An iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro Max comparison will help you decide which new iPhone is right for you. These Apple flagships have a ton in common, including the 5x tetraprism zoom, A18 Pro chip to Apple Intelligence, but they differ in a few key areas. From the size and price to battery life, here’s what you need to know before you upgrade.
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00:00In our iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max review, we really like the powerful A18 Pro
00:05chip, the camera improvements, and the promise of Apple intelligence.
00:08There is now more parity than ever in the iPhone Pro lineup, but that doesn't mean it's
00:13an easy call to make between the iPhone 16 Pro and the Pro Max.
00:17So how do you decide on which is the best iPhone for you?
00:20I'll give you everything that you need to know, and if there's anything this video doesn't
00:23answer, hit me up in the comments and I'll get back to you.
00:26Alright, there's the numbers, which I'll get to, and then there's how these iPhones feel
00:30in your hand.
00:31The regular iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3 inch display, which is up from 6.1 inches on the iPhone
00:3615 Pro.
00:37I don't have big hands, but I think it's still fairly easy to use this phone with one hand.
00:42Not so for the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
00:45The iPhone 16 Pro Max sports a ginormous 6.9 inch screen, which is the largest display
00:50on a phone that we've tested that's not a foldable.
00:53That's a pretty sizable jump from the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and to me, results in a phone
00:57that's pretty much a two-handed affair.
00:59Yes, both of the new iPhone 16 Pro phones have slimmer bezels, which helps, but I still
01:03find it a stretch to reach to the other side of the Pro Max with my thumb when using it
01:07with one hand.
01:09And there's a full ounce separating these flagship phones.
01:12If you're going to be watching a lot of video on your phone and taking and reviewing a lot
01:15of photos, having the larger display on the iPhone 16 Pro Max will be totally worth it.
01:20But you're going to pay for it in terms of everyday comfort and how it feels in your pocket.
01:24Apple has confirmed that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are equipped with larger
01:28batteries, and we saw seriously improved endurance in our testing.
01:32On the Tom's Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over 5G at 150 nits
01:37of screen brightness, the iPhone 16 Pro Max lasted an epic 18 hours and 6 minutes.
01:43That's nearly four hours longer than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and good enough to land in the
01:47top three in our best phone battery life list.
01:50Now, the iPhone 16 Pro is no slouch.
01:53It endured for 14.07, which is very good and should get you through a good portion of your
01:57day in terms of mixed usage.
01:59Our test only measures a single activity.
02:02So what about price?
02:03The iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999 for 128 gigs of storage.
02:07Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has 256 gigs standard and starts at $1199.
02:13A $200 difference is pretty big between the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max.
02:18In fact, you could upgrade to 256 gigs of storage for the iPhone 16 Pro and still save
02:23$100 versus the Pro Max.
02:25So if you don't mind carrying around a smaller phone, the regular iPhone 16 Pro is the value
02:30pick.
02:31No matter what you do, avoid paying full price by checking out our iPhone 16 deals roundup.
02:36There's a ton of discounts out there already.
02:38Overall, I'm personally torn between which iPhone 16 Pro model I'd buy.
02:42I think the iPhone 16 Pro is the best option for shoppers willing to spend $999 or more
02:47on one of the best phones.
02:49You get the same strong A18 Pro performance as the Pro Max, very capable cameras, and
02:54Apple Intelligence features in a more compact design.
02:57I especially like that you get all of these benefits for $200 less.
03:00On the other hand, I love the immersive 6.9-inch display on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
03:05I'd rather have this screen when I'm streaming Netflix, playing games, or just using it as
03:09a viewfinder for my next photo or video.
03:12And the over 18 hours of battery life in our testing is absolutely stellar.
03:16I just wish it was easier to use in one hand.
03:20So what do you think?
03:21Let me know in the comments below and ask any extra questions you have about the iPhone
03:2416 Pro and Pro Max.
03:27Don't forget, you can check out my full review of these two devices on the channel, as well
03:30as the written review on TomsGuide.com.
03:33There you can also find case review of the Apple Watch 10 and John's photo shootouts
03:37where he's seeing if the iPhone 16 Pro Max can best the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Pixel
03:429 Pro XL.
03:44For everything else, follow us on social at Tom's Guide.
03:47For Tom's Guide, I'm Mark Spunhauer.