Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Eric Zeman from PCMag highlights the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max as a powerhouse tailored for content creators, boasting the largest and brightest iPhone screen ever, exceptional battery life, and industry-leading video capture capabilities. The review conveys a mostly positive and measured enthusiasm, praising the phone’s speed, advanced camera system, and improved connectivity, which together make it a versatile tool for creative professionals. However, Zeman also notes the device’s considerable size and weight, describing it as potentially unwieldy and “hand-busting” for many users, and points out that some features may be overkill for the average consumer. The new Camera Control button offers innovative but somewhat complex controls that require a learning curve. While the iPhone 16 Pro Max excels in video and battery performance, the reviewer suggests that most users would be better served by the more affordable and manageable standard iPhone 16, which still delivers many of the same benefits. Overall, the review balances strong praise with practical reservations about size and price.

Mark Spoonauer from Tom’s Guide highlights the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max as a powerhouse with the largest iPhone display ever and the longest battery life tested, delivering over 17 hours of use. He praises the camera upgrades, especially the new 48MP sensors and the innovative Camera Control button, as well as the impressive Audio Mix feature for video recording. However, Spoonauer expresses mixed feelings about the phone’s larger, heavier design, which makes one-handed use challenging, and criticizes the unchanged slow charging speeds. While Apple Intelligence shows promise with new Siri improvements and creative AI tools, it remains a work in progress, currently limited to beta features. The review balances enthusiasm for the device’s endurance, performance, and creative capabilities with measured reservations about size, charging, and AI readiness. Ultimately, Spoonauer considers the iPhone 16 Pro Max the best big-screen phone available now, though not a must-upgrade, especially given the staggered rollout of AI features.

Lance Ulanoff from TechRadar highlights the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max as a powerful and beautifully designed flagship with a notably larger screen and impressive camera capabilities. He praises the new Camera Control button for its innovative, customizable access to photography features, and lauds the A18 Pro chip’s performance, describing the device as a “pocket supercomputer.” Battery life and display quality also receive strong commendations. However, Ulanoff expresses tempered enthusiasm about Apple Intelligence, noting it is still in early stages and lacks many promised AI features at launch, which may limit its appeal as an upgrade driver. The camera improvements are mostly incremental, with some users potentially finding the new photo editing options overly complex. Overall, the review conveys genuine excitement about the device’s hardware and usability, balanced by a cautious view of the evolving software and AI capabilities, making it a compelling choice especially for those upgrading from older iPhones.

Cherlynn Low for Engadget highlights the Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max as thoughtful, camera-centric flagships that emphasize customization and incremental innovation rather than radical change. While Apple’s cautious approach means some anticipated features like Apple Intelligence and advanced Camera Control functions are not fully realized at launch, the phones still deliver excellent camera performance, especially with the new Fusion Camera and refined Photographic Styles that offer impressive editing flexibility. The iPhone 16 Pro Max impresses with its long battery life, whereas the smaller iPhone 16 Pro’s battery falls short of expectations, dampening its appeal. Low appreciates Apple’s attention to user choice, allowing customization or disabling of features like Camera Control, though she finds the new camera button’s placement and touch sensor somewhat awkward and prone to accidental inputs. Compared to competitors like Google’s Pixel 9 Pro, the iPhone 16 Pro holds its own in photography but struggles with battery endurance. Overall, these models are solid upgrades for users outside the immediate previous generation but less compelling for recent iPhone owners.

Dan Seifert from The Verge highlights the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max as a powerful and polished flagship with standout camera capabilities and promising AI-driven features under the “Apple Intelligence” umbrella. While the phone delivers excellent performance, solid battery life, and innovative tools like real-time transcription and advanced photo editing, many AI features feel like catch-up rather than breakthroughs, with some still in beta and prone to bugs. The new Camera Control button and 5X optical zoom impress, though the phone’s larger size challenges one-handed use. Siri’s improvements and AI writing tools add convenience but lack the seamless integration seen in competitors. The review appreciates the hardware refinements and multimedia enhancements but notes the software’s uneven maturity and the marketing hype around AI features. Overall, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a strong, enjoyable device with incremental upgrades, best suited for users valuing camera quality and performance rather than revolutionary AI capabilities.

