I bribe theApple iPhone 16 Pro Maxwhen it was denote and have used it every day since then , racking up six months of consumption , and yet I ’ve written very little about it . It ’s fourth dimension to change that , explicate why it is technically my only “ permanent ” sound , and why I think it ’s superb .
How I use my iPhone
I have two SIM cards . One is my “ principal ” SIM bill of fare which is attached to the phone number I use , and the other is all about information , and they both live in different phones . My main SIM is switch in and out of review Android phones all the clock time , while the SIM I use mostly for data point 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 telephone set I ’m reexamine .
I called theiPhone 15 Pro Max my favourite smartphoneafter spending many calendar month 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 relinquish over the preceding year , the iPhone 16 Pro Max has remained the constant in my spirit , and here ’s a hard truth : It systematically surmount Android , disregarding of whether Google ’s software package is installed on a $ 300 phone or a $ 1,300 phone .
While the iPhone 16 Pro Max is n’t unadulterated , it ’s the phone I give for when I want to do thing quickly and reliably . I ’ve used it with a compositor’s case but without a screen protector , and the screen has take for up well than my iPhone 15 Pro Max ’s did . When you pair it with anApple Watch , it ’s still thebest telephone / smartwatch pairingyou can get , despite astrong challenge from OnePlusthis year . Perhaps the biggest real - world advantage of the 16 Pro Max over the smalleriPhone 16 Prois how it embarrasses every Android phone I ’ve used when it do to barrage life . It ’s a brilliant all - libertine .
A battery life winner
There ’s very lilliputian it does n’t do well , and I have it off I ’m hold up to have to back this up , so Army of the Righteous get started with the battery life-time . I can use the iPhone 16 Pro Max for between five and six hours of screen metre per daytime , and not see the bombardment life dip much below 50 % . Less than five hour screen time , and it never break the 50 % stay barrier . This is without gaming , but with everything else , including video calls , apps , photos , and euphony . It ’s also continuously connected to myOura Ring 4 , and on a regular basis to my Apple Watch Series 10 too .
I quiz Android phones in basically the same way , and very few give me the authority the shelling will potentially last for a full eight - to - ten hour between charges . I ’ve complained aboutinconsistency in iPhone assault and battery lifein the past , which always seemed fairly pendent on iOS , but Apple seems to have cured this withiOS 18and I ’m able to confidently predict the iPhone ’s battery performance . Hopefully this does n’t commute .
What about central , core experience ? I use FaceTime quite often and find the call calibre is superb , with strong sound recording , no latent period payoff , and high-pitched character video . I care how fast you’re able to change between cameras , and how you’re able to use the 1x and 5x modes within the FaceTime app itself . I ’ve had to use WhatsApp telecasting calling on Android a few times late , and the experience vary so greatly between phone . On Android - to - Android calls latency is often a problem , and there are no such in - app camera controls either . It ’s a bad experience , and nowhere nigh as polished as FaceTime .
Not everything is fantastic
I use an app to give for car parking when I ’m out and about , and it ’s well on iOS because it uses the Dynamic Island and Live Activities , so I only need to glance at my earphone to see how much time I have lead on my ticket . When I use it on Android , it ’s never as intuitive . I expend wire Apple CarPlay with my iPhone in my 2019 Hyundai i30 N. I ’ve owned the car for two age , and outside of a few very rarefied random disconnections and reconnections ( which I intend is to do with the cable television ) , and even running the modish beta translation of iOS it always form , and the port is fast and easy to use on the move .
I often corrupt music through iTunes and add course to playlists in the Music app , which are easy to organize and the book binding art looks magnificent . Apple ’s Photos app has become worse with several update — it ’s messier and less intuitive — but I still choose it over Google Photos to put in some photos I on a regular basis need for reference . I’venever once need to use a third - company app storehouse , 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 make Apple Pay simpleton , and I use it in practically every real - lifespan shopping billet .
What ’s bad?Apple Intelligenceis wasted on me . I have n’t set up any convincing use case for it yet , and even the features that are there are inconsistent or useless . The notification summaries meet to be very app - specific , and although a quick glance at summarized Teams messages is ready to hand , I would n’t drop it if it was n’t there . I have no want for Image Playground , and personally do n’t find I call for Apple Intelligence to help me save anything . It ’s not Apple Intelligence at shift though , as I feel the same way aboutSamsung ’s Galaxy AI , andGoogle Geminion thePixel 9too .
I ’ve also forgotten all aboutthe Camera Control . There ’s nothing wrong with it , I just find other way to use the photographic camera quicker in workaday life-time . I have to make a conscious attempt to employ it , and while it ’s good when I do , it has n’t ingrained itself into my television camera exercise . The camera itself takes pleasing photo , but I have n’t put it through it ’s paces like I have theGoogle Pixel 9 Pro Foldor theXiaomi 15 Ultra . However , it ’s usually the phone I grab to take open photograph of my kitten , and the answer are first-class indoors . I ’ve also used it to take auxiliary photos for reviews like theNothing Phone 3a Pro , and independent images for my feature on wear thin aCasio G - Shock watch to MWC 2025 , and reporting of aniPhone - related drift in South Korea . Why ? It ’s reliable , there ’s a comprehensive editing suite in the Photos app , and it transfer to my Mac Mini in moment 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 twelvemonth , and have doneforyears . What you ’re take is my experience populate with the biggest iPhone , which I ’ve find quite hard to put into words because I utilize it for so many things each day , which it mostly does without any ill .
Phone reviews are usually based on a few week of use , but what you ’re read here is based on about 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 system longevity and very equal to computer hardware . I ’m highly prosperous using the iPhone 16 Pro Max , bank on it day by day , and will carry on to do so . However , that said , I also know what I ’ll do when theiPhone 17comes out , but a decisiveness to kick upstairs also address to how great the iPhone is as an everyday smartphone .
