I bought the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max when it was announced and have used it every day since then, racking up six months of use, and yet I’ve written very little about it. It’s time to change that, explain why it is technically my only “permanent” phone, and why I think it’s superb.
How I use my iPhone
I have two SIM cards. One is my “main” SIM card which is attached to the phone number I use, and the other is all about data, and they both live in different phones. My main SIM is switched in and out of review Android phones all the time, while the SIM I use mostly for data only lives in my Apple iPhone. They’re both always with me, and since September 2024 I’ve used the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max alongside whatever Android phone I’m reviewing.
I called the iPhone 15 Pro Max my favorite smartphone after spending many months with it, so am I prepared to say the same about the iPhone 16 Pro Max? Even though I’ve used almost all the most important Android phones released over the past year, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has remained the constant in my life, and here’s a hard truth: It consistently outperforms Android, regardless of whether Google’s software is installed on a $300 phone or a $1,300 phone.
While the iPhone 16 Pro Max isn’t perfect, it’s the phone I reach for when I want to do things quickly and reliably. I’ve used it with a case but without a screen protector, and the screen has held up better than my iPhone 15 Pro Max’s did. When you pair it with an Apple Watch, it’s still the best phone/smartwatch pairing you can get, despite a strong challenge from OnePlus this year. Perhaps the biggest real-world advantage of the 16 Pro Max over the smaller iPhone 16 Pro is how it embarrasses every Android phone I’ve used when it comes to battery life. It’s a brilliant all-rounder.
A battery life winner
There’s very little it doesn’t do well, and I know I’m going to have to back this up, so lets get started with the battery life. I can use the iPhone 16 Pro Max for between five and six hours of screen time per day, and not see the battery life dip much below 50%. Less than five hours screen time, and it never breaks the 50% remaining barrier. This is without gaming, but with everything else, including video calls, apps, photos, and music. It’s also continuously connected to my Oura Ring 4, and regularly to my Apple Watch Series 10 too.
I test Android phones in essentially the same way, and very few give me the confidence the battery will potentially last for a full eight-to-ten hours between charges. I’ve complained about inconsistency in iPhone battery life in the past, which always seemed somewhat dependent on iOS, but Apple seems to have cured this with iOS 18 and I’m able to confidently predict the iPhone’s battery performance. Hopefully this doesn’t change.
What about key, core experiences? I use FaceTime quite often and find the call quality is superb, with strong audio, no latency issues, and high quality video. I like how fast you can switch between cameras, and how you can use the 1x and 5x modes within the FaceTime app itself. I’ve had to use WhatsApp video calling on Android a few times recently, and the experience varies so greatly between phones. On Android-to-Android calls latency is often a problem, and there are no such in-app camera controls either. It’s a worse experience, and nowhere near as polished as FaceTime.
Not everything is fantastic
I use an app to pay for car parking when I’m out and about, and it’s better on iOS because it uses the Dynamic Island and Live Activities, so I only need to glance at my phone to see how much time I have left on my ticket. When I use it on Android, it’s never as intuitive. I use wired Apple CarPlay with my iPhone in my 2019 Hyundai i30 N. I’ve owned the car for two years, and outside of a few very rare random disconnections and reconnections (which I think is to do with the cable), and even running the latest beta version of iOS it always works, and the interface is fast and easy to use on the move.
I often buy music through iTunes and add tracks to playlists in the Music app, which are easy to organize and the cover art looks brilliant. Apple’s Photos app has become worse with several updates — it’s messier and less intuitive — but I still choose it over Google Photos to store some photos I regularly need for reference. I’ve never once wanted to use a third-party app store, but do find the prices for subscriptions to be frustrating, as many are more expensive inside the Apple App Store than outside. Face ID is fast and reliable, which makes Apple Pay simple, and I use it in practically every real-life shopping situation.
What’s bad? Apple Intelligence is wasted on me. I haven’t found any convincing use case for it yet, and even the features that are there are inconsistent or useless. The notification summaries seen to be very app-specific, and although a quick glance at summarized Teams messages is handy, I wouldn’t miss it if it wasn’t there. I have no need for Image Playground, and personally don’t feel I need Apple Intelligence to help me write anything. It’s not Apple Intelligence at fault though, as I feel the same way about Samsung’s Galaxy AI, and Google Gemini on the Pixel 9 too.
I’ve also forgotten all about the Camera Control. There’s nothing wrong with it, I just find other ways to use the camera faster in everyday life. I have to make a conscious effort to use it, and while it’s good when I do, it hasn’t ingrained itself into my camera usage. The camera itself takes pleasing photos, but I haven’t put it through it’s paces like I have the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold or the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. However, it’s usually the phone I grab to take candid photos of my kitten, and the results are excellent indoors. I’ve also used it to take supplementary photos for reviews like the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, and main images for my feature on wearing a Casio G-Shock watch to MWC 2025, and coverage of an iPhone-related trend in South Korea. Why? It’s reliable, there’s a comprehensive editing suite in the Photos app, and it transfers to my Mac Mini in seconds with AirDrop.
No, I’m not a fanboy
You may read all this and think “Apple fanboy,” but as I explained at the beginning, I use both iOS and Android phones everyday, all day, all year, and have done for years. What you’re reading is my experience living with the biggest iPhone, which I’ve found quite hard to put into words because I use it for so many things each day, which it mostly does without any complaint.
Phone reviews are usually based on a few weeks of use, but what you’re reading here is based on nearly six months of use, and while the iPhone 16 Pro Max is halfway through it’s life, I think it’s a safe purchase due to the software longevity and very capable hardware. I’m extremely comfortable using the iPhone 16 Pro Max, rely on it daily, and will continue to do so. However, that said, I also know what I’ll do when the iPhone 17 comes out, but a decision to upgrade also speaks to how great the iPhone is as an everyday smartphone.
