Head to head
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxvsApple iPhone 16 Pro
The short answer
Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max for the larger screen, peak brightness, more base storage, battery capacity, battery life per charge and video playback time. Choose the iPhone 16 Pro for lower weight. Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036 for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and 2031–2035 for the iPhone 16 Pro, our estimate, not Apple’s.
- Released
- 2025-09-19endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £1,199Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Released
- 2024-09-20endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
6 wins for iPhone 17 Pro Max1 win for iPhone 16 Pro4 gaps borderline0 differences you won’t notice
Verdict: iPhone 17 Pro Max ahead on 6 rows, iPhone 16 Pro on 1 row
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on display size (6.9 in against 6.3 in), peak brightness (3,000 nits against 2,000 nits), storage (base) (256 GB against 128 GB), battery capacity (4,823 mAh against 3,582 mAh, both from GSMArena), battery per charge (53 h against 37 h) and claimed video playback (37 h against 27 h); the iPhone 16 Pro wins on weight (199 g against 231 g). 4 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: RAM (12 GB against 8 GB, both from GSMArena) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, fast charging (40 W against 20 W) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) (8,795 against 7,788, both from Geekbench Browser) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and 3DMark Wild Life Extreme (5,405 against 4,248, both from 3DMark) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Both state the same refresh rate, typical brightness, HDR peak brightness, battery lifespan and wireless charging. The other 33 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
2 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Google Mobile Services · AnTuTu benchmark. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the iPhone 17 Pro Max better than the iPhone 16 Pro?
On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on display size, 6.9 in (Apple UK) against 6.3 in (Apple Support UK), peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,000 nits (Apple Support UK), storage (base), 256 GB (Apple UK) against 128 GB (Apple Support UK), battery capacity, 4,823 mAh against 3,582 mAh (both GSMArena), battery per charge, 53 h against 37 h (both EU energy label) and claimed video playback, 37 h against 27 h (both Apple UK); the iPhone 16 Pro wins on weight, 199 g (Apple Support UK) against 231 g (Apple UK). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.
Which has the better battery?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: battery per charge, 53 h against 37 h (both EU energy label). The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 37 h against 27 h (both Apple UK). The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 4,823 mAh against 3,582 mAh (both GSMArena).
Which is lighter?
The iPhone 16 Pro, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 199 g (Apple Support UK) against 231 g (Apple UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,000 nits (Apple Support UK). Both state 1,000 nits for typical brightness (Apple UK and Apple Support UK). Both state 1,600 nits for HDR peak brightness (Apple UK).
Which gets updates for longer?
Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036 for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and 2031–2035 for the iPhone 16 Pro, our estimate, not Apple’s. Sources: Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.