What’s the big deal about the latest iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max?
For starters, they’re literally bigger. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is a striking 6.9 inches – the largest display ever on an iPhone – and the iPhone 16 Pro is 6.3 inches. Both phones are packed with software upgrades, and built from the ground up to put Apple Intelligence features at the front and centre.
Along with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, the Pro phones mark Apple’s first foray into the artificial intelligence (AI) race – and it’s not holding back. Read on to discover what new features you can expect to find in the latest iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, and reserve yours while stocks last.
The phones are expected to officially go on sale on September 20. You can pre-order yours right now, on Amazon, with zero per cent installments. Don’t forget to become a Prime member to have it shipped to you as soon as it’s ready for delivery.
At a Glance: iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
Pros
- Larger displays
- New ultrawide camera
- New slow-motion video
- Powerful A18 Pro chip
- Improved battery life
Cons
- No change in charging speed
- Camera Control requires a learning curve
Specifications: iPhone 16 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro Max
Display: 6.3-inch OLED | 6.9-inch OLED
Resolution: 2622 x 1206 pixels | 2868 x 1320 pixels
Refresh rate: Adaptive 120Hz
Chipset: A18 Pro
Operating system: iOS 18
Memory capacity: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Protection: IP68 splash-, water- and dust-resistant
Cameras: 48MP Fusion main, 48MP ultra wide, 12MP front
Battery life: 27 hours video, 85 hours audio | 33 hours video, 105 hours audio
Dimensions: 149.6mm x 71.5mm x 8.25mm | 163mm x 77.6mm x 8.25mm
Weight: 199g | 227g
Design
The biggest physical change in the Pro phones has to do with their size. Both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are larger than their predecessors (the iPhone 15 Pro is 6.1 inches and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 6.7 inches), but not significantly. Apple has trimmed down the bezels on the new devices so much, the iPhone 16 Pros currently have the slimmest borders on any iPhone. Despite the difference in dimensions, the phones are not excessively heavy, either.
The new iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max also feature a new Ceramic Shield display that’s supposed to be twice as tough as the glass on any other phone. There’s also a new colour joining the Black, White and Natural titanium options – it’s called Desert Titanium.
Features
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max feature the same bright and vivid Super Retina XDR OLED (organic LED) display you’re used to, with a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth multitasking and transitions.
Improved camera system and controls
As in the iPhone 16, there’s a new button recessed in the right side of the phone – the Camera Control button. It acts as a shutter button – clicking it allows you to snap a picture – but it’s a whole lot more, thanks to its multifunctional capacitive control surface. You can swipe to zoom, and double-press it to bring up additional controls, like lens selection, exposure and new photo styles. When held down, it can also be used to access the new Visual Intelligence feature, which uses Apple Intelligence to scan the world around you and give you instant information – like which store that dress is from, or what kind of tropical plant that is.
Don’t worry, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max still retain their Action button, so you can use it to customise shortcuts.
Another big upgrade for these phones comes in the form of camera improvements. There’s a new 48MP Fusion main camera that has been designed to reduce shutter lag and take incredibly sharp images, even when the subject is in motion. There’s also a new 48MP ultra wide camera, which generates impressive macro shots with intricate details, and can seamlessly capture wide angles. There’s also a new slo-mo video mode – you can capture 4K 120fps videos in slow motion, adding a little drama to everyday life. Improved studio quality mics, and reduced wind noise technology, help improve the sound quality when you record video, as well.
The arrival of artificial intelligence
The A18 Pro chip inside the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max offer a major boost in speed and performance, but they’re also optimising the phones and getting them ready for Apple Intelligence, which rolls out in beta in October. The central processing unit (CPU) of the new iPhones is 15 per cent faster, even as it uses 20 per cent less power, and there’s also a new neural engine for machine learning tasks.
When Apple Intelligence arrives, it’s expected to power new Writing Tools on the iPhones – you can summarise an entire lecture in seconds, proofread text and rewrite different versions until you get the right tone and wording. There’s also Image Playground, which lets you create new images based on descriptions, suggested concepts and even a person from your Photos library. And Siri gets a superpower this year, with a little help from ChatGPT – with an all-new design, richer language understanding, and awareness of your personal context, Siri’s assistance will be more intelligent than ever before.
Better hardware, better battery
iPhone 15 Pro owners will also be happy to learn that Apple has listened to their frequent complaints about overheating – the iPhones now have reorganised internal architecture that allows for better heat dissipation and up to 20 per cent improved performance. Gamers, too, will be happy to note that the A18 Pro’s new six-core graphics processing unit (GPU) is better able to handle visuals.
Both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max offer better battery life than previous models, thanks in part to the efficiency of the A18 Pro chip, and larger batteries. Unfortunately, charging speeds still remain at 25W, which can be disappointing, since most Android phones offer faster charging.
Verdict
With solid upgrades, both at hardware and software levels, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are impressive phones, with the former likely offering better value. If bigger screens don’t matter to you, however, check out the iPhone 16 – it shares a lot of the Pro’s best features, and is smaller and lighter, to boot.
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