This is a continuation of my first kinda-sorta review (see link below).

Screen

The 16’s screen is a little longer and a little narrower than the 11’s. Both screens are OLED screens, both Super Retina XDR displays. As far as I’m concerned I see absolutely no difference between the two. That’s great by me, as both are gorgeous to look at. The iPhone 11 display was still in pristine shape when I traded it for the 16.

The notch is obviously gone, in its place the Dynamic Island. I’ve watched it in action enough to appreciate how it’s blended into many functions on the screen. For example when face ID is working, the island expands into a rounded square showing the operating state of face ID and when face ID’s successful it briefly shows a big green check, then shrinks back to the island. I never had a problem with the notch the way some (i.e. “influencers”) did. I don’t have a problem with the island either. I consider both to be well executed.

Case

The 11’s case is stainless steel, while the 16’s is titanium. I purchased the 11 with a dark green (Midnight Green) body, while I purchased the 16 in black. Both cases are IP68 waterproof. I never had a problem with the 11 getting wet (an issue here in Florida during the hurricane season), and I don’t expect any problems with my 16. The biggest difference is that the 11’s edges were rounded while the 16’s are flat, harkening back to the iPhones 4 and 5 series. I have a transparent Supcase that cost all of $20, and with the way it wraps around the iPhone’s body, I’m not all that aware of flatness vs roundedness. I had an Otterbox case on the iPhone 11. With all of that I notice no difference in overall handling between the two.

One nice feature/update is the replacement of the ring/silent switch with a button that can be reprogrammed for different tasks. Ironically enough I programmed my button toggle silent mode when I press it. The old switch was always accidentally getting knocked, putting the 11 into silent mode, and I would miss calls because of that. The button is stiff and so far can’t be accidentally pressed and toggled.

Cameras

I know all about the big changes in the cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. I can tell that the camera island on the back of the body is much bigger than the island is on the iPhone 11 Pro Max. I’ve tried the iPhone 16 camera casually, nothing serious mind you. So far I’m not all that inspired to go running out and use it to create some sort of visual artistic masterpiece that winds up being noticed by Apple itself. I’m sure I’ll discover more about the camera as time progresses.

Speaking of buttons on the case, there is a new Camera Control button that you can press to bring up the camera app as well as use it to take a photo. I also noticed that if I just touch the button and then slide my finger when the camera app is active that I can select between the available camera magnification factors. All of this reminds me of a rangefinder camera setup, except in this case done poorly. I’m not all that inspired by the button due to its very skinny nature; a regular camera release is nice and round compared to this. I also don’t like the placement because I inadvertently squeeze it when I pick the 16 up at the bottom. I’ve spent a decade of iPhone use learning to pick the iPhone up at the bottom so I didn’t trip the power button or the volume controls. To avoid any issues with the Camera Control, I’ve gone into Settings and disabled it.

More Final Thoughts

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is a solid upgrade compared to the iPhone 11 Pro Max. I’m sure there are features I’ll discover in the future that will further justify the purchase of the 16. I will note that if the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s radio and Lightning port for Apple Car Play hadn’t begun to show operational deficiencies that I would have not traded the 11 in for the 16; the iPhone 11 Pro Max was still that good after five years.

Links

my initial iphone 16 review