iPhone 16 Pro Max Screen brightness on 16 Pro/Max [MERGED]

[mango316]

I’m also experiencing lower brightness on 16 Pro Max comparing to mine 15 Pro Max. We need Macrumors to write a front page article about this to get Apple responds to this issue!!

 

[antiprotest]

I never pre-order or buy at launch anymore.

Although I assume that many (most?) people received perfect units, in previous years when I did it, my units had hardware defects 100% of the time.

Sometimes they were minor issues (scratched paint, loose port). Sometimes they were major (broken speaker and mic).

I am convinced that their first batches always have more defective units because of unrefined manufacturing process or rushed production.

Hope this is a software issue though.

 

[thadoggfather]

Here you go someone else replied with this picture on my reddit thread they were able to photograph the difference at max brightness the iphone 16 is the one on the left.
View attachment 2424655

Yeah I can see the difference here for sure

 

[thadoggfather]

When you guys have light mode on and like dial pad or a white ish screen and tilt off axis in a lit room does it lean more towards green or pink?

I think greenish = Samsung and pink = LG and if you can’t tell / it’s subtle it probably is green off axis

Be curious if there’s some divide based on panel manufacturer

I think rumor was Samsung was handling roughly 2/3 of orders and LG the remaining 1/3. If true, not sure the divide on each individual model

 

[Fred Zed]

When you guys have light mode on and like dial pad or a white ish screen and tilt off axis in a lit room does it lean more towards green or pink?

I think greenish = Samsung and pink = LG and if you can’t tell / it’s subtle it probably is green off axis

Be curious if there’s some divide based on panel manufacturer

I think rumor was Samsung was handling roughly 2/3 of orders and LG the remaining 1/3. If true, not sure the divide on each individual model

That’s one hell of theory 😅 I don’t have access to my windows PC else I would have run 3uTools to see who the panel manufacturer is. However when I tilt mine I can’t see so much a shift but more a cooler shift , meaning directly looking at the screen it’s warmer than when tilted. Truetone always on.

 

[thadoggfather]

That’s one hell of theory 😅 I don’t have access to my windows PC else I would have run 3uTools to see who the panel manufacturer is. However when I tilt mine I can’t see so much a shift but more a cooler shift , meaning directly looking at the screen it’s warmer than when tilted. Truetone always on.

I’d try True Tone off

But cool shift sounds like Samsung

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I’m not sure the brightness difference is a manufacturer thing I just wonder

 

[mfrank29]

I’m also experiencing lower brightness on 16 Pro Max comparing to mine 15 Pro Max. We need Macrumors to write a front page article about this to get Apple responds to this issue!!

I don’t get the sarcasm here. It is a measurable step back from last year with the same advertised specs. It’s not a panic the new phone sucks issue but it is something apple should be able to correct and I hope they do so.

 

[iphoneguy2024]

Yeah I can see the difference here for sure

Theres clearly either a software issue or a display issue.

 

[Fred Zed]

I’d try True Tone off

But cool shift sounds like Samsung

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I’m not sure the brightness difference is a manufacturer thing I just wonder

I can easily go loco if I keep comparing my 14PM to 16PM screen. Please stop encouraging me 😂
PS I always keep truetone on. I know .. I know…

 

[thadoggfather]

So I compared my 16 pro against probably like 20 units at least across the four 16 models

Mine with auto brightness off at full blast was brighter than every single unit 😱 (they also had auto brightness off)

But mine was also warmer than every single unit. I swear I think the demo software they load makes the screens run cooler

I think maybe I should just hold onto mine. I swear I’ve seen the same in the past with my 12 pro (brighter than almost every one but also warmer than almost every one) I don’t remember with 14 pro max I think I just didn’t scrutinize that much with that one against other units. I suppose I could always try another 256 white , but still hold onto mine in the strong likelihood I guess one worse and with other issues.

The warmth also made the colors of the small dark mode light mode wallpaper icons on display & brightness menu pop more

Text crispness I didn’t really see any difference between any of them or mine lol

On average the 16 pro and pro max were decent amount brighter against their 16 and 16 plus counterparts

Mine definitely CAN look warmer than attached photos but in right lighting mine can also be this bright and crisp

 

[sgold]

I see the same issue as well. My 14 pro seems brighter than 16 pro and also i feel there is a very slight yellow tint to the display. The true tone and everything else is off.

