Compare iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Plus

Which one is best for you?

Choosing between the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max comes down to how important advanced features are to you. Both offer a large display, strong performance, and long battery life. The iPhone 16 Pro Max adds a more advanced camera system with optical zoom, a ProMotion display for smoother scrolling, and a premium titanium design.

Choose the iPhone 16 Plus if you want a large screen and solid performance at a lower cost.

Go for the iPhone 16 Pro Max if you want a more advanced camera, a higher-end display, and a more premium build.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

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Apple iPhone 16 Plus

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Battery
  • Non-removable
  • Fast battery charging
  • Qi wireless charging
  • Non-removable
  • Fast battery charging
  • Qi wireless charging
Body
  • Latest-generation Ceramic Shield front, Textured matte glass back and Titanium design
  • Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
  • Splash, water and dust resistant (IP68)
  • Ceramic Shield front, Colour-infused glass back and Aluminium design
  • Dual SIM
  • Splash, water and dust resistant (IP68)
Camera
  • 48MP + 48MP + 12MP
  • 48MP + 12MP
Camera details
  • 48MP (f/1.78, Main: 24mm) + 48MP (f/2.2, Ultra Wide: 13mm) + 12MP (f/2.8, Telephoto: 120mm)
  • 12MP (f/1.9, TrueDepth)
  • 100% Focus Pixels
  • 48MP macro photography
  • 5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 10x optical zoom range
  • Adaptive True Tone flash
  • Advanced red-eye correction
  • Apple ProRAW
  • Auto image stabilization
  • Burst mode
  • Camera Control
  • Customizable default lens (Fusion)
  • Deep Fusion
  • Digital zoom up to 25x
  • Image formats captured: HEIF, JPEG, and DNG
  • Lens correction (Ultra Wide)
  • Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control
  • Night mode
  • Photo geotagging
  • Photonic Engine
  • Portrait Lighting with six effects
  • Sapphire crystal lens cover
  • Smart HDR 5
  • Wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos
  • 48MP (f/1.6, Main: 26mm) + 12MP (f/2.2, Ultra Wide: 13mm)
  • 12MP (f/1.9, TrueDepth)
  • 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range
  • Advanced red‑eye correction
  • Auto image stabilization
  • Burst mode
  • Camera Control
  • Deep Fusion
  • Digital zoom up to 10x
  • Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG
  • Latest-generation Photographic Styles
  • Lens correction (Ultra Wide)
  • Macro photography
  • Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control
  • Night mode
  • Panorama (up to 63MP)
  • Photo geotagging
  • Photonic Engine
  • Portrait Lighting with six effects
  • Sapphire crystal lens cover
  • Smart HDR 5
  • Spatial photos
  • True Tone flash
  • Wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos
Capacity
  • 256 GB/512 GB/1 TB
  • 128 GB/256 GB/512 GB
Colour
  • Desert Titanium / Black Titanium / Natural Titanium / White Titanium
  • Ultramarine / Black / Pink / Teal / White
Connectivity
  • 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G
  • Wi-Fi 7, 802.11 be with 2x2 MIMO
  • Bluetooth 5.3
  • GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC
  • NFC with reader mode
  • USB Type-C (up to 10Gb/s)
  • 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G
  • Wi-Fi 7, 802.11 be with 2x2 MIMO
  • Bluetooth 5.3
  • GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
  • NFC with reader mode
  • USB Type-C (up to 480Mb/s)
Dimensions
  • 163 x 77.6 x 8.25 mm
  • 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm
Display
  • 6.9 inch
  • 6.7 inch
Display details
  • OLED capacitive touchscreen, Super Retina XDR
  • 2868 x 1320 pixels
  • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
  • Dynamic Island
  • HDR display
  • True Tone
  • Wide color (P3)
  • ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz
  • OLED capacitive touchscreen, Super Retina XDR
  • 2796 x 1290 pixels
  • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
  • Dynamic Island
  • HDR display
  • True Tone
  • Wide color (P3)
  • Haptic Touch
Features
  • AAC, APAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos
  • Apple Pay
  • Barometer
  • Digital compass
  • Dual ambient light sensors
  • Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection
  • Face ID
  • Find My via satellite
  • HEVC, H.264 and ProRes player
  • High dynamic range gyro
  • High-g accelerometer
  • LiDAR scanner
  • MagSafe
  • Proximity sensor
  • Screen sharing
  • Spatial Audio and stereo recording
  • Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes
  • Voice over LTE (VoLTE)
  • Wind noise reduction
  • AAC, APAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos
  • Apple Pay
  • Barometer
  • Dual ambient light sensors
  • Face ID
  • High dynamic range gyro
  • High-g accelerometer
  • MagSafe
  • Proximity sensor
  • Screen sharing
  • Spatial Audio and stereo recording
  • Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes
  • Voice over LTE (VoLTE)
  • Wind noise reduction
Memory
  • 256 GB/512 GB/1 TB
  • 128 GB/256 GB/512 GB
Platform
  • iOS 18
  • Apple A18 Pro
  • 6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
  • 6‑core GPU
  • iOS 18
  • Apple A18
  • 6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
  • 5‑core GPU
Weight
  • 227 g
  • 199 g
Video
  • 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps, 100 fps (Fusion), or 120 fps (Fusion)
  • 1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps, or 120 fps (Fusion)
  • 3D sensor‑shift optical image stabilization and autofocus for video (Telephoto)
  • 720p Dolby Vision video recording at 30 fps
  • Academy Color Encoding System
  • Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps
  • Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
  • Continuous autofocus video
  • Digital zoom up to 25x
  • Log video recording
  • Macro video recording, including slo‑mo and time‑lapse
  • Night mode Time‑lapse
  • ProRes video recording up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording
  • QuickTake video up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision
  • Second‑generation sensor‑shift optical image stabilization for video (Fusion)
  • Slo‑mo video support for 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps (Fusion)
  • Spatial video recording at 1080p at 30 fps
  • Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
  • Time‑lapse video with stabilization
  • Wind noise reduction
  • 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
  • 1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
  • 720p Dolby Vision video recording at 30 fps
  • Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps
  • Audio zoom
  • Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
  • Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
  • Continuous autofocus video
  • Digital zoom up to 6x
  • Macro video recording, including slo-mo and time-lapse
  • Night mode Time-lapse
  • Playback zoom
  • QuickTake video up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision
  • Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video (Fusion)
  • Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
  • Spatial video recording at 1080p at 30 fps
  • Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
  • Time‑lapse video with stabilization
  • True Tone flash
  • Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264
Operating system
  • iOS
  • iOS 18
  • iOS
  • iOS 18
WIFI calling
  • Available
  • Available
Box Contains
  • USB‑C Charge Cable (1m)
  • Documentation
  • USB‑C Charge Cable (1m)
  • Documentation

