Head to head
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxvsApple iPhone 16e
The short answer
Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max for the larger screen, peak brightness, more base storage, battery life per charge, video playback time and faster wireless charging. Choose the iPhone 16e for lower weight. The iPhone 16e is £600 cheaper at UK RRP (£599 against £1,199). Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036 for both, 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
- 2025-02-28endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £599Apple Newsroom UK — iPhone 16e launch, retrieved 2026-09-22
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
6 wins for iPhone 17 Pro Max1 win for iPhone 16e6 gaps borderline0 differences you won’t notice£600 apart at RRP
Verdict: iPhone 17 Pro Max ahead on 6 rows, iPhone 16e 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 1,200 nits), storage (base) (256 GB against 128 GB), battery per charge (53 h against 41 h), claimed video playback (37 h against 26 h) and wireless charging (25 W from the maker against 7.5 W from GSMArena); the iPhone 16e wins on weight (167 g against 231 g). 6 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: typical brightness (1,000 nits against 800 nits) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, 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, battery capacity (4,823 mAh against 4,005 mAh, 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 7,217, both from Geekbench Browser) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Both state the same battery lifespan. The other 34 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
3 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Google Mobile Services · AnTuTu benchmark · DXOMARK camera score. 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 16e?
On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on display size, 6.9 in (Apple UK) against 6.1 in (Apple Support UK), peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 1,200 nits (Apple Support UK), storage (base), 256 GB (Apple UK) against 128 GB (Apple Support UK), battery per charge, 53 h against 41 h (both EU energy label), claimed video playback, 37 h against 26 h (both Apple UK) and wireless charging, 25 W (Apple UK) against 7.5 W (GSMArena); the iPhone 16e wins on weight, 167 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 41 h (both EU energy label). The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 37 h against 26 h (both Apple UK). The iPhone 17 Pro Max is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 4,823 mAh against 4,005 mAh (both GSMArena), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The iPhone 16e, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 167 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 1,200 nits (Apple Support UK). The iPhone 17 Pro Max is brighter, narrowly: typical brightness, 1,000 nits (Apple UK) against 800 nits (Apple Support UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. 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 both, our estimate, not Apple’s. Sources: Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Which is cheaper?
The iPhone 16e is £600 cheaper at UK RRP (£599 against £1,199). Prices from iPhone 17 Pro Max: Apple UK store; iPhone 16e: Apple Newsroom UK.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.