Today at the “It’s Glowtime” event, Apple finally unveiled the new iPhone 16 lineup, including the iPhone 16/16 Plus and the iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max. The latest iPhone lineup comes with all the new features of iOS 18, Apple Intelligence, and improvements to the system-on-chip, display, design, and cameras. If you’re one of those looking to get the iPhone 16 Pro Max and wondering if it’s an upgrade over last year’s top-of-the-line model, you’ve come to the right place. In this iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max comparison, we’ll help you find out.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Specs Overview
- iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: screen
- Build and design
- iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: hardware
- Software and AI
- iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Camera
- Battery and charging
- iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Should you upgrade?
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Specs Overview
You can check out the specs table below to see how the iPhone 16 Pro Max differs from the 15 Pro Max on paper.
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display, 120Hz, 2868 x 1320 pixels | 6.7-inch, 120Hz, 2796 x 1290 pixels, LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display |
| Dimensions | 163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm | 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.3 mm |
| Processor | 3nm, Apple A18 Pro | 3nm, Apple A17 Pro |
| Rear camera | 48 MP wide angle, 12 MP telephoto, 48 MP ultra wide angle, TOF 3D LiDAR | 48MP Wide Angle, 12MP Telephoto, 12MP Ultra Wide Angle, TOF 3D LiDAR |
| Front camera | 12MP wide | 12MP wide |
| Video | Max: 4K at 120fps | Max: 4K at 60fps |
| Battery | up to 105 hours of audio playback, up to 33 hours of video playback, up to 29 hours of video streaming | up to 95 hours of audio playback, up to 29 hours of video playback, up to 25 hours of video streaming |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 | Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 |
| Software | iOS 18 pre-installed | upgradeable to iOS 18 |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield (2024) | Ceramic shield |
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: screen
As for the display, the new Pro Max model has a significantly larger 6.9-inch display with a resolution of 2868 x 1320 pixels. Last year’s iPhone, on the other hand, has a 6.7-inch display, the same as its cheaper Plus sibling, so the resolution is slightly lower at 2796 x 1290 pixels.
The bezels of the iPhone 16 Pro Max have also been shortened to fit a form factor that isn’t much different from its predecessor. It’s not just the bezels that contribute to the improved screen space, as Apple has also reduced the cutout at the top. So the live island you interact with will also be smaller than before.
Aside from these size differences, the screen capabilities remain the same. Both models use Super Retina XDR LTPO OLED panels with a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate and support for HDR 10 and Dolby Vision. The peak brightness for SDR (1,000 nits), HDR (1,600 nits), and outdoor (2,000 nits) remains unchanged.
Build and design
Along with its larger display, the iPhone 16 Pro Max also gets a size bump. The new model measures 163mm in height and 77.6mm in width, compared to 159.9mm in height and 76.7mm in width for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The thickness, however, remains the same at 8.3mm.
Both phones feature matte-finish glass panels on the back, with the latest iteration featuring a much shinier titanium frame, thanks to a new titanium processing technique. The new model has the same button layout as the 15 Pro Max, but there is an additional button on the right. This is the capture button, which will be a dedicated mechanical key for accessing the camera app and clicking images inside. This button is also pressure-sensitive, allowing you to associate different actions with different types of touches.
While last year’s model came in Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, Black Titanium, and White Titanium, the 16 Pro Max comes in a more solid, established color palette. You can get it in Space Black, White, Gray, and our top pick, Desert Titanium.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: hardware
The iPhone 16 Pro Max replaces the Apple A17 Pro from last year’s version with an all-new Apple A18 Pro, which is also built on the same 3nm N3E process node. This is an upgraded version of TSMC’s N3B process that is significantly more powerful by 15% and features an improved 16-core Neural Engine to allow the device to perform Apple Intelligence actions faster. The iPhone 15 Pro Max also features a 16-core Neural Engine for AI tasks, but the latest unit can perform 35 trillion tasks per second.
