iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max More of the Same

With slightly larger screens and a dedicated camera button, this model is becoming increasingly repetitive, but it will still be a success.

The million-dollar question when testing a new iPhone is always the same: is it worth upgrading? There are two types of users who will buy the new iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max—those who upgrade every year and those who have an iPhone or Android from 2, 3, or even 4 years ago.

After testing the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, it’s increasingly clear to me that Apple doesn’t evolve its phones because it simply doesn’t need to. They’ll sell millions regardless, and although early sales figures suggest this launch might be a bit lighter than the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple still has a few tricks up its sleeve to boost sales.

The reality is that we’re looking at one of the best smartphones of the year. As usual. Apple evolves its phones slowly but always adds a feature that people either love or hate (and, if loved, one that other brands quickly copy).

This year, the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max bring only minor changes, with the most evolution in software through iOS 18. Unfortunately, Apple has leaned into vaporware with these iPhones, as the highly anticipated features of Apple Intelligence won’t arrive until a future version, with some not expected until 2025.

Apple Intelligence in Spanish is set to launch in 2025, but it’s not expected in Spain yet due to incompatibility with the Digital Markets Act. So, if these iPhones already seemed somewhat underwhelming, this lack of features only reinforces that perception.

A Familiar Design That’s Starting to Feel Stale—But It Works

This is the second generation of “Pro” iPhones with a titanium body, but it’s the sixth generation of “Pro” iPhones with essentially the same design, which has been around—with minor tweaks—since the iPhone 11 Pro.

This familiar design is beginning to feel worn out, but what’s worse for many Apple users is that there’s no physical difference to make it stand out. And make no mistake, part of owning a new iPhone is being able to show it off to friends and acquaintances.

One notable design change is with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which now goes from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches. Physically, you’ll only notice the difference if you compare the two side by side and see that the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a couple of millimeters taller. In practice, they feel identical, even with the slightly narrower bezels.

Another differentiating feature is the camera control button, although even this is incomplete since a future update will bring additional functionality that I’ll cover in the camera section.

Slightly Larger Screens You’ll Only Notice Around the Edges

The OLED display on the iPhone Pro has always been among the best on any phone. With an LTPO panel, 120 Hz refresh rate, and HDR10, it enhances whatever you’re viewing or using.

Apple uses the same panel as before, including the peak brightness of 2,000 nits, which only activates in specific conditions like HDR video playback in direct sunlight. Generally, it reaches between 1,100 and 1,400 nits of peak brightness.

But the screen size increase is where you’ll notice a difference.

The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch screen compared to the previous model’s 6.1 inches. The iPhone 16 Pro Max goes from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches, both with slightly narrower bezels and a slightly larger physical footprint.

Curiously, this screen change is only noticeable physically because the new models are taller. When placed side by side, you’ll only notice the difference in bezel thickness, not screen size.

Is it a larger screen? Yes. Is it noticeable in day-to-day use? Not really.

Strong Performance, Focused on Artificial Intelligence

You can’t deny that Apple’s processor evolution is among the best in the industry. However, it’s evident that recent chip improvements are more focused on enhancing artificial intelligence via the NPU than on significantly boosting overall performance or graphics power.

Not that it needs it. The tight integration of iOS with iPhone hardware is so robust that Apple is the only manufacturer that can release a flagship smartphone with just 8 GB of RAM—and it works perfectly because the performance is excellent.

During my tests, I experienced no issues with application or graphics performance. However, I can’t say I noticed a performance boost compared to the iPhone 15 Pro.

I didn’t find a single app or game that utilized this additional performance.

Our static performance tests using programs like Geekbench and AnTuTu show the following results compared to Apple’s latest Pro models.

Comparisons between iPhone and any Android device can be misleading, as the systems are so different. It’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming one phone is better because it has more RAM or more GPU cores.

However, I do see a significant improvement in heat management in the iPhone 16 Pro. Let me make this clear: the iPhone 15 Pro, especially the Max model, heated up considerably when running demanding tasks. Living in a very hot climate this summer, I noticed it a lot. In identical environmental conditions and with the same apps, the iPhone 16 Pro ran significantly cooler.

iOS 18: How to Download It, Key Features, and Complete Guide

In Europe, iOS 18 feels a bit underwhelming. The highlight of this version was Apple Intelligence AI, and while it’s launching in the U.S. soon, it won’t arrive with all features, as these will roll out gradually over the year.

For Spanish-speaking users, we’ll have to wait until 2025, and its arrival in Spain is another question entirely.

