I won’t prefer it, you won’t prefer it, however when you’re within the US, it is time to face info: the overwhelming majority of smartphone consumers round us are, on the very least, contemplating the iPhone today. Whether or not it is as a result of peer strain of iMessage-enrolled buddies or the diminishing quantity of Android-based alternate options accessible in the marketplace, Apple’s benefits in North America proceed to extend with every passing yr.
Concurrently, although, the iPhone feels prefer it has reached a kind of crossroads. Altering market tendencies and political strain within the EU alike have pushed iOS into all types of latest instructions, resulting in essentially the most Android-like iPhone expertise we have seen but. Months in the past, I’d’ve instructed you that was trigger for concern, one other nail within the coffin for any hope of a resurgence in Android’s US-based recognition. Having used the iPhone 16 Professional Max over the course of the final month, nonetheless, it paints a completely totally different story.

Apple iPhone 16 Professional Max
Apple’s iPhone 16 Professional Max is a powerful piece of smartphone {hardware}. With a large 6.9-inch show, a beefy battery able to lasting two days on a cost, and a versatile digital camera system, it provides one of the best of Android a run for its cash. It is simply too dangerous iOS is on a downhill trajectory, and no quantity of AI fluff appears prepared to vary that.
- Massive, brilliant, colourful show
- Incredible battery life
- Photographic Types assist carry life again to pictures
- Apple’s {hardware} stays glorious as all the time
- iOS 18 is messy, buggy, and unfinished
- First group of Apple Intelligence instruments is a letdown
- Photographic Types are weirdly annoying to arrange
- The primary iPhone to really really feel a little bit too large
Pricing, availability, and specs
New yr, identical story
The iPhone 16 Professional Max begins at $1,200 for the 256GB mannequin, with upgrades to 512GB or 1TB accessible for $1,400 and $1,600, respectively. It is accessible on virtually each service, together with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Cellular, together with loads of MVNOs. You can even choose one up by means of retailers like Greatest Purchase and Apple’s personal storefronts, each bodily and on-line. It is available in 4 titanium-branded hues: black, white, pure, and an all-new desert shade.
Design and show
When does ‘large’ turn out to be ‘too large?’
Outdoors the colour choices accessible, Apple made virtually no adjustments to the core Professional Max design on this yr’s iteration. You will discover the identical flat edges on each mainline iPhone since 2020, paired with the titanium chassis launched final yr. The iPhone 16 Professional Max is barely longer and wider than its predecessor and, because of this, weighs round six grams heavier. At 8.25mm, although, it is simply as thick as final yr’s telephone — anybody hoping for a thinner machine might want to look ahead to Apple’s rumored iPhone 17 Slim.
Like final yr, I like Apple’s general design, but it surely’s arduous to really feel notably impressed whenever you’re on the fifth iterative improve. Greater than that, although, the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s bigger show — the explanation for the extra expansive dimensions — really makes the machine really feel too massive in my palms. I had an identical drawback with the Galaxy S24 Extremely; typically, some units are simply too large. Minimal bezels and curved corners apart, I by no means felt comfy holding this telephone.
In truth, not like the iPhone 16 (and presumably, the equally sized iPhone 16 Professional, although I haven’t got that readily available), this telephone feels too massive and unwieldy to belief with no case. Throwing any stage of acceptable safety on this $1,200 smartphone simply makes it really feel that a lot larger, compounding the general drawback. Surprisingly, the taller, barely wider construct of the iPhone 16 Professional Max breaks what was in any other case a wonderfully acceptable design simply 12 months in the past, however right here we’re.
Oh, and a notice on these colours. Having seen the iPhone 16 Professional Max in its new Desert Titanium colorway, I merely don’t perceive what Apple was pondering. Even Google provides its Professional-branded telephones with at the least one semi-colorful colorway. The common
iPhone 16
appears to be like beautiful in its Teal and Ultramarine tones this yr; can we please transfer previous the concept that fanatic customers do not need a splash of shade?
Outdoors its measurement, I haven’t got a lot to say concerning the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s 6.9-inch show. It is huge, brilliant, and punchy with out trying too oversaturated. The large change this yr appears to return from its capacity to drop all the way down to 1 nit of brightness, whereas final yr’s mannequin stopped at round 2 nits. It is an important show, but it surely’s not best-in-class — I nonetheless want the 6.3-inch Tremendous Actua panel on the Pixel 9 Professional.

