Apple has officially announced the iPhone 16 Pro Max at the Glowtime launch event. Not only does it come with a larger 6.9-inch display, this is also the largest iPhone Apple has ever made with super-thin bezels to help complement that growth. Needless to say, it looks like a serious improvement over the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max wasn't the only product Apple announced in Cupertino. We also have the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro two flavors of AirPods 4, the Apple Watch 10, and refreshed AirPods Max with a USB-C charging port.
Naturally the Pro Max model has a bunch of hardware upgrades to entice you into ditching your old phone. Some of these are available on non-Pro models, like the Camera Control button, and the AI-powered Visual intelligence, but some of them are exclusive to the Pros. There's a new 48MP ultrawide camera, all-new AI-based audio recording magic, as well as the ability to record video in 4K and 120fps with Dolby Vision HDR. And we can't forget about the new super-power A18 Pro chipset either.
If you want all the features without the size, check out our iPhone 16 Pro hub for more specifics on the expected premium iPhone.
Otherwise, read on for all the details we've seen so far on the iPhone 16 Pro Max and check out our full review for a comprehensive breakdown of how the new phone performs.
iPhone 16 Pro Max cheat sheet: The major changes
- The iPhone 16 Pro Max is powered by the new A18 Pro chipset, which promises to be faster and more efficient than the A17 Pro — all to help power on-device AI features
- The design has had a slight refresh, with a larger 6.9-inch display that is Apple's largest ever iPhone. The bezels have also shrunk considerably, emphasizing that look.
- A larger battery promises to offer the best-ever iPhone battery, though it's unclear how much bigger it is
- A new 48MP ultrawide camera lens promises better photo resolution. The camera system can also record video at 4K in 120fps with Dolby Vision HDR
- Camera Control button gives you more control over the camera app, without having to touch the phone screen
- Visual Intelligence lets you use Apple Intelligence and your camera to learn more about the world around you. Kind of like AI Vision on rival platforms
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Price and release date
While the iPhone 15 Pro Max endured a $100 price hike, we’re excited that Apple left the price tag alone for at least another year. The iPhone 16 Pro Max price starts at $1,199 for a 256GB model, the same as last year.
iPhone 16 Pro Max pre-orders open on September 13 ahead of general release on September 20 — both sticking with Apple's typical Friday release pattern.
The phone will be available in 4 separate colors. They include Black Titanium, White Titanium and Natural Titanium, all of which are returning from last year. Apple will also be offering a new Desert Titanium color, which appears to be some kind of gold or bronze hue.
iPhone 16 Pro Max:Specs
iPhone 16 Pro Max: What's New
Apple has implemented a few new design choices with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the most noticeable of which is the new 6.9-inch display. That makes it the largest iPhone Apple has ever made, and will no doubt make those mourning over the loss of the iPhone mini weep in terror. Apple has also reduced the size of the bezels, helping to maximize that screen space within the slightly larger frame.
Other hardware changes include a new graphite clad aluminum substructure, which Apple says will improve thermal management by 20%, alongside a new larger battery that should offer the better battery than any previous iPhone. Though Apple hasn't said how large it is, or how long we can expect that battery to last.
The 48MP main camera has also received a new quad-pixel sensor, which allows the phone to capture video at 4K and 120fps — both as regular video or in slo-motion. The ultrawide camera also features a quad-pixel sensor, along with a boosted 48MP resolution. The tetraprism telephoto lens seems unchanged from last year, and comes with the same 12MP 5x lens we saw before.
iPhone 16 Pro Max owners will find that camera easier to control this year, thanks to the new Camera Control button. Situated on the bottom right side of the phone, the basic function of this button is to open the camera app and shoot photos or video without having to use the touchscreen.
However the Camera Control button is also capable of detecting pressure and swiping gesture. This opens up a whole new range of controls, including minimalistic camera interfaces and menus, plus the ability to control features like zoom without touching the screen.
Finally there's the new A18 Pro, a chip which promises to be 15% more powerful than the A17 Pro while also using 20% less power. This chip is primarily focused on powering Apple Intelligence's on-device features, but also promises to improve camera performance (including zero lag on the shutter), 2x faster ray tracing and 2x faster video encoding compared to last year.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: AI Features
Apple Intelligence still hasn't officially launched yet, and will be out of reach of most until it launches in beta sometime in October. However we do know that all the Apple Intelligence features we've seen so far will run on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
That means you'll be able to make your own custom genmoji, use the upgraded version of Siri when it's available, generate your own images, get summaries of all your emails and notifications and summon ChatGPT for help should you need it.
There is an exclusive iPhone 16 feature in the form of Visual Intelligence, which sees Apple Intelligence work with the camera so you can better understand the things around you. The camera sees stuff, and then Apple's Ai will analyze what's in view and offer up suggestions on what it thinks you might want.
It's a bit like AI vision or Google Lens, but with the ability to open the Visual Intelligence interface with a dedicated button — the Camera Control button. There's native support for ChatGPT here as well.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: How it compares to other phones
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is definitely a step above the iPhone 15 Pro Max, at least in terms of hardware and exclusive features. Which is exactly what you want from a new iPhone, lest we see a repeat of the iPhone 13/iPhone 14 debacle of a few years back.
But the phone's biggest rivals are the big-name Android flagships, including Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Both those phones have their own selling points, including excellent camera quality and battery life — two things Apple is emphasizing this year. While the Pixel 9 Pro XL isn't likely to be a serious competitor in the battery department, despite its major improvement, Samsung could prove to be a formidable adversary. But we'll have to wait for battery life testing results before we can say anything for sure.
One fact we do know already is that the iPhone 16 Pro Max's battery is more expensive to replace. Apple charges $119 for an out-of-warranty battery replacement on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max — compared to $99 on iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
On top of that both Google and Samsung have put a lot of effort into their respective AI features. Google has Gemini Advanced to fall back on, rather than farming out chatbot responsibilities to a third party, as well as the many AI-powered video editing and enhancement features. Apple is a little late to the party with AI,. and further delays to a mass release aren't helping matters, so iPhone 16 Pro Max is really going to have to stick the landing.
What iPhone 16 Pro Max will no doubt excel at is the performance side of things. Apple has shown time and again that it's nearly untouchable in the performance department, even if Qualcomm's flagship chips do tend to outmatch it in graphics benchmarks. We have no doubts that the A18 Pro will continue that trend, raising the bar for what is considered flagship performance in a smartphone. Especially if what Apple says is true, and that it can outperform some full-size computers.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Verdict
It's been a long time since Apple has produced an iPhone that wasn't worthy of some kind of praise, and judging from what we've heard about the iPhone 16 Pro Max so far, that doesn't sound like it'll change anytime soon. Not only is the phone coming with upgraded cameras and a bigger battery, Apple's also increasing the amount of screen size and reducing the unsightly bezels in the process.
On top of that we've got the new Camera Control button, which should offer a much more premium mobile photography experience — the kind you used to need to buy a special case to buy. Plus there's the new 4K 120fps video shooting capabilities, and the AI audio features to make shooting video more versatile than ever.
Apple Intelligence could be what makes or breaks the iPhone 16 Pro Max, though. AI is currently only available to developers in beta, with the public beta not launching until sometime next month. The idea of releasing the whole suite to the public seems to be further away than ever — which isn't a good look for Apple. Thankfully those of use at Tom's Guide that have tested Apple AI features are impressed with what we've seen.
There's still a lot we don't know about the phone, and we likely won't find out until we can get the iPhone 16 Pro Max into our lab for some in-depth testing. But for now, we're cautiously optimistic.
