Apple’s latest iPhone range includes the premium iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The question is, what’s the difference between the two?
While some differences are quite obvious, like the iPhone 16 Pro sporting a smaller, more compact screen than its larger sibling, others – like a difference in battery life – aren’t quite as easy to spot.
The two phones also share more similarities than previous generations of Pro iPhone, meaning that, for the first time in a couple of years, the two models are on par in areas like camera performance.
We’ve fully tested and reviewed both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, and here’s how the two compare.
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Pricing & Availability
The iPhone 16 Pro is the more affordable of the two iPhones, but make no mistake, both are premium phones that come with matching price tags. The iPhone 16 Pro starts at £999/$999 with 128GB storage, though you can go up to 1TB if you need that extra storage.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max costs an additional £200/$200 at £1,199/$1,199 with a boosted 256GB of storage. Like the Pro, it’s also available in 512GB and 1TB storage options.
Both iPhones are available to buy right now, both outright and on contract, following release in September 2024.
Design
- Both sport the same Titanium-framed design
- The iPhone 16 Pro is more compact
- Both offer IP68 protection
As with previous years, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max share the same overall design – the same design Apple has used on its iPhone range since the iPhone 12.
The combination of rounded corners and flat edges has become the go-to in the premium smartphone market, with competitors like Samsung and OnePlus moving away from curvy phones to match.
That said, there are a few subtle changes to this year’s Pro-level iPhones. There’s a new Camera Control button alongside the return of the staple Action Button. It’s essentially a shortcut to the Camera app with a touch-sensitive surface that also supports swipe functionality.
We’ll go into it in detail later, but it’s worth noting that it’s available across all models of iPhone 16, not just the Pros.
The iPhone 16 Pro is the smaller, more compact of the two smartphones with its 6.3-inch display. This makes the phone easier to hold and use, particularly one-handed, and it’s thinner (8.25mm) and lighter (199g) than its larger sibling as a result.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max and its 6.9-inch display mean that the phone is pretty large, though the rounded corners and flat sides do provide solid purchase. The upside, aside from the larger screen, is that the iPhone 16 Pro Max can fit a much larger battery in its chassis than the iPhone 16 Pro can – but again, more on that a little later.
Those differences aside, it’s pretty much business as usual for Apple’s flagships; both have IP68 dust and water resistance, offer USB-C connectivity, are available in the same muted shades, and have a durable titanium chassis.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro
Screen
- iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 6.9-inch screen is great for gaming
- iPhone 16 Pro’s 6.3-inch screen is easier to use one-handed
- Both offer identical top-end screen specs
As already mentioned, the screen is one of the defining differences between this year’s Pro-level iPhones. The iPhone 16 Pro measures in at a more pocket-friendly 6.3 inches, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max boasts a much larger 6.9-inch panel.
Both phones are 0.2 inches bigger than their predecessors, mainly due to the impressively slim bezels. Our reviewers found the slim bezels made the screen experience that much more immersive while also making the phones look ultra-premium compared to some other flagships.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is the best iPhone for gaming and watching Netflix, with its large OLED panel serving as a great portal for digital consumption. It’s big and spacious enough to enjoy games like Call of Duty Mobile with all UI elements clearly visible, and iOS also feels a little roomier in general.
The iPhone 16 Pro, on the other hand, offers more of a pocketable experience. It’s certainly the easier of the two to use one-handed, and the bigger screen this year means it’s a little better suited to gaming and the like. It’s just down to personal preference, really.
Importantly, in every other regard, the screens are identical; both offer Super Retina XDR panels with LTPO-enabled 120Hz refresh rates, 2000nit peak brightness, support for Dolby Vision HDR and Apple’s handy Dynamic Island technology.
The latter is a particular favourite of our reviewers, with both praising the tech – that displays information in and around the Face ID notch – in their reviews.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Cameras
- Identical camera hardware this year
- Strong camera performance across the board
- Camera Control button can be clunky
Apple sometimes gives the Pro Max model an edge when it comes to camera tech; not only did the iPhone 12 Pro Max get sensor-shift OIS before the 12 Pro, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max got the upgraded 5x telephoto while the iPhone 15 Pro stayed with the same 3x telephoto as its predecessor.
Thankfully, that’s not the case with the latest generation of iPhone; both the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max offer the same combination of 48MP main, 48MP ultrawide and 12MP 5x telephoto lenses on the rear, and matching 12MP selfie cameras around the front.
Like previous pro-level iPhones, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max had no issues taking great photos in most conditions, offering the same high level of colour accuracy and realistic skin tones we’ve come to expect from Apple’s top-end flagships.
Low-light performance also continues to be a strong point, though we didn’t notice much of an uptick in performance compared to the iPhone 15 Pro range.
Instead, much of the focus of this year’s range was on photographic styles and Apple’s new way of controlling the camera app, Camera Controls. Our reviewer praised the former when testing the iPhone 16 Pro, which allows you to tweak how the camera processes colours, shadows and more. If you’re into photography, it’s a great way to tinker with shots.