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Different {hardware} and what’s within the field
Digital camera Management is not notably good at, you understand, controlling your digital camera
The Motion button makes a return this yr, and it is as restricted because it was in 2023. I don’t know why Apple has restricted this specific shortcut to a single motion when its different extra {hardware} button is making an attempt to take action a lot. Nonetheless, possibly we’ll see some extra choices for double or triple faucets in iOS 19. For now, although, it stays my devoted flashlight set off.
That aforementioned “different button” is Digital camera Management, and out of doors of Apple Intelligence, it is essentially the most noteworthy change this yr. It is a hybrid mechanical-capacitive button that pulls triple responsibility as a digital camera shortcut (utilizing a single faucet if the display screen is on; double faucet if the display screen is off), a shutter button, and a dial for swapping between modes and settings inside the viewfinder. Put merely, it’s the precise reverse of the Motion button: convoluted to the purpose of precise insanity.
Throughout my time with each the iPhone 16 Professional Max and the smaller, cheaper iPhone 16, I’ve discovered myself utilizing Digital camera Management from time to time. It does work properly as a digital camera shortcut, even when it is in a barely awkward spot for fast presses. It is also okay as a shutter button, although its firmness means the occasional blurry shot from pushing too arduous, too rapidly.
So far as sliding between digital camera settings goes, although, it is too irritating in these conditions. Muscle reminiscence or not, it is quicker to swipe between modes, zoom ranges, or regulate your publicity simply by utilizing the on-screen controls. Contemplating how finicky these instruments are with Digital camera Management — particularly when you’re capturing in portrait — I would say essentially the most helpful a part of this button is the flexibility to press and maintain to begin a video recording. Even then, you already must be within the viewfinder to begin it.
In any other case, this iPhone stays as glorious a chunk of {hardware} as earlier iPhones, although I am unsure that is as spectacular because it was once. Samsung caught as much as the competitors years in the past so far as construct high quality is anxious, and I would argue Google’s Pixel 9 Professional has met Apple’s bar as properly. This can be a rock-solid piece of {hardware}, but it surely’s simply not sufficient to face out anymore.
Nonetheless, there are a few areas the place I believe Apple is forward of the competitors. The iPhone’s audio system stay second to none — this telephone may be one of many only a few the place I do not constantly discover a distinction between the bottom-firing speaker and its earpiece-based sibling. Watching movies on the iPhone 16 Professional Max with out headphones is a pleasure for that reason, as long as you’ll be able to ignore the Dynamic Island’s irritating placement.
Second and way more area of interest is the iPhone’s new mic array. Apple’s used 4 microphones on its high-end iPhones for years now, however the tuning and general high quality proceed to enhance yr over yr. Whereas I would not fully substitute my mic setup for recording episodes of the Android Police podcast, it is good to know that, whether or not on the street or out at a convention, I might make do with this machine in a pinch.
Within the field, you may discover the iPhone 16 Professional Max, a USB-C cable, and the standard assortment of paperwork. Oh, you needed one thing additional, like a charger or, I do not know, an Apple sticker? Inform it to the corporate’s backside line the setting.

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Software program and efficiency
Imagine it or not, I miss the iOS of years previous
Regardless of writing for an Android-centric web site, I would prefer to assume I am about as working system-agnostic as anybody will be. Positive, I’ve my preferences, however I have been fast to name out areas the place I believe Apple has outperformed the competitors. From small utilities like the flexibility to rapidly copy and delete screenshots to the brand new — and really cool — flashlight controls rolled out this yr, I have been greater than honest each time I’ve mentioned iOS as a platform.
With these priors established, please hear me out once I say iOS 18 is an absolute mess of a software program replace.
I am not simply speaking concerning the very odd rollout for Apple Intelligence — these “options” will get their very own subheading in a second. I am speaking concerning the core identification of iOS. For years, this platform has been too restricted and buried beneath too many restrictions. Apple has slowly allowed for extra energy person instruments to pile up over the previous few upgrades, and now, with iOS 18, it feels just like the dam has burst. With iOS 18, the iPhone 16 Professional Max feels extra like an Android telephone than ever earlier than, however someway, these instruments are way more overcomplicated than something you’d discover on our aspect of the fence.
