Apple iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max evaluate

Desk of Contents

I now crown the iPhone 16 Professional Max as our new smartphone battery life king, kicking the Google Pixel 9 out of its short-lived throne.

You will not imagine how lengthy the top-tier iPhone 16 lasted on a cost.

For those who’re confused over whether or not you must snag the iPhone 16 Professional or the iPhone 16 Professional Max, you may discover out on this in-depth evaluate that the latter delivers greater than only a 6.9-inch mega show.

Use the desk of contents to skip all the way down to the battery life part in case you’re too impatient in regards to the Professional Max’s runtime determine. However if you wish to know the breadth of how properly the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max carried out throughout our testing, stick round from begin to end.

iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max worth

The iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max are the iPhones you tote round to impress the impressionable. These are the crème de la crème of the iPhone 16 lineup that showcase the newest ready-for-market, cutting-edge applied sciences out of Cupertino.

There are a handful of options the iPhone 16 Professional fashions have that the entry-level iPhone 16 fashions don’t — like the flexibility to play 4K video at 120Hz — that the typical Joe doesn’t use frequently. Nevertheless, for some, having the ability to say “I’ve obtained essentially the most premium telephone from the iPhone 16 lineup” is sufficient of an incentive to get folks to make the acquisition plunge.

For those who’re a kind of of us, it’s possible you’ll be questioning, “What is the harm?” Let’s get to it.

The iPhone 16 Professional has a beginning worth of $999 and comes with the next:

• A18 Professional chip

• 8GB of RAM (required for Apple Intelligence)

• 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage choices

• 6.3-inch, 2,622 x 1,206-pixel decision show

The iPhone 16 Professional Max, then again, begins at $1,199:

• A18 Professional chip

• 8GB of RAM (required for Apple Intelligence)

• 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

• 6.9-inch, 2,868 x 1,320-pixel decision show

I do not love that the bottom mannequin iPhone 16 Professional begins at 128GB. In my expertise, this storage configuration lasts a couple of yr, give or take some months, earlier than it runs out.

I might suggest upgrading to the 256GB for an additional $100. Alternatively, you possibly can merely delete undesirable images and movies periodically — or get an iCloud+ subscription for added storage.

iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max design

When Apple stated that the iPhone 16 Professional Max had a bigger 6.9-inch show, up from the iPhone 15 Professional Max‘s 6.7-inch display, I joked that it is virtually a “phablet.” (Hey, there are tablets with 7-inch shows in the marketplace.)

Regardless of me “taking the piss,” as my British fiancé would say, I used to be pleasantly shocked that the iPhone 16 Professional Max wasn’t as unwieldy as I believed it would be. I anticipated awkwardness whereas clutching the premium prime mannequin — however nope. I did not discover a giant distinction. (And that is coming from somebody with small arms.)

To be honest, although, as a telephone reviewer, I have been carrying across the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely and the Google Pixel 9 Professional XL; each have 6.8-inch shows. As such, the 6.9-inch show on the iPhone 16 Professional Max does not faze me a lot.

Nevertheless, in case you’re coming from a telephone that has a considerably smaller show, you may undoubtedly discover the distinction. For instance, utilizing the smaller iPhone 16 fashions, just like the 6.1-inch iPhone 16 and 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Professional, it is easy to navigate the display one-handed together with your thumb. (See under.)

Nevertheless, with the iPhone 16 Professional Max, I discover myself having to steadiness it on my finger for one-handed navigation, making the iPhone 16 Professional extra comfy.

I grabbed my iPhone 15 Professional Max and held it in my left hand whereas holding the iPhone 16 Professional Max within the different; the latter is undoubtedly heavier. (In spite of everything, it does have an even bigger battery in it.) I checked the precise numbers and the iPhone 16 Professional Max is marginally extra hefty by 0.81 ounces. Apparently, although, the iPhone 16 Professional Max has the identical thickness because the iPhone 15 Professional Max (i.e., 0.33 inches).

However if you take a look at the iPhone 15 Professional Max and iPhone 16 Professional Max, the distinction between the 2 sizes is not as massive as I believed it would be (which explains why I did not expertise any unwieldiness whereas holding it throughout my hands-on).