The latter, on the other hand, wasn’t so popular. The Camera Control is a great idea at its heart; a dedicated button to not only launch the camera app but double up as a shutter and a way to switch between shooting modes, lenses and more.
The problem is that the placement is a little awkward, with our reviewers’ fingers not resting naturally on the button. It’s also a little stiff to depress fully, which can lead to a slight shake when taking photos.
Video is another strong point of both iPhones. Both offer the ability to shoot in 4K@120fps or 4K@60fps in Dolby Vision HDR. They also come with a flurry of additional shooting modes, including Action Mode and Cinematic Mode.
Winner: Draw
Performance
- Apple A18 Pro power
- Both are capable of powering high-end games
- iPhone 16 Pro has less storage at entry level
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max offer Apple’s top-end silicon, the A18 Pro, and 8GB of RAM. Packing a new 16-core neural engine, 6-core CPU and 6-core GPU, the A18 Pro chipset is one of the more capable in the market in 2025.
As has been the case for years, the chipset delivers a stunningly powerful experience that can easily handle the most challenging console-level games available on the App Store.
Both phones absolutely fly in everyday use, aided by the super-smooth 120Hz refresh rate on offer, with nary a stutter to be found. And, with an excess of power on offer, that high level of performance should continue for quite some time.
That said, the Pro-level iPhones no longer hold the performance crown; unlike previous years, the Android competition has exceeded the performance of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. That’s largely down to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, which is based on Qualcomm’s laptop-based Snapdragon X Elite chipset and found in many top-end Android phones in 2025.
The iPhone 16 Pro ships with 128GB of storage, which we felt was a bit on the limited side, both for flagship phones in 2025 and ones that cost so much money. 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options are also available, but these come at an additional cost.
Thankfully, the iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with a boosted 256GB as standard, along with the 512GB and 1TB options.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Software
- Both offer support for Apple Intelligence
- Both run iOS 18
- Both will get iOS updates for years to come
Software is yet another area where the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro are identical – you’re probably spotting a pattern here, right?
Both premium phones come with Apple’s latest version of iOS, iOS 18, and both support Apple’s big gamble for this year: Apple Intelligence.
Apple’s big feature for this year’s iPhone range was particularly controversial because it wasn’t actually present on the phones at launch. Some features became available in the US a month later, while the UK and other regions didn’t gain support until December 2024.
Even now, some of the biggest features of Apple Intelligence – including a much more intelligent Siri – have yet to materialise.
That said, both phones have plenty of AI-powered features to keep fans of artificial intelligence entertained for quite some time. Tools range from basic options like rewriting chunks of text in different styles to more advanced features like image generation and custom emoji creation.
However, none of these features changed the way our reviewers fundamentally used the iPhones. In fact, both came to the same conclusion: don’t buy the iPhone 16 Pro or 16 Pro Max just for Apple Intelligence. It’s nice to have, sure, but not essential.
Elsewhere, the iOS 18 experience is rather pleasant. It boasts a swathe of new (non-AI) features, including new Home screen customisation options and a redesigned control centre, further improving the already great experience. And, like practically every other iPhone, both will continue to receive major iOS updates for some years to come.
Winner: Draw
Battery Life
- iPhone 16 Pro can get you through the day
- iPhone 16 Pro Max has best battery of any iPhone yet
- The iPhone 16 Pro regains a full charge slightly faster
Aside from the size of the screens, battery life is the other key area where the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max differ. It makes sense; a phone with a bigger screen has more space inside for a larger battery than a smaller alternative.
That said, there is quite a difference in battery longevity, as we found out in testing. While neither iPhone struggled to last a single day, our reviewer found that the iPhone 16 Pro would usually finish the day with somewhere between 10% and 20%.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, in contrast, boasts what might be the best battery life of any iPhone to date. On one hectic day with an impressive seven hours of screen time, our reviewer noted that the iPhone still had 40% charge remaining. This device truly qualifies as an all-day phone, if not a two-day phone, depending on usage.
The larger battery capacity does mean that the iPhone 16 Pro Max charges slower than the 16 Pro. The former took 1 hour and 46 minutes to fully charge while the latter took 1 hour and 32 minutes. Both hit the 50% mark in around 30 minutes, however.
Both also support faster 25W MagSafe charging than their predecessors, along with support for 7.5W Qi charging, offering a magnitude of charging options depending on what you prefer.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Final Thoughts
It’s clear that the two iPhones offer a top-end smartphone experience with durable designs, great screens, solid cameras, powerful performance and great battery life – but there are subtle differences between the two.
The iPhone 16 Pro is the better option if you want something easy to use one-handed. Its 6.3-inch screen is more manageable than the 6.9-inch behemoth iPhone 16 Pro Max.
However, the Pro Max delivers a better gaming and binging experience as a result. It also has more space for a larger battery, leading to some of the best battery life we’ve experienced from an iPhone.
The catch is that it’s notably more expensive than the iPhone 16 Pro when most core elements are identical. Which you should opt for will likely depend on whether you want a compact phone with solid battery life or a bigger phone with exceptional battery life. For us, it’s the latter.
If you still need guidance on your next big purchase, and are tempted by Android, take a look at our selection of the best smartphones.
