Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Should you upgrade?

The iPhone recently went through yet another upgrade cycle at Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event. This year, the focus was more on Apple Intelligence and less on hardware upgrades. But we do see certain new elements on the Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, especially the new multifunctional Camera Control button. There’s also a new and controversial Desert Titanium color, instead of the tranquil blue from last year.

Apple doesn’t tend to drop radical changes with every iPhone generation, so the small-scale changes were already expected. That, however, does not mean there aren’t any exciting changes at all. That’s why many of you may be tempted to try out the iPhone 16 Pro Max instead of the older iPhone 15 Pro Max, especially if you’re coming from a much older generation.

But what about folks who have the last year’s model? The iPhone 15 Pro Max was the bestselling iPhone until June 2024. If you’re among the lucky millions who bought the iPhone 15 Pro Max, should you upgrade to the newer iPhone 16 Pro Max? Let’s answer that question!

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: specs

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: design

On the surface, you may not be able to identify many differences between the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the older 15 Pro Max. But there sure are some. For starters, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is marginally taller, wider, and consequently heavier than the last year’s Pro Max. This allows the new model to accommodate a new and expansive 6.9-inch OLED display — up from the 6.7 inches of last year.

The overall design of the iPhone 16 Pro Max remains largely unchanged, except for the addition of a new multipurpose Camera Control button. You can simply tap the button to launch the Camera app, and then tap again to click a photo or tap-and-hold to start recording video.

Like an actual camera’s shutter button, the iPhone’s Camera Control button allows for two-step clicks — backed by haptic feedback — to let you accomplish a wide range of functions such as bringing up manual controls or zoom levels. Once any menu is activated, you can also slide over the button to navigate the menus or zoom in or out. In the coming months, Apple will add more functionality, such as a Google Lens-style visual search using the Camera Control button directly.

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Apart from the new button, there are few other noticeable changes, but those that stick out include the new and smoother finishes on both the glass back and the titanium frame. Although three of the four available colors have the same names as last year, there is some visual distinction, with this year’s models appearing less matte than last year — at least in the images. We will have a better idea over the course of the next few weeks as we review the phone.

In addition to these outward changes, Apple has now added four microphones to allow you to shoot more spatially apt audio that can be used with AirPods, Vision Pro, or other sounds systems capable of surround sound.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: display

The display, as noted above, is now bigger than on last year’s model. At 6.9 inches, the display is even bigger than that of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and can seem impractically large for some people. If that doesn’t apply to you, you will be pleased to see Apple chisel down the surrounding bezels even further. That may allow for easier gesture-based swiping across the interface and could look slightly better when both phones are compared side by side. But otherwise, you probably won’t notice.

The larger size also results in a higher resolution, but that’s most of the advantage you get here over last year’s model. Unlike other manufacturers cashing in on the brightness bid, Apple isn’t interested in pushing ever-higher nits values. The iPhone 16 Pro Max still offers the same 1,600 nits of typical brightness and 2,000 nits in the high-brightness mode. That’s not to say the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s display will seem dull in comparison, especially since most other manufacturers rely on jargon to state higher figures than what we would experience in real life.

You get the point, though, and that is, the iPhone 16 Pro Max display gets bare minimum improvements over the last year. The 120Hz dynamic refresh rate switching, thanks to ProMotion and LTPO tech, remains the same, and so does the Dynamic Island up top.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: performance

Despite minimal changes on the surface, there are substantial upgrades under the hood, primarily as Apple looks to deliver sufficient power for on-device AI applications. Apple’s new A18 Pro chip on the iPhone 16 Pro Max succeeds the A17 Pro from last year. As part of Apple’s second generation of 3nm iPhone chips, the A18 Pro is fabricated on TSMC’s N3E process, resulting in better efficiency than the previous generation.

For its CPU, the A18 Pro maintains a six-core design (two performance and four efficiency core) but the frequencies are expected to be bumped up. While Apple doesn’t reveal the specific clock speeds, it claims a 15% performance boost over the A17 Pro. The CPU also has two dedicated sectors or Scalable Matrix Extension (SME) units for better performance in AI or machine learning tasks, while low-level tasks can run off it without engaging the dedicated neural engine.

Next, the GPU on the A18 Pro also comes with the same six-core design as last year, but Apple claims the “desktop-class architecture” enables 20% better performance. The new chip also supports rendering of frames that’s twice as fast with hardware accelerated ray tracing.

The 16-core neural engine is capable of up to 35 tera operations per second (TOPS). While Apple says it’s twice as fast as the “previous generation,” it is referring to the A16 and not the A17 Pro — suggesting there may not be a physical improvement.

What could contribute to better AI performance is the new 17% faster memory on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Besides AI applications, the faster RAM could also result in an overall improvement in performance.

While Apple Intelligence is a compelling reason to upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, know that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will also be capable of all the AI-related functionality, and Apple hasn’t explicitly announced plans to limit anything to the iPhone 16 Pro.

Additionally, there’s an upgraded passive cooling solution inside the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Considering the iPhone 15 Pro Max ran too hot initially — and the problem really hasn’t gone away entirely — we hope the more efficient architecture and cooling upgrades will bring some respite. We will be testing this aspect further during our review.