For the primary time, you’ll be able to really customise your own home display screen, transferring icons into empty areas and utilizing dynamic themes to make use of inventive splashes of colours. I hate actually the whole lot about how Apple went about this alteration. I bear in mind creating clean icons with Cydia on a jailbroken iPod contact 15 years in the past and transferring icons across the grid-based structure was simpler then. Regardless of the flexibility to rearrange apps, Apple nonetheless auto-snaps your icons into place. You can be swearing at your display screen in seconds you probably have any familiarity with transferring apps round on Android. It is embarrassing for this to really feel so damaged on such a longtime machine.
You’ll be able to’t inform me that purple Pokémon Go icon appears to be like good. You simply cannot.
These dynamic themes look equally horrible. From the ugly darkish mode gradients employed on apps like Notes and Well being to the downright terrible colorized tints, the one factor Apple has over the competitors is an auto-forced theme for builders unwilling to play ball. I am as annoyed as anybody at Google’s insistence on ready for app makers to manually add help for Materials You. Nonetheless, if the choice appears to be like like iOS 18, I am high-quality coping with Android’s half-busted system. When you’re shopping for this telephone, stick with the pre-established look from older variations of iOS.
It does not cease there. From the universally panned Photographs redesign — a change that will hassle me extra if my whole assortment did not stay in Google Photographs — to the continued messiness of Apple’s lock display screen editor, I am merely not impressed by the present state of iOS. It feels just like the kind of platform iPhone followers would’ve been mocking a decade in the past, regardless of loads of options for its present slate of issues. And by the best way, the autocorrect bug I complained a couple of yr in the past? It is nonetheless right here, unfixed and persevering with to trigger havoc with my messages.
Nonetheless, it is not all a multitude. I am blissful to see RCS right here — I do know some iPhone customers have bumped into complications with it, however in my expertise, it labored seamlessly. Additions like message scheduling, customizable lock display screen shortcuts, and Siri’s new look are all nice, even when they need to’ve been right here years in the past. And depend me as a fan of the brand new customizable Management Middle. Contemplating each Android OEM on the planet appears intent on stealing inspiration from iOS 18 right here, I assume it is a good factor I prefer it.
So far as efficiency goes, properly, it is a trendy iPhone. I would not say I pushed this machine notably arduous throughout testing — Apple’s dream of AAA gaming going mainstream appears to be floundering — however in my day-to-day, I did not catch a hitch in scrolling. Likewise, multitasking works higher than ever, with apps staying alive within the background longer than regular. Maybe a profit from all of that additional RAM wanted for Apple Intelligence, which I believe it is lastly time to deal with.
Apple Intelligence
It took over a month after the iPhone 16 launched for Apple Intelligence to roll out to everybody. iOS 18.1 arrived in late October with the primary batch of AI-focused options, and I can not say I am notably impressed. It is not that Apple is being outplayed by the competitors — no OEM outdoors of Google has shipped any remotely fascinating AI options, and even then, the Pixel’s toolset is one extremely blended bag. Reasonably, regardless of being late to the AI-themed social gathering, Apple has failed to point out any fascinating or handy idea, a uncommon miss for the “being late is healthier than being flawed” crowd.
When you’re simply Apple’s web site, discovering out what Apple Intelligence options are stay in iOS 18.1 is surprisingly troublesome. That is most likely as a result of this primary group is such a nothing burger; the model continues to push options which are months away from launch, hoping its person base will improve to new {hardware} purely based mostly on a catchy advert marketing campaign alone. I’ve to think about these consumers will discover themselves fairly disillusioned with their costly new piece of {hardware} — solely time will inform if this transfer does any reputational injury to the corporate transferring ahead.
So, what is included on this first batch? AI-generated notification summaries are the massive one, although they’re disabled by default. These are, seemingly, Apple’s newest try to “repair” the horrible notification system employed by iOS, following within the footsteps of Scheduled Summaries in iOS 16. Every time your telephone receives a number of notifications from the identical app, iOS will try to distill these alerts right into a single, simply digestible blurb. It’s the excellent instance of an important thought being executed terribly, a sufferer of AI-based hallucinations that I doubt will ever be totally solved.
For each good abstract (comparable to an ideal two-line notification detailing a dialog concerning the lack of small Android pill choices), there are 5 dangerous ones. The impact is not saving you time; it is forcing you to double-check each notification to make sure you see the right particulars. The one spot the place these summaries are reliably correct is duplicate notifications the place you do not want to see each incoming ping, like Ring’s movement alerts or Twitch streamers going stay.