Frequently asked questions

Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Plus feature Super Retina XDR displays with Dynamic Island. The Pro Max has a slightly larger 6.9-inch screen compared to 6.7 inches on the Plus, and it also includes ProMotion for smoother scrolling and gaming.

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max offers a more advanced triple-camera system, featuring a 48MP main, 48MP ultra-wide, and 12MP telephoto lens. The iPhone 16 Plus features a highly capable dual-camera setup with a 48MP main and 12MP ultra-wide lens. If you love zooming in or shooting pro-level video, the Pro Max is your best bet.

Both models offer strong battery life, but the iPhone 16 Pro Max lasts longer overall due to its larger battery. Both also support fast and wireless charging.

If you need the absolute maximum space for your files and videos, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the winner, offering up to 1TB of storage. The iPhone 16 Plus offers generous storage options up to 512GB. Both phones start at different base capacities, with the Pro Max starting at 256GB and the Plus at 128GB.

Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Plus offer fast, smooth performance. The Pro Max uses the more powerful A18 Pro chip with a 6‑core GPU, while the Plus uses the standard A18 chip with a 5‑core GPU, giving the Pro Max an edge for graphics-heavy tasks like gaming.

Yes, both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Plus support the latest WiFi 7 technology and 5G connectivity. You'll get incredibly fast download speeds and reliable connections on either device. The Pro Max does offer faster USB-C data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps compared to the Plus.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is slightly heavier at 227g, owing to its premium titanium design and larger camera system. The iPhone 16 Plus is lighter at 199g and features an aluminium design with a colour-infused glass back. If you prefer a lighter phone in your pocket, the Plus is a great choice.

For content creators, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the superior choice over the iPhone 16 Plus. The Pro Max offers advanced video features like ProRes recording, 4K Dolby Vision at 120 fps, and a LiDAR scanner. While the Plus takes fantastic photos and videos, the Pro Max gives you professional-grade tools.

The iPhone 16 Plus offers incredible everyday value, giving you a massive screen and top-tier performance at a more accessible price point. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is a premium investment for those who want the absolute highest specs available. Your choice depends on whether you need pro-level features or just a fantastic, reliable smartphone.

Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Plus feature a Ceramic Shield front and IP68 water and dust resistance. The key difference is the frame: the Pro Max uses titanium, while the Plus uses aluminium, giving the Pro Max a slightly more premium and lightweight feel.