Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review: specs, battery & used prices

Summary

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is the everything-maximal Apple of its generation: 6.9-inch ProMotion titanium body, A18 Pro, the full 48 MP triple camera with 4K120 video, and the best battery in the lineup. At $1,199 new for 8/256 — and around $739-$917 used across storage tiers — it is priced as the ceiling and performs as one. The costs are literal: 227 g of pocket weight and the top of the price ladder.

Display and design

The 6.9-inch 120 Hz OLED at 2,000 nits peak scores 77/100 — the largest premium canvas Apple makes, bright and fluid. The titanium frame and Ceramic Shield are the build benchmark of the year; at 227 g the compactness score of 65/100 is honest about the wrist strain. IP68 sealing and the Action button carry over from the smaller Pro.

Performance

The A18 Pro posts 92/100 everyday and 59/100 gaming, with the Max's larger thermal mass making it the sustained-workload leader of the family — pro video export and long gaming sessions hold their clocks better here than on any sibling. Seven years of updates makes the ceiling a long-term investment.

Camera

The triple 48 MP stack with 4K120 video scores 52/100 — alongside the smaller Pro's system, with the extra battery and screen making long shooting sessions practical. Zoom to 5x-class reach, excellent low light from the main sensor, and the best video pipeline in any phone. This is the camera you buy when the phone is the camera.

Battery and charging

The 4,685 mAh battery scores 34/100 — the strongest Apple endurance of the generation in our index, translating to a full heavy day or an easy day and a half of moderate use. Charging remains the familiar roughly 30 W wired (12/100) with MagSafe as the practical overnight answer.

Verdict

The 16 Pro Max is the no-compromise iPhone, and the used market's $739-$917 band prices the absence of compromise more gently than the $1,199 sticker suggests. Buyers wanting 90% of this in a lighter body should see the 16 Pro; buyers wanting Apple value should look at the 16 Plus. For maximum screen, camera, and runtime in one device, this remains the reference purchase.