I have returned my iPhone 16 Pro Max purchased on the day of releaseOn October 3rd, the two-week period I had to return the terminal expired and I decided to do it early, but everything has a reason and a motive and that is what I want to tell you in this post. Why I am returning the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The reasons are as follows.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is a great phone. A great phone. It's spectacular. As Apple says, It is the most powerful iPhone they have launched to date.. And they are not wrong. It is the best battery on an iPhone (we are talking about the best autonomy), the best camera (and although there is much debate because certain adjustments have to be made to get the most out of it, the 48Mpx etc, I won't go into that); It has the best screen (now bigger and with fewer frames) and has the best colors and materials (here many of you will disagree because you like one color more than another, but I will tell you my point of view).
However, despite all this, The WOW effect and the feeling that I have renewed my device did not last more than 3 hours, which is approximately what it took me to download the minimum amount to be able to use it as my main iPhone by transferring the data from my old (but current) iPhone 15 Pro Max. And yes, Maybe that was the problem, coming from an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
When I installed the typical things to be able to leave the house: WhatsApp, settings and little else, I started using the iPhone 16 Pro Max as my brand new primary device. It's an absolute blast. I love it.. The screen is slightly larger (and it shows), the frames are narrower, the Desert Titanium marked a change vs the Natural Titanium of the 15 Pro Max and the camera capabilities along with the battery were a leap vs the previous one. However, from that moment on, I felt like I had the same iPhone as last year.I picked it up and felt like it hadn't changed. The excitement of renewing my iPhone lasted only a few hours (After purchasing, the entire reservation process, going to buy it, etc. I exclude it from here, because in the end we all know that the process of waiting for something is more exciting than the fact of experiencing it or having it). However, I've given it a chance these past two weeks to see if that feeling was well-founded or just an emotional impulse. And it was rather the former. I'll go through it in parts where there are new features vs the 15 Pro Max without getting into technical issues.
Design
Let's say the design is the main thing that makes you feel like switching devices. Here I include the colors, materials and the screen itself.
In this case and as I have mentioned before, This year's 6,9" screen is noticeable and you feel that the phone is bigger and the screen is bigger. I like it, I like it a lot. I have ease with large devices so the Pro Max is my ideal size. The frames are noticeably narrower and this is also appreciated when looking at the iPhone and having the sensation that the screen is “flying” in front of you.
On the other hand, Desert Titanium is this year's color, which I always like to try (after a Purple 14 Pro Max and a Natural Titanium 15 Pro Max, I wanted to go back to the gold one that I haven't had since the 6s or the XS that I had as a secondary for a while). The back is rather whitish and the sides are not very garish thanks to the matte Titanium., not like the XS where the steel made it shinier and more “eye-catching”. Also, having Level 5 Titanium on the sides in a polished and matte way is something I prefer vs. the shiny sides of the Pro from 14 onwards.
However, I do have the 15 Pro Max in Natural Titanium. The difference between having one in your hand and the other is not very noticeable beyond the first few times when you get used to the new size.. On the other hand, I think Natural Titanium is the most beautiful color they have ever launched, so Upgrading to 16 for this reason was not worth it for me.. I felt like I had the same thing in a slightly different color (looking at it from the front, not even that, and if you are one of those who use a case, the change would be even smaller).
Camera and Capture Button
If you already had the camera of a 15 Pro Max, you will surely understand this experience.
Are there any changes? Yes, of course there are. The iPhone 16 Pro Max camera is (too) good, especially for non-average usersWhat do I mean? Not everyone uses 48MP wide-angle photos, 4K recording at 120fps or the improved main lens (with settings) all the time. Just open the camera and shoot. 90% of your photos are probably like this (and I include myself for the most part).
With this and using the camera, The change is not incredible in 90% of my photos Because, even though I like taking photos or recording videos, I don't publish them anywhere other than the typical social network (and we already know how compression works on these...) or make the occasional video for the channel so that some of you can watch it. But no, I'm not MKDBH and the quality of what I do is not so brutal as to require me to record in 4K at 120fps 99% of my time.
The new feature that I liked the most was the styles or filters. They give the camera incredible versatility, how you like to take your photos with cooler, warmer, darker, lighter tones... and all with a very simple and direct interface, seeing the result before taking the photo. An image processing that is undoubtedly something that I will miss when returning the 16 Pro Max.
