you can buy the shiny new iPhone 16 Pro Max now, but should you? I'm here to help you make that decision by breaking down how the specs of Apple's flagship 16 Pro Max compare to those of last year's top-of-the-line 15 Pro Max. And remember that the specs can only tell us so much, so subscribe to CA for all of our tests and advice on the new 16 Pro Max. Like previous years, there are two Pro models: the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. But unlike last year, where the 15 Pro and Pro Max had different telephoto cameras, both the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max have the same cameras and are otherwise identical, aside from the 16 Pro having a lower price and a smaller screen size and battery. For this video, I'm focusing on comparing the 16 Pro Max and last year's 15 Pro Max, but pretty much everything I go over also applies to the regular 15 Pro and 16 Pro. And of course

you can find out more about these Pro Models at cet.com. The 16 Pro Max starts at the same price as the 15 Pro Max did at launch, $1,200. Both come in 256 and 512 GB, as well as 1 TB storage options. The 16 Pro Max features Apple's new A18 Pro chip, while the 15 Pro Max is powered by last year's A17 Pro chip. Apple calls that new chip the brains behind Apple Intelligence. That's the company's new suite of AI tools, of which a handful of features will come out in October for all iPhone 16 models and the 15 Pro and Pro Max. Some Apple Intelligence features include writing tools to proofread and change the tone of your messages, the ability to summarize online articles, image tools to eliminate unwanted distractions from your photos, and an AI-powered overhaul of Siri, complete with a new glowing border animation. Other Apple Intelligence features that were announced in June, like the ability to integrate ChatGPT, make your own Emoji, or create clip art style images, are

expected to roll out later. Visual intelligence is a new feature that uses your camera to show you info about the world around you, kind of like Google Lens. The iPhone 16s have a new camera control button not found on the iPhone 15s that you'll be able to press to access Visual intelligence during its glow Time Event. Apple demonstrated how you could use it to identify a dog breed, for example. Sample visual intelligence isn't available yet but will come in a future software update. But you can still do lots of other things with the camera control key right now. It's basically a button with touch capabilities, sort of like a mini MacBook trackpad. It can open the camera, take photos, and be used to do things like zooming in and out. Both phones also have the action button that you can program to perform the function of your choice, like turning on your flashlight or recording a voice memo. Both phones can run iOS 18, which has lots of cool new features like the ability to change your app icon colors, send texts via

satellite and schedule messages. Check out the video linked on screen for some of my favorite lesser-known iOS 18 features. At 6.9 in and with a resolution of 2868 X 1320 pixels, the 16 Pro Max has the largest screen ever on an iPhone. The 15 Pro Max's display, on the other hand, is 6.7 in with a 2796 X 1290 pixel resolution. Both of these premium phone screens have an identical pixel density of 460 PPI, a 1 to 120 HZ variable refresh rate, an always-on display, and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. Both also have that shape-shifting Dynamic Island cutout that shows alerts and background activities from your apps. The list of similarities goes on. The two phones are 8.25 mm thick and are made of a titanium alloy that allows them to be relatively light despite their big displays. The 16 Pro Max weighs 227 G, while the 15 Pro Max is 221 G. Both are rated IP68 for

water and dust resistance. As for the cameras, both the 15 Pro Max and 16 Pro Max have a trio of lenses: wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto. Each phone has a 48-megapixel sensor for the main camera with an f/1.78 wide-angle lens, but the sensor on the 16 Pro Max is faster, so there's less shutter lag. That means it's better for capturing fast subjects like kids and pets. The phones also have a 12-megapixel, five-times telephoto camera with an f/2.8 lens. I own a 15 Pro Max, and I love that five-times optical zoom on the telephoto camera, specifically for taking concert videos. As I mentioned earlier, this feature used to be exclusive to the 15 Pro Max, but is now included on both the 16 Pro and Pro Max, which I'm very happy about. Each phone also has an ultra-wide camera, with the 16 Pro Max sporting a 48-megapixel sensor and an f/2.2 lens, while the 15 Pro

Max has a 12-megapixel sensor, also with an f2.2 lens, and for your selfies, both phones have a 12-megapixel front camera with an f1.9 lens. Both the 15 Pro Max and 16 Pro Max offer photographic styles that allow you to alter the look and feel of your photos, but the iPhone 16 lineup features an updated version of photographic styles that's better at identifying skin undertones, highlights, and shadows. My colleague Lisa Edao has raved about this change, calling this latest version her favorite feature on the iPhone 16. Both phones can record videos up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. You can also shoot slow-mo videos in 4K up to 120 frames per second on the 16 Pro Max, while the 15 Pro Max allows you to shoot slow-mo video in 1080P up to 240 frames per second. In his 16 Pro and Pro Max review, my fellow CET Patrick Holland referred to this highest slow-mo video as his favorite iPhone.

feature in years. He praised the slow-mo video for its rich details, solid dynamic range, and accurate colors. The proof is in the pudding, and you can check out his full review linked on screen for more. Both the 15 Pro Max and 16 Pro Max can also shoot spatial photos for the Vision Pro and spatial video in 1080p up to 30 frames per second. The 16 Pro Max also has a new audio mix feature for videos not found on the 15 Pro Max that can make your audio sound like it was recorded on a studio mic. It's really aimed at making voices and people speaking on camera sound better, but Patrick and I did test it on a noisy rooftop as I sang an original song about the new iPhone, and you can listen to hear how it removes the city sounds. Got iPhone 16, there's a lot to try, there's a lot to see, it's Apple inell. You can even... The 16 Pro Max also has better wind and noise reduction that should make

your audio sounds cleaner in general. The 16 Pro Max also has a larger battery than the 15 Pro Max. Apple doesn't disclose battery capacity but claims the 16 Pro Max offers up to 33 hours of video playback, while the 15 Pro Max offers up to 29 hours. Both the 15 Pro Max and the 16 Pro Max have a USB-C charging port. The 15 Pro Max supports 27-watt wired charging, and while Apple hasn't officially disclosed how fast the 16 Pro Max can charge, there are reports that it can reach 45-watt speeds. In his review, Patrick noted that the regular 16 Pro got through a full day on a single charge, which isn't a giant improvement over the 15 Pro. Both the 15 Pro Max and the 16 Pro Max also support Qi charging up to 15 watts, but while the 15 Pro Max tops out at support for 15W wireless charging via MagSafe, the 16 Pro Max can charge as fast as 25 watts. The catch is

that the MagSafe charger you're using needs a 30 W wall plug. Last but not least, let's go over colors. There's some overlap here; both the 15 Pro Max and the 16 Pro Max come in natural titanium, white titanium, and black titanium. But the 16 Pro Max also comes in desert titanium, while the fourth color option for the 15 Pro Max is blue titanium. Those are some of the key similarities and differences between the brand new iPhone 16 Pro Max and the 2023 iPhone 15 Pro Max. So, should you buy the new phone? Well, if you're coming from a 14 Pro model or a 15 Pro model, the short answer is no. If you have a 13 Pro model and your battery is still working fine, you can also probably hold on to your current phone for a little while longer. But if you have a 12 Pro model or older, there is a strong case to be made for upgrading to the newest flagship model. Those updates will likely feel

pretty exciting compared to your current phone. For more information on these phones, check out cnet.com. Please let me know what you think of the new 16 Pro Max in the comments below, and thank you so much for watching.

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. 15 Pro Max: Spec Comparison

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