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Intro
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, now official, is Apple's newest flagship phone for 2024, naturally establishing itself as the new dynasty head of the iPhone family.
The arrival of the iPhone 16 Pro Max also marks roughly three years since the iPhone 13 Pro Max was announced by Apple. This was the last jumbo-sized iPhone with a traditional notch, and it also debuted the ProMotion display on the iPhone lineup. Still a mighty fine iPhone that's alive and well, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is, however, starting to show some signs of aging.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max might as well be a prime upgrade target from the perspective of an iPhone 13 Pro Max user, as the jump in new features definitely is there. Still, an argument could be made that the iPhone 13 Pro Max is still a mighty fine phone that has stood the test of time rather well.
Is the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro Max the one that you need to upgrade to?
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The iPhone 16 Pro Max perfects the iPhone 13 Pro Max design (Image by PhoneArena)
What a difference three years make! The iPhone 16 Pro Max features a significantly larger 6.9-inch screen, although the phone is not dramatically larger much in size, which is a win-win situation.
Apple has achieved that by employing some rather thin bezels, which is always a great sight to see: the iPhone 16 Pro Max is way more futuristic than its older predecessor, making for a pretty stark evolution.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is taller and thicker, but narrower and lighter than the iPhone 13 Pro Max, so overall, the new phone wins some and loses some. The wight is the big differentiator here, though. That's a win-win scenario, no matter how you look at it: it allows for a larger display and battery to be fitted in the new phone, and at the end of the day, you're getting a much lighter phone as well!
Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the last hurrah for Apple's old design language. It comes along with a stainless-steel frame that is flat on all sides, a classic ring switch, and last, but not least, a Lightning port at the bottom. There's also a traditional notch here, housing the FaceTime camera and the Face ID paraphernalia.
Some notable differences on the sides, too (Image by PhoneArena)
The titanium body with slightly curved frame, which debuted with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, is making a return, and Apple has employed tougher Ceramic Shield glass to match the robust titanium frame. With the iPhone 15 Pro Max, tests indicated that the glass could shatter as the titanium didn't flex as much as aluminum or stainless steel, so the glass can't withstand any amount of serious pressure.
The customizable Action Button is present on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but with the iPhone 16 generation, Apple introduced a new capacitive hardware button, called Camera Control, which could be used to take photos/videos and further interact with the camera app. It's a real button that's also touch-sensitive, allowing you to swipe between the different options of the camera app.
IP68 water- and dust-resistance are a common feature on both models. At the bottom, the older device features a Lightning port, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a USB-C on board.
Display Differences
Larger, brighter, fancier (Image by PhoneArena)
We've already said it, but let's reiterate: the iPhone 16 Pro Max packs a display that spans an enormous 6.9 inches across, something that Steve Jobs would have never wanted! That's a significant and notable increase over the iPhone 13 Pro Max's already large 6.7-inch screen, achieved by employing much thinner bezels and a slightly taller body.
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Apple has also introduced a more advanced Ceramic Shield coating, which should prevent the screen from getting scratched.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max employs a Super Retina XDR OLED display with 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, and has a maximum brightness readings of 2,000 nits; new here is the new support for 1-nit minimum brightness which should be useful when using the phone at night.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro Max boasts slightly less impressive display properties: it has a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen with 120Hz ProMotion, but it achieves a "lower" maximum brightness of up to 1,200 nits in HDR mode, which is low as per today's flagship standards. Don't be too quick to shoot that one down, though: the iPhone 13 Pro Max still has a perfectly capable and beautiful screen, which is a joy to use and look at.
And interestingly, our tests paint a pretty surprising picture: it turns out that in reality, the iPhone 16 Pro Max doesn't really have a better display. We measured slightly lower maximum screen brightness in comparison with the iPhone 13 Pro Max, though the minimum brightness is superior on the new iPhone.
However, when it comes to overall color accuracy, the iPhone 13 Pro Max ranks better in our tests, achieving much better accuracy and gamma.
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
Face ID is the only way to authenticate with the two iPhones, nothing new here. Some have raised bewilderment as to why Apple hasn't thought of putting Touch ID back on the new Camera Control button, but if they wanted, they would have put that one ages ago inside the power button.
Performance and Software
Everything in the name of AI
Performance overhauled (Image by PhoneArena)
The iPhone 16 Pro Max features Apple's second-gen 3nm chipset, the Apple A18 Pro. It consists of dual performance and quad efficiency cores, a hexacore GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine unit that's heavily involved with everything Apple Intelligence-related.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max also features a redesigned internal design, which reportedly delivers a solid 20% improvement in the thermal management of the phone and passively reduces the chance of thermal throttling. Thanks to this, the sustained performance of the iPhone 16 Pro Max should be better than before.
