Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Should you upgrade?

Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max boasts a massive 6.9-inch display and a new A18 Pro chip designed to power its advanced AI capabilities. While this year’s upgrades might seem subtle at first glance, Apple is banking on refined features like the innovative Camera Control button and a sleek new Desert Titanium color to entice users.

But is it enough to warrant an upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro Max , a phone that dominated sales charts just a few months ago? If you’re an early adopter, a power user craving the latest technology, or a photography enthusiast intrigued by the new camera features, the iPhone 16 Pro Max might be calling your name. Keep reading to see a detailed comparison of the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max, and decide if it’s time to take the plunge. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs.



iPhone 15 Pro Max: specs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: design On the surface, you may need help identifying many differences between the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the older 15 Pro Max. But there sure are some.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is marginally taller, more comprehensive, and heavier than last year’s Pro Max. This allows the new model to accommodate a new and expansive 6.9-inch OLED display — up from the 6.

7-inch display of last year. The iPhone 16 Pro Max introduces a novel Camera Control button, a physical addition that aims to revolutionize the mobile photography experience. This innovative button offers a tactile and intuitive way to interact with the camera, mimicking the functionality of a traditional camera’s shutter button.

With a simple tap, the Camera app launches, ready to capture fleeting moments. A second tap captures a photo, while a press and hold initiates video recording. But the Camera Control button’s capabilities extend far beyond these essential functions.

A double tap, accompanied by haptic feedback, reveals a range of manual controls and zoom levels. Once a menu is activated, sliding your finger across the button allows for seamless navigation and precise zoom adjustments. Apple has ambitious plans for the Camera Control button, with upcoming features like a Google Lens-style visual search promising to enhance its utility further.

While the initial impression of the button is overwhelmingly positive, its placement could lead to accidental activation. Despite this minor drawback, the Camera Control button represents a significant step forward in mobile photography, offering a unique blend of tactile control and advanced functionality. Apart from the new button, there are a few other noticeable changes, but those that stick out include the latest and smoother finishes on the glass back and the titanium frame.

Although three of the four available colors have the same names as last year, there is some visual distinction, with this year’s models appearing less matte than the previous year — at least in the images. In addition to these outward changes, Apple has now added four microphones to allow you to shoot more spatially apt audio that can be used with AirPods, Vision Pro, or other sound systems capable of surround sound. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs.

iPhone 15 Pro Max: display You get the point, though, and that is, the iPhone 16 Pro Max display gets bare minimum improvements over the last year. The 120Hz dynamic refresh rate switching, thanks to ProMotion and LTPO tech, remains the same, and so does the Dynamic Island up top. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs.

iPhone 15 Pro Max: performance Despite minimal changes on the surface, there are substantial upgrades under the hood, primarily as Apple looks to deliver sufficient power for on-device AI applications. Apple’s new A18 Pro chip on the iPhone 16 Pro Max succeeds the A17 Pro from last year. As part of Apple’s second generation of 3nm iPhone chips, the A18 Pro is fabricated on TSMC’s N3E process, resulting in better efficiency than the previous generation.

For its CPU, the A18 Pro maintains a six-core design (two performance and four efficiency core) but the frequencies are expected to be bumped up. While Apple doesn’t reveal the specific clock speeds, it claims a 15% performance boost over the A17 Pro. The CPU also has two dedicated sectors or Scalable Matrix Extension (SME) units for better performance in AI or machine learning tasks, while low-level tasks can run off it without engaging the dedicated neural engine.

Next, the GPU on the A18 Pro also comes with the same six-core design as last year, but Apple claims the “desktop-class architecture” enables 20% better performance. The new chip also supports rendering of frames that’s twice as fast with hardware accelerated ray tracing. The 16-core neural engine is capable of up to 35 tera operations per second (TOPS).

While Apple says it’s twice as fast as the “previous generation,” it is referring to the A16 and not the A17 Pro — suggesting there may not be a physical improvement. What could contribute to better AI performance is the new 17% faster memory on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Besides AI applications, the faster RAM could also result in an overall improvement in performance.

While Apple Intelligence is a compelling reason to upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, know that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will also be capable of all the AI-related functionality, and Apple hasn’t explicitly announced plans to limit anything to the iPhone 16 Pro. In terms of connectivity, the iPhone 16 Pro Max gets a new Snapdragon X75 modem, and you should expect faster 5G speeds. It supports Wi-Fi 7, though support for the 6GHz band is still missing.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max also gets satellite connectivity with support for emergency SOS, calling, messages, and Find My via satellite when a standard network isn’t available. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: battery and charging Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs.

iPhone 15 Pro Max: cameras Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: software and updates Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: price and availability The iPhone 16 Pro Max enters the market with a starting price of $1,199 for the 256GB unlocked model.

As the new flagship takes center stage, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is no longer sold directly by Apple. However, those still interested in the previous generation model may find it available through third-party retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, or through select carriers. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs.

iPhone 15 Pro Max: Should you upgrade?.