cutout on their displays, and it’s called the ‘Dynamic Island’. That cutout hides the front-facing camera and tech for 3D facial scanning. The bezels around the two displays are very thin, some of the thinnest around. They’re also uniform, by the way. The power/lock button sits on the right-hand side of both phones, along with a ‘Camera Control’ button. The volume up and down buttons are on the left, along with the ‘Action Button’.
Both smartphones have three cameras on the back. The look of the camera island is well-known at this moment. Along with the three cameras, an LED flash is also placed on the back. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is considerably larger than its sibling. It’s also 28 grams heavier. Both of these smartphones have larger displays than their predecessors, by the way. They’re both also very slippery, and IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Display
The iPhone 16 Pro features a 6.3-inch 2622 x 1206 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. HDR10 content is supported, and the same goes for Dolby Vision. The maximum brightness here is 2,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is slightly over 90%, and the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The Ceramic Shield glass protection is included on top of the display.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch 2868 x 1320 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That display is also flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. HDR10 content and Dolby Vision are supported here, and the brightness goes up to 2,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is slightly over 90%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The Ceramic Shield glass protects this display too.
The displays on both smartphones are great, to say the least. They’re vibrant, have great viewing angles, and very good touch response. The inky blacks are also included, and the touch response is good. Both of these displays are also bright enough, though not as bright as some of the competition on the Android side of things. Those of you who are looking for high PWM dimming will also not find it here. That’s the case for both Samsung’s and Pixel’s smartphones, though.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Performance
The Apple A18 Pro SoC is included inside both of these phones, which is a 3nm processor. That chip is combined with 8GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. Both devices seem to offer excellent performance, which is not surprising. Apple actually decided to bond the aluminum chassis to the titanium frame of the phone, to help with heat dissipation. It had to do something following the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max problems. Titanium is not as good as heat dissipation as aluminum. Apple is also using a graphite-clad aluminum substructure for better heat dissipation.
These are some interesting choices by the company when it comes to heat control. Based on some initial impressions, things do seem to work well, though proper gaming testing will reveal far more information. The general performance of both smartphones seems to be exactly what you’d expect. It’s very fluid, which is unsurprising. That chip that Apple included is immensely powerful.
We did not test the gaming aspect of the two phones just yet. They sure can handle the most demanding games out there, of course, they’re the most powerful smartphones Apple ever announced. Let’s just hope that Apple managed to sort the heating equation here, that heat won’t be a problem even after longer gaming sessions.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Battery
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro series’ battery capacities are still a mystery. Apple did not reveal them, as per usual. The estimate is that the iPhone 16 Pro includes a 3,577mAh battery, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 4,676mAh unit. They won’t be marketed as such, though, Apple will round things up. Now, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to offer better battery life, as is the case every year.
We did not test the battery life of either phone just yet, but we do expect both of them to do a good job in that regard. The iPhone 16 Pro may have a considerably smaller battery but do keep in mind that its display is also considerably smaller. That should balance things out in terms of battery life. Still, the ‘Pro Max’ is expected to be able to last longer out of the two devices.
The charging is still kind of a mystery at the moment. Apple did say that it takes the devices half an hour to reach 50% using its 20W charger. Their predecessors peaked at 27-29W, and something interesting surfaced online. China’s Quality Certification Center (CQC) revealed that all four iPhone 16 models peak at 45W charging speeds. So, that’s interesting. It will be interesting to see if Apple limits things along the way, or do the phones actually offer faster charging this time around.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Cameras
The two devices include the exact same cameras, both on the front and the back. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max feature a 48-megapixel main camera (f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.28-inch sensor size, sensor-shift OIS, 1.22um pixel size). A 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (f/2.2 aperture, 0.7um pixel size) is also located on the back side of both smartphones. The third camera is a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (5x optical zoom, 1/3.06-inch sensor, sensor-shift OIS, 1.12um pixel size).
On the front, you’ll find a 12-megapixel camera (f/1.9 aperture, 1/3.6-inch sensor, OIS). There is also a TOF 3D LiDAR scanner included on the front. With that being said, both of these smartphones are expected to be quite compelling in the camera department. The initial camera samples do look really good, but we have not yet reviewed either phone, so cannot really talk more about that. The point is, both smartphones will end up offering the exact same results. They have the same camera hardware and software related to that hardware.
Audio
Both of these smartphones include stereo speakers. Those speakers sound really good, actually. They’re plenty loud for what they are, and the sound output seems to be full. There’s not much to complain about here.
There is no audio jack, though. You can connect your wired headphones to the Type-C port on both smartphones. Alternatively, both smartphones do offer Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless audio connections.