The overwhelming majority of AI instruments included in iOS 18.1 are fairly minor, and when you’re coming at this from the angle of a Google person, you won’t discover them in any respect. Sensible Reply is offered in Mail and Messages, for instance, the previous of which I do not use (and I have not discovered the AI-generated replies in iMessage to be ok to ship even as soon as). Clear Up and Create a Reminiscence in Photographs are high-quality when you’re utilizing that (dangerous) app, however I am not, and it is the kind of factor Google’s been doing for some time.
Whereas the true enhancements to Siri are nonetheless months away, those which are already listed below are fairly disappointing. As I mentioned, the visible overhaul is nice, however Siri’s voice choices sound much less pure to me than ever, and it now feels notably gradual in settings like CarPlay. That makes firing off a message whereas driving notably irritating, to say the least.
Siri now lives across the border of your display screen. It is a good impact, but it surely does not make the precise utility any higher.
I am prepared to maintain an open thoughts about future Apple Intelligence updates, however the truth of the matter is that this telephone is transport to clients unfinished and with a slate of instruments that merely does not impress, even outdoors comparisons to the competitors. Put one other approach, the iPhone really feels behind Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite of options in some ways, and if that does not offer you pause, I am unsure what is going to.
Digital camera
Photographic Types are the make-or-break of this digital camera system
With my emotions on Digital camera Management already out of the best way, how’s the remainder of Apple’s newest digital camera system? Actually, fairly good. I am unsure I have been really wowed by any of the photographs I’ve taken over the previous couple of weeks, but it surely’s a dependable shooter — assuming you are prepared to mess around with Apple’s new Photographic Types settings, that’s.
Out of the field, the iPhone 16 Professional Max falls sufferer to the identical issues I’ve with Google’s post-processing on the Pixel 9 Professional: an entire lack of distinction. Within the period of HDR-everything, virtually each OEM has determined something surrounded in shadows or darkness ought to be “corrected” earlier than the picture even saves to your gallery. The result’s a boring assortment of washed-out colours, the precise kind of factor driving budding lovers to return to point-and-shoot cameras.
Impressed by Becca Farsace’s personal iPhone 16 Professional takes shared on the Android Police podcast, I have been capturing virtually the whole lot with Apple’s Gold type utilized, full with maxed-out tone and shade settings. Though I discover the method of setting a particular capturing type to be overly complicated, as soon as it is carried out, it is carried out, and all of the samples you see right here had been shot with these shade mixtures. The result’s one thing uncommon: a set of pictures with precise persona, with out the necessity to regulate and edit afterward.
These photographs remind me of my shock favourite digital camera: the
OnePlus Open
. Like with that telephone, these photographs are possibly a contact extra saturated than the true world, and lean on the hotter aspect of issues. The consequence — at the least from the first 48MP lens — is unbelievable in the course of the daytime. At evening, I nonetheless assume the Pixel 9 Professional has Apple beat, as the whole lot appears to be like a little bit too artificially brilliant for my liking. To not point out, I captured a lot of blurry evening photographs with this factor — a state of affairs solely made worse any time I would attempt to depend on the Digital camera Management button.
I am a little bit extra blended on the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s different two lenses. The ultra-wide lens is among the few {hardware} adjustments this yr, that includes a bump as much as 48MP. It appears to be like high-quality in good lighting and is very good at capturing macro photographs. The 5x lens is seemingly fully unchanged from final yr’s mannequin, and my complaints have gone equally untouched. The Pixel 9 Professional trounces it in low-light and stabilization when zooming in on far-away topics.
iPhone 16 Professional Max and Pixel 9 Professional picture samples, 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x, 25/30x.
Nonetheless, although, this telephone is nearly as good of proof as any that Google must rethink its strategy to cell pictures, particularly contemplating its latest reliance on HDR. Whereas the Pixel 9 Professional stays my most popular digital camera system, I do not wish to really feel like I have to tweak the saturation, distinction, and shade temperature of each picture I seize simply to get the type I would like. If I needed that, I would be capturing on an actual digital camera, ideally in RAW. Have a look at the 2 pictures under and inform me which you favor.
iPhone 16 Professional Max vs. Pixel 9 Professional. Whereas the pink barn is a bit more saturated than it was in actuality, the iPhone’s picture is nearer to the precise environmental lighting general.
I haven’t got a lot to say about this iPhone’s video capabilities apart from to underline that Apple continues to run circles across the competitors, particularly Google. This telephone can document natively in 4K at 120FPS with out the necessity to again the whole lot as much as the cloud for post-processing. Actually, that is all that issues.

