GadgetClash decision platform
Smartphones
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 16
See the meaningful differences, category strengths and community preference using the product data currently available.
Quick verdict
Apple iPhone 16 leads on more comparable scored specifications.
Apple iPhone 16 wins because it has stronger battery life (3561 mAh), a larger display (6.10 in), the stronger display experience, and better value at $489.90.
Why it wins
Why Apple iPhone 16 wins
- stronger battery life (3561 mAh)
- a larger display (6.10 in)
- the stronger display experience
- better value at $489.90
- more storage flexibility (128GB)
Buy Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max if
- You already use Apple devices or prefer iOS.
- You want more performance headroom for multitasking.
- Its price makes sense for what you get.
Buy Apple iPhone 16 if
- You already use Apple devices or prefer iOS.
- You care about battery life for long days.
- You want the better screen for media, reading, or gaming.
- You want the stronger hardware value.
Personal fit
Which one should you buy?
Best fit if your photos, messages, watch, laptop, and apps already live in Apple services.
Neither product is clearly Android-first, so choose based on the overall verdict.
Camera data is close, so check the detailed camera rows before deciding.
Gaming is close from the available specs, so prioritize platform and display preference.
Better endurance for heavy daily use.
The stronger price-to-hardware choice.
Category score
Where each product wins
Performance
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
2
Apple iPhone 16
1
Display
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
0
Apple iPhone 16
2
Camera
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
0
Apple iPhone 16
0
Battery
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
0
Apple iPhone 16
1
Design
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
0
Apple iPhone 16
2
Software
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
0
Apple iPhone 16
0
Connectivity
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
0
Apple iPhone 16
0
Value
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
0
Apple iPhone 16
1
Evidence
Detailed comparison
| Spec | Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max | Apple iPhone 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Product Details | ||
| Release Date Verified release date for this exact product variant. | September 9, 2025 | 2024 |
| Model Variants The product's listed model variants specification or capability. | iPhone18,2, A3526, A3257, A3527, A3525 | — |
| Design | ||
| Colors The product's listed colors specification or capability. | Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue | — |
| Weight The product's weight, measured in g. |
233 g
|
170 g
|
| Dimensions The product's listed dimensions specification or capability. | 163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm |
| Materials The product's listed materials specification or capability. | Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), aluminum frame, aluminum back/ glass back (Ceramic Shield) | — |
| Screen Protection The product's listed screen protection specification or capability. | Ceramic Shield 2, Mohs level 5 | Anti-reflective coating | — |
| Availability Status The product's listed availability status specification or capability. | Available. Released 2025, September 19 | — |
| Smartphone Weight The product's smartphone weight, measured in g. |
233 g
|
170 g
|
| Display | ||
| Display The product's listed display specification or capability. | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 1600 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak) | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM) |
| Screen Size The product's screen size, measured in in. |
6.90 in
|
6.10 in
|
| Resolution The product's listed resolution specification or capability. | 1320 x 2868 | 1179 x 2556 |
| Refresh Rate The product's refresh rate, measured in Hz. |
120 Hz
|
60 Hz
|
| Brightness The product's listed brightness specification or capability. | 3000 nits peak | 1000 nits |
| Smartphone Display Size The product's smartphone display size, measured in in. | 6.90 in | 6.10 in |
| Smartphone Refresh Rate The product's smartphone refresh rate, measured in Hz. | 120 Hz | — |
| Smartphone Resolution Width The product's smartphone resolution width, measured in px. | 1,320 px | 1,179 px |
| Smartphone Resolution Height The product's smartphone resolution height, measured in px. | 2,868 px | 2,556 px |
| Performance | ||
| Processor The product's listed processor specification or capability. | Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) | Apple A18 (3 nm) |
| Architecture The product's listed architecture specification or capability. | Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4xX.X GHz) | Hexa-core (2x4.04 GHz + 4x2.20 GHz) |
| Gpu The product's listed gpu specification or capability. | Apple GPU (6-core graphics) | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| RAM The product's listed ram specification or capability. |
12GB
|
8GB
|
| Storage The product's listed storage specification or capability. |
256GB
|
128GB
|
| Os The product's listed os specification or capability. | iOS 26 | iOS 18 |
| AnTuTu Score The product's listed antutu score specification or capability. |
2600583
|
1721149
|
| Smartphone Processor The product's listed smartphone processor specification or capability. | Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) | Apple A18 (3 nm) |
| Smartphone GPU The product's listed smartphone gpu specification or capability. | Apple GPU (6-core graphics) | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| Smartphone Operating System The product's listed smartphone operating system specification or capability. | iOS 26 | iOS 18 |
| Camera | ||
| Main Camera The product's listed main camera specification or capability. |
