Just over a week after Apple announced its new iPhones, the devices will soon be in customers’ hands, with pre-orders due to be filled on September 20th.
But there has been a mixed reaction to the new devices. The design is largely similar, although the Pro and Pro Max models have thinner bezels than before, and a new addition in the Camera Control (that is definitely not ever referred to as “the camera button”). Throw in a new chip (the A18 Pro) and some tweaking of the phone’s thermal design, and you have a decent upgrade, if not a revolutionary one.
Apple is largely relying on its new artificial intelligence to whip up enthusiasm for the product line, which leaves you wondering where that leaves customers in the EU. When Apple Intelligence launches with the beta software next month, it will not be available in the EU, where the company is still in discussions with regulators over the software’s introduction.
It is probably only a matter of time before Apple Intelligence gets the nod from the EU. In the meantime, customers here are missing out on some of the key features of the new iPhone 16 and 16 Pro. Leave it too long to launch and some of those prospective buyers may just hold out for another few months until the iPhone 17 hits the market.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is the biggest device in the line-up. Apple has tweaked the design just enough to add more screen space – 6.9 inches versus the 6.7 inches of last year’s Pro Max – while not adding that much to the overall size of the phone, less than four millimetres in height and less than a millimetre in width. The Max is still big, but not as big as it could have been.
Whether the iPhone 16 Pro Max is for you depends on a few things.
First, your interest in AI features. While Apple Intelligence is not yet available in the EU, and is unlikely to hit devices here before the end of the year, it is inevitable that these advanced features will become part of the operating system.
That means a smarter Siri that responds to natural language and even interruptions, similar to Google’s Gemini Live. The functionality is somewhat limited for now, as Apple hasn’t rolled out the full feature set to developers, but it is intended that Apple Intelligence will be your first port of call for everything from finding out what your schedule is to hunting out long-lost photographs, rewriting emails or creating images or custom emoji from a text prompt. It is, as Apple refers to it, AI for the rest of us, assuming that the rest of us would like AI to do something useful, even if we haven’t yet figured out what that is.
If you want a better battery, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has the best performance to date
The iPhone 16 line is the first that has been designed with Apple Intelligence in mind; the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will also support it, as will, presumably, any other future iPhone.
Another new feature is the aforementioned Camera Control, a dedicated button that will allow you to take photos and video, scroll through different options and control other functions of the camera by sliding your finger across it. It takes a few tries to get the hang of some of the gestures – a half-press and hold, for example, to bring up the zoom menu, a half double press to access the menu for altering focal length, switching between cameras or applying different styles and colour tones.
It’s a useful addition, although unlikely to be the sole reason for people to buy the device. On the initial demonstrations, I assumed it was the same as the home button, which has haptic feedback but doesn’t physically click. However, the control is a physical button as well as sensitive to touch.
Speaking of cameras, Apple has tweaked some of the features. The Pro models – both the Pro and the Pro Max – have a new video option that allows you to film in 4K at 120 frames per second. That means huge files – you won’t be using this for everything – but also more flexibility on what you can do with the footage. You can also alter audio, opting to concentrate on in-frame audio, or adopt a studio-type set up, depending on what your focus is.
On still images, the 16 Pro Max has a new 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, joining the 48-megapixel main camera, so you have more options for taking high-quality images.
You can’t fault the quality on the cameras here, but Apple and most other flagship smartphones have set a high bar.
There are other, even less obvious changes. Apple has redesigned the thermal workings of the iPhone 16 to make it more efficient at funnelling away heat. There were certain applications on the iPhone 15 Pro Max that made the device heat up uncomfortably when I was using it – usually games – but the 16 Pro Max does not suffer from the same issue so far.
If you want a better battery, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has the best performance to date. It lasted the day consistently, even when pushed to its limits with a mixture of video streaming, web browsing and productivity apps.
Good
Better battery life in a phone that doesn’t feel like it is about to hit uncomfortable temperatures in your hand? The iPhone 16 Pro Max has some good things going for it. The slightly larger screen gives you more space for images text and video; the longer battery life means you can enjoy it for longer too. And the improved camera, while not earth-shattering, is a step up from last year’s in some respects.
The improved audio will be good for those who want to use the iPhone to make videos that is a step above amateur, too.
If you are coming from an iPhone 12 and older, you will see a definite improvement in performance and features; the last couple of iPhones, however, will be less clear-cut.
Bad
The changes may be too subtle for some to consider the upgrade, particularly with the lack of Apple Intelligence in the EU, which takes away one of the more compelling reasons to buy a new iPhone.
Everything else
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have four studio-quality microphones, which will give you better audio-editing options on your device.
They come in a range of more subtle colours, including black, white, desert and natural titanium.
Verdict
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is all about the subtle changes. Apple Intelligence will elevate it, but EU users will have to wait.