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Corgirat

macrumors 6502
Feb 19, 2016
371
104
Has anyone tested the 16pro in direct sunlight? My 13Pro becomes useless under the sun, I can't see anything even if I have the right settings, I don't know if it's normal or my phone was faulty from the beginning
My 16 pro goes so bright under the sun. I came from 12 pro max and not used to this. It makes me think there’s something wrong with my screen because it’s so bright. I have auto brightness on
 

GreekFeeling

macrumors member
Dec 27, 2015
59
24
Aachen, Germany
Just got my 16 Pro Max (left) and my Screen is a bit brighter then my 15 Pro Max. I am very satisfied.
IMG_0052.jpeg
 

Guacamole

macrumors 6502a
Jun 21, 2011
710
869
My 16 pro goes so bright under the sun. I came from 12 pro max and not used to this. It makes me think there’s something wrong with my screen because it’s so bright. I have auto brightness on
with the 12, were you be able to see anything under direct sunlight? my phone just turns dark and I can't read anything
 

Corgirat

macrumors 6502
Feb 19, 2016
371
104
with the 12, were you be able to see anything under direct sunlight? my phone just turns dark and I can't read anything
Exactly that. It went so dark under the sun. The screen was so yellow in the beginning also and tried to exchange it but after like 2 times I gave up and stuck with it. 16 pro is so opposite to that now I turn on reduce white point to make it darker sometimes
 
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fitgirl

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2013
710
140
Exactly that. It went so dark under the sun. The screen was so yellow in the beginning also and tried to exchange it but after like 2 times I gave up and stuck with it. 16 pro is so opposite to that now I turn on reduce white point to make it darker sometimes
I must have a bad unit because when I go under the sun its less brighter then my 15 promax and it seems dimmer.
 

eyespy03

macrumors regular
Sep 17, 2020
157
132
I am having the same issue. My 16PM is less bright than my 15PM was at same/similar brightness. At Max, the 15 was definitely brighter.
 

krvld

macrumors member
Jul 20, 2023
62
49
Guys, it's iOS 18 and a different algorithm for HDR\SDR brightness depending on the environment you're in.

Just finished my own tests (16 pro vs 15 pro max).
16 pro only dimmer when there's less light in the room. It's a good thing (especially for watching HDR video content).

Under bright light or outside they are either exactly same or 16 pro a bit brighter (only HDR content wise).

I'd much prefer it to be this way (dimmer) since I always disliked how HDR video in Gallery or Instagram blasts my eyes in the evening.
 
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subjonas

macrumors 603
Feb 10, 2014
6,273
6,795
Looks like you got a good one. I checked over thirty 16 Pro/PM display units and they were all dimmer than my 14 PM.
Thirty, wow! I assume you tested in stores with max brightness, right? No idea what Apple states about the brightness of 16, but I wonder if it's possible Apple made the max brightness on 16 indoors lower than previous (to save battery) and max brightness in sunlight ("peak"?) brighter?
 

Kavik

macrumors member
Oct 12, 2007
93
40
Thirty, wow! I assume you tested in stores with max brightness, right? No idea what Apple states about the brightness of 16, but I wonder if it's possible Apple made the max brightness on 16 indoors lower than previous (to save battery) and max brightness in sunlight ("peak"?) brighter?

I first looked at the ones at Best Buy, then checked all the Pros/PM's at the Apple Store then a couple at the nearest T-Mobile store. Every single one at max brightness (with True Tone off) was dimmer.
 

luckyguy28

macrumors newbie
Sep 19, 2023
15
7
I posted this last week as well ----

So here is the update - I went to the apple store, willing to buy another buy and return this one. They had none in stock. I compared mine 16P and 15P with multiple 16, 16Plus, 16 P and 16 PM and mine (both 15p and 16p) are brighter and have better color saturation. I never knew that auto brightness has an impact even when you set the brightness to full manually. Display phones were not really dim dim but not as bright as mine 16P or 15P, my 16P has the G9 panel if that matters
 

Nekrono

macrumors newbie
Oct 4, 2024
2
1
I got a 16 Pro Max earlier this week and I was coming from a 13 Pro Max. I didn't think too much of it then but I did notice that the 16 would feel dimmer than my 13 on regular use.

I put them side by side, with the same wallpaper, same settings (auto brightness and true tone enabled) and set the brightness level at the exact same point and the 16 Pro Max is definitely dimmer and not by a small amout, it is easily identifiable.

I found this thread and one from Reddit and seems a lot of people are reporting the issue, I haven't gone through this thread but it hit me... The new thing of this iPhone screen is it goes down to 1 nit right? I don't know how low the 13 Pro Max goes but that would have changed the scale right? Also, I found that both models do 1000 nits under typical/normal use, the only differece is that HDR highlights go from 1200 on the 13 Pro versus 1600 on the 16 Pro and them outdoor nits go much higher up to 2000 on the 16 which I definitely notice when under those conditions.

So maybe there are defective screens out there but wouldn't we have heard about this at this point? To me it feels like the floor level went down by a significant amount yet the ceiling (regular use) stayed the same which would definitely impact the brightness scale/levels. I'll do more research on this.
 

BoiBrian

macrumors newbie
Sep 10, 2024
6
0
At least two YouTube reviews of the pro phones on hand commented outside screen brightness is less than the 15 pro/max. Not sure if that was the auto adjust not going as high or if Apple has limited the brightness to preserve battery. They advised the same 2000nit peak but that could mean highlights in videos and not how bright it gets outside. That was a huge improvement on the 15 pro models. Hope that turns out not to be the case.


14 minutes in.
I got mine a few days ago, and its good
 

fel10

macrumors 68020
Feb 2, 2010
2,299
3,558
Woodstock, GA USA
The issue I’m experiencing isn’t so much about the brightness but rather that the top half of my phone screen appears to have a yellowish tint. It’s strange because the discoloration seems to shift depending on how I’m holding the phone. My partner says he doesn’t notice it, but I see it clearly, especially when viewing content with a white background.
 
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krvld

macrumors member
Jul 20, 2023
62
49
The issue I’m experiencing isn’t so much about the brightness but rather that the top half of my phone screen appears to have a yellowish tint. It’s strange because the discoloration seems to shift depending on how I’m holding the phone. My partner says he doesn’t notice it, but I see it clearly, especially when viewing content with a white background.
Same here. Some Greenish warm tint and relatively unstable viewing angles. It's a price for OLED one way or another.
 

menist

macrumors 6502a
Jun 10, 2010
688
594
California
IMG_0925.jpg
IMG_0926.jpg
IMG_0927.jpg


Regular 16 is dimmer with auto-brightness off too. Pics of regular 16 side by side with my 15PM and SE with the same brightness slider setting. This to me is a bummer and is not usable.
 

Fred Zed

macrumors 603
Aug 15, 2019
5,890
6,562
Upstate NY . Was FL.
Last edited:

nathasnajperowa

macrumors regular
Oct 24, 2016
111
130
iPhone 16 Pro Max screen appears washed out colors when compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This is obvious.

In addition, the iPhone 16 Pro Max looks much dimmer than the iPhone 15 Pro Max at the same brightness.

What is the reason for these?

For me opposite, my iPhone 16 PM display is nearly perfect. Flawless without being tinted or uneven. Whites are cold, colors vivid and it’s very bright - brighter than any other unit I compared in different stores.
On the other hand my sisters 15 PM is uneven, yellow tinted and dim.
So no pattern or schedule
 
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