iPhone 16 Pro Max — here’s my pros and cons

 

I just spent a week with the iPhone 16 Pro Max — here’s my pros and cons

It sounds like you've had a solid week with the iPhone 16 Pro Max! Now that you've had some hands-on experience, what stood out to you the most? What are your pros and cons after getting the phone in your hands?

It sounds like you’ve had the chance to really dig into the iPhone 16 Pro Max over the past week. I can see why you'd have a balanced view after using it as your daily driver. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what impressed you and what could use some improvement. What are the standout pros and the cons that you'd like to see Apple improve in future iterations. 

It sounds like Desert Titanium turned out to be a great choice for you! The unique bronze tone is definitely a more understated yet striking alternative to some of the other iPhone color options. Apple’s color choices for the Pro models have really stood out in recent years with premium finishes. What did you think of the overall design and build quality of the iPhone 16 Pro Max—did it feel as premium as you hoped.

The screen looks incredible — and

 it's not just me

The 6.9-inch display on the iPhone 16 Pro Max sounds absolutely stunning! It’s great to hear that it’s not just tech enthusiasts but also casual users in your family who’ve noticed the improvement. High brightness and excellent color accuracy really make a difference, especially when the screen is so easy to notice in everyday use. Do you find yourself using the screen for media consumption more, given its impressive quality?

Photography is as strong as you'd hope

This is something I could have guessed without even touching the phone, but the iPhone 16 Pro Max is an awesome camera  phone. While its cameras don't quite match up to the megapixel total of Android flagships like the Galaxy S24 Ultra or Pixel 9 Pro XL, Apple's focused on consistency, something we see reflected in its success in our photo face-offs. 

The new 48MP ultrawide camera is already improving my zoomed-out shots with additional detail when needed, and the massive upgrade to Photographic Styles is fun to experiment with. While I haven't tried it properly myself yet, having 120fps 4K video recording abilities is something I'm keen to try as a fan of both high frame rates and the option to enable slo-mo on any clip. 

A 6.9-inch iPhone may have been a size increase too far

I can understand your hesitation with the iPhone 16 Pro Max's larger size, especially when you're accustomed to the 6.7-inch models. While the 6.9-inch display offers a lot more screen real estate, it does come with the trade-off of increased size and bulk, making one-handed use more difficult. It’s interesting that you find this issue more pronounced on the iPhone compared to similarly sized Android phones — maybe the iPhone's design, or the placement of buttons and edges, contributes to that? Do you find yourself adjusting how you hold it, or are there other compromises you'd like Apple to address.

Apple's Reachability tool, the often-forgotten iOS tool that slides the interface down the screen for easier access, helps with this somewhat. But this is making me wonder if I made a mistake in choosing the Pro Max rather than the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro, or if I just need some more time with the phone.

Gaming is better — and cooler

That’s awesome — playing Resident Evil: Village on the iPhone 16 Pro Max really highlights the power of mobile gaming in 2025! It’s clear that the larger display, the A18 Pro chip, and improved cooling all combine to offer a more immersive and comfortable experience, especially when you’re using a controller like the Backbone One. Having AAA titles like this available on a device as portable as a phone is definitely a game-changer.

Do you feel like the mobile gaming experience on the iPhone 16 Pro Max has come close to rivaling traditional consoles or PCs, or are there still some limitations you'd like to see addressed in future models?

Battery life is fantastic

That’s a fantastic improvement! The combination of a larger battery and the power efficiency of the A18 Pro chipset seems to be paying off in a big way. Getting more battery life out of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, especially with the larger screen and performance upgrades, makes it a much more reliable device for heavy users.

It’s also impressive to see it holding its own against other top performers like the OnePlus 12R and Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro. With over 18 hours of usage on the TG battery test, it seems like the iPhone 16 Pro Max is more than capable of handling long days without needing a recharge. Have you noticed any performance drops or slowdowns in battery life as the day goes on, or is it pretty consistent throughout.