The iPhone 16 series was marketed in Malaysia at the same time as the United States last week, which is the first time it has happened since the iPhone was first marketed 17 years ago. Year after year, the question will arise whether it is worth it or not to buy the latest and most iconic model from Apple.
I already said in a video a few weeks ago that it is better to buy the iPhone 16 Pro Max than the 15 Pro Max. But that's all based on information on paper. This is my first look at the iPhone 16 Pro Max after using it for two days.
Specifications
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
6.9″ LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED screen,
120Hz, Dolby Vision
Apple A18 Pro processor
2 X 4.04 GHz High Power Chip
4x? GHz Efficiency
Apple GPU Graphics Chip 6 Core
RAM 8GB RAM
256/512/1000 GB NVMe Internal Storage
Main Camera 48mp f/1.8 OIS, (Wide Angle)
48MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide Angle)
12MP, OIS, f/2.8 5x Optical Zoom (Telephoto)
LiDAR
12MP f/1.9 Selfie Camera
4,685 mAh battery
27W wired charging
MagSafe 25W wireless charging
15W Qi wireless charging
SIM/Telephony 1 Nano, 1 eSIM
5G
NFC Yes
No Audio Jack
Waterproof IP68
Face ID Scanner Scan System
Sale Price RM 5,999 (8/256GB)
RM 6,999 (8/512GB)
RM 7,999 (8/1TB)
Screen
The year screen is bigger reaching 6.9″ LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED as well as 120Hz refresh support. Slightly larger than last year's model at just 6.7″. The device still supports HDR Dolby Vision display with good viewing angles even under bright sunlight. This year's bezels are also getting thinner with it getting closer to looking like a full glass panel.
Scrolling looks smooth with no ghosting issues and it also detects touch quite well. There are reports of unresponsive screens but this only affects a small number of users on this tap. We did not encounter this after a few days of using the device. The LTPO refresh system ensures that the refresh rate changes as needed and this will reduce battery consumption.
Left – iPhone 15 Pro Max, Right – iPhone 16 Pro Max
The camera hole with Dynamic Island is still noticeable with rumors that this year's model will be equipped with a Face ID scanning system under the screen not materializing. Therefore, this large camera hole will interfere with Netflix and YouTube viewing sessions when the video is in full screen mode.
One thing I would like to praise is the iPhone's haptic system which is still the best on the market. Moving menus in apps and websites really feels like using real buttons because it feels so realistic.
Biometrics
Face ID is still, in my opinion, the best biometric scanning system on the market. It's fast, fully supported in every system and even iOS apps quite perfectly. Although the pandemic has been declared over, face scanning support with face masks is still included. It is also the only facial scanning system that can work in pitch black situations with high accuracy.
Design
This year's design is not much different from last year. It's just that the body is taller and wider due to the use of a larger screen. I have to admit that at the beginning it felt a little awkward holding the 16 Pro Max because for years I was comfortable using a smaller iPhone. The process of getting used to the larger and slightly heavier device.
But with a larger body, it feels more balanced with the "head" part no longer feeling heavy due to the camera hump on the back. The size of the bump is still the same but because the body is bigger, it no longer looks as prominent as it did on the previous 15 Pro Max.
The body with flat sides is very comfortable in the hand and the use of titanium material is maintained. On the right series there is a power button and a new camera Camera Control. On the left side there are two audio adjustment buttons and an Action Button. Camera Control is this year's innovation that provides better control when using the camera app.
Camera Control button on iPhone 16 Pro Max
It is not just a camera button like the Sony Xperia series because it also has a capacitive touch panel. Zoom control and camera mode can also be done by scrolling the finger on the button surface. Like the Action Button, the Camera Control button can be changed to launch other applications such as Instagram, QR code scanner, magnifying lens or turn it off directly. This is the only option provided by Apple at this point. Another option is to activate this button by pressing it once or twice.
The back panel is made of glass with a camera bump that is still large and tall making it stand out from the surface of the table. The use of a framework is what I recommend. The glass on the back panel is still made of durable non-glossy glass so it doesn't trap dirt easily.