The iPhone 16 Professional is now 6.3 inches, up from 6.1 inches. It is nonetheless obtained a compact type issue (although not as transportable because the $799 6.1-inch iPhone 16).

Different design modifications? The iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max have a brand new button, discovered on the lower-right aspect of the chassis, known as Digicam Management. (Extra on that later.)

Each the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max, nonetheless wrapped in a titanium enclosure, have a water resistance score of IP68, which suggests they’ll tolerate roughly 20 toes of water for as much as half-hour.

My solely disappointment is that Apple removed the Blue Titanium colour featured on the iPhone 15 Professional fashions and changed it with “Desert Titanium,” which appears to be like largely beige with a slight trace of pink and gold.

Different colours you may get embody Pure Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium.

iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max show

As talked about, the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max fashions have greater shows this time round.

• iPhone 16 Professional – 6.3-inch, 2,622 x 1,206-pixel decision, 1,000 nits of brightness (2,000 peak)

• iPhone 16 Professional Max – 6.9-inch, 2,868 x 1,320-pixel decision, 1,000 nits of brightness (2,000 peak)

On prime of that, each fashions have an ultra-slim body that encompass the show. They’re the slimmest bezels discovered on an Apple product. If Apple did not point out it, I would not have observed. I used to be by no means bothered by the bezels on the iPhone 15 Professional Max, however slimmer bezels by no means harm, I assume.

Apple continues to be attempting to make fetch occur with the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 16 Professional fashions. I do discover myself getting hypnotized by a few of the animations on the pill-shaped notch, just like the funky waveform actions that dance alongside to my Apple Music playlist.

Nevertheless, I’ve a sense that the Dynamic Island’s days are numbered (I give it till iPhone 19).

On one hand, the Dynamic Island is an iPhone signature. Whenever you see a pill-shaped notch on an telephone, you know it is an iPhone. Plus, Dynamic Island makes good use of the controversial notch that was a little bit of an eyesore for some customers. On the opposite, I will not miss it a lot if Apple decides to shave it off (or take away it fully) — extra display actual property for me!

On the iPhone 16 Professional fashions, I watched a few of my favourite exhibits, from The Boys on Amazon Prime Video to Promoting Sundown on Netflix, and each shows delivered wealthy colours as I ogled vivid superhero costumes on The Boys and feasted my eyes on sweeping drone footage of Hollywood Hills.

In fact, do not count on the screens to be as sharp as your TV set. (Maybe, to the Promoting Sundown solid’s delight, you will not discover many high-quality strains or delicate particulars on actresses’ faces, however the general viewing expertise continues to be top-notch.)

Lastly, Apple positioned the second-gen Ceramic Protect — Ceramic Protect 2, if you’ll — throughout your complete iPhone 16 lineup. (The primary-gen Ceramic Protect, launched with iPhone 12, was touted as its most sturdy show glass ever.) Now, Ceramic Protect 2 on iPhone 16 is reportedly “50% more durable” than the OG Ceramic Protect.

In different phrases, the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max ought to be capable of deal with your clumsiness much more than their predecessors.

iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max Motion Button

There’s nothing new to report relating to the Motion Button on the iPhone 16 Professional fashions (although it is a novel characteristic for the lower-tier iPhone 16 variants). Similar to the iPhone 15 Professional fashions, the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max proceed to sport the Motion Button on the upper-left aspect of the chassis.

For the uninitiated, the Motion Button, first showing on the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max, changed the mute swap (although you possibly can nonetheless use it to mute if you need). The Motion Button was a success amongst customers. You possibly can assign numerous completely different duties and apps to it. You may get it to launch one of many following pre-configured issues:

• Silent Mode

• Focus Mode

• Flashlight

• Shazam

• Translate

• Voice Memo

• Digicam

• Magnifier

Or, you may get artistic with the Shortcuts app and program the Motion Button to do sure duties relying on the way you’re holding the iPhone — and even the place you are situated. For instance, you possibly can configure the Motion Button to open Apple Maps if you’re away from dwelling, however when you’re at your residence, it may well hearth up Netflix.

