iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: What are the differences?

The iPhone 16 Pro Max sports a swanky new ultrawide camera, a fancy new Camera Control button, and a gigantic display, but is it really all that different from the iPhone 15 Pro Max? Let’s do a deep-dive comparative analysis to find out.

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max price

On Apple’s official website, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a starting price of $1,199 and it comes with the following:

• A18 Pro processor
• 8GB of RAM
• 256GB of storage
• 6.9-inch display

When the iPhone 15 Pro Max debuted last year, it, too, had a starting price of $1,199 with the following specs:

• A17 Pro processor
• 8GB of RAM
• 256GB of storage
• 6.7-inch display

If you want to bump up your storage, it’ll cost you extra for both models.

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max display and design

If you thought the iPhone 15 Pro Max was too big at 6.7 inches, wait ’til you get your hands on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. This thing is a phablet (an amalgamation of the words “phone” and “tablet.”)

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

 

The new iPhone 16 Pro Max now has a 6.9-inch, 2,868 x 1,320-pixel panel, up from last year’s 6.7-inch, 2,796 x 1,290-pixel display.

It’s also worth noting that the iPhone 16 Pro Max has ultra-thin bezels, so you’re getting a higher screen-to-body ratio on the new-gen model. In other words, you’re getting more display real estate on the Phone 16 Pro Max.

Other than that, both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro Max have the following in common:

• 1,000-nit panel
• 2,000 nits peak brightness
• Ceramic Shield display
• Always-on display
• ProMotion (variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz)
• Dynamic Island

If you prefer a gigantic display, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is your best bet.

It’s also worth noting that the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a new “Camera Control” button, too, that can be found on the right side of the chassis.

Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max offer the following colorways:

• White Titanium
• Black Titanium
• Natural Titanium

However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max also has a Blue Titanium color.

Desert Titanium Credit: Mashable

But that got swapped in favor of Desert Titanium on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max cameras

In regards to cameras, here are where the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max match:

However, where they differ is the ultrawide lens. The iPhone 16 Pro Max now has a 48MP utlrawide lens, up from the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 12MP ultrawide lens. As such, your wide-angle pictures and landscape shots should look even more detailed and perform better in low-light environments.

Video recording on an iPhone 16 model Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Also, when it comes to video recording, the iPhone 16 Pro Max supports 4K at 120Hz capture, up from 4K at 60Hz on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life

Apple claims that the iPhone 16 Pro Max has the longest battery life ever on an iPhone. I’m talking about 33 hours of video playback.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is rated for 29 hours of video playback.

Credit: iPhone 15 Pro Max models

However, we’ll have to bring it in for in-house testing to really see how long the iPhone 16 Pro Max lasts on a charge. We ran a TikTok rundown with the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s display at 50% of brightness, and it lasted 14 hours and 53 minutes on a charge — nearly 15 hours.

We can’t help but wonder whether the iPhone 16 Pro Max will beat the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, which lasted an incredible 18 hours and 50 minutes on a charge.

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Audio

According to Apple, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has better “true to life” sound quality, thanks to its improved studio-quality mics.

And unlike the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will let you layer audio on top of another in the Voice Notes app.

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Winner

Let’s be honest. Battery life is important to a lot of us. If Apple’s 33-hour battery life claim is accurate, it’s definitely worth the upgrade.

Plus, I got a chance to play around with the new Camera Control button, and it’s definitely another big selling point. Add the bigger 6.9-inch display, and I’m sold.