Samuel Gibbs from The Guardian highlights the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max as a powerhouse smartphone with a massive, stunning 6.9-inch display, impressive multiday battery life, and top-tier cameras featuring 5x optical zoom. He praises the device’s blazing-fast A18 Pro chip, long software support, and useful new iOS 18.1 features like AI-powered notification summaries. However, Gibbs also points out significant drawbacks, notably the phone’s enormous size and weight, which make it cumbersome to hold and carry, causing hand strain during prolonged use. The first wave of Apple Intelligence features, including Siri improvements, fall short compared to competitors, lacking any standout “killer” AI capabilities. The camera control button is handy but fiddly for precise adjustments. While the 16 Pro Max offers all the expected premium specs, its steep price and unwieldy form factor make it a less compelling choice than the smaller 16 Pro. Overall, Gibbs views it as a very good but not the most practical or exciting upgrade.

Kimberly Gedeon from Mashable highlights the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max as a standout in battery life, crowning it the new “smartphone battery life king” with an impressive 25+ hour runtime that outpaces rivals like the Google Pixel 9. She praises the phone’s cutting-edge A18 Pro chip, vibrant 6.9-inch display with ultra-slim bezels, and the innovative Camera Control button, which offers intuitive, on-the-fly photographic adjustments. The review enthusiastically endorses the 4K 120Hz video capture and the new Audio Mix feature, especially for content creators seeking studio-quality sound enhancements. While Gedeon appreciates the premium titanium design and improved 48MP ultrawide camera, she notes some drawbacks: the base iPhone 16 Pro’s 128GB storage feels limited, the removal of the Blue Titanium color disappoints, and the sliding gesture on the Camera Control button can be tricky one-handed. Overall, she recommends the Pro Max for power users and creators, but suggests the iPhone 16 Plus as a better value for everyday users.

Ben Sin from Forbes highlights the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max as a highly impressive flagship smartphone, praising its stunning OLED display with thinner bezels, the powerful and efficient A18 Pro chip, and excellent battery life that outperforms recent competitors. He appreciates the camera improvements, especially the new 48MP ultra-wide sensor combined with customizable Photographic Styles that bring richer shadows and contrast, closing the gap with top Chinese camera phones. Video recording and audio capture also stand out as best-in-class features. However, Sin expresses clear reservations about the new “Camera Control” button, finding it poorly designed and impractical in daily use. He also notes that the much-touted Apple Intelligence AI features are not yet available in the retail version and currently lag behind rivals like Google’s offerings, though they show promise in beta. Overall, despite being an Android enthusiast, Sin acknowledges the iPhone 16 Pro Max as arguably the best phone for most users, with only minor caveats related to unfinished AI and niche camera hardware advantages elsewhere.

Mark Knapp from IGN highlights the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max as a powerful and well-built flagship with standout performance, a gorgeous OLED display, and excellent main camera capabilities. He praises the phone’s sharp, vivid screen and robust A18 Pro chip, which delivers top-tier CPU performance, though notes that graphics benchmarks show strong competition from rivals. The review appreciates the new USB-C port and improved water resistance but points out the challenges of the phone’s large size and the sometimes intrusive Dynamic Island. Camera improvements are mixed: while the main and telephoto lenses excel, the ultra-wide and selfie cameras fall short in sharpness and detail. The innovative Camera Control button shows promise but suffers from usability quirks. Overall, Knapp finds the iPhone 16 Pro Max a great device with minor flaws, suggesting that the slightly smaller and more affordable iPhone 16 Pro might offer better value and ergonomics.