When Apple refreshes its iPhone lineup every September the attention invariably turns to the Pro Max of the lineup. Always the biggest and best iPhone of the year, the Pro Max doesn't only have a bigger screen than the other models but often also has a better camera setup, too.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is shaping up to be a reasonable upgrade over the iPhone 15 Pro Max for those who already own one, but the camera situation could be a different one to the norm if the iPhone 16 Pro rumors turn out to be accurate. That might make a difference to your buying decision if you prefer a smaller phone but tend to go Pro Max just to get better cameras.
It's also worth considering that, if the rumors are true, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have the biggest display ever crammed into an iPhone. And that might just make it a little too unwieldy for some, especially those who don't have larger hands.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: The headlines
- What is it? The iPhone 16 Pro will be the biggest and best iPhone of the year, the rumored iPhone 16 Ultra notwithstanding.
- When can we expect it? If Apple follows its usual release cycle we expect it to launch in September 2024.
- Are there any surprises? The iPhone 16 Pro Max could have the biggest display of any previous iPhone and have some button updates.
iPhone 16 Pro Max : Release date rumors
Apple doesn't tend to preannounce anything, especially an iPhone, before it's ready for prime time because it doesn't want to negatively impact sales of the model that's currently available. That much is obvious, but it doesn't take an Apple insider to figure out when the iPhone 16 Pro Max is likely to be unveiled.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is likely to be announced alongside the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, and iPhone 16 Pro in September 2024.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Display
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a large 6.7-inch display, but the rumors claim that Apple is getting ready to go bigger next time out, just as is the case with the iPhone 16 Pro.
According to those rumors, Apple will take the current 6.7-inch OLED panel and stretch it to a new, larger 6.9-inch size. It's expected that the display itself won't get any notable new features, but there have been tentative rumors of a switch to a more power-efficient display, with The Elec reporting that Apple may use micro-lens technology next time out. It remains to be seen if this will come to fruition, however.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Chip and specifications
Apple's Pro iPhones are both expected to get upgraded chips, building on the 3nm A17 Pro that powers the current iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models. Analyst Jeff Pu expects that to mean that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will benefit from an upgraded 3nm chip that will carry the A18 Pro moniker.
If the rumors are true we can expect Apple to switch to TSMC's latest N3E manufacturing process, one that makes it cheaper to produce 3nm chips which makes for a better option for Apple. Details regarding core counts and clock speeds are yet to leak, but we can expect the new chips to be even more performant than the already very capable A17 Pro. If Apple is going to push forward with its gaming focus for the next Pro iPhones, new GPU improvements are to be expected.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Cameras
With Apple set to bring the 5x tetraprism telephoto lens from the iPhone 15 Pro Max down to the smaller iPhone 16 Pro, the differentiation between the Pro and Pro Max models could be smaller in come September 2024.
There have been rumors of a new 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, upgraded from the 12-megapixel offered currently, while there is also the suggestion that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will gain a new telephoto lens that will allow for improved zoom quality, while there has been talk of a so-called "super zoom" feature that would allow for an increased focal length. Information is sparse, however, and we should expect to learn more in the coming months.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: New buttons
When Apple launched the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro they were the first models to gain the Action button. Similar to the button of the same name found on the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra 2, it allows people to configure actions that can then be run by pressing a single hardware button. By bringing that to the iPhone, Apple made it possible for people to more quickly launch apps, run shortcuts, and more.
Before those iPhones arrived there was a suggestion that the Action button would be capacitive, and now we're told that's going to be the case with the iPhone 16 Pro Max instead. Alongside the Action button, there are rumors of yet another button being added to the mix. That button is currently called the Capture button, but it isn't clear what the Capture button will do.
It's also important to remember that Apple's plans could well change before the new iPhones ship, so this might be one of those features that gets pushed back to 2025 or beyond.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Everything else
It's no secret that Apple has designs on ditching Qualcomm and using its own 5G modems in future iPhones, and there's always an outside chance that it could pull that off in time for the next iPhone. However, that seems more unlikely than ever right now, so expect the Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 to be used which should offer improved 5G download speeds and other improvements.
New battery technology to allow for faster charting speed and support for the latest Wi-Fi technology are also possible, but far from guaranteed at this point in time.
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Pricing
Apple didn't increase the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max as such, but it did increase the entry price by removing the 128GB model from the lineup. It's always possible that changing economic conditions and local currency situations could see a price hike in various countries around the world, but that's something we'll only really know as we get closer to the big day.
