Apple’s innovations with the 16 series overall this year boil down to a new button, some AI features, and a faster chip. There are a few other enhancements, but the three mentioned are the most important selling features for me. And since these also came to both the Pro and the standard 16 series, I’m falling in love with the regular 16 much more than I expected.
Over the years, I’ve used every iPhone type except for the older iPhone 12/13 minis. I’ve mainly stuck with standard-sized Pro phones over the years for that extra zoom lens, but with the power of computational photography, I’ve found this less of a necessity since Apple started using its Fusion Camera tech. There’s no doubt the dedicated lens is better, but the iPhone 16’s 5x zoom can provide pretty darn good results.
After the iPhone event last year, I decided to mainly use the iPhone 16 Pro Max since the review unit I was provided came in the stunning Desert colour, but also because it’s technically the best iPhone on paper. However, after spending more time with a basic iPhone 16, I can say that the larger and heavier Pro Max isn’t for everyone, and it actually might not even be for me.
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Even with the Titanium frame, the Pro Max is large, and all the extra screen, battery, and camera power amount to lots of weight resting on your pinky. On paper, the 227g Pro Max doesn’t seem significantly heavier than the 170-gram iPhone 16, but after holding both for weeks, I can say for sure that most of the time I’m a lot more comfortable using the smaller phone. It’s easier to reach around with my thumb and doesn’t put as much pressure on my pinky. This all sounds dumb, but after using the heavier phone, I could feel its impact on my pinky. Is it a big deal? No, but it was something that was weighing on my mind (and pinky) a lot. Even as I write this, I’ve had both phones in hand and every time I use the Pro Max for a prolonged time, I feel it.
When it comes down to it, I like using the regular iPhone every day simply because it’s more convenient to hold. I know that seems crazy considering how many things really separate the two phones, but most of the time, I’m using my phone to search the web, browse social media, or watch YouTube, and
