They say that bigger is always better — and that certainly rings true for the brand-new iPhone 16 Pro Max. With the largest display in iPhone history at 6.9 inches and an insanely long-lasting battery life, it is in fact one of the best phones that money can buy.

I tested these models for a week after Apple’s debut, evaluating their design, display, camera, and performance. Here’s my take on whether it may make sense for you to buy up.

The release of a new iPhone is always highly anticipated. This year’s models bring Apple Intelligence, better cameras, a new Camera Control and, most importantly, longer battery life. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max have larger displays, thinner bezels, an advanced A18 Pro chip and improved thermal management.

The new iPhone 16 Pro has expanded, upgraded and powered-up elements like the cameras, display, chipset and battery compared to the older phone. But the iPhone 15 Pro still remains a powerful phone, sharing a number of elements. So the better phone and the better value phone of this duo may not be the same.

The iPhone 16 Pro adds a feature that I've dearly missed on my iPhone 15 Pro in the past year. It's a welcome change.

Enough to make you feel you have a brand-new iPhone. Note, though, that one of the biggest things in iOS 18 is the introduction of Apple Intelligence, though it won’t be available in this release. When it arrives, it will be for iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max handsets only.

The $999 iPhone 16 Pro and $1,199 iPhone 16 Pro Max have everything we've come to expect in a year-over-year upgrade. They lack Apple Intelligence at launch but make up for it in other ways.