Video Review: iPhone 16 Pro Max, One Year Later
We're approaching the iPhone 17 launch, and with less than a month to go, MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera decided to take a look back at his year with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has held up well over the last 11 months, with no major problems with the durability or battery life. Battery health has held up well, and Dan's battery is still at 96 percent capacity.
Even with software optimizations over the last several months, the iPhone 16 Pro Max still runs hot at times. You're most likely to feel it heating up when the display is at max brightness in the sun, or when you're doing something that's demanding like playing a GPU-heavy game. Rumors suggest the iPhone 17 Pro will have a new vapor chamber cooling system, so we might see some improvement with next year's model.
There are minor scratches on the titanium frame of the device, but it otherwise looks good for a year of use. Dan doesn't use a case and shattered the back glass with a drop, but he had a no questions asked repair with AppleCare+. The iPhone 17 Pro Max will have an aluminum frame with less glass on the back, so it could be more durable. The front glass of the iPhone has deep scratches, but there's also a rumor that the iPhone 17 models will get a better scratch resistant coating that could improve things.
Camera Control isn't particularly useful except for opening up the Camera app, and it's downright annoying when a setting accidentally gets changed from a mistaken swipe. Performance with the A18 Pro chip has been impressive, and the next iPhone will be even faster.
If you have an iPhone 16 Pro Max, there's probably no reason to upgrade to an iPhone 17 Pro Max based on the rumors we've heard so far, but coming from an older iPhone, it'll be worth it. How has your iPhone 16 held up over the last year? Let us know in the comments below.
Popular Stories
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