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Battery life and charging
All day lengthy — after which some
Though final yr’s iPhone 15 Professional Max garnered some blended reactions over battery expectations from those that made that telephone their each day driver, I can not say I ever skilled poor battery life throughout my very own time with that telephone. This yr, although, Apple’s claiming improved battery longevity throughout the board, because of the A18 Professional’s improved effectivity. Like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400, this chip is manufactured utilizing TSMC’s 2nd-gen 3nm nodes, leading to a reasonably spectacular runtime on a single cost.
With light-to-mixed use, the iPhone 16 Professional Max lasts two days on a single cost with out breaking a sweat. When you’re glued to your telephone all day — otherwise you’re on a candy Balatro run — getting by means of a full day with out in search of an outlet or an influence financial institution should not be an issue.
This yr, Apple gave a little bit of a lift to the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s charging talents. It might hit about 50 % in half-hour with a suitable charger, with charging speeds slowing down previous this level to stop overheating or long-term injury to the cell. Whereas I am an enormous fan of ultra-fast chargers from manufacturers like OnePlus, so long as a tool can hit 50 % in about half an hour — an affordable period of time to, say, arrive residence from work earlier than on the brink of head out to dinner and drinks — I am principally glad.
Competitors
Google’s coming for Apple’s lunch
That is the Pixel 9 Professional, not the Professional XL, however you get the concept.
Apple’s actually in a league of its personal, proper? The overwhelming majority of shoppers contemplating the iPhone 16 Professional Max are actually solely contemplating three different smartphones — that’s, the remainder of the iPhone 16 lineup. Nonetheless, on the Android aspect of the fence, there are two units price discussing; actually, I would argue, yet one more than the opposite.
That fundamental competitor is the Pixel 9 Professional XL. Google’s newest phablet is a powerful piece of {hardware}. It is clearly impressed by Apple’s previous few years of iPhone design, however the digital camera bar is a large enchancment over the triple digital camera grid seen right here, each aesthetically and virtually. Tensor G4 cannot fairly compete with the A18 Professional on sheer efficiency — I do not assume Resident Evil Village would carry out properly on Google’s getting old GPU — however I do not assume it is speculated to. In each day efficiency (and, sure, when dealing with AI duties), I’d assume these two telephones are neck-in-neck the place it counts: digital camera, show, and even battery life.

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The Galaxy S24 Extremely is one different apparent comparability level. Nevertheless, contemplating the Galaxy S25 Extremely is on the horizon, I am unsure what number of consumers would or might be satisfied to go for Samsung’s 2024 flagship. Nonetheless, with a wonderful (anti-glare!) show, an added stylus for productiveness, and an identical use of titanium, it is simple to think about loads of customers choosing the S24 Extremely. It is only a disgrace that Samsung’s picture high quality is leagues behind that of each Apple and Google. Fingers crossed for 2025.
Do you have to purchase it?
I’ve little doubt that the iPhone 16 Professional Max will, for some group of exhausted Android customers, be the machine that pulls them into the world of walled gardens and blue bubbles. Nevertheless, regardless of some long-awaited adjustments lastly reaching iOS, this machine paints bother for Apple’s cell platform. The iPhone 16 Professional Max feels extra like its Android friends than ever earlier than, however that solely highlights precisely the place this machine falls brief.
Nonetheless, I hope Google — and different Android OEMs — take some classes from the iPhone this yr. Photographic Types is a complicated mess of a instrument, however as soon as it is set, it makes a giant distinction in bringing again vibrancy and a set of feelings to your pictures. Likewise, whereas Apple’s additional buttons aren’t notably properly applied, I am all for including extra {hardware} shortcuts to smartphones; let’s get bizarre with it. However when you’ve been sitting by means of iPhone 16 business after iPhone 16 business and questioning whether or not you are lacking out, I can safely say the iOS expertise merely is not ok to really feel any kind of jealousy over.

Apple iPhone 16 Professional Max
The Apple iPhone 16 Professional Max sports activities the model new A18 Professional chipset with 8GB of RAM, with spectacular benchmarks for uncooked efficiency. The Professional Max mannequin will get larger this yr, that includes a 6.9-inch Tremendous Retina OLED show refreshing at 120Hz. Apple Intelligence has began to roll out, giving customers added AI performance like extra pure Siri conversations and higher looking within the Photographs app.

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