In terms of connectivity, the iPhone 16 Pro Max gets a new Snapdragon X75 modem, and you should expect faster 5G speeds. It supports Wi-Fi 7, though support for the 6GHz band is still missing. The iPhone 16 Pro Max also gets satellite connectivity with support for emergency SOS, calling, messages, and Find My via satellite when a standard network isn’t available.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: battery and charging

Apple claims the iPhone 16 Pro brings a “huge leap” in battery life. It doesn’t exactly reveal the size of the battery pack on the new phone, but the claimed figures for video playback and video streaming are up to 33 and 29 hours, respectively, from 29 and 25 hours on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which had a 4,441mAh battery. We can’t say if the improved battery backup has to do with a more efficient chip or a bigger battery, but we will test this soon.

One thing to note is that the iPhone 15 Pro Max has shown an unreliable pattern with its battery backup. On its best days, the phone lasts only up to two days; on its worst, more than half of the battery is depleted within a few hours of unplugging the charger.

The charging speeds have yet to be tested as well. Apple doesn’t make any claims about faster charging speeds, but has amped up the MagSafe speed to 25 watts on the iPhone 16 Pro Max from 15W previously. For non-Apple or non-Apple-certified accessories, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will still be limited to 15W charging with Qi2 chargers. That, unfortunately, also means you will have to buy a whole new set of chargers to get the fastest speeds.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: cameras

The differences between the cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the 15 Pro Max are barely visible from the outside. But two of the three cameras have been upgraded. First, the 48MP primary sensor from last year has been swapped with a new “Fusion” camera sensor. Although it still has a 48MP resolution, Apple says the sensor now shoots faster photos.

Next, the iPhone 16 Pro Max now comes with a 48MP ultrawide camera instead of the previous 12MP. Apple says the field of view is now wider, and you can also use this sensor to capture 48MP ProRAW shots. Meanwhile, the 5X periscopic telephoto and the 12MP selfie cameras remain unchanged from last year.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max — alongside other iPhone 16 models — can capture spatial photos with a third dimension of depth to them, so they can be later viewed on the Apple Vision Pro. Previously, the iPhone 15 Pro models could only record spatial videos — but not spatial photos. Apple doesn’t say if you can view these photos on other virtual reality headsets, but we will find out soon.

The new primary camera and the improved image signal processors on the A18 Pro can also allow 4K video recording at 120 frames per second (fps) with Dolby Vision, ProRes, and Log (the latter two require external storage). The video clips can also be slowed down to 24 fps for a cinematic slow-motion effect. Apple supplements 120 fps video with four microphones. In addition to capturing spatial audio, the mics also allow you to capture sounds or voices from different distances, and machine learning algorithms on the phone help eradicate any unwanted background sounds, which can be especially useful while in postproduction.

Lastly, Apple has rebooted its Photographic Styles, which are sophisticated lux filters. The styles have been optimized to match colors to subjects and give you a two-axis slider to change the intensity of different dominant colors in the filters. You can apply the filters in preview before capturing the photo or tweak it at a later stage. It looks really cool based on the demo, and we can’t wait to try it.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: software and updates

The iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with iOS 18 preinstalled. The latest version of the OS, which we have experienced through Apple’s demo at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) earlier this year and then by trying the beta versions ourselves, has plenty of promising new changes. These include, but are not limited to, customization options for app icons and elements in the Control Center, new Photos and Camera apps, and a bevy of intelligence features. Our dedicated iOS 18 article covers these changes in much more depth.

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is eligible to get iOS 18 when it releases later this month, as well as all the Apple Intelligence features — except those that depend on the Camera Control button. We wouldn’t necessarily expect any difference in experience on both the devices. The only benefit with the iPhone 16 Pro Max would be an extra year of software support. But with Apple’s excellent track record of pushing software updates out for over five years, with day one access to all devices at once, we wouldn’t necessarily worry about the iPhone 15 Pro being left out.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: price and availability

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a starting price of $1,199 for the 256GB unlocked variant. It will be up for preorder starting September 13 and will be available starting September 20.

With the introduction of the new model, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is no longer listed by Apple, though you may find it being offered by third-party sellers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, or certain carriers.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Should you upgrade?

For years, Apple has progressively improved the Pro iPhone models bit by bit instead of changing them drastically. This doesn’t immediately make the older iPhones redundant or give owners FOMO over the latest tech features. At the same time, the slow progressions also make the newer iPhones easier to upgrade to, even if you’re doing it just a generation later. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, therefore, lacks any swooping changes.

So the biggest question is, do you need to upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro Max to the new iPhone 16 Pro Max? The short, simple, and obvious answer is “no.” The iPhone 15 Pro Max is nearly as capable as the new model and will continue to serve you well for several years.

However, there are plenty of reasons why you should upgrade. First is the new Camera Control button, which helps you master various aspects of photography and lets you take the reins of manual controls such as exposure, ISO, or shutter speed. This could trigger the return of horizontally shot images, something we have been losing with the advent of vertical feeds on social media. The video controls equip you with abilities that may help improve your filmmaking or inspire you to ditch your video cameras for a more handy iPhone 16 Pro Max. The new A18 Pro chip offers top-notch performance and should endure the evolving processing needs of on-device AI.

The last bit that could make the iPhone 16 Pro Max an attractive upgrade over the iPhone 15 Pro Max are the hefty trade-in benefits and preorder offers from Apple, which could knock several hundred dollars off the price and make the new Pro Max far less expensive than its daunting $1,200 price tag.

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