Between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16e, the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes out ahead in refresh rate and wired charging, while the iPhone 16e wins on weight and antutu. Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max scores 63.2 and the iPhone 16e scores 58.6 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The iPhone 15 Pro Max edges ahead on the Mars Score (63.2 vs 58.6), but the 4.6-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 16e 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: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
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 — 10.41% more. 4422 mAh vs 4005 mAh.
- ▲Screen size — 9.84% more. 6.7 " vs 6.1 ".
- ▲Wireless charging: 15 W vs 0 W.
Why Apple - iPhone 16e wins
- ▲Weight — 54.00 g less. 167 vs 221.
- ▲AnTuTu — 3.27% more. 1580000 vs 1530000.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 221 g | 167 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 16e |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 6.7 "lead | 6.1 " |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hzlead | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2000 nitslead | 1200 nits |
Performance
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| 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 16e |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 4422 mAhlead | 4005 mAh |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 27 Wlead | 20 W |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 Wlead | 0 W |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOS | iOS |
| Promised OS updates | 5 years | 5 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16e?+
iPhone 15 Pro Max has 10.4% more battery — 4422 mAh vs 4005 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16e?+
iPhone 16e is 54g lighter — 221g vs 167g.
Is iPhone 15 Pro Max waterproof?+
iPhone 15 Pro Max has an IP68 rating.
Does iPhone 16e support 5G?+
Yes, iPhone 16e supports 5G.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16e?+
iPhone 16e has a 48 MP main camera vs 48 MP.
Spec-level deep dives
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