Head to head
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxvsApple iPhone 16
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 for lower weight. The iPhone 16 is £500 cheaper at UK RRP (£699 against £1,199). 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, 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
- Price
- £699Apple UK store, 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 164 gaps borderline0 differences you won’t notice£500 apart at RRP
Verdict: iPhone 17 Pro Max ahead on 6 rows, iPhone 16 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 6.1 in), peak brightness (3,000 nits against 2,000 nits), storage (base) (256 GB against 128 GB), battery capacity (4,823 mAh against 3,561 mAh, both from GSMArena), battery per charge (53 h against 37 h) and claimed video playback (37 h against 22 h); the iPhone 16 wins on weight (170 g against 231 g). 4 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: HDR peak brightness (1,600 nits against 1,200 nits) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, 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 and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) (8,795 against 7,558, both from Geekbench Browser) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Both state the same typical brightness, battery lifespan and wireless charging. The other 35 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?
On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on display size, 6.9 in against 6.1 in (both Apple UK), peak brightness, 3,000 nits against 2,000 nits (both Apple UK), storage (base), 256 GB against 128 GB (both Apple UK), battery capacity, 4,823 mAh against 3,561 mAh (both GSMArena), battery per charge, 53 h against 37 h (both EU energy label) and claimed video playback, 37 h against 22 h (both Apple UK); the iPhone 16 wins on weight, 170 g against 231 g (both 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 22 h (both Apple UK). The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 4,823 mAh against 3,561 mAh (both GSMArena).
Which is lighter?
The iPhone 16, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 170 g against 231 g (both Apple UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 3,000 nits against 2,000 nits (both Apple UK). Both state 1,000 nits for typical brightness (Apple UK). The iPhone 17 Pro Max is brighter, narrowly: HDR peak brightness, 1,600 nits against 1,200 nits (both Apple UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
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, our estimate, not Apple’s. Sources: Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Which is cheaper?
The iPhone 16 is £500 cheaper at UK RRP (£699 against £1,199). Prices from iPhone 17 Pro Max: Apple UK store; iPhone 16: Apple UK store.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.