iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Biggest expected upgrades
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Right now, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is as good an Apple phone as you can get. But if you're looking to the future like us, then you're probably wondering what the iPhone 16 Pro Max could introduce to take things up a notch.
The next Apple event is happening on September 9, and it's suspected that the new iPhone 16 series, including the Pro Max, will debut there. Though with the volume of rumors we've already heard, there may not be much to learn from Apple when its representatives take to the stage.
Below we compare the main rumored changes that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will make compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max we know and love. After going through them, we hope you'll have a better idea of what the key differences could be, and what this means for your upgrade plans in the near future.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: A bigger screen than ever, with a smaller Dynamic Island
The Pro Max model is already Apple’s largest smartphone by some distance, measuring 6.7 inches across the diagonal. But the company is apparently planning to make the 2024 Pro Max even larger, with a 6.9-inch display tipped. You can see what a difference that makes in these images of alleged dummy units, with another set also suggesting the new iPhones will use redesigned MagSafe wireless charging connectors.
If true, it will be interesting to see how much larger the phone is in the hand. In the past, Apple has managed to limit footprint increases by slimming down the bezels, and that may be the case again this year. New iPhones could implement a Border Reduction Structure (or BRS), thus shrinking the bezels even more, possibly to as small as 1.2mm or even 1.15mm depending on the source you believe.
We also might get a bit more screen to play with thanks to a shrinking of the cut out used for the Dynamic Island. Plus a higher peak brightness too.
A report from January suggested that 2024’s iPhone 16 Pro models would move Face ID under the screen, leaving just a single cut-out for the front-facing camera. Though that might be something to look forward to in 2025 instead.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: A brand-new button
The current batch of Pro iPhones introduced a brand-new button to replace the Mute switch. Now Apple is reportedly looking to introduce a second button, referred to as the ‘Capture Button’ by leakers.
By the sounds of it, this will be a useful physical shutter button for the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s camera. What it will do outside the app remains to be seen, but it will apparently be capacitive rather than a physical button.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: More power across the board
A new iPhone guarantees a new chipset (unless you favor the non-Pro models, in which case you get last year’s Pro hand-me-downs), and that means the iPhone 16 Pro Max will debut the A18 Pro CPU.
This will doubtless mean smoother performance and higher frame rates in the most demanding games. No mean feat, given the current A17 Pro is comfortably the best-performing mobile chipset around.
Leaked benchmark scores indicate that the A18 Pro could outperform Apple's top-of-the-line MacBook Pro M3 Max with GeekBench 6 scores reportedly reaching 3,500 single-core and 8,200 multicore. On another hand, it has stiff competition against other silicon; like Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and MediaTek's Dimensity 9400. Both chips seemingly outperform the A18 Pro, but it's too early to tell if this will turn out to be the case.
Unfortunately, this won’t be accompanied by a boost to RAM. Apparently, the Pro Max will stick with 8GB for another year.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max's battery has been tipped for expansion, enabling up to 30 hours of non-stop video playback on a single charge. A new stainless steel case could give the higher capacity cell improved heat management too.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Big camera enhancements
The iPhone 16 Pro Max’s biggest improvements could be coming in the camera array — which had already seen a big improvement this year with the introduction of 5x magnification.
For starters, said telephoto lens could be improved further with a 300mm focal length — which is more than double the 120mm one in the current model. The same leaker also predicted a larger 1/1.4-inch camera sensor, which means it could perform far better in low-light conditions. The telephoto lens could also be thinner with improved magnification.
It’s not all about the long-distance photography, either. Another rumor says that the iPhone 16 Pro Max could come with a 48MP ultrawide lens. That would be a big improvement on the current 12MP one.
As for the front-facing selfie camera, it appears as though upgrades will have to wait for a future model as a 24MP front camera is hinted to arrive with the iPhone 17. But the Face ID module next door to it may use a metalens to shrink its footprint inside the phone.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Outlook
Even before the Apple event, it's looking like there will be a nice crop of improvements for the iPhone 16 Pro Max over its predecessor. Should you hold off, then? Not necessarily. These upgrades aren’t guaranteed, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max remains one of the best phones you can buy today.
We'll continue bringing you all the latest iPhone 16 Pro Max rumors as they break up to the day it launches - be that September 9 or another point in time. And as soon as we get confirmed specs, and hands-on time after that, we'll give you a full comparison of it against the iPhone 15 Pro Max as soon as we're able.