Also, if we talk about another of the star changes of this year, the capture button, I haven't gotten used to itI don't see an end to it. It doesn't improve my experience of using the camera to navigate the interface. Using the zoom with the capture button is almost impossible (you'll need both hands on the phone) if you want to get a stable video. I only find it (very) useful for opening the camera and, on some occasions, taking the photo. Why on some occasions? Because simply not made for portrait modeI have to change the way I hold the iPhone for a few seconds to force myself to take the photo with the capture button. And no, it doesn't feel fast or something I'm willing to go through just to use the button.
I understand its purpose and functionality. And I'm 100% sure that when Apple Intelligence is here, opening the camera and checking things we capture with the camera in real time will be the bomb. But we're not there yet… Not until well into 2025 at least. And what happens around that time? We'll probably be close to the iPhone 17.
That's why no, the camera upgrade is not worth it for 90% of my life coming from a 15 Pro Max, nor is the capture button life-changing enough for me to consider a change just for that.
Battery
Here we enter a swampy area. Each one uses the iPhone in an ergonomic way. The battery will last more or less even with the same hours of screenI'm telling you about my experience.
The battery is a beast. Yes. You start to notice it from 2-3 days after the update that required iOS 18 has settled and your entire iCloud backup has been downloaded and installed correctly. We have to take into account that the battery is new and therefore it will last longer. Last year with the iPhone 15 Pro Max it reached two days of autonomy in some cases. A day and a half in the least.
The battery of the iPhone 16 Pro Max has to be better, with more autonomy and capacity for the simple fact that, when Apple Intelligence arrives, it has to maintain the autonomy that the 15 Pro Max had until now. Obviously now for equal tasks, it improves, but it doesn't mean anything to me (or rather, a lot) to have a battery life of a day and a half instead of one, which is what the 15 Pro Max currently gives me.
I already have the habit of charging the iPhone at night and it suits me better than midday or a quick charge at any other time… so comparing the battery that the 16 Pro Max gives me vs the 15 Pro Max, It doesn't improve my habits. It doesn't make a difference to me right now and without Apple Intelligence.
iOS 18 & Apple Intelligence
Finally, I wanted to briefly go into iOS 18 as Apple leaves some specific features of the latest iOS for the latest model. This year, there's nothing remarkable (if anything) that the 15 Pro Max can't do beyond camera filtersThe "exclusivity" of the iPhone 16 is Apple Intelligence and not if you compare it with an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max that will also be able to run it.
So, the biggest news of the iPhone 16 Pro Max I will also be able to have (when it arrives) on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. We assume this will be well into 2025, so it won't be long before an iPhone 17 where, from the start, we can have a better battery, Apple Intelligence and probably camera news with AI with an improved camera vs. the 16 (and more vs. the 15 Pro Max).
Neither iOS 18 nor Apple Intelligence, which does change the device this year with the customization possibilities and thus feel that it is different along with the integration of Apple Intelligence, will be differentials this year between the 16 Pro Max and the 15 Pro Max And if they are, it will only be a matter of a few months since AI is not available NOW.
Conclusion
With all these reasons, along with the feeling in my hand that the device is (almost) the same, I have decided to return my iPhone 16 Pro Max and keep the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But BE CAREFUL, I want to emphasize at all times that This is because I am coming from a 15 Pro Max and not a previous model.
I recommend and I think it is worth upgrading to a 16 Pro Max from a 14 Pro Max backwards, where you will notice that it is something different. You will notice the weight, you will notice the materials, you will notice the colors, you will notice the battery and the heating (here on 14 PM I was suffering quite a bit), you will have the possibility to have Apple Intelligence, you have USB-C and you will have an iPhone for the next 4 years if you want to keep it without a doubt.
This is the first time this has happened to me with an iPhone. And I'm the first one who is already looking forward to the launch of the 17 Pro Max and to be in the virtual queue to reserve and go to the store to get it so I can feel like I'm changing devices again. The excitement for a new iPhone will never end. This year has simply been… different and with the feeling that it's worth holding on.
My impressions, my feeling… I wanted to share it again Knowing that many of you have done this same update and it has been worth it. Because we don't all use the iPhone in the same way.