Although the new iPhone 16 Pro Max sits very squarely on our best smartphones for photographers list, it’s fair to say that it doesn’t represent a huge upgrade when compared to its predecessor, the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
If you already own an iPhone 15 Pro Max, rushing to upgrade to the latest version might not be necessary, or, potentially if you’re coming from an even older model, you might be able to save some cash if you go for the 15 Pro Max over the 16 Pro Max. That’s especially true if you’re able to pick up something on the second-hand market.
In this piece I’ll be taking a look at exactly how the iPhone 16 Pro Max stacks up against its predecessor – paying particularly close attention to the camera and photography specs, of course. As the iPhone 16 Pro Max uses the same camera specification as the smaller iPhone 16 Pro, you can also consider it to be a comparison with that model too.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Specs
For the most part, camera specs between the two models are remarkably similar. Take a look at the table below to see what I mean. I’ve highlighted where there’s a difference between the two, and it’s pretty slim pickings.
In terms of the camera, the main and the telephoto appear to be the same as last year’s, as does the selfie camera. The ultrawide now has a higher resolution, but that’s about it. The screen is now bigger for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but, you might find it’s actually gone too far and is now too big (at least that’s how I felt). If you do, at least you can pick up the iPhone 16 Pro with its 6.3-inch screen instead and enjoy the same camera setup.
The bigger screen also means the overall body size and weight is larger, but also that battery life is slightly better than before.
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| 48MP f/1.78 main camera, OIS, 24MP output, 24mmm | 48MP f/1.78 main camera, OIS, 24MP output, 24mmm |
| 48MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, 12MP output, 13mm | 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, output, 13mm |
| 12MP f/2.8 5x telephoto camera, 120mm | 12MP f/2.8 5x telephoto camera, 120mm |
| 12MP f/1.9 selfie camera, AF | 12MP f/1.9 selfie camera, AF |
| 4K 120fps video | 4K 60fps video |
| 6.9-inch XDR OLED Super Retina 2368 x 1320 pixels, 2000 nits brightness | 6.7-inch XDR OLED Super Retina 2796 x 1290 pixels, 2000 nits brightness |
| Apple Intelligence (when available), A18 Pro processor | Apple Intelligence (when available), A17 Pro Processor |
| 33 hour battery life, wireless and Fast (20W) charging available | 29 hour battery life, wireless and Fast (20W) charging available |
| 256/512/1TB storage | 256/512/1TB storage |
| 163 x 77.6 x 8.25mm, 221g | 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25mm, 227g |
Otherwise, some differences can be found in the slightly better processor, which could make a difference to those shooting high-quality video.
Apple Intelligence was announced with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but at the time of writing this piece has yet to be properly rolled out – you can try it in Beta form. However, this will also come to the iPhone 15 Pro series so it doesn’t count as a difference.
When it comes to the native camera apps, much has stayed the same between the two devices, however, a new addition is the latest generation Photographic Styles, which gives you the option to change the look of your images and more easily create custom styles. Despite this being a software improvement, for some reason, Apple has not rolled it out to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but this could potentially change in the future.
It’s also worth mentioning another difference at this point – the addition of the new “Camera Control” button. I wrote about this more extensively in my individual reviews of the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Essentially, this is a new physical button that gives you quick access to the camera, as well as a new way to release the shutter. Some will likely love it, but I’m less convinced – and I certainly don’t think it’s worth upgrading your phone for.
Overall, at least in terms of on-paper specs, the iPhone 16 Pro Max feels like more of a gentle evolution compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but will there be any major differences when we look at the same scenes shot with both phones…
Image Quality
I took photographs with both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro Max across a variety of situations to compare the quality side by side, and here are the results.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is always on the right every time, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max on the left every time.
With both models having more or less the same camera setup, I expected image quality to be roughly the same in most scenarios. Both perform very well, producing some top-notch images in a variety of conditions. The newer model does show some slight differences, but it’s not a huge improvement by any means.
The ultrawide is the only camera of the triple lens setup to have a different specification. With 48MP instead of 12, you might expect there to be more detail. It’s hard to really spot any extra detail in most scenarios, but there is some extra noise being brought in in lower light conditions, which is a shame.
With the 1x camera, you get very similar results. The colours appear to be ever so slightly different – both are shot on the standard colour setting.
Here we can see that the 5x zoom lens appears to be putting in pretty much exactly the same performance too.
What about macro? Both use the ultrawide lens to get close to the subject, so perhaps there is a difference here. The newer iPhone 16 Pro Max shows marginally cleaner results, but you have to zoom in quite far on a large screen to really appreciate that. I don’t think the average person looking at both images on a phone screen will notice any major difference.
In low light, both show very good results. There’s marginally better dynamic range from the newer iPhone 16 Pro Max, which suggests perhaps that it’s being processed a bit better / in a more pleasing way. Although, oddly, the opposite is true when we compare the ultrawide lenses in low light. The 5x lens puts in roughly the same performance, while the same is true when we get to digital zooms – I’d probably avoid using anything the digital zooms in low light altogether anyway.
For Portrait mode, both the phones work in the same way. You get the option to shoot at either 1x, 2x or 5x. Both put in a pleasing, but very similar performance. There appears to be a little more contrast with the older iPhone 15 Pro Max. Perhaps this is to give you better scope to adjust the files yourself with either the new Photographic Styles or other post-processing options of your choice.
It’s a similar situation with the selfie camera – both are very, very similar, but with perhaps a little more contrast on display in the iPhone 15 Pro Max version.
Price
Apple has kept the price of the iPhone Pro series models the same for the last couple of generations.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is more expensive than the iPhone 16 Pro, so considering all of the above pictures could have been taken with the iPhone 16 Pro, if you wanted to save some cash, that’s something to think about.
For the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the prices are $1199/£1199 (256GB), $1399/£1399 (512GB) or $1599/£1599 for 1TB. For the iPhone 16 Pro the prices are $999/£999 (128GB), $1099/£1099 (256GB), $1299/£1299 (512GB) and $1499/£1499 for 1TB.
As soon as the iPhone 16 Pro series was announced, Apple stopped selling the iPhone 15 Pro series directly. Of course, you can still get it from third-party retailers, as well as on contract with various network providers. Sometimes here you’ll find it cheaper than the iPhone 16 Pro/Max.
However, there’s not a whole lot in it, so if you’re coming from an older model and you want a box-fresh device, you essentially may as well go for the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Where the bigger savings are to be found is in the second-hand market. For example, you can pick up a 256GB iPhone 15 Pro Max for around £750-£800, making it a much more enticing proposition. It’s worth considering.
Of course, if you already have an iPhone 15 Pro Max, then you’ll save even more money by sticking with what you’ve got.
Verdict
So what’s the conclusion then…
Apple has been guilty of making each new iPhone only ever so slightly better than the previous version for a few generations now, so I can’t say I’m hugely surprised by this. This however appears to be one of the gentlest upgrades I’ve seen in a while – there’s no real major difference between the two models.
If you’ve got an iPhone 15 Pro/ Max already – personally I’d keep it. If you’ve got an iPhone 14 Pro/Max, in all honesty, I’d be tempted to keep that too. Coming up from something like an iPhone 13 Pro you’re more likely to see a bigger difference. But, then again, you could save a tonne of cash by going for a second-hand iPhone 15 Pro Max and keeping hold of that for a couple of generations, too.
Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max better than the iPhone 15 Pro Max? Well – the short answer is, yes. But, the slightly more nuanced answer is yes, but not by a huge amount.
Read more iPhone comparisons:
- Best iPhones for photographers
- iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro
