This time around, we’re focusing on Apple’s current large-format flagship and the company’s compact flagship for last year. In other words, we’ll be comparing the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro . The size difference is there, of course, amongst other things. They have a lot of similarities too, as you’d assume. Apple did, however, change up the design a bit compared to last year, so… we’ll talk about that too.
In fact, we’ll kick things off by listing the specs of both phones, and will take it from there. Following that, we’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output. If you own the iPhone 16 Pro, perhaps you’re thinking of upgrading, or thinking of getting the iPhone 16 Pro over the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Either way, we do hope this article will help you out.
- Specs
- Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Design
- Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Display
- Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Performance
- Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Battery
- Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Cameras
- Audio
Specs
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max | Apple iPhone 16 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm | 149.6 x 71.5 x 8.3 mm |
| Weight | 233 grams | 199 grams |
| Display | 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED | 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED |
| Refresh rate | 1-120Hz | 1-120Hz (adaptive) |
| Resolution | 2868 x 1320 | 2622 x 1206 |
| Chipset | Apple A19 Pro | Apple A18 Pro |
| RAM | 12GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe) |
| Main camera | 48MP (1/1.28 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS, dual pixel PDAF) | 48MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.28-inch sensor size, 1.22um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS) |
| Ultra-wide camera | 48MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF) | 48MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF) |
| Telephoto camera | N/A | N/A |
| Periscope camera | 48MP (f/2.8 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, PDAF, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 4x optical zoom) | 12MP (f/2.8 aperture, 1/3.06-inch sensor size, 1.12um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 5x optical zoom) |
| Selfie camera(s) | 18MP (f/1.9 aperture, OIS) | 12MP (f/1.9 aperture, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF, OIS) |
| Battery size | 4,832mAh (nano SIM) / 5,088mAh (eSIM only) | 3,582mAh |
| Charging | 40W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included) | 38W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2 wireless (charger not included) |
| Colors | Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium |
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Design
The size is not the only design difference between these two phones. They may look similar, but there’s more here than meets the eye. First of all, build materials. Apple went back to aluminum on the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max, after using titanium in the Apple iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Aluminum is better for heat dissipation, which is why this is a good move. Both phones have glass on the back.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is a lot larger than the iPhone 16 Pro. It is notably taller, wider, and a bit thicker, too. On top of that, it’s 34 grams lighter at 233 grams. Both devices have flat displays, rounded corners, and a centered pill-shaped hole at the top of the display. That hole is called ‘Dynamic Island’. The power/lock key sits on the right-hand side of both phones, along with the Camera control key. On the left, you’ll find the volume up and down keys, along with the Action key. The frame is flat on both phones, while it does curve a bit towards the very edge.
If we flip them around, you’ll notice that the camera layout looks very similar, but overall, the backplates do not. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a large camera bar up top and a pronounced glass panel below it. The iPhone 16 Pro’s back side is much simpler. There is a camera island in the top-left corner, and that’s basically it. Even the Apple logo is in a different spot across these two smartphones.
Both of these smartphones are quite slippery in the hand. Both also ship with an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Display
The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). It supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, while the peak brightness here is 3,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 90%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The resolution here is 2868 x 1320 pixels, while the panel is protected by the Ceramic Shield 2. Apple also included an anti-reflective coating on the display.
The iPhone 16 Pro, on the flip side, has a 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is also flat, and it also has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). HDR10 and Dolby Vision are supported here, while the peak brightness the display can deliver is 2,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 90%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. This phone offers a resolution of 2622 x 1206 pixels. The Ceramic Shield glass protects the panel.
Both of these panels are great, actually. They’re both vivid, sharp, and have great viewing angles. The blacks are deep as well, as you’d expect them to be. The iPhone 17 Pro Max does have the edge, though. It does get brighter when you need it to, even though the iPhone 16 Pro’s display is plenty bright. On top of that, that anti-reflective coating does make a difference. It’s nowhere near as good as the Gorilla Armor and Armor 2 glass that Samsung used on its ‘Ultra’ phones, but it’s better than nothing.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Performance
Apple’s A19 Pro processor fuels the iPhone 17 Pro Max. That is the company’s latest chip, a 3nm one. It’s a hexa-core chip with a 6-core GPU, and it’s paired with 12GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. The iPhone 16 Pro is fueled by the Apple A18 Pro chip, which is also a 3nm processor. It’s a hexa-core processor with a 6-core GPU. That phone comes with 8GB of RAM and NVMe storage. Neither phone supports storage expansion, by the way.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is more powerful on paper, there’s no doubt about that. Its chip is not only more powerful and more power efficient, but the phone comes with more RAM too. The thing is, both of them offer great performance. They’re very snappy during day-to-day use and very reliable. You won’t really see a difference. They’ll both deliver in that regard, without a problem.
Something similar can be said for gaming too, other than the fact that the iPhone 17 Pro Max stays a bit cooler. Both of them can run any game on the App Store, without a problem. Heat doesn’t seem to be an issue, while the performance was consistently great, even with the most demanding games that the App Store has to offer.w
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Battery
The iPhone 17 Pro Max comes in two battery variants. The nano SIM model includes a smaller 4,832mAh battery, while the eSIM model has a 5,088mAh battery on the inside. The eSIM model is the only one being sold in the US, by the way. The iPhone 16 Pro, on the flip side, includes a 3,582mAh battery on the inside. That battery is included in every variant of the phone that Apple announced.
Now, both variants of the iPhone 17 Pro Max offer outstanding battery life. It’s that good that this phone could be a two-day battery smartphone for many people. It has a really good battery size for an iPhone, and in collaboration with that chip and optimizations, it can go the distance. The iPhone 16 Pro also offers really, really good battery life, even though it cannot compete with the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
When it comes to charging, the iPhone 17 Pro Max supports 40W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. The iPhone 16 Pro supports 38W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. Neither smartphone ships with a charger in the retail box, by the way.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Cameras
Out of three cameras on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple improved only one compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, at least as far as hardware is concerned. The main and ultrawide snappers are the same. The two phones have a 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.28-inch sensor size), and a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV).
The third camera on the back, however, is different. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 4x optical zoom), while the iPhone 16 Pro has a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (1/3.06-inch sensor size, 5x optical zoom). So, Apple used a larger camera sensor in this year’s periscope telephoto camera, and yes, it shows, especially in low light.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max does take better photos overall, the colors are better this time around, while the images do end up looking a bit more natural. The difference is not huge, though, from what we’ve seen. You will notice a difference with that periscope telephoto camera when the light goes away, however. It is still recommended that you stick with the main camera in such conditions, but the periscope telephoto camera does a better job now.
Audio
Both of these smartphones ship with stereo speakers. Both sets of speakers are really good, actually. They’re loud and have good audio output. The ones on the iPhone 17 Pro Max are slightly louder, though.
There is no audio jack on either of these two smartphones. You can utilize their Type-C ports if you need to connect your wired headphones, though. Alternatively, Bluetooth 6.0 is available on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, while the iPhone 16 Pro offers Bluetooth 5.3.
