I’ve been using the iPhone 16 Pro Max over the past weekend and have started to get a good sense of its strengths and areas I’d love to see improved. These are just some first thoughts, but I’ll have a full review and detailed camera test this coming weekend.
Strengths 💪
The design remains rock solid and Apple has continued to subtly refine its design language introduced with the iPhone 12. This year they’ve improved the Titanium finishes, giving the phones a subtle lustre. Not shiny by any means, but not as dull as last year’s Pro series.
I was happy with the size of the displays but Apple has chosen to increase them a bit this year, narrowing the already slim bezels. The devices have increased a bit in size but I really didn’t percieve much of a difference. The screens are impressive and wonderful to use.
Battery life has been fantastic and I haven’t come close to draining the phone in a single day of use. That’s been with heavy use every day, including gaming, social media, video recording and more. Charging has also felt fast though not notably quicker than last years 15 Pro Max.
Let me get back to you…
Camera control is great for quickly launching into your camera app of choice. But I’m still formulating an opinion on the gestures. I’m feeling more confident in how they work and the mechanics of the button the more I use. But my initial feeling is that there is a bit of learning curve that might put off the average user.
The quality of video is incredible and photos for the most part look stunning. The Ultra Wide camera has been upgraded to 48 megapixels. Though it seems like Apple might be doing some pretty aggressive down sampling beyond the typical pixel binning we usually see on the main camera. I’ll need to take more images with the Ultra Wide and compare them with some shots from last year.
Changes I’d love to see 🔖
I really like the colour palette in the standard iPhone 16 lineup this year. And while the colours of the Pro lineup are beautiful, it would be great to see a few more pops of colour. That isn’t to say that Apple shouldn’t dispense with the classics like black and white. But it would also be nice to see a few bolder colours enter the fray.
Apple VP Kaiann Drance shared some insight into how Apple thinks about colour. She stated it an interview with YouTuber Tech Me Out, that Apple likes to pay close attention to the materials and choose hues that really respect the material. And they look at how the overall palette goes together (i’ll try and link to this later).
Wrap Up 🌯
So far the iPhone 16 Pro Max feels like a solid upgrade, especially if you have an iPhone 13 Pro or 14 Pro. I don’t think it’s an essential upgrade for people that own an iPhone 15 Pro. Unless you’re massively into iPhone photography and videography or a content creator. If you just want or need the very best then the features added this year, are probably worth the money. I’m talking 120FPS 4K video, the new photographic styles and tones features and the quick access to camera tools.
A more in depth review is coming this weekend so stay tuned.
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