Beyond that, iOS 18 doesn’t bring many relevant features to the iPhone 16 Pro, with the main changes focused on the camera.

iPhone 16 Pro Offers Slight Improvement to the Main Camera, with More Powerful Filter System

What is a photograph? This simple question fuels countless digital discussions because, today, mobile photography, increasingly computational and filled with algorithms that modify and “enhance” a photo, actually alters it to the point where it doesn’t represent the reality of what you captured.

From the hyper-artistic Leica filters on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra to the saturated colors of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and even the high-end iPhones’ challenges with shadows and highlights—no flagship phone on the market simply captures a straightforward photograph.

This year, the iPhone 16 Pro brings two significant improvements. First, for the first time, the iPhone 16 Pro has the same cameras as the Pro Max, including its 5x telephoto lens. Second, Apple has evolved its traditional filters into what it calls photographic styles, adding a new layer of creative control.

Apple has overhauled the camera system in this new generation. It retains the 48-megapixel wide-angle camera, the 12-megapixel telephoto sensor, but now includes a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera instead of the previous 12-megapixel sensor.

The cameras behave like typical iPhone cameras, delivering relatively flat images with well-balanced color adjustments but still struggling with ultra-wide quality in specific situations, such as low light. However, the new telephoto lens with 5x zoom compensates by being one of the best on the market.

Unfortunately, I still notice aggressive processing when taking photos with both shadows and highlights, producing a heavy-handed HDR effect. It seems Apple still doesn’t recognize that sometimes a dark area is meant to be, well, dark. But compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, there’s a slight improvement—emphasis on slight.

I genuinely believe that the vast majority of iPhone users rely solely on the default camera app and shoot in full-auto mode. Only a small fraction use advanced camera functions or alternative apps that offer more control.

But for enthusiasts like me, who prefer adjusting camera settings before snapping a shot, Apple has introduced photographic styles—a refined version of filters that you can customize with a very user-friendly interface.

Above, you can see a gallery featuring all photographic styles available on both iPhone 16 Pro models.

The interface for adjusting these filters is well-designed. You can select a filter and take a photo, but if you want to tweak it or modify the intensity, a single tap opens a side panel that lets you adjust it to your liking.

This feature is Apple’s response to the excellent filters on phones like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra or Vivo X100 Ultra, which are hugely popular in China. As you can see in my review, these filters are likely the most enjoyable camera feature on the Xiaomi 14.

Another major update in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max is that they can now record 4K video at 120 FPS, a very high frame rate ideal for post-production editing.

This video setting is clearly geared toward professionals and enthusiasts who want to use the iPhone 16 Pro as a camera. However, the video files are so large that I recommend sticking with 4K at 24 or 30 FPS.

The second major video innovation on the iPhone 16 Pro is the audio mixer. This feature uses Apple’s AI to enhance the audio track of a video by focusing on your voice.

Depending on the video, the audio mixer works exceptionally well about 90% of the time, eliminating background noise and focusing the audio on voices. I don’t think this feature is only for professionals; many personal or family videos can benefit from this editing. Don’t hesitate to try it in your videos shot on the iPhone 16 Pro.

Interestingly, the audio mixer is available on the iPhone 15 Pro, but you can only edit audio in videos recorded with an iPhone 16 Pro.

Camera Control, a Quick Access Button to Get Used To

The significant design change in the iPhone 16 Pro is…a button. Another one, but it’s different. More than a button, it’s a pressure sensor that lets you launch the camera and control some settings and functions.

The Camera Control feature is handy once you get used to it. On the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, I find it a bit far from my index finger—perhaps it’s just the way I hold the phone. In the photo above, you can see how I hold it; normally, the iPhone rests on the tip of my index finger.

Battery Life Brings Good and Bad News

Apple has increased the battery capacity in both iPhone Pro models compared to previous generations: 3,582 mAh in the 16 Pro versus 3,290 mAh in the 15 Pro, and 4,685 mAh in the 16 Pro Max versus 4,441 mAh in the 15 Pro Max.

This capacity increase seems more related to a redesign of the internal components than an intention to extend battery life. And that’s exactly the case: we do get more hours in battery tests, with up to 4 additional hours of usage in both models.

But battery life is very subjective and varies greatly depending on the user, the day, network coverage, WiFi, 5G, or 4G use.

The best I can offer are my personal impressions of battery life after using the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The downside is that, in the case of the iPhone 16 Pro, the battery is still “good but not great” for a full day’s use, especially on a busy day with heavy usage.