or the iPhone Pro Max Minus – kinda

Introduction

Apple’s having a third crack at an oversized smartphone at a lower price. Which means dreaded compromises. But which ones? And will you care? This year’s model isn’t short on features, including an Action button and Camera Control touchpad. It doesn’t skimp on performance, either. Yet it’s not all smooth sailing, with promised software selling points that have yet to arrive.

As someone who’s used an iPhone 15 Pro Max as a daily driver for a year, I was keen to discover whether an iPhone 16 Plus retained enough ‘Pro’ or was a no-go. Let’s dig in…

Design: true colours

It’s an iPhone. That’s what I thought when I first held this device. No real surprises. But the colours. Oh my. Whereas the iPhone 16 Pro Max has crushingly boring ‘tasteful’ hues, the new iPhone 16 Plus is gorgeous in pink or blue. (And, you know, pretty nice in teal, white or black – although if you choose one of those over pink or blue, I will give you A Look.) These phones look fun and are reminiscent of the most recent iMac: tranquil around front; party around back.

So what else is going on? You get two new buttons: Action rocked up a year late and is a nice-to-have, but for me it feels a tad redundant with the introduction of Camera Control (more on which later).

Apple reckons the Ceramic Shield is stronger, but, you know, it’s still glass. The frame is approx. 63.7% less fingerprint magnet than the Pro’s. And this blower is lighter too: it weighs the same as the iPhone 16 Pro. That’s the Pro – not the Pro Max. And, yes, I can feel that 28g in day-to-day use. I should moonlight as a pair of weighing scales.

Screen and sound: sick of 60

I honestly couldn’t give two hoots about the marginal increase in screen size the Pro Max gets over the Plus. I’m not crying into my cornflakes about one fewer line of text in Safari or a book. What does grate on a phone that starts at NINE HUNDRED POUNDS (or $900 in US-o-currency) is the display remaining 60Hz.

Yes, I know. Some people can’t tell the difference between that and 120Hz. But I can. Scrolling is that bit more juddery. Responses are a touch laggy. And it means the iPhone 16 Plus lacks an always-on display. You might crave a blank screen when your phone’s idle. I don’t. I miss the clock, widgets and notifications.

Look: it’s still a good display. It’s crisp. It’s bright. The OLED panel produces colours and contrast that are simply fab. But come on: Android blowers at this price – and less – long ago moved to higher refresh rates, and Apple’s reluctance to do the same now smacks of upsell.

Cameras: extreme close-up

Right, I’m going to annoy photographers now with a controversial hot take. I don’t think most people will care about two of the three camera differences between the Plus and the Pro Max. Sure, the 48MP on the Pro Max is superior. But I struggled to tell the difference between the shots I took on both phones. Then again, I’m not a pro photographer. If you are, probably buy a Pro Max. If not, you’ll be happy with what the iPhone 16 Plus kicks out. Mostly.

With the 12MP ultrawide, you might spot the lack of detail compared to the 48MP Pro Max equivalent when you start zooming in. Although the macro shots are still excellent and I even preferred some of those I took with the Plus. Also, I found the Plus macro was quicker to latch on to subjects than the Pro Max’s equivalent.

Where the Plus can’t compete is with the Pro Max’s telephoto lens – because it doesn’t have one. Boo. And I do really miss a 5x zoom when it’s not there.

The Camera Control button? I’ve not changed my opinion since using it on the Pro Max. It’s a good idea, can be fiddly at times, and is for me located too far into the frame on larger iPhones.

Oh, and video: this phone lacks Apple’s fancy new slo-mo 120fps at 4K gubbins, but you do get fancy video audio mix capabilities, which surprised me. This lets you isolate subject dialogue from background hubbub with almost no effort. The mics are better on the Pro, but the effect works well enough on the Plus for personal captures.

Software: coming soon

iOS 18 is pretty good, with meaningful new features. The iOS app ecosystem is second to none on mobile. There are loads of games. But Apple would sooner tie you to a rocket ship and fire you into the heart of the sun than let you use your iPhone as anything other than a mobile device. So, yeah, no DeX or equivalent that would allow your iPhone to be the one device to rule them all.

No Apple Intelligence either, just yet. It’ll likely start dribbling out not long after this review is published. However, if I cover beta software as part of a review, the shame would force me to dwell forever in a wheelie bin. So I’ll avoid that. Instead, I’ll write about Apple Intelligence later. AND SAY NICE THINGS, HUMAN! Shh. Quiet, Siri! AIIEEEE! Etc.

Performance and battery life: plussed up

In the early days of modern iPhones, the entire new line got the same chip, and all was good with the world. Then in 2022, the iPhone 14 lagged an entire generation behind the Pro, which sucked. This year, Apple had no choice but to shove a new chip inside every iPhone, because they need to be ready for Apple Intelligence, even if you’re not. (Or, for that matter, even if Apple’s not.)

What if you don’t care about your phone being able to make your email ramblings coherent with a tap, or provide notification summaries that are sometimes even accurate? You’ll still care about the A18. It scythes through tasks, and even gives the iPhone 16 Plus a crack at running AAA games – at least if you have a quality controller. They’re less smooth than on the Pro Max, with its extra A18 Pro graphics grunt. But most people just aren’t going to notice the difference between the A18 and its Pro cousin in day-to-day usage.

Elsewhere, battery life is impressive. Apple reckons you get up to 27 hours of video playback if you, I dunno, watch really long films. During my testing, the Plus got through a day of normal use with ease, although AAA games predictably chewed through the battery at a faster rate. At which point, being able to charge to 50% in half an hour with a 20W charger was welcome. What wasn’t: this phone’s USB 2 wired speeds rather than USB 3. But, hey, most people won’t care about that either.

iPhone 16 Plus verdict

Let’s start with the good things. The value proposition with the iPhone 16 Plus is the best since the first iPhone Plus, back in 2021. That’s because of the chip. My guess is this is an anomaly forced by Apple Intelligence. Don’t be surprised if we see next year’s iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max get an A19 Pro while the iPhone 17 and 17 Plus remain on an A18.

Beyond that, I prefer how this phone looks to the Pro Max, and it’s lighter and cheaper. In fact, $200/£200 cheaper than the equivalent Pro Max – and $300/£300 less for the entry-level device if you can put up with 128GB of storage. (The Pro Max starts at 256GB.) The flip side is that 60Hz display and the lack of the 5x telephoto.

Which leads me to a weird conclusion: I like this iPhone. I’d happily use it as a daily driver. But I’m not sure I’d buy one. I’d personally pay the extra for the better display and the telephoto lens, or drop down a size to the iPhone 16 Pro for an extra $100/£100. Or if I wanted to save money, I might go for the lighter (and yet equally powerful) standard iPhone 16. Hmm. But if you prize a big display and don’t care about a 5x telephoto or ProMotion, how close this iPhone is to the Pro Max this year makes it a great choice.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus technical specifications