Having such a dedicated unit is an easy way to boost on-device AI and ML processing; the enhanced memory bandwidth of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is also geared towards better AI performance.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max came with the Apple A15 Bionic chip, which is now three years old. Although it's a bit behind in synthetic benchmarks, it's still more than enough to deliver a great everyday experience, even to heavy users.
Still, the results of our benchmark tests are pretty clear: it's the newer iPhone 16 Pro Max that takes the cake in both the Geekbench 6 single- and multi-core tests. The same applies to the GPU-centric 3DMark Extreme tests, in which the newer iPhone does a significantly better job.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with 8GB of RAM, the first of its kind with so much memory, which is apparently the bare minimum for Apple Intelligence to function properly, so next year's model might come with some extra, probably. Meanwhile, the older iPhone 13 Pro Max has 6GB of RAM, slightly less.
Storage-wise, the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts with 256GB of RAM, but also comes with 512GB and 1TB storage variations. The older iPhone starts with 128GB of storage, and can also be found with 256 and 512GB, as well as 1TB of on-board storage.
With the iPhone 16 Pro Max, we get faster connection speeds. The new phone gets Wi-Fi 7 and the Snapdragon X75 5G modem, potentially allowing for much faster data throughput speeds. At the same time, the iPhone 13 Pro Max supports Wi-Fi 6 and the older Snapdragon X60 5G modem, which should be sufficient, but potentially delivering lower data speeds.
We assume that the iPhone 13 Pro Max will be supported until 2028 or 2029, given how long recent iPhones have been supported. The iPhone 16 Pro Max will be supported even longer than that, well into the 2030s.
Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro Max currently run iOS 18. Customization in iOS 18 is enhanced with freely movable icons, a multi-paged Control Center, and more flexible dark mode options. Accessibility features are expanded with innovations like Vocal Shortcuts, Eye Tracking, and Music Haptics, which cater to a broader range of users.
However, Apple Intelligence, the highlight of the new software update, is only supported on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Not only that, but the majority of Apple Intelligence features arrived with iOS 18.1 more than a month after the phone's initial launch.
iOS 18.1
Released just before Halloween, iOS 18.1 brings a host of new features to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which finally spearhead Apple Intelligence. iOS 18.1 will come with the following features:
Writing Tools––Enabling you to proofread and rewrite text natively in almost any app. You can review the suggested edits one by one or apply them all at the same time. Also lets you summarize given text in a table or bullet points, make a list, and so on. Probably one of the most useful new features that will go live with iOS 18.1
Siri––While the more capable Siri is coming in early 2025, the current iteration is scoring a new look, giving a glowing overlay when Siri is activated (this works on iOS, macOS, and in CarPlay). Still, the iOS 18.1 iteration of Siri lets you type commands instead of having to always talk to it. The assistant will reportedly also score better context-awareness and will be able to follow along if you start changing your query mid-sentence.
Mail––The default email app will let you summarize emails and issue quick-tap responses thanks to a feature dubbed Smart Reply. If Apple Intelligence deems a certain email as high-priority, you will be notified of it with priority.
Messages––The Smart Reply feature arrives in Messages as well, allowing you to quickly send adequate responses.
Photos––Aside from a big redesign, the stock photo app also gets some AI features, namely Memory Movies. This functionality lets you type in a prompt and have Apple Intelligence sift through your photo library, creating an appropriate movie. The Photos app also scores a Clean Up tool that lets you remove unwanted objects from your images.
Focus Modes––A new Reduce Interruptions focus mode will rely on Apple Intelligence to only notify you of important notifications.
Notifications––You will be presented with an AI summary of your notifications on the lock screen.
Phone––iOS 18.1 will let you record phone calls and automatically transcribe them straight to the Notes app.
Safari––The stock browser gets a summarize feature as well.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro Max will get no Apple Intelligence features. Such is life.
iOS 18.2
iOS 18.2 is currently available in the developer beta channel and comes with the second wave of Apple Intelligence features. It is expected to get released to the public this December. The new features include:
Image Playground––generates images based on a bried text description
Genmoji––allows you to create unique emoji based on a text prompt
ChatGPT integration in Siri––the assistant can now use ChatGPT to provide much richer replies when you ask it to. You can also link your ChatGPT account if you have one.
Additional Writing Tools options––Apple has added"Compose" and "Describe your change" to Writing Tools
Visual Intelligence for iPhone 16 users––The Google Image Search-like Visual Intelligence feature has arrived to all iPhone 16 users, which can utilize the Camera Control button to search
Image Wand––This new feature lets you turn your rudimentary sketches into complete graphics
Redesigned Mail app––Apple's Mail app now features categories, with Apple Intelligence sorting your mail and keeping it well organized
iOS 18.3
It's highly possible that Apple will release the iOS 18.3 developer beta just a few days before iOS 18.2 gets officially released to the public. Chances are that the more capable Siri might arrive with iOS 18.3, so we will watch the development with great interest.
