So, you’ve probably heard the noise by now. Apple went bigger. Again. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is sitting there with a massive 6.9-inch display, and honestly, it’s kinda pushing the limits of what a pocket can actually hold. If you’re coming from a 15 Pro Max, the jump from 6.7 to 6.9 inches sounds tiny on paper. But in the hand? You feel it.
Apple managed to keep the actual body from becoming a literal tablet by shaving down the bezels to almost nothing. It’s a feat of engineering, sure, but it’s also led to some unintended quirks. Because the screen stretches so close to the edge, palm rejection has become a talking point again.
The Reality of that 6.9-inch Display
Let’s talk about that screen. It’s gorgeous. It’s a Super Retina XDR panel that hits 2,000 nits of peak brightness when you’re out in the midday sun. But here is the thing: Apple is still playing it safe compared to some Android rivals. While the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is pushing even higher brightness peaks, Apple focuses on color accuracy.
Basically, what you see on the screen is what the printer is going to spit out.
One thing people keep missing is the minimum brightness. It finally drops down to 1 nit. If you’re the type to check your phone at 3 AM while your partner is sleeping, this is actually the best feature of the whole phone. No more blinding yourself with a "low" setting that still feels like a flashlight.
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The Camera Control Button: Love it or Hate it?
Then there’s the new button. The Camera Control button. It’s not just a button; it’s a sapphire-covered capacitive sensor. You can click it to launch the camera, light-press to bring up zoom, and slide your finger to adjust exposure.
It feels very "real camera," but there is a learning curve.
Honestly, for the first week, I kept triggering it by accident just while holding the phone in landscape. And let's be real—if you put a thick case on this thing, the recessed cutout for the button can make those sliding gestures feel a bit clunky. If you’re a pro photographer, you’ll likely love the granular control. If you just want to take a photo of your lunch, you’ll probably keep using the on-screen shutter.
Performance and the A18 Pro Chip
Under the hood, we have the A18 Pro. It’s fast. Ridiculously fast. We are talking about a 3nm chip that handles AAA games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage better than some older consoles. However, there is a catch with sustained performance.
- Peak Power: It hits harder than anything else on the market for short bursts.
- Thermal Management: If you’re gaming for two hours, it will throttle. It’s a thin piece of glass and titanium; it doesn't have the fans of a gaming PC.
- Apple Intelligence: This is the real reason the chip exists. The 16-core Neural Engine is designed to handle on-device AI for things like Siri’s new contextual awareness and Writing Tools.
Interestingly, benchmarks show that while the iPhone 16 Pro Max leads in single-core performance, it still struggles with heat dissipation during heavy 3D rendering compared to some dedicated gaming phones. It’s a marathon runner that likes to sprint.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Camera
Everyone talks about the 48MP Fusion camera, but the real star this year is the Ultra Wide. It finally jumped to 48 megapixels. This matters because it completely changes macro photography. When you get an inch away from a flower, the detail is actually usable now, rather than looking like a blurry watercolor painting.
The 5x Telephoto lens is still here, using that clever tetraprism design. It’s great for wildlife or sitting in the back of a school play. But DxOMark and other testers have noted a weird "dead zone" between 2x and 5x. Because the main lens is a 1x and the next jump is 5x, the phone has to use digital cropping for anything in between. If you shoot a lot at 3x or 4x, you might actually find the image quality slightly lower than some competitors that have a dedicated 3x lens.
Battery Life: The Long-Distance Legend
If there is one reason to buy the iPhone 16 Pro Max over the smaller Pro, it’s the battery. It’s the longest-lasting iPhone ever. Period.
In real-world usage, even with the Always-On display active and heavy 5G use, most users are finishing the day with 30-40% left. Apple bumped the battery capacity to roughly 4,685 mAh. Combined with the efficiency of the A18 Pro, it’s a beast.
Charging is still a bit of a "slow and steady" situation. While it supports 25W MagSafe charging (if you buy the new puck and a 30W adapter), it still lags behind the 100W+ charging speeds we see in the global market. You’re looking at about 30 minutes to get to 50%. It’s fine, but it’s not revolutionary.
The Little Things That Bug Users
No phone is perfect. On the Apple Support communities and Reddit, the "ghost touch" issue has been a recurring theme. Because the bezels are so thin, your palm can easily wrap around the edge and touch the screen. This confuses the software, making it seem like the screen is frozen.
Apple has released software updates (like iOS 18.0.1 and beyond) to tweak the palm rejection algorithms, but it’s still something to keep in mind if you have larger hands.
Also, the weight. At 227 grams, it’s heavy. Titanium helped keep the weight down compared to the old stainless steel days, but 8 ounces is still a lot to have hanging out in your pocket all day.
Practical Steps for Potential Buyers
If you’re sitting on the fence about whether to grab the iPhone 16 Pro Max, here is the move.
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First, go to a store and actually hold it. The 6.9-inch screen is a massive jump if you’re coming from a base model iPhone or even an older Pro. If you find it too big, the regular 16 Pro has the exact same camera system this year—no more "zoom envy."
Check your storage needs before clicking buy. If you plan on shooting 4K 120fps video (which looks incredible, by the way), you will eat through the base 256GB storage in a weekend. For video creators, the 512GB or 1TB models aren't just up-sells; they're necessities.
Finally, look into your trade-in values. Apple and carriers have been aggressive with trade-ins for the 14 Pro and 15 Pro series. You can often cut the $1,199 starting price in half if your current device is in good shape.
Make sure to enable the "80% or 90% Limit" in the Battery settings once you get it. Since this phone already has incredible endurance, capping the charge will help the battery health stay high for three or four years, which is great for resale value later.