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Two Weeks With the iPhone 16 Pro Max

I totally agree with you . I even have a problem with the new camera bottom because where it's placed is where I usually hold the phone while walking with it .
 
gagaliya said:
Coming from iPhone 11 Pro Max to IPhone 16 pro max, my user experience has almost zero improvement for my day to day except:

1) USB-C simplified my cables quite a bit

2) 16 pro max does NOT sit flat on the table even with apples own case, it is super annoying I am at a loss for a company supposedly so focused on design how the hell they came up with this. The old 11 pro max also has a camera bump but with the case it sits perfectly flat, looks like we going 2 steps backward….

3) The camera button was cool for the first 5 mins, but it is so awkward to use to switch its options / horizontal scroll, and i always accidentally press it while surfing / in app gaming, which pulls me out of whatever I am doing. I ended up disabling it, the old camera control works perfectly fine

4) The phone feels noticeable thicker and heavier than 11 pro max, because I guess it is.

Overall I see zero improvement to my user experience, usb-c is the only tangible gain here…but not able to lie it flat on surface even with case just annoys the hell out of me.

I will probably extend my upgrade cycle far beyond 5 years going forward until they make the hardware obsolete for new iOS…10 years? And just replace the battery at the 5 year mark
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You seriously don’t see an improvement over an 11PM?

120Hz, Always On, brighter display for outdoor use, 48MP camera, better battery to name a few. Either you’re one of those lucky few who can’t see a diff between 60/120Hz displays or you’re focusing more on the quirks you mentioned. 11 -> 16 is an upgrade in every aspect of the device including speed.
 
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I upgrade every year (have an incentive from workplace) and can def say anybody with a 15 pro max should not upgrade. Even if you can recoup 50-70% of the 15 pro price by selling it.

First time I feel like it’s been a waste of time and money
 
gleepskip said:
I use a Verizon MVNO that costs me $39/mo total for 4 lines with 1 GB of shared data. People pay hundreds per month and think they get phone upgrades and included streaming services for free.
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Yep.

What’s funny is that Boost offers both.

Buying the phone on payment plus lowest price unlimited, or paying for super ultra unlimited but a $1000 phone credit. Comes out about the same either way. But the expensive plan seems to let you get a new phone every year. I don’t know for sure. I am with Spectrum.
 
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sakamura said:
I will say I am a little bit disappointed in this review. As other have pointed out, for once, the base model don't feel like a violent downgrade from the pro models, and this is a great thing. Meaning a review of the Pro model should be considered for Pro features on a pro intention.