48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS48 MP, f/2.8, 100mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, 4x optical zoom48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAFTOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth)
|
48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF
|
| Front Camera The product's listed front camera specification or capability. | 18 MP multi-aspect, f/1.9, 20mm (ultrawide), PDAFSL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAFSL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Zoom The product's listed zoom specification or capability. | 4x optical zoom48 MP | — |
| Video The product's listed video specification or capability. | 4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 120fps), ProRes, ProRes RAW (up to 120fps), Apple Log 2, 3D (spatial) video/audio, stereo sound rec. | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. |
| Camera Features The product's listed camera features specification or capability. | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec., ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2 | — |
| Camera & Imaging | ||
| Aperture The product's listed aperture specification or capability. | f/1.8 | f/1.6 |
| Power | ||
| Battery The product's listed battery specification or capability. |
Market-dependent versions:· Li-Ion 4823 mAh - Nano SIM model· Li-Ion 5088 mAh - eSIM only model
|
3561 mAh
|
| Charging Wired The product's listed charging wired specification or capability. | 25W | 25W |
| Wireless Charging The product's listed wireless charging specification or capability. | 25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2 | 25W wireless (MagSafe) |
| Network | ||
| Network The product's listed network specification or capability. | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| Bands 2g The product's listed bands 2g specification or capability. | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | CDMA 800 / 1900 | — |
| Bands 3g The product's listed bands 3g specification or capability. | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | — |
| Bands 4g The product's listed bands 4g specification or capability. | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66 - A3526 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3257 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3525 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 - A3527 | — |
| Bands 5g The product's listed bands 5g specification or capability. | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3526 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - A3257 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3525 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3527 | — |
| Network Speed The product's listed network speed specification or capability. | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps | — |
| Sim Type The product's listed sim type specification or capability. | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International) · eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA) · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) | IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | — |
| Connectivity | ||
| Wifi The product's listed wifi specification or capability. | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, tri-band, hotspot |
| Bluetooth Version The product's listed bluetooth version specification or capability. | Bluetooth 6.0 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Nfc Whether the product supports or includes nfc. | Yes | Yes |
| Ports The product's listed ports specification or capability. | USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort | USB Type-C 2.0, DisplayPort |
| Gps The product's listed gps specification or capability. | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Sensors The product's listed sensors specification or capability. | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip) Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite | — |
| Fm Radio The product's listed fm radio specification or capability. | No | — |
| Pricing | ||
| Price The product's listed price specification or capability. |
$1419.00
|
$489.90
|
| Current Price The product's listed current price specification or capability. | $1419.00 | $489.90 |
| Currency The product's listed currency specification or capability. | USD | USD |
| Audio | ||
| Loudspeaker The product's listed loudspeaker specification or capability. | Yes, with stereo speakers | -26.2 LUFS (Good) | — |
| Certifications | ||
| Sar Us The product's listed sar us specification or capability. | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) | — |
| Sar Eu The product's listed sar eu specification or capability. | 1.49 W/kg (head) 1.49 W/kg (body) | — |
| Energy Efficiency Class The product's listed energy efficiency class specification or capability. | Class A | — |
| Drop Test Class The recorded result for the drop test class. Compare results only when the same test method was used. | Class B (180 falls) | — |
| Repairability Class The product's listed repairability class specification or capability. | Class C | — |
| Benchmarks | ||
| Benchmark Scores The product's listed benchmark scores specification or capability. | AnTuTu: 2600583 (v10), 2331417 (v11) GeekBench: 10118 (v6) 3DMark: 6010 (Wild Life Extreme) | — |
| Measured Brightness The recorded result for the measured brightness. Compare results only when the same test method was used. | 1000 nits max brightness (measured) | — |
| Battery Life Rating The product's listed battery life rating specification or capability. | Active use score 17:58h | 53:00h endurance, 1000 cycles | — |
| Sources | ||
| Last Verified The product's listed last verified specification or capability. | 2026-07-31 | 2026-07-31 |
Release Date 
Weight 
Dimensions 
Display 
Refresh Rate 
Processor 
RAM 
Os 
Main Camera 
Video 
Battery 
Network 
Wifi Community decision
Who wins this showdown?
0 matchup votes. Choose one winner.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
50% · 0 votes
Apple iPhone 16
50% · 0 votes
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