 

[sgold]

When max brightness os on phone screen turns very yellow even with true tone off, any1 else?

same. it feels yellow tinted slightly compared to 14 pro

 

[Fred Zed]

So I compared my 16 pro against probably like 20 units at least across the four models

Mine with auto brightness off at full blast was brighter than every single unit 😱 (they also had auto brightness off)

But mine was also warmer than every single unit. I swear I think the demo software they load makes the screens run cooler

I think maybe I should just hold onto mine. I swear I’ve seen the same in the past with my 12 pro (brighter than almost every one but also warmer than almost every one) I don’t remember with 14 pro max I think I just didn’t scrutinize that much with that one against other units. I suppose I could always try another 256 white , but still hold onto mine in the strong likelihood I guess one worse and with other issues.

The warmth also made the colors of the small dark mode light mode wallpaper icons on display & brightness menu pop more

Text crispness I didn’t really see any difference between any of them or mine lol

On average the 16 pro and pro max were decent amount brighter against their 16 and 16 plus counterparts

Mine definitely CAN look warmer than attached photos but in right lighting mine can also be this bright and crisp

Looks like mine and my friends 16PM definitely warmer than before .

 

[Unnamed1]

Seeing the same issue too on my 16 Pro Max, directly next to the 15 Pro Max.

I always set the brightness to 25% via Siri and can see the 16 Pro Max screen is a lot darker. I am also seeing the auto brightness go up and down quite frequently and randomly too.

 

[now i see it]

All the screens are a bit different. The one the OP tested is a dimmer variant. They’re not all like that.

 

[fatTribble]

Also ensure that your 16 isn’t limiting brightness due to heat or something, if you’ve just set it up.

Yep! My display was dimmer for a while, maybe an hour or two, around initial setup. It’s been perfect since.

 

[WilliamG]

Seeing the same issue too on my 16 Pro Max, directly next to the 15 Pro Max.

I always set the brightness to 25% via Siri and can see the 16 Pro Max screen is a lot darker. I am also seeing the auto brightness go up and down quite frequently and randomly too.

I just tested this. At about 25% brightness (using half the sun icon as my guide) the iPhone 15 Pro Max is brighter, no question, than my iPhone 16 Pro Max.

However, this is irrelevant since 25% brightness is NOT the same on both devices as the 16 Pro Max can get noticeably dimmer at minimum brightness. At 100% brightness my 16 Pro Max is veeeeery slightly brighter than my 15 Pro Max, but it’s exceptionally close.

Bottom line, there’s no issue, and I expect everyone to see the same on their phones.

 

[exgymnast]

When I was outside today, I noticed my 16PM was much darker at 100% than my previous 15P. I was too busy to play with it but will need to see if this continues.

 

[mfrank29]

All the screens are a bit different. The one the OP tested is a dimmer variant. They’re not all like that.

There is going to be panel variance. Software is used to correct for that. I believe this is something that could be addressed in an update.

 

[donawalt]

Here ism iPhone 16 PM on the left, 15 PM on the right, at max brightness. A picture may not be conclusive, but in person as well if anything the 16 looks very marginally bright to me. All settings are identical.

 

[thadoggfather]

Once again though please turn off True Tone when posting pictures

It’s a really hard thing to compare otherwise

 

[Unnamed1]

I've found on my 16 Pro Max if I set it to 35% brightness that will match (very roughly) the brightness of all my other phones 12, 13, 14 and 15 Pro Max set at 25% brightness.

The screen definitely looks a lot dimmer compared to all my older phones.

 

[JonoNZ]

My 16 PM is about 10-20% brighter than my old 15 PM.

 

[WilliamG]

I've found on my 16 Pro Max if I set it to 35% brightness that will match (very roughly) the brightness of all my other phones 12, 13, 14 and 15 Pro Max set at 25% brightness.

The screen definitely looks a lot dimmer compared to all my older phones.

It’s not. It’s the minimum brightness is now lower, so 25% brightness etc is also lower. At max brightness it’s identical. At least mine is.

 

[adam1080]

Go to accessibility>display and text and make sure this is toggled. Allows for actual brightness control without ambient light override and only is affected by heat.