Below there is a speaker hole and finally a USB-C port that supports data transfer via USB-3 up to 10Gbps. Again only the Pro model is given USB-C and the ability to record video directly to an external SSD. iPhone 16 and 16 Plus owners will just have to settle for USB-2 and no direct recording support to SSD this year just like last year.
Finally on the left side there is a nano-sized SIM tray and support for one eSIM. The device also still passes the IP68 waterproof and dustproof standard which is necessary for a flagship device.
Use and Software
iPhone 16 Pro Max launched with iOS 18 which is an operating system that further bridges the gap between Android and iOS. As an avid Android user, I see this as a good development as both operating systems are now more and more comparable.
The most significant update is done on the front page where it can be customized without the need to jailbreak. Among the things that can be done is changing the size of the icon, the icon can be arranged as you like, the color of the icon can also be changed. Want to make iOS 18 look like a monochrome NothingOS theme? You can do it easily enough.
The experience of using iOS 18 is also smooth and there are no issues in all the common applications I use. The series that yesterday I labeled as a slow virtual assistant, is now finally faster. It can answer questions and commands as fast as Google Assistant. Instructions to open the application can also now be done in the blink of an eye without having to wait for a few seconds.
Apple promises Apple Intelligence which is their version of artificial intelligence (AI) but at this point it is not yet available to everyone. In an update coming next month, there will be an image generation feature with text prompts, writing assistance, built-in ChatGPT support and smarter photo editing capabilities. These are all features that I already use on the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Galaxy S24 Ultra. So I'm excited to see Apple's version of AI later.
This is actually one of the frustrating things because year after year various new features can only be used later. It has become a trend that should not happen. It seems to indicate that Apple Intelligence was developed at the last minute and the announcement was rushed so that Apple would not appear to be behind.
Benchmark
Here is a benchmark test done to test the capabilities of this year's A18 Pro. It is still six cores with 3nm technology. I compared it to other chips like the A17 Pro (iPhone 15 Pro Max), Tensor G4 (Pixel 9 Pro XL), Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (S24 Ultra), and A16 Bionic (iPhone 14 Pro Max).
Geekbench 6
Apple A18 Pro – 3359/8129
Apple A17 Pro – 2793/6925
Tensor G4 – 1916/4644
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – 2329/7526
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 – 1860/4614
Apple A16 Bionic – 2634/6761
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – 1081/4204
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 – 2071/5032
Geekbench AI
Apple A18 Pro – 4516/7744/6204
Apple A17 Pro – 3705 / 6515 / 5696
Tensor G4 – 2058 / 2017 / 3129
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – 1704 / 1829/ 2773
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 – N/A
Apple A16 Bionic – 3514 / 6128 / 5344
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – 1642 / 1674 / 2474
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 – N/A
AnTuTu 3D
Apple A18 Pro – 1,720,751
Apple A17 Pro – 1,542,050
Tensor G4 – 1,016,712
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – 2,200,000
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 – 1,490,495
Apple A16 Bionic – 1,457,779
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2– 1,222,747
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 – 1,852,552
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
Apple A17 Pro – 4560
Tensor G4 – 2567
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – 4717
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 – 3083
Apple A16 Bionic – 3355
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – 3712
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 – 4067
Conclusion
After two days I can say there are not many significant differences between iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro Max except for screen size and body size. So far it can be seen that there is actually a performance improvement on the A18 Pro chip in benchmark tests but not in real world use. It's still too early to give an accurate first look so I'll only give a verdict on whether it's still worth buying after it's fully reviewed in just a few days.
Pro
The larger screen is in line with other flagship Android devices on the market.
The A18 Pro offers improved performance in benchmark tests.
Improved camera.
iOS 18 comes with more feature options.
USB-C with USB-3.
New Camera Control button.
Cons
The Face ID hole is still too big.
Apple Intelligence is not yet usable.
Charging is only 27W.