This is clear where they position this device. A few elements I truly love on the phone, and to answer the video question:
  • I never thought I would love the Camera control so much. I find it unusable to set up things, reusing the controls for many things means I take a lot of useless shots while choosing my settings. But the idea you can Press, then Press or Press-and-Hold. Everything else, IMHO, is to finicky to be precise. While trying the kool-aid, in the spur of the moment, I've had many shots taken when I merely wanted to set up options quickly. Opposite, I've lost shots because my phone wasn't "opened" when I pressed the button, making it a hit-and-miss depending on the situation whether the phone will actually open or not. Compared to my DSLR with real buttons, I can blindly open it, and start taking shots knowing they will register. This is compounded by my usage of protective sheath (not Apple; sosumi), so my camera control is not flush with the device anymore. It sounds like trying to use power button on my iPad M1 with the cover backflap being a little bit bigger: pressing the button reliably is difficult, using it for Touch ID is a very different experience and finger position than with the bare device.
  • I begrudgingly migrated from a perfectly viable 14P to a 16P. The reason being the advertised videographer options, and faster USB-C transfer. My wife already had the 15P, and for all the movies she would take, they would transfer at twice the speed than mine on the computer (am saddened it's not faster using the Finder, by the way - it should be nearly instantaneous). Also, we tried using USB-C devices while filming, but they would disconnect randomly (6+ cables, 3+ devices tried) while filming, so we stopped trying to do Log 4k/60 on her device, or even filming Lossy and sending directly to the M.2, since a disconnect meant a broken file, and we lost dozens of minutes of movies that were impossible to get back. The only variable was the phone, so I'll see if it's a Phone issue. I believe the issue is the phone not wanting to charge up, and starting to try sending energy to the USB-C device instead of the PD, only to fail sending enough wattage. But I might be mistaken. Anyhow, I wanted both our phones to keep on working with USB-C, potentially using them interchangeably for video, audio, and photo captures.
  • Interestingly, one of the features I am now using with my phone is the resizable flash light. I was already using this for lighting my wife's stills or movies while she would shoot, and having this on my phone means a much tighter and easier control of the light for her stills. It's definitely better to have pro lights, but this is very useful for impromptu shots taken at the spur of the moment.
  • The 4K/120 is also a game changer for handheld operations and capturing beauty shots, as you pointed out.
  • The Spatial Audio microphone array is actually really good. I moved away from my professional Sennheiser microphone array and Shure lavalier through USB-C with the unreliable port connection on the 15 Pro, so it meant shooting audio through the phone (Better having crappy audio than having no video at all, or cutting randomly after 5-15 minutes of recording, potentially with minutes lost - or even entire movie lost). The difference between the 15 Pro and 16 Pro nearly makes me want to abandon the pro microphone array. After all, I'm not shooting musicians and concerts, so I can survive with crappier audio. The next step for me is to actually set up my microphone array, but use a computer to record audio only, and then, apply it back in FCPX. I cannot wait to have better control of the phone's microphones as post-processing in FCPX.
  • Pro Max has it harder, but even the bare Pro itself is starting to be in the "too heavy for 2024" situation. There's a reason I am using protection on my 16P: that slab is heavy. My last broken phone was before phones were water proof. And we're very far from the 80 grams of my first Nokia 1112. I don't complain on features, but while the 1112 was indestructible and so light it could be dropped from a skyscraper and stand a chance to survive (while having a week's worth of battery), I don't expect my phone to always survive a drop from my pocket. Losing my phone for even two days while it gets repaired or replaced would mean lost productivity and lost opportunities, so I treat it with the respect it deserves, even with AppleCare. But it means a 16P is even bulkier than a 16PM and enters the realm of hand cramps. And we're not in the realm of pro DSLR frames, where one can be used as a weapon and still have chances of shooting pictures with it. My Canon 1* cameras are indestructible. Bulky, weighty, but with awesome ergonomics for hand operation, and the only thing I consistently put is a neutral filter in front of my rocks.
  • So far, I'm trying to keep my battery usage much like my car's battery: between 20% and 80% most of the times. I tried setting up their new maximum charge option to 80. If I feel like it gets too low at times, I will bring it up to 85, then 90. So far, I am not feeling like I'm losing productivity with battery at 80 max. Especially since I typically have a charger nearby (home, studio, car) and I always have the Charge Brick option if all else fails. This means this is an option I am happy to have. And I'd love my MBP to have the same, since I'm only a moment's away from a charger anyhow, so I am trying to keep it constantly connected, or else the system "loses" the idea it should keep its battery at 80%, leading to Pavlovian behaviours.
That's it for my review. TL;DR I would say Apple needs to check for reliability in a Pro setting. Pressing the camera button and not going to camera is understandable in a pocket-camera-shoot removal, but it means having 1 button press vs 2 buttons presses for the same operation. USB-C needs to be ultra-reliable at all times if you're expected to out video to an external M.2. Camera settings should be useable blindly, with precise controls, and they're close but no cigar. Transferring shots to FCPX on Mac (not only the iPad mode) should be easier. And FCP Camera naming convention means duplicate names between two devices that gets reset to 0001. That, for me, are the drawbacks of 15/16 Pro in Pro settings at the moment.
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Weight is my biggest complaint. I have a stainless 12P and it is so much heavier than my wife’s 12 was and heavier than her new 16.

A Pro feature would be a lighter phone, not heavier materials. Why can’t the Pro be Aluminum? Or carbon fiber with an aluminum backbone or metal threads woven into the fiber mesh? Something strong and light.
 
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pugxiwawa said:
Aren't 13PM and 16PM the same display with ProMotion? Are you noticing any improvements?
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azpekt said:
Why not 15 then? Same USB-C and screen.
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It's a bigger screen with a slightly smaller Dynamic Island along with improved color representation and 1 nit of brightness compared to 2.

The pixel density is the same 460 for the 16/15/14 and 458 for the 13 (all PM)

The bigger screen could be important for some because that silly DI was moved down the screen and took up valuable screen real estate compared to the Notch on the 13PM, but with the bigger screen you finally get that space back.
 
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HouseLannister said:
I disagree that the battery life is better. iOS 18 seems to have a lot of battery drain while on static home and lock screens that wasn't there on iOS 17 and the 15PM. I am sure people are getting better results in rundown tests, but in actual usage, it is a step back.
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Coming from a 12 Pro Max to a 16 Pro Max, am dim experiencing roughly double the battery life On the 16.
 
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I finally got my hands on some in my local Apple Store - I'm happy with my 15 Pro. These physically feel wider again. The 16 PM reminds me of the width of my previous 13 PM. My pants pockets haven't gotten any bigger, so again, I'm seeing this new model is a bit underwhelming and I can't justify getting this one.
 
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WannaGoMac said:
I was surprised so many people were using this AT&T “deal “so I looked it up. It doesn’t seem good when you have to spend at least $75 per month plus tax and fees for 36 months per line to get the $1000 off. In fact, it’s pretty bad and would take very minimal effort to beat this if you choose.
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You don’t. It’s $65 with autopay. Or $45 if you have 3 lines.
 
MacRumors said:


Now that it's been two weeks since the iPhone 16 models were released, we've been able to spend enough time with the new devices to share a more in-depth review on their performance, battery life, feature set, and more.