The upcoming Siri will be able to execute multi-step actions in your apps. You will be able to ask it to, say, find specific photos and send them to a certain chat with your best friend, for example, which is way beyond Siri's current set of capabilities.
Camera
Triple cameras that couldn't be any more different
Many changes have come to the iPhone camera since the iPhone 13 Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Pro Max boasts a much better and more versatile camera than its older predecessor. Just look at the specs: a 48MP main camera with a new sensor, a brand-new 48MP ultra-wide camera (an upgrade from the 12MP one), and a 12MP telephoto with 5X optical zoom are a much better hardware loadout than the one on the iPhone 13 Pro Max, no matter how you look at it.
The older iPhone looks much humbler in comparison: triple 12MP sensors behind all cameras, with a telephoto that delivers a "mere" 3X optical zoom. It pales in comparison as far as overall throw, but still does a mighty fine job for portraits and subjects that aren't too far off. Due to the lower megapixel count of the main camera, the iPhone 13 Pro Max lacks a sensor-cropping 2X zoom option in the app, which the iPhone 16 Pro Max has.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max also gets newer and more customizable Photographic Styles. Those actually debuted with the iPhone 13 generation, but the first iteration of the feature only has rudimentary customization.
Another cool new feature of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the new 4K@120fps video-recording option, which lets you create captivating cinematic clips. With a new four-mic array, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has Audio Mix for intelligent noise reduction, as well as improved wind noise isolation.
The new Camera Control button of the iPhone 16 Pro Max unlocks a whole new way of controlling the camera. You can open the app, change the exposure, depth, zoom, explore style and take a photo or video without ever taking your finger off the new button. It requires something getting used to, but still gives you plenty of choice in terms of controlling the photography experience.
In the PhoneArena Camera Score test, the iPhone 16 Pro Max naturally ranks much higher than the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The new phone is consistently better in both still photography and video recording. We'd be surprised if things were any different, as we're talking about a three-year difference.
PhoneArena Camera Score:
Photo
Video
Phone
Camera Score
Photo Score
Main (wide)
Ultra Wide
Selfie
Zoom
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
154
158
82
24
28
25
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
136
138
72
20
27
19
Phone
Camera Score
Video Score
Main (wide)
Ultra Wide
Selfie
Zoom
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
154
150
76
23
27
24
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
136
135
72
19
26
18
Find out more details about photo and video scores for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Camera Score page
Battery Life and Charging
Not looking good on the iPhone 13 Pro Max front
Different ports, different charging speeds (Image by PhoneArena)
The iPhone 16 Pro Max trots over with a 4,685mAh battery on board, the largest one ever fitted on an iPhone, which definitely is something great to see. This makes the new iPhone 16 Pro Max a proper candidate for inheriting the iPhone 13 Pro Max's legendary battery champ status.
The latter came with a 4,352mAh battery, but the efficiency of the A15 chip back in the day propelled the iPhone 13 Pro Max to the very heights of our custom battery tests back in its heyday.
Well, the new iPhone 16 Pro Max beats the result of its predecessor, for the most part. In our custom browsing test, which aims to emulate a regular browsing workflow, the iPhone 16 Pro Max scores a decent improvement of nearly four hours over the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The same applies to our custom 3D gaming test, where the newer device outlasts by an hour and a half. Finally, in the video streaming test, both phones fare the same.
6.7" OLED 120Hz ProMotion 1,200 nits of max brightness (HDR mode) Notch
Processor
A18 Pro 3nm
A15 Bionic 5nm
RAM, Storage
8GB/256GB 8GB/512GB 8GB/1TB
6GB/128GB 6GB/256GB 6GB/512GB 6GB/1TB
Cameras
48MP main 48MP ultra 12MP 5X zoom LiDAR scanner
12MP front
12MP main 12MP ultra 12MP 3X zoom LiDAR scanner
12MP front
Battery
4,685mAh
4,352mAh
Charging
USB-C 25W wired 25W MagSafe
Lightning 25W wired 15W MagSafe
You can also use PhoneArena's comparison tool to compare iPhones
Summary
It appears that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will enhance the advanced iPhone experience even further, making it a clear and logical winner over the now three-year old iPhone 13 Pro Max, and the phone to get if you wish to upgrade from the older iPhone flagship.
With a larger display, better performance, a better camera, and future-proofed for AI (which is still not here, though), the big new iPhone is definitely the recommended upgrade path for iPhone 13 Pro Max users.
There should be a palpable difference in the overall experience, with many novel features that will make the experience very fresh for seasoned Pro Max veterans.
Then again, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is still alive and kicking. Its classic and intransitive design still looks fresh, and while it's a slightly aging device, it's by no means slow, lagging, or lacking anything in particular that should compel you to upgrade to the newer device.
If you're satisfied with your phone, keep using it… until its wheels fall off!
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Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
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