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The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max debuted along with the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, and new AirPods at the Glowtime keynote event last week, and I began testing the two after attending the launch in Cupertino, California. It’s no surprise that this new generation is bigger, faster, and more feature-packed than its predecessor, with larger screens, but the standout aspects are the extra hardware button and an even more capable camera.
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iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
apple.com
$999.00
I spent more than a week with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, zeroing in on those new features that set them apart from the iPhone 15 Pro duo. I captured hundreds of photos and quite a bit of video footage to evaluate their new camera hardware, especially the control button.
During the testing period I used each device as my primary phone to get a sense of the ergonomics improvements and potential shortcomings brought by the bigger screen. I also monitored the mixed-use battery life of the products. Below, I lay out a few reasons why you might consider upgrading and why you might not.
Three Reasons to Upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max
I’ve been using the iPhone 15 Pro and the big-screen iPhone 15 Pro Max for the past year, so I couldn’t wait to discover how the familiar-looking sequels stack up. After a week of real-life scrutiny, here are the three best reasons to consider upgrading—even if you’re rocking the previous iPhone Pro generation.
#1: The camera alone is worth it for photographers.
Camera Control Button
Sitting on the right side of every iPhone 16 and iPhone Pro, the camera control button guarantees an improved experience in capturing memories for beginner and advanced photographers alike. In addition to quickly launching the camera app, the button allowed me to switch between lenses, zoom in and out, adjust the white balance, select photographic styles, and many other essential tasks by sliding my finger across its surface.
When capturing photos and videos with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, the camera control button helped me accomplish the above feats by holding each device with one hand rather than fiddling with onscreen swipes. Thanks to the large touchscreen and the camera button, I found the iPhone 16 Pro to be more convenient than a run-of-the-mill point-and-shoot camera for both photography and video recording.
More Advanced Hardware
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are better camera phones than the outgoing generation, and the presence of a dedicated capture button on their right side is not the only reason why. The newcomers feature an upgraded ultra-wide snapper, whose 48-megapixel sensor has four times the resolution of the past generations, bringing it on par with that of the upgraded primary Fusion camera.
Having the above upgrade allows the phones to capture not only better group and landscape photos but also stunningly detailed macro shots of close objects. And because of the super high resolution, you get an even closer look by cropping the images.
More Photographic Styles
Apple added a new generation of photographic styles on both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. The sophisticated tools give mobile shutterbugs the opportunity to instantly transform skin tones, color temperature, and lighting in a scene, changing its mood in the process.
Compared to the previous iPhone Pros that also have photographic styles, the new ones have considerably more to choose from, including the option to create custom ones through an intuitive slider. Using the functionality is like having a genie who’s an image-editing expert living inside the phones.
Dolby Vision-Level Video Recording
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are the first Apple offerings capable of recording Dolby Vision-enhanced video footage at an impressive 120 frames per second. What’s more, you can change the video playback speeds in the Photos app.
The phones’ elaborate set of audio capture tools is also better, courtesy of sophisticated microphones and Apple’s advanced silicon. I could tweak the sound of clips I recorded faster than an audio engineer simply by tapping on the screen.
Best of all and unlike last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max that had different zoom capabilities in favor of the bigger phone, the sequels have identical camera setups. You will not have to settle for carrying a bigger slab of metal and glass to get a better camera phone.
#2: You get a bigger screen.
The 6.3-inch screen of the iPhone 16 Pro and the 6.9-inch display of the Max are larger than the panels of the iPhone 15 Pro (6.1-inch) and Max (6.7-inch). Common tasks like navigating the web, scrolling through documents and social media feeds, streaming video, reading, and gaming are comfier on each phone.
Thankfully, the size bump hasn’t significantly impacted the devices’ ergonomics—the 2024 iPhone Pros are slightly bigger than the 2023 editions. I have small hands and had no trouble using the smaller one with one hand on the move. The Max required more attention under such circumstances, as expected.
Longtime iPhone users who long for more screen space but don’t want to sacrifice handling will be enamored with the 16 Pro.
On the other hand, iPhone Pro Max fans in need of screen real estate will appreciate the larger screen of the latest release. It is bigger than the displays of big-name Android rivals like the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Playing AAA games on the new Max with a snap-on controller like the BackBone One gave me the same vibes as interacting with a Steam Deck OLED handheld console, except I could fit the iPhone in my pocket after I was finished.
#3: You get more power and longer battery life.
It’s no surprise that the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are more powerful than their forerunners. The 3-nanometer Apple A18 Pro chip inside them delivers increases in power over last year’s A17 Pro without sacrificing energy efficiency. Their graphics and processing power advantage is admittedly imperceptible on most occasions but easier to notice when running console-grade games like Resident Evil 4 or Assassin’s Creed: Mirage. Those titles look nicer on the new-generation iPhones.
The phones are more capable than their rivals in any department—from multitasking to running generative AI models—yet capable of easily providing a day’s worth of mixed-use. I didn’t have to be mindful of my usage patterns to save myself from charging sessions, especially with the Max as my go-to iPhone.
Spending more time gaming, video conferencing, and other activities might require a battery pack or a trip to a nearby power outlet. The charging speeds are about the same as those of the iPhone 15 Pro duo.
A Case for Upgrading… Or Not
The presence of a camera control button should be enough to convince many to upgrade or gift the iPhone 16 Pro before factoring in the photo and video capture improvements. Just like on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the new Pros’ extra key makes the Action Button available for other shortcuts, adding to their versatility.
The bigger screens, performance improvements, and Apple Intelligence are also legit reasons to consider upgrading, though keep in mind that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will still get the last-mentioned feature via iOS 18.1. If camera versatility and screen size aren’t priorities and you dropped big money on a Pro iPhone from 2023, you can sit this upgrade cycle out.
A Word About Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence will arrive on the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max alongside iOS 18.1, bringing cutting-edge generative AI tech across their platform. While I haven’t had the chance to incorporate the technology in my day to day to fully test it, what I’ve seen so far is impressive. The functionality will speed up your daily routine and workflow by summarizing large swaths of text, transcribing calls, and generating digital images, to name a few tedious tasks, in moments.
Having quick and easy access to Apple Intelligence is a big reason to consider upgrading to the latest iPhone Pros from one that’s older than last year’s 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. The last-mentioned products will be compatible with the advanced tech.
Size vs. Memory vs. Cost
Choosing between the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max is a matter of prioritizing ergonomics over screen size and battery. Fresh off a screen size boost, the Pro is more appealing, if (still) far from the Max in terms of productivity and entertainment capabilities. The Max is also worth spending extra on for its longer battery life. But still, some might find the Max to be a tad too big, especially with a rugged case on.
The iPhone 16 Pro starts at a dollar under $1,000 for a version with 128 GB of storage. The Max costs $200 more, but it comes with 256 GB of memory at minimum. Paying up for that much memory on the 16 Pro brings the price up $100, and closes the cost gap, leaving screen size and battery capacity as the only decisions to make before ordering.
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