iPhone 16 Pro Max

Q: How big is the iPhone 16 Pro Max battery?

Apple rates it at up to 33 hours of video playback, the longest battery life of any iPhone before the 17 Pro Max.

Q: Does the iPhone 16 Pro Max support Apple Intelligence?

Yes, it ships with Apple Intelligence built in, running on the A18 Pro's Neural Engine. All features, including writing tools, Visual Intelligence and Genmoji, are supported.

Q: What storage options does the iPhone 16 Pro Max come in?

256GB, 512GB and 1TB. Apple dropped the 128GB entry tier for Pro Max. There's no microSD, pick your tier carefully.

Q: Which networks offer the best iPhone 16 Pro Max deal?

All major UK networks stock it. iD Mobile, Three and Tesco Mobile are usually most competitive on price; O2, EE and Vodafone lead on perks (e.g. O2 Priority, EE Stay Connected).

iPhone 16 Pro Max everything you need to know

Apple's 2024 flagship halo, a 6.9-inch ProMotion titanium powerhouse with the A18 Pro chip, a 48 MP Fusion main, a new 48 MP ultra-wide, and a 12 MP 5× tetraprism telephoto.

Apple Intelligence runs faster on 16 Pro Max than any other 16-series iPhone thanks to the A18 Pro's upgraded Neural Engine, and the vapour-chamber cooling lets sustained performance stay high for ProRes capture and on-device AI.

Key takeaways

Price

256GB - £1,199512GB - £1,3991TB - £1,599

Design

6.9-inch ProMotion OLEDGrade 5 titanium frameCamera Control + Action button

Best battery ever

Up to 33 hours video playback: the longest on any iPhone to date.

5× telephoto

The tetraprism 5× lens brings serious zoom range: rare on any smartphone.

How to choose the best iPhone 16 Pro Max deal

With dozens of deals across every major UK network, there are four things worth thinking through before you commit to a contract.

Select the right amount of data

Data is one of the biggest cost drivers in any mobile contract. Light users who mainly browse and use messaging apps can get away with 5 to 15GB a month. Regular streamers or remote workers typically need 30 to 100GB, and if you rely on your phone as a hotspot or watch a lot of video on the go, an unlimited plan will give you peace of mind without overage charges.

Upfront cost

Paying more upfront reduces your monthly bill, and over a 24-month contract, even a £100 upfront payment can shave £4 to £5 off each month. If you'd rather keep cash in your pocket, £0 upfront deals are widely available, though you'll pay a higher monthly rate. Work out the total contract cost (upfront + monthly × term) to compare deals fairly.

Phone storage

Storage tiers vary by handset. Most flagship phones now start at 128GB or 256GB and go up to 1TB or 2TB. If you stream music and back photos up to the cloud, the base tier is usually plenty. Photographers and videographers shooting in ProRes or RAW will want 512GB or more. None of the major handsets accept expandable storage, so it's worth sizing up if you're on the fence.

Pick the right model

The standard model suits most buyers, but Pro and Ultra variants typically add a larger screen, premium materials, a faster display refresh rate, or a more capable camera system. Compare the standard and Pro deals side by side to decide where your money goes furthest.

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 17 Pro Max

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is newer, with the A19 Pro chip, larger battery, and Ceramic Shield 2. It's the premium pick if you want the latest and longest software support.

But the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a proven flagship that's now on competitive pay-monthly deals after a year on the market. Same 5× telephoto, same 6.9-inch ProMotion display, same titanium build, often £10+ cheaper per month on equivalent plans.

iPhone 16 Pro Max design and display

The iPhone 16 is crafted from aerospace-grade aluminium with Corning's latest Ceramic Shield on the front, making it both slim and robust. The refined exterior comes in five striking finishes — Black, White, Pink, Teal, and Ultramarine — each with a colour-matched anodised back.

New for the iPhone 16 generation is the physical Camera Control button, a capacitive, pressure-sensitive key on the right edge that lets you launch the camera, adjust zoom, and switch shooting modes without ever touching the screen.

Up front is a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with 2556 × 1179 resolution at 460 ppi and up to 2,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness, making it Apple's sharpest and brightest standard iPhone screen to date. The rear houses a redesigned dual-camera system: a 48 MP Fusion main lens and a 12 MP ultra-wide, arranged vertically to enable spatial video recording.

iPhone 16 Pro Max camera

The iPhone 16 packs a 48 MP Fusion main camera with an f/1.6 aperture — Apple's widest yet on a standard iPhone — enabling significantly more light capture for sharper low-light shots and improved depth of field control. Paired with a 12 MP ultra-wide with a 120° field of view, you get genuine creative flexibility in any shooting scenario.

The all-new Camera Control button sits flush on the right edge and acts as a dedicated shutter, tap to take a photo, slide to zoom, press and hold to record video, or swipe to cycle through camera modes. It even supports aperture adjustment without opening any menus, giving you DSLR-style tactile control from a smartphone.

On the video side, the iPhone 16 shoots 4K Dolby Vision at up to 120 fps, and its vertically stacked rear cameras unlock spatial video recording for Apple Vision Pro playback. With Photographic Styles, macro photography on ultra-wide, and advanced computational features powered by the A18 chip, the iPhone 16 sets a new benchmark for smartphone photography.

FAQs

Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max still worth buying in 2026?

Yes, the 16 Pro Max is Apple's second-most-capable iPhone and now sells on excellent contract deals thanks to the iPhone 17 Pro Max launch. Same 5× telephoto and titanium build as many flagships costing £150+ more.

How big is the iPhone 16 Pro Max battery?

Does the iPhone 16 Pro Max support Apple Intelligence?

What storage options does the iPhone 16 Pro Max come in?

Which networks offer the best iPhone 16 Pro Max deal?

Compare deals by network

We make finding a new iPhone 16 pay monthly deal easy by presenting offers from all the major UK networks, including O2, Three, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Talkmobile, and iD Mobile, on clear, easy-to-compare deal tables.

O2

No Network

Latest from our experts

Energy Guides10 min read

Energy Price Cap July 2026: How Much Is It and How Does It Work?

The UK energy price cap rose 13% to £1,862 a year in July 2026. See current unit rates, standing charges, how the cap works, and October 2026 predictions.