We've been testing the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, but the gap between the Pro models and the standard iPhone 16 models is narrower than usual this year. The Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, and upcoming Apple Intelligence features are available across the lineup, which leaves fewer features to set the two iPhone tiers apart and justify the cost of the Pro upgrade.

You do get the 120Hz ProMotion display, the 5x Telephoto lens, upgraded 48-megapixel Ultra Wide lens, and slightly bigger displays with the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, but many people are going to be happy with the standard iPhone 16 models.

Camera Control is kind of a love it or hate it feature that takes some time to get familiar with. It makes opening the camera and snapping a photo much quicker, but getting used to adjusting settings with the button rather than the display takes a good amount of time to get used to. On the bigger iPhones, it's difficult to use the button one-handed, especially in portrait mode.

Macro mode images are better and Photographic Styles and the customization that comes with them are great, but there isn't a lot of additional improvement to be seen with the cameras for photo taking. For videos, there's a 4K 120fps mode that can be adjusted later, and a new Audio Mix feature for adjusting video sound.

The A18 Pro chip is fast, but so was the A17 Pro from last year, and you're not going to notice a difference in performance if you're coming from an iPhone released in the last couple of years. The benefit of the A18 Pro is support for both current and future Apple Intelligence features coming in the next few years. The first Apple Intelligence options will be released in October, and while those won't necessarily stress the chip, future image generation capabilities could take advantage of the additional power you get with the A18 Pro.

Battery life has increased for all iPhone 16 models, and there is a noticeable difference in battery life with the Pro Max that many users will notice day-to-day depending on workload compared to older iPhones.

If you got a new iPhone 16, let us know what you think of it now that a couple of weeks have passed.

Article Link: Two Weeks With the iPhone 16 Pro Max
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PSA: when deciding between a Pro and non-Pro model, a quick review with this site is mandatory: https://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphone-16-pro-max,iphone-15-pro-max,iphone-16-plus
I'm considering upgrading from a 15 Pro Max to a 16 Pro Max, but with 2x optical zoom, I thought maybe a 16 Plus would be enough. But then I compared the specs at the linked site...
 
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jazzzyJeff said:
You seriously don’t see an improvement over an 11PM?

120Hz, Always On, brighter display for outdoor use, 48MP camera, better battery to name a few. Either you’re one of those lucky few who can’t see a diff between 60/120Hz displays or you’re focusing more on the quirks you mentioned. 11 -> 16 is an upgrade in every aspect of the device including speed.
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I see virtually no difference with the screen? I use it under daylight and night, brightness is never at 100% even on the old iPhone anyway and not sure what 120hz suppose to do, but I can’t see anything different and I do play some pretty fast action games on the phone too.

I was really looking forward to the camera improvement but the photos don’t look that much better vs 11? ok 1 noticeable improvement I forgot is the 5x zoom that is nice on the few times I need it.

and a negative I forgot is it doesn’t have sim slots, majot pain when I goto China where they don’t have e-sim.
 
Nice review, validated my reasons for not buying into the 16 series. I still use a 7+ and, had Apple put the USB-C 3 on the 16 basic, I would have bought the 16. Will wait and see what the SE offers. I am not a power user, just use the phone for basic needs, but a super fast USB-C is a 'need' and a 'must have' for me. I find it ludicrous to put a fast modem and wifi on the phone, then hobble the USB-C data port.
 
Two observations here:

1) the battery life on my new 16 Pro Max seemed a little worse than that of my previous 15 Pro Max for almost the whole first week. I had restored the new phone from an encrypted backup of my old one, and it seems that all the “new phone background processes” took almost a week to finally settle down.

2) I was hitting the camera control button by accident fairly often, so I changed the activation setting to a double click, problem solved. Other than for launching the camera, I find the real-world utility of the camera control button to be questionable at best. Maybe I’ll get more used to it as time goes on and/or as functionality is refined.
 
mecloud said:
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2) I was hitting the camera control button by accident fairly often, so I changed the activation setting to a double click, problem solved. Other than for launching the camera, I find the real-world utility of the camera control button to be questionable at best. Maybe I’ll get more used to it as time goes on and/or as functionality is refined.
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The camera button has been a bit of a concern for me as I know how my hands work, and felt like the button was in the wrong place for me. In other words, I would constantly be hitting the button. Frankly, I do not really see a need for the button.

A cell phone has become less about communication and more about gadgets and gizmos.
 
I upgraded on launch day from a 15 Pro Max with 99% battery health to a 16 Pro Max. I always set up my new phones as new not restored from backup and all my settings and installed apps are the same. I guess I’m a weird outlier but despite the bigger battery and Apple officially listing improved battery life in the 16 PM specs vs the 15 PM I’m getting noticeably worse battery life with my new phone. I’d say I get about 30% less use between charges now - same usage patterns - as I got from my 15PM.

I did upgrade my 15PM to iOS 18.0 shortly before selling it so it doesn’t seem to be a generic iOS 18 issue. I might try doing a network reset - that did fix a battery issue for me quite a few years ago - otherwise I hope some future update might flush out whatever particular problem I have on my new phone.
 
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