Apple has also improved the internal thermal design with an improved metal case for the battery and a new graphene heat sink instead of copper. The upgrade also comes to connectivity, as it gets the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard as well as a new Snapdragon X75 5G modem for 4x faster data throughput speeds and a 20% improvement in power efficiency. The 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, came with the Snapdragon X70 and Wi-Fi 6E.
Software and AI
As with any iPhone release, you get all the features available with iOS 18 along with new AI features. With iOS 18, you get a redesigned and more customizable Home screen, a new Control Panel, Lock screen controls, a Passwords app that replaces the Keychain section, a Game Mode for better gameplay, and much more. All of these features are available on both models, so you won’t see much difference when you upgrade.
The release of iOS this year also brings Apple’s version of AI to its lineup for the first time. The company calls it Apple Intelligence, and while both models support it, the 16 Pro Max has a few exclusive ones. This new system brings together a bunch of significant AI features and experiences, like a powerful new Siri, ChatGPT integration, writing tools, notification summaries, AI Genmojis, and more.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Camera
Last year, Apple made major camera improvements to its iPhone 15 lineup. That’s because the main sensor on all models, including the base iPhone 15, was bumped up to a 48MP wide f/1.8, 24mm sensor.
This time around, the company has gone for a more conventional approach and retained that sensor along with the secondary 12MP 120mm periscope telephoto lens in the same f/2.8 aperture configuration. The latter offers the same level of ~5x optical zoom and 3D sensor-shift OIS as its predecessor.
The only major change is the new 48MP 0.7µm ultra-wide sensor. This is a significant improvement over the 12MP ultra-wide sensor found on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and previous versions. Apart from that, you will also see a TOF 3D LiDAR scanner for depth, the same as before.
With the changes to the display and a smaller Dynamic Island, one would have expected a different front camera setup. But that’s not the case. The iPhone 16 Pro Max retains the 12MP, 23mm f/1.9 wide sensor for selfies with HDR support. Similarly, there’s no difference between the devices in terms of video recording. You can record 4K footage using both the front and rear cameras at 24/25/30/60 FPS.
Battery and charging
Apple is using stacked battery technology to power the latest Pro model. This ensures increased battery life and better energy density compared to the single-layer battery in the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The Cupertino giant doesn’t tout battery life like other OEMs do, instead sharing an estimate of how long the phone will last in different usage scenarios. The 15 Pro Max is rated to last up to 95 hours of audio playback, up to 29 hours of video playback, and up to 25 hours of video streaming. With a slightly larger battery, the new model can last much longer, thanks to the more efficient Apple A18 Pro chip.
The 16 Pro Max also gets an upgrade in charging. You can now charge it with a 25W MagSafe charger, up from 15W on the 15 Pro Max. Wired charging remains unchanged, and both models are rated to charge from 0 to 50% in 30 minutes.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Should you upgrade?
Every year when an iPhone is released, it’s the Pro models that perhaps get the most improvements across the entire lineup. And that’s largely the case with the iPhone 16 Pro Max as well. It gets a bigger display, better internals, a new capture button, and improved charging support over its predecessor. While most of the camera specs remain unchanged, the new 48MP ultra-wide sensor is indeed a welcome change.
But is all that warranty an upgrade over an iPhone 15 Pro Max? Personally, no. Unless you’re getting a really good trade-in value, I wouldn’t recommend upgrading to the newer model. That’s because the 15 Pro Max can still do everything the latest iPhone does, thanks to the underlying iOS 18 software. It even gets all the Apple Intelligence features of the 16 Pro Max, with a few exceptions.
However, if you own a much older device, it becomes easy to suggest the iPhone 16 Pro Max. With AI becoming more and more popular at Apple, you will definitely have a sense of FOMO since you won’t be able to test Apple Intelligence on older iPhones, or even the non-Pro iPhone 15 for that matter.
