Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max Worth the Upgrade? A Deep Dive into Key Features

Another year, another Apple release. As of the last quarter of 2024, the lineup of new iPhone 16 phones has been the subject of serious hype—with the 16 Pro Max leading the charge.

If you’re wondering whether this new phone release is worth the upgrade or not, there are a lot of little kinks and features to consider.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max comes packed with a host of new features, one of the most notable of which is brand-new AI integration through their “Apple Intelligence” feature.

But besides that, there have also been minor upgrades to the phone’s overall performance compared to its predecessor. This includes a more efficient processing unit, sharper camera and photo editing features, and a slightly improved battery life.

Do all these features warrant the $1,199 price tag that Apple is asking for? Probably. Probably not. The answer ultimately depends on your circumstances and needs—as well as the phone you’re upgrading from.

To help you make a more informed decision, read on to gather more in-depth insights on the capabilities of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Let’s begin!

A18 Pro Chip: Performance Upgrades

The beating heart of every phone is its microchip. It supports demanding tasks—from multitasking to heavy gaming—and provides a solid graphical experience across all fronts of the phone’s use. 

We’ll preface this by saying that the A18 Pro, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s integrated chipset, is far and away the strongest one in the market right now.

The A18 Pro Chip comes equipped with a 6‑core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16‑core Neural Engine. These specs are more powerful than the standard iPhone 16 issue by a single GPU core. It also beats the specs of all Android phones currently on the market. 

But beyond these 6-core threads, the cache size of the A18 Pro Chip is also bigger than the iPhone 16. This enables better performance in benchmark tests and smoother and faster overall performance for performing heavy tasks, like rendering video files and gaming on triple-A titles. 

From sunrise to sundown, this iPhone variant is a capable workhorse capable of accomplishing different daily tasks. This is all powered by the A18 Pro chipset unique to this device.

Whether you’re a developer, a designer, a heavy Gamer, or a corporate professional, a phone like Vodafone’s iPhone 16 Pro Max can handle your daily duties in a much better capacity than other phones in the market. 

It’s the premier phone chipset in the market, a cut over the standard-grade A18 chipset as seen from performance benchmarks and technical specs analyses.

Apple Intelligence (AI): The New-Gen Norm

Apple Intelligence (AI) marks a monumental leap forward for Apple devices, integrating their phones with a suite of artificial intelligence features to enhance the device’s capabilities and functionalities. 

Never mind that Android has done it first, the introduction of this feature has been long awaited for Apple users—bringing forth a revolutionary new era of powerful artificial intelligence features in Apple devices. 

While it hasn’t been released alongside the phone’s actual release date, the update is expected to roll out a month later in October 2024, with continuous upgrades expected to come to further refine its suite of features.

What are these new AI features, you may ask? Well, here’s a rundown of the AI features expected to come to the iPhone Pro Max 16 and other future releases:

• Text Summarisation Tool: Helps cut the fluff and shows only the important parts in an email, audio recording, or page.
• Priority Notifications: Weigh the importance of events and show you notifications in order of importance.
• Smart Reply: Quickly draft an AI-generated response based on the context of the conversation.
• Image Creation: Create images or a Genmoji by a prompt you’ve made.
• Smarter Siri: Can type message requests to a smarter Siri that’s aware of your personal context and things going on on your device’s screen.
• Greater Privacy: Your personal information isn’t sent through a cloud or in apps but is stored through on-device processing. This keeps your information private, even if the device remembers personal details.

These AI features enhance the smartphone experience. It grants users a higher level of convenience that can’t be matched by previous Apple devices.

Camera Control Button: Better than Before

Another perk offered by the iPhone 16 Pro Max is its improved camera and video functionalities. 

For one, this new phone has a dedicated camera button called the Camera Control button. This button has built-in sliding gestures that allow users to cycle through different camera modes.

Furthermore, the button can also be lightly pressed to create different filters before photo capture. This makes for a more dynamic range of pictures that can fit the vibe of the desired photo.

Photo touch-ups are also present in this new phone, with one notable one being the Undertone feature to change skin tone. This helps in making your photo look more realistic in low-light settings. AI features are also integrated into the Camera app, with users being able to look up parts of an image to grab text or search in search engines.

All the classical camera features from the past are also present—such as the primary and ultrawide shots. They both come with a 48-megapixel sensor with an f/1.78-aperture lens and f/2.2-aperture lens respectively, allowing amateurs and photographers alike to take a good-looking shot under a wide variety of conditions, such as for magnified settings or night shots.

Furthermore, the iPhone 16 Pro Max allows people to shoot video at 4K and 120 frames per second. This feature, often seen only in high-end cameras, is a phone-first and fully available on the iPhone 16 Pro. The built-in phone microphone also has voice-isolating features that help create a more enriching and focused audio experience.

Display and Materials: Bigger, Better

The display of the 16 Pro Max is 0.2 inches bigger than the 15 Pro Max at 6.9 inches from top to bottom. This bigger display makes multitasking and video-watching easier, but it may come closer to feeling clunky for people with smaller hands.

Despite the bigger size, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s bezels are thinner than its predecessor, allowing for greater screen immersion. The brightness and colour accuracy of the display also have higher highs, creating a vibrancy that’s pleasant and suitable for all situations whether it’s gaming or reading an article under the sun.

The phone’s outer display is made from titanium steel, a textured matte glass, and a ceramic shield. These materials feel premium and can withstand moderate forces of impact. The phone is also rated IP68, making it capable of being submerged in water for up to 30 minutes.

Phone Battery Life: A Cut Above The Rest

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has streamed video playback of up to 29 hours and audio playback of up to 105 hours—which is 7 hours and 30 hours more than the standard iPhone 16 respectively.

These playback hours are also slightly above the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Furthermore, with a  20W adapter with a USB-C charger (or a 30W adapter with a MagSafe Charger), you can charge the phone by 50% in just 30 minutes. 

This enhanced battery life and battery charging potential make the phone last for much longer on a normal day. Even with extensive daily use, you’ll still have plenty of battery to last you until the next morning.

Final Thoughts

With all that said and done, there’s no room for doubt when we say that the iPhone 16 Pro Max is undoubtedly a beast of a phone—capable of performing a wide variety of light to heavy tasks in a large display, powerful microchip, and with better battery performance. 

Couple that with upcoming AI integration, and this phone is certainly a top-tier contender to be the best release of the year. But is it worth the $1,199 price tag?

To answer the question, it’s important to look at the product relative to your current phone. 

If you’re an Apple loyalist and just a slight brush of wind is enough to convince you to get this latest Apple product, we won’t stop you. 

If you’re a stubborn Android user who’s considering a switch to see what the fuss is about, this phone does have its perks but they’re fairly minimal.

If you’ve had your current phone for 3+ years and have the disposable income to spend on a luxury and powerful phone, then this one’s definitely worth your consideration. If you don’t want to spend too much but still want the AI capabilities, the iPhone 16 Plus and next-gen Samsung phones may be more up your alley.

In any case, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is definitely worthy of praise—and if the price tag isn’t completely off putting to you, then we’d definitely recommend it.