Between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16, the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes out ahead in refresh rate and wired charging, while the iPhone 16 wins on weight and antutu. Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max scores 63.2 and the iPhone 16 scores 57.4 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The iPhone 15 Pro Max edges ahead on the Mars Score (63.2 vs 57.4), but the 5.8-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the iPhone 15 Pro Max if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. The biggest gaps in its favor are refresh rate, wired charging, battery capacity, among others.
Pick the iPhone 16 if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are weight, antutu.
Both ship with comparable ram, main camera, 5g support, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max wins
- ▲Refresh rate — 100.00% more. 120 Hz vs 60 Hz.
- ▲Wired charging — 35.00% more. 27 W vs 20 W.
- ▲Battery capacity — 24.18% more. 4422 mAh vs 3561 mAh.
- ▲Screen size — 9.84% more. 6.7 " vs 6.1 ".
Why Apple - iPhone 16 wins
- ▲Weight — 51.00 g less. 170 vs 221.
- ▲AnTuTu — 5.88% more. 1620000 vs 1530000.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 221 g | 170 glead |
| Thickness | 8.25 mm | 7.8 mmlead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68 | IP68 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 6.7 "lead | 6.1 " |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hzlead | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2000 nits | 2000 nits |
Performance
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 48 MP | 48 MP |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 4422 mAhlead | 3561 mAh |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 27 Wlead | 20 W |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 W | 15 W |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 16 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 16 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOS | iOS |
| Promised OS updates | 5 years | 5 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16?+
iPhone 15 Pro Max has 24.2% more battery — 4422 mAh vs 3561 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16?+
iPhone 16 is 51g lighter — 221g vs 170g.
Is iPhone 15 Pro Max waterproof?+
iPhone 15 Pro Max has an IP68 rating.
Does iPhone 16 support 5G?+
Yes, iPhone 16 supports 5G.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16?+
iPhone 16 has a 48 MP main camera vs 48 MP.
Spec-level deep dives
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