In contrast to the 2023 pair of Professional iPhones, the 16 Execs do not differ in the rest apart from measurement (and that one different facet that comes on account of it). What which means is the seemingly arbitrary selection to suit a 3x telephoto on the 15 Professional and a 5x one on the 15 Professional Max is not on the record of issues in selecting a Professional from the 16 era. So Apple has made it simpler this yr, proper? Or is it the opposite method round?
Let’s look into the similarities and see if we are able to discover any much less apparent variations.
Desk of Contents:
For starters, you may examine the whole specs sheets or immediately proceed with our editor’s evaluation within the following textual content.
Dimension comparability
Initially – measurement. The Max would not take its title frivolously and is, certainly, an enormous smartphone. It is grown a bit of in comparison with final yr’s mannequin, the three further mm in top and practically a mm of added width presumably being the final drop that pushes the lineup past some clients’ tolerance of ‘giant’. That stated, if ‘giant’ is what you are after, the Max delivers.
The 16 Professional has gained a little bit of weight and can be 3mm taller and a mm wider than final yr’s mannequin – so in a method, it is the protection internet for people who will likely be postpone by the brand new Max’s measurement, however do not fairly need a small cellphone. Then again, in case you’re on the lookout for a compact ‘Professional’, maybe this one nonetheless qualifies – with sufficient context and rationalization.
The 2 telephones share the identical supplies, construct and colour choices, so there’s not a lot to decide on right here. You’ll be able to depend on the titanium body and third-gen Ceramic Defend show glass to supply loads of safety towards drops, shattering and scratches. Each telephones are additionally IP68-rated, and, in typical Apple trend, they exceed the usual’s 1.5m depth requirement and must be good to as deep as 6m (for 30 minutes, freshwater).
Show comparability
Physique measurement goes hand in hand with display screen measurement and the 16 Professional Max has the most important show there has ever been on an iPhone. The 6.9-inch panel presents ample viewing space and possibly a few further strains in an inventory when in comparison with the iPhone 16 Professional’s 6.3-inch display screen – you may must scroll that little bit extra on the non-Max, and stuff on display screen will likely be considerably smaller too.
Aside from that, there’s little to separate the 2 fashions. Apple has settled on the 460ppi pixel density as the elemental property (Tremendous Retina and all that) and varies the general decision relying on the diagonal. Most brightness is identical 900nits when in handbook operation and round twice that in case you let the auto brightness take over. You additionally get HDR10 and Dolby Imaginative and prescient assist on each.
Each Execs have ProMotion, Apple’s title for a excessive refresh price show. You aren’t getting a lot management over its conduct apart from having the ability to flip it off and restrict the refresh price to 60Hz, however Apple most likely is aware of what it is doing and offers you the optimum steadiness between smoothness and battery life.
Battery life
With nice measurement comes nice battery – are we quoting that proper? Each fashions get a bump in battery capability – 9.4% up for the Professional, 5.5% up for the Professional Max. The 16 Professional Max, particularly, is now virtually up there with the Androids of its caliber, and with 1,100mAhs on high of the 16 Professional, you’d anticipate it to supply higher endurance, even when accounting for the bigger show.
Certainly, we obtained a greater Energetic Use Rating on the 16 Professional Max, with meaningfully larger numbers throughout all assessments. That is to not say that the 16 Professional is unhealthy – fairly the other – simply that the 16 Professional Max is the higher possibility in case you routinely have lengthy days away from an influence supply.
Charging pace
Apple’s charging rankings set the usual for murkiness with a common spec for all current fashions that claims ‘as much as 50% cost in half-hour with 20W adapter’. We examined with extra highly effective USB PowerDelivery adapters to provide them the perfect likelihood of outperforming that ‘spec’.
The 16 Professional did cost a bit of sooner than marketed, which wasn’t the case in our expertise with the 16 Professional Max, which underdelivered. Both method, it is a race with no actual winner, and each are virtually painfully gradual to succeed in a ‘full’ state, although the Professional Max once more is even slower than gradual.
The iPhone 16 Professional and 16 Professional Max each assist wi-fi charging, maxing out at 15W with generic Qi2 pads, or 25W with proprietary MagSafe pucks (plugged into 30W+ adapters).
Speaker check
Each Professional iPhones (similar to the non-Execs) characteristic hybrid stereo speaker setups with one driver on the underside, and one other one up high that additionally doubles as an earpiece.
