The biggest reason to go Max this year is batter y life

Nits: a long way to the top

Being able to dip as low as 1 nit is handy at night… but it can ramp it up to 2000 nits in sunlight.

Zoomin’ behaviour

The camera control button isn’t just for the shutter: you get swipe gestures for zooming and lots more.

C amera control button aside, the iPhone 16 Pro Max hits the same design beats as last year’s model. There’s a titanium frame, scratch-resistant glass, and a handful of painfully tasteful colour options; and the 120Hz OLED is another treat for the eyes.

The ever-so-slightly taller and wider dimensions make it a handful, even if the slimmest bezels of any Apple device mean it hasn’t grown to ludicrous proportions. Now that its baby brother has an identical camera setup, you’ve got to really want the extra real estate brought by that 6.9in screen.

It’s incredibly fast, of course, with Apple’s A18 Pro chip breezing through high-end games and heavy multitasking. There’s enough grunt for Apple Intelligence too –Apple’s take on AI had some teething problems, and its generative image editing isn’t as slick as Samsung’s, but email summaries and writing assistance can be useful.

Oh, and it’s able to last an entire day of heavy use without needing a trip to a power socket, which isn’t guaranteed with the smaller Pro.

Cameras: recent

Anew ultrawide snapper is the biggest camera upgrade, but there have been plenty of inner tweaks, and additions such as 4K@120fpsslow-motion recording. Apple’s image processing continues to be top-drawer, with pleasing HDR and well-judged colours. It’s far from the detail champ now, and telephoto snaps take a dive in the dark, but not enough to spoil the overall package. Android remains way behind for video as well: the pro-grade options here are fantastic.

It’s not a massive update, but for anyone who’s already all-in on iOS the iPhone 16 Pro Max still raises the bar enough to impress.

from £1199 / go.stuff.tv/16ProMax

Key specs

● 6.9in 2868x1320 120Hz OLED

● A18 Pro ● 256/512GB/1TB

● 48+12+48MP rear, 12MP front

● 4685mAh

● 163x78x8.3mm, 227g

STUFF SAYS Apple’s big-screen battery champ is the new iPhone king ★★★★★

MAX NOW ADD THIS...

TWELVE SOUTH PLUGBUG

This charger can rapidly refuel your iPhone, iPad and MacBook at the same time, with four USB-Cports and 120W output. Built-in Find My support then makes it all but impossible to lose. £120/twelvesouth.co.uk