Confused if you should get the iPhone 15 Pro Max or wait for the iPhone 16 Pro Max? This direct comparison between the two will help you decide.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max was announced late in 2023 with a triple camera setup, a top-notch display, and a lighter weight thanks to the Titanium chassis. Apple also ditched the lightning port for a USB-C.

It brings all the right upgrades, but should you swap your old iPhone for it, or hold off and see what the iPhone 16 Pro Max brings later this year?

Apple should announce the iPhone 16 Pro Max on September 9, 2024, but leaks and rumors have already given us a good idea of what to expect. The new iPhone should bring upgrades in the display department, a more powerful chipset, and a bigger battery.

We compare the iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max to help you decide whether to wait or get the current model.

Design and display

Physically, the iPhone 16 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max aren’t expected to look very different. Apple hasn’t changed the iPhone design much since the iPhone 13 series. Yes, the company introduced small changes here and there, but nothing too big.

Apple did, however, step up the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s build quality by ditching the aluminum chassis in favor of a more robust Titanium one. Plus, it has replaced the traditional mute switch with an Action Button.

Apple

The iPhone 16 Pro Max will retain these features, but it might also bring some additional upgrades. For instance, the handset could bring a larger display than its predecessor. The 15 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch panel, whereas the 16 Pro Max could have a 6.86-inch display, which might get rounded off to 6.9 inches. These size changes are corroborated by a recently leaked dummy of the iPhone.

According to tipster Ice Universe, the iPhone 16 Pro Max measures 163.024mm × 77.575mm × 8.26mm. These dimensions are larger than those of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, making the new iPhone 3.1mm taller, 0.88mm wider, and 1mm thicker. They claim the upcoming iPhone will become the “world’s narrowest bezel mobile phone” with have equal-sized bezels around the entire display at just 1.153 mm.

Reports suggest the iPhone will also get a new button called the “Capture Button”. It will act as a shutter button for clicking pictures and capturing videos. However, it might have a 2-stage release feature. When pressed halfway, the button could activate the autofocus. A further press on the could take the picture.

News aggregator Yeux1122 claims that the iPhone 16 Pro Max’ will have a more have a glossier finish. “Unlike the 15 Pro models, the iPhone 16 Pro models are said to have a method with improved titanium processing and color processing,” they report.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max will be available in black, white or silver, gray or “Natural Titanium,” and rose. This suggests the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s Blue Titanium option will be discontinued and replaced with a new rose color. 

As for the display, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to use an OLED panel, the same as the 15 Pro Max. However, Apple is reported to be incorporating new micro-lens tech on the display, which could improve brightness and reduce power consumption.

A Chinese tipster claims the iPhone 16 Pro models could have a typical maximum brightness of 1,200 nits, and a peak HDR brightness of 1,600 nits. This would mean an increase of 200 nits from the typical max brightness of the iPhone 15 Pro.

Cameras

The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max debuted with a triple camera setup, which managed to impress the users and reviewers alike. It has the same general setup as last year’s 14 Pro, featuring a 12MP ultrawide camera, a 48MP main camera, and a 12MP telephoto camera.

However, the telephoto shooter now has 5X zoom (up from 3X) and the main camera captures 24MP photos by default, up from 12MP.

Apple

The iPhone 16 Pro Max might feature the same triple camera setup but with a 48MP Ultrawide camera. This upgrade should translate into better low-light photos. Rumors of a ‘super telephoto periscope camera‘ have been making the rounds, suggesting that the phone would boast higher zoom capabilities.

A May 2024 report from a Chinese tipster suggests the iPhone 16 Pro Max could also get a new advanced custom 48-megapixel Sony IMX903 main sensor. 

A rumor from Korea suggests the iPhone 16 Pro Max may get a new anti-reflective optical coating technology that could improve the quality of photos by reducing artifacts like lens flare and ghosting. If true, this could give the iPhone 16 Pro cameras an edge over the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Specifications

With the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple introduced its latest and greatest A17 Pro chip. The Cupertino company claims the CPU performance cores of the A17 Pro are up to 10% faster than the A16 Bionic. It is also supposed to be the most efficient CPU out there, better than the competition.

Further, the GPU on the A17 Pro offers 20% faster graphics performance than the A16. It also brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing for smoother graphics at a high frame rate.

The A17 Pro is already quite impressive, but Apple will take things to a new level with the A18 Pro, which will power the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The new chip could offer even better performance and efficiency.

Apple

The new Pro Max could bring improved thermals as well. Apple is reportedly testing a graphene thermal system that will prevent the heating issues found on the iPhone 15 Pro models.

Elsewhere, the 16 Pro Max is reported to bring a brand-new generative AI-infused Siri to give you a better experience. The smartphone might use new stacked battery technology that could improve battery life and offer greater longevity.

Apple may also bump the battery capacity to 4676mAh (up from 4441mAh on iPhone 15 Pro Max). That said, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests a different approach. Instead of just shoving in a bigger battery, Apple might use battery cells that pack more energy density into the same space. This could translate to either longer battery life with the same size battery, or similar battery life using the same battery size.

The battery unit could be paired with 20W wireless and 40W wired charging support. Storage options on both iPhone 16 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max could be the same— 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Apple may introduce the same storage option for the iPhone 16 Pro, getting rid of the 128GB storage option.

Software

Apple

The iPhone 16 Pro Max will most likely debut with iOS 18 while the iPhone 15 Pro Max runs iOS 17 out of the box. The latter will get the new software eventually.

iOS 18 will offer improvements to both iPhones. You’ll have loads of options to customize your home screen, including theming for app icons. You’ll also be able to place your app icons wherever you want and automatically tint them with dark mode. The iPhones will also have RCS and Satellite Messaging improvements.

Since both iPhones also meet the criteria for Apple Intelligence, you can expect to see loads of AI features too. Specifically, Siri will offer better assistance by understanding context and remembering previous conversations. It will also tap into ChatGPT and Gemini to answer more complex questions.

Apple Intelligence will also bring features like Writing Tools to help you rewrite, proofread, and summarize text. The Image Playground will let you create images in apps like Messages and Notes with unique styles like Sketch, Illustration, and Animation.

Colors

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is available in Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium. Rumors suggest that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will replace Blue Titanium with Rose Titanium. The new color is supposed to be similar to the gold color we’ve seen in the past.

Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max worth waiting for?

If you have an iPhone 13 series or later and you think it can last you another year, then it might be worth waiting for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Sure, Apple made some significant changes with the 15 Pro Max, but they’re not that big of a deal unless you really need to have the latest and greatest.

That said, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a great phone and you won’t be missing out on much if you get it right now.