Each ship glorious sound general, with a pleasant low-end presence and clear vocals and treble output. The Professional Max has a little bit of an edge within the vocals and the mid-high area, which additionally permits it to attain larger for loudness. A small benefit for the Professional Max right here, however a wonderfully nice Professional too.
Efficiency
Each iPhone Execs characteristic the Apple A18 Professional chipset, the corporate’s newest in-house design. All of them have the identical 8GB or RAM too, so there should not be any actual distinction in efficiency.
One factor that units them aside is the bottom storage, the 16 Professional beginning at a considerably unacceptable 128GB, whereas the Professional Max cannot be had with lower than 256GB. It is price holding that in thoughts when evaluating costs as a result of if you wish to match the Professional Max’s base storage on the Professional, the beforehand significant financial savings get halved to $100/€120 and one of many Professional’s key benefits turns into much less vital.
Benchmark efficiency
As anticipated, benchmark outcomes are very comparable between the 2. You’ll be able to depend on industry-leading efficiency from both cellphone, and you can even make sure that both 16 Professional will really feel clean and snappy for years to come back.
Digital camera comparability
We did our share of complaining final yr when the iPhone 15 Professional got here with a 3x zoom digital camera as a substitute of the 15 Professional Max’s 5x telephoto, and Apple has listened (as a result of, in fact, they take heed to us) – the 16 Professional has the identical telephoto digital camera because the 16 Professional Max. In truth, all the cameras are the identical between the 2 – the brand new ultrawide is shared, the tried and examined sensor-shift most important digital camera is identical, and the selfie shooter is identical.
Naturally, the digital camera software program and {hardware} are additionally the identical between the 2. The brand new Digital camera Management is equally helpful (or annoying, relying on the place you stand), and the brand new format capabilities (4K120 video, JPEG-XL, spatial audio) are shared between the 2.
Picture high quality
For all intents and functions, the ensuing photographs from the 2 telephones are similar. They’ve the anticipated iPhone rendition, with conservative colour, vast dynamic vary and at the least a bit of bit questionable element therapy. As we have come to anticipate from iPhones, the 2x zoom degree is among the many higher implementations in the marketplace and you’ll depend on properly detailed 50-ish mm photographs. The iPhone 16 Professional and the 16 Professional Max seize the identical 5x zoom photographs too.
The brand new Professional-grade ultrawide cameras did not show to be a radical enchancment over final yr’s module, but it surely’s not one thing that it is advisable to take into consideration when selecting between these two telephones.
iPhone 16 Professional daylight photograph samples: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x
iPhone 16 Professional Max daylight photograph samples: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x
On to some equally similar selfies. We have a tendency to love iPhone selfies and despite the fact that there’s not been a complete lot of {hardware} development, the 16 Professional and 16 Professional Max nonetheless seize fairly nice photographs with their front-facing cameras.
Selfie samples: iPhone 16 Professional • iPhone 16 Professional Max
Variations do not magically seem at night time, so the 16 Professional and 16 Professional Max will likely be capturing the identical photographs with all of their cameras. The first ones take fairly glorious photographs and the 2x zoom degree additionally stays a viable possibility even when gentle ranges drop. The parity continues on the telephoto degree, the place this yr we do not have to choose between 3x and 5x – the 16 Professional can zoom so far as the 16 Professional Max.
iPhone 16 Professional low-light photograph samples: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x
iPhone 16 Professional Max low-light photograph samples: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x
Video high quality
With all of the speak about how the 2 telephones seize the identical photographs, it is solely pure that video high quality can be similar between the 16 Professional and 16 Professional Max.
Beneath now we have a couple of framegrabs from the movies taken by the 2 telephones at every focal size so it is simpler to check.
iPhone 16 Professional daylight video samples: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x
iPhone 16 Professional Max daylight video samples: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x
iPhone 16 Professional low-light video samples: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x
iPhone 16 Professional Max low-light video samples: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x
Verdict
We’re not completely certain why we needed to watch for a yr to get true digital camera equality between the 2 sizes of iPhone Professional, however regardless of the motive for the delay, we have now waited it out – the selection this era is much more so primarily based on measurement than it has been as of late.
With each fashions getting bigger this yr, the 16 Professional Max could lastly have turn into an excessive amount of size-wise. However in order for you essentially the most iPhone you will get, the 16 Professional Max is exactly that – the most important show and greatest endurance, with all of the options and capabilities the ecosystem can supply.
For these seeking to get the identical performance and the whole iPhone Professional expertise, solely in a extra pocketable bundle, the 16 Professional is the plain selection and the truth that it is cheaper would not harm its case both.