My associate programmed his Motion Button to be a Notes app launcher whereas he is holding his iPhone upright, however whereas he is holding it horizontally, the Motion Button launches the Digicam app. When he is holding the machine the wrong way up, it opens Voice Memos.

My solely want is that Apple may introduce multi-tap gestures for person programming. (For instance, one press opens my favourite Apple Music playlist, a double-press fires up Peacock, and a triple-press calls my fiancé.)

At present, my utilization of the iPhone 16 Professional Max Motion Button is fairly easy; I exploit it to fireplace up Google Authenticator to validate 2FA requests.

iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max Digicam Management button

The Digicam Management button is, arms down, my favourite new characteristic that Apple has launched lately (subsequent to MagSafe.) With the Digicam Management button, you possibly can entry the Digicam app with a tough press. Subsequent, you possibly can take an image by urgent the button once more.

With a light-weight double-tap press, you possibly can entry a menu that features the next:

• Zoom

• Cameras (swap between huge, ultrawide, and 5X zoom)

• Photographic Kinds (e.g., filters like “Black and White,” “Gold,” “Vibrant,” and extra)

• Depth

• Tone

• Publicity

You possibly can cycle by means of this menu by sliding your finger on the Digicam Management button. Nevertheless, it is the sliding movement that will get tough to make use of whereas utilizing the telephone one-handed (and I discovered this to be true throughout your complete iPhone 16 lineup). To make use of the sliding gesture, it would be simpler to make use of two arms. For those who’re a righty, like myself, your left hand might be holding the telephone whereas your proper pointer finger swipes up and down the button to choose the best choice.

You possibly can nonetheless use the Digicam Management with one hand, utilizing your thumb to cycle by means of choices, however I discovered that the Digicam Management button registers my pointer finger rather a lot higher.

General, I completely adore utilizing the Digicam Management button. I’ve so many Digicam app options at my finger suggestions. For instance, the “Gold” Photographic Fashion is my favourite, so I can apply this filter in simply seconds. Plus, whereas my iPhone is locked, I can laborious press the Digicam Management button — and the Digicam app seems virtually immediately.

It is an intuitive button and I obtained accustomed to the expertise faster than anticipated.

My solely critique is that, to file video seize, it is advisable to press-and-hold the Digicam Management. When you let go, it stops recording. I want it will proceed to file. And as soon as I am prepared to finish the recording, I can press the button once more.

The Digicam Management button will double as a Visible Intelligence device, which is mainly much like Google Lens or Meta AI (through the Ray-Ban Meta Good Glasses) in that you would be able to level to a topic and Visible Intelligence will inform you all about it. You’ll level the digicam at a fluffy canine — and it’ll inform you it is a miniature poodle, for instance. That is coming later this yr.

iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max cameras

Digicam-wise, one of many eye-catching new options is the brand new 48MP ultrawide sensor, up from the 12MP ultrawide lens on the iPhone 15 Professional fashions.

Ultrawide

To see if there is a distinction between the ultrawide digicam on the iPhone 15 Professional Max and the iPhone 16 Professional Max, I shot a panorama photograph with each. For reference, here is the iPhone 15 Professional Max’s interpretation:

And right here is the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s take:

As you possibly can see, Apple’s declare that the 48MP ultrawide digicam has improved is spot on. The tech large boasted that the upgraded lens performs higher in low mild — and that is correct.

The iPhone 16 Professional Max’s interpretation of the Lengthy Island park delivered improved publicity, elevated brightness, extra distinct reflections, much less noise within the blue sky, richer colours, and extra depth and readability. The iPhone 16 Professional has the identical ultrawide improve, so customers ought to get comparable outcomes with that telephone.

Huge

The iPhone 16 Professional fashions, like their predecessors, have a 48MP huge digicam. Take a look at a few of the photographs I took on the iPhone 16 Professional Max.

By default, the iPhone 16 cameras lean extra towards a true-to-life, cooler vibe. If that is not your choice, you possibly can at all times use the Digicam Management button and cycle by means of “Kinds” for a hotter really feel, like “Vibrant” and “Gold.”

