I wasn't lucky enough to get an iPhone 16 Pro Max on launch day, but seven days ago it finally appeared at my door. I already had a good idea of what to expect when it did arrive thanks to Tom's Guide's reviews and hands-ons with the different models and their new features, but now I've had a chance to try these all for myself.
I basically always have an iPhone in my pocket to accompany the Android device I'm testing, so since iPhones generally come out once every year, I've still got a long time left with the iPhone 16 Pro Max. But here are my thoughts after one week using the phone as my daily driver, featuring plenty of points of praise — there's a reason why it's on our list of the best phones — but also a few areas I'd love to see Apple address for the iPhone 17 next year.
The screen looks incredible — and it's not just me
With its new 6.9-inch display, impressively-high brightness and class-leading color accuracy, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is tied with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL for my favorite smartphone screen of the year. In fact I've had two of my family members — people who normally glaze over as soon as I mention anything like color gamuts or delta-E measurements — admire how bright, sharp and colorful the screen of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is. They couldn't point to what aspect of the display they like, but needless to say the quality is obvious even to non-techy people in your life.
That said, it's a little disappointing that Apple didn't upgrade more aspects of the screen. It can now scale its refresh rate all the way down to 1Hz for greater battery efficiency, but even Apple notes the screen is no brighter than before. And while the Ceramic Shield material is apparently tougher, an added anti-glare layer like Samsung users for the Galaxy S24 Ultra would have been an excellent addition.
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. (Check out our 200-shot competition between the iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra).
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.
iOS runs smoother and snappier than ever
I've been using iOS 18 since the second developer beta, so I'm quite familiar with how its features all work. But since moving into the iPhone 16 Pro Max, its A18 Pro chip seems to have smoothed everything out even more. Everything from opening apps to the speed with which Apple Pay pops up and processes my purchases feels more slick, and I hope this continues to be the case when we eventually get iOS 19 and later versions.
It's possible this is just a matter of optimisation over time rather than the A18 Pro meeting a certain power threshold. But whatever the reason, the iPhone 16 Pro Max does truly feel built for iOS 18, and for Apple Intelligence features like Writing Tools and Clean Up. It's just a shame these features didn't launch at the same time as the phone.
Desert Titanium looks and feels classy
I'm always uncertain about the look of gold phones. They can easily look tacky rather than sophisticated, but Desert Titanium brings in a less glitzy bronze tone that has made me confident I picked the best available color.
Not only is it easy on the eye, the phone also feels better to hold than the iPhone 15 Pro Max I was using before. The glossier titanium side rails feel nicer whether against your fingertips or in your palm, while still offering the same weight and durability benefits as last year's original titanium-clad Pro iPhones.
A 6.9-inch iPhone may have been a size increase too far
Despite the positive words I had for the bigger screen of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, I'm uncertain about the phone's size in general. It could be that I am just very used to the 6.7-inch iPhone shape after using Pro Max iPhones for the past three years. But I am finding it difficult to reach distant areas of the display when trying to handle the phone one-handed, even compared to similarly large Android phones.
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
I'm one of the few people who've actually been playing Resident Evil: Village on iPhone. While I know I could get a better experience on an actual console, having this AAA game available to play right out of my pocket on one of the best gaming phones is plain fun, whether it's just on the phone or with the help of a Backbone One controller.
It's all the more fun on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The larger display, extra power in the A18 Pro chip make the game more visually impressive, while improved cooling (thanks to new graphite and aluminum parts) makes it much more comfortable to hold than the iPhone 15 Pro was.
Battery life is fantastic
Whether it's because Apple enlarged the battery capacity of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, or it improved the power efficiency of the A18 Pro chipset, but I've seen huge improvements in battery life. On days I'd previously use up 80% of my iPhone's battery, I'm now using 65 - 70%, a considerable improvement.
On our best phone battery life list, the iPhone 16 Pro Max comes in third behind the OnePlus 12R and Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro. But considering it already lasts over 18 hours on the TG battery test, and only lasts 42 minutes less than then ROG Phone, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has more than enough battery life for anyone.
More from Tom's Guide