Telephoto

The iPhone 16 Professional inherited the 5X optical zoom characteristic that was a Professional Max unique final yr.

The above zoomed-in images had been taken at 5X, which is the max the telephoto sensor can deal with earlier than digital zoom kicks in (i.e., reliance on software program aside from {hardware}).

You possibly can see the weathered deterioration on the Chrysler constructing, together with rusting and peeling, on the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s telephoto shot. You possibly can even see the small, hair-like buildings poking out of the inexperienced leaf within the pink flower photograph.

Nevertheless, in my expertise, nothing beats the Tremendous Res Zoom on the Google Pixel 9 Professional XL. After I blind-tested iPhone customers with images shot on an iPhone and a Pixel machine, the iPhone contributors most well-liked the iOS machine for the huge and ultrawide images, however most well-liked Pixel for telephoto-based (zoomed-in) footage.

Selfie

No main modifications to the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max’s front-facing 12MP digicam, which I am OK with. In spite of everything, there’s such a factor as a digicam being too good.

I had a blast enjoying round with the brand new iPhone 16-exclusive Photographic Kinds, together with “Gold” and “Ethereal,” with the previous being my favourite (I really like a heat, sunset-esque vibe).

iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max video

Excellent news for content material creators. Apple says that the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max can now file 4K video at 120Hz, which signifies that your movies might be zippier, sharper, and smoother than ever.

After I examined 4K120 for the primary time, I used to be shocked at how briskly the viewfinder saved up with my fast motions. I took movies of flying birds, working cats, and dashing vehicles, and marveled at how buttery easy the movies turned out once I launched playback. Even higher, I used to be capable of mess around with slo-mo by tapping on the adjustment slider icon, which is between the “i” icon and the “trash” icon.

On the top-right nook, you may discover a clock icon. Right here, you possibly can lower the velocity to 24 frames per second so as to add dramatic, suspenseful, cinematic vibes to your content material.

Plus, the brand new Audio Combine characteristic is a game-changer. To be succinct, Audio Combine, one other characteristic you will discover by tapping on the adjustment slider icon, allows you to mess around with some mind-blowing, sound-editing capabilities. There are 4 choices you possibly can select from:

• Normal

• In-Body

• Studio

• Cinematic

Studio and Cinematic blew me away. After recording a talking take a look at topic for this evaluate, Studio was capable of place the particular person’s voice front-and-center, making noises like crickets and wind-swaying bushes fade into the background, creating a transparent, crisp, and centered audiovisual expertise.

Cinematic reworked my ho-hum normal video right into a movie-like sound format — and it is what we have been lacking from our movies all alongside. For social media personalities who make skits and different content material of this ilk, this characteristic goes to raise their work for positive.

It seems, although, that the video would have needed to been recorded with Spatial Audio seize, which is a default on the iPhone 16 Professional fashions, earlier than you should utilize Audio Combine. For instance, I wasn’t in a position to make use of Audio Combine on older, non-Spatial Audio movies in my library.

iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max efficiency

The iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max include the brand new A18 Professional processor.

We ran Geekbench 6, a benchmark that exams CPU prowess, on each fashions and we’re blown away by the multi-core scores:

iPhone 16 Professional – 8,268

iPhone 16 Professional Max – 8,064

12 months after yr, we get the identical story with Apple: it is obtained competition-beating efficiency in comparison with different smartphone rivals:

Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely – 7,078

Google Pixel 9 Professional XL – 4,569

The iPhone 16 Professional fashions’ efficiency figures are near the likes of the Lenovo Yoga E-book 9i and the HP Envy Transfer.

Nevertheless, I have a tendency to not give an excessive amount of weight to those numbers as a result of, in truth, iPhone has been overflowing with ultra-high efficiency for years now. It is actually not essential to have laptop-level efficiency on a telephone, however I suppose it is a nice-to-have for energy customers and future-proofing.

iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max battery life

Apple stated that the iPhone 16 Professional Max has the “best-ever battery life on iPhone” — and it wasn’t kidding.

The tech large positioned greater batteries in each the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max — and it exhibits.

Let’s begin with the iPhone 16 Professional. On our TikTok rundown with the show emanating brightness at 50 %, the iPhone 16 Professional lasted 18 hours and 17 minutes on a single cost. That is phenomenal contemplating that final yr’s iPhone 15 Professional Max lasted 14 hours and 53 minutes on the identical take a look at. Nevertheless, take into account that the iPhone 16 Plus, which is $100 lower than the iPhone 16 Professional, lasted 36 minutes longer than the iPhone 16 Professional.

Nevertheless, as Apple boasted, the iPhone 16 Professional Max is the real-life Energizer Bunny. It simply saved going, and going, and going, and going.

On the identical TikTok rundown take a look at, the iPhone 16 Professional Max lasted a whopping 25 hours and 17 minutes.

Take a look at our battery life numbers of your complete iPhone 16 lineup, in addition to some rivals, so as of shortest to longest runtimes:

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely – 13 hours and 1 minute

• iPhone 16 – 16 hours and 20 minutes

• iPhone 16 Professional – 18 hours and 17 minutes

• Google Pixel 9 Professional XL – 18 hours and 50 minutes

• iPhone 16 Plus – 18 hours and 53 minutes

• Google Pixel 9 – 19 hours and 20 minutes

• iPhone 16 Professional Max – 25 hours and 17 minutes

As you possibly can see, the A18 Professional’s power-efficient chip and the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s massive battery had all the opposite smartphone rivals consuming its mud.

iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max Apple Intelligence

Apple has taken a extra cautious method with AI. At first look, it could look like Apple is lagging behind, however it’s simply shifting at a extra conservative tempo.

It has probably noticed the reactions and criticism that Meta AI and Gemini have confronted, so it desires to keep away from repeating their errors. (For instance, Google confronted backlash when Gemini generated traditionally inaccurate pictures and Meta was in sizzling water for the way it labeled AI pictures.)

This yr, throughout WWDC 2024, Apple launched Apple Intelligence, highlighting a number of new options coming to iOS 18. Initially, Apple said these options would solely be obtainable on the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max. Nevertheless, Apple Intelligence is now rolling out to your complete iPhone 16 lineup.

Among the key options of Apple Intelligence embody the Clear Up device (for eradicating undesirable objects from images), a revamped Siri, Writing Instruments (tone changes for emails and texts), and name recording.

You possibly can strive these unreleased AI-powered utilities within the beta model of iOS 18.1 (however be sure you again up your iPhone simply to be protected). Personally, I’ve discovered that the aforementioned Apple Intelligence options labored like a attraction, however that does not imply there is not robust competitors. (See my Clear Up Instrument vs. Google Magic Eraser vs. Samsung Galaxy AI piece.)

There are some options, nonetheless, that have not even reached beta but, together with Picture Playground (AI-generated pictures device) and Genmoji (create new custom-made emojis with textual content prompts.) I am actually excited to check these new options out.

The official iOS 18 launch launched on Sept. 16, however Apple Intelligence might be obtainable someday in October when iOS 18.1 launches.

Are the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max value it?

If in case you have cash to blow, I extremely suggest the iPhone 16 Professional Max. I imply, we’re speaking about 25 hours of battery life right here. As somebody who’s massive on energy effectivity, that alone is definitely worth the worth.

Some are enthusiastic about 4K video seize at 120Hz, however the actual star characteristic right here is Audio Combine, which supplies your movies a noticeable, studio-esque enchancment in sound high quality. So in case you’re a content material creator who desires an edge over your rivals, that is the telephone for you.

In case your day-to-day duties do not embody content material creating nor pro-level, on-the-go video seize, do not downgrade to the iPhone 16 Professional. As a substitute, I like to recommend the iPhone 16 Plus. It lasts longer on a cost — and nonetheless comes with some hero options like Digicam Management and a more durable Ceramic Protect show.

UPDATE: Sep. 18, 2024, 10:43 p.m. EDT This evaluate was up to date so as to add the Google Pixel 9’s battery runtime.