iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro PhoneArena Camera Ratings Released: Stagnating Performance

Apple’s new iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro are here, slowly evolving the iPhone photography capabilities with powerful new software features and hardware enhancements. Both devices feature familiar camera setups, with a ton of new features, functionalities, and software additions to the camera, as well as a whole new way to control the camera with the new Camera Control button. The specs of both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Pro are identical, and we have some notable changes on both models. The iPhone 16 Pro Max camera retains its 48MP main camera but now introduces a new 48MP ultrawide camera with an f/2.4 aperture, a significant improvement over the previous 12MP ultrawide cameras found on earlier iPhones. For telephoto shots, it continues to use the same 5X telephoto camera as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with no additional upgrades.

The iPhone 16 Pro scores two new cameras. A 48MP ultrawide with f/2.2 aperture that uses quad-pixel binning and the same 5X tetraprism telephoto with a 12MP resolution and f/2.8 as the iPhone 16 Pro Max/iPhone 15 Pro Max one.

Additionally, the new Pro models bring 4K video recording at 120 fps in Dolby Vision, delivering the highest resolution and frame rate combination ever available on an iPhone. This allows you to capture cinematic video clips and edit them straight on the device. The new devices also support enhanced Photographic Styles, which give you broader control over colors and tones, letting you fine-tune the appearance of your photos.

The two premium new iPhones have already gone through the paces of our dedicated PhoneArena Camera test, and the verdict is in––these two aren’t much better than their predecessors, the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro. In some cases, we even witness the older devices still pulling slightly ahead.

iPhone 16 Pro Max / iPhone 16 Pro Camera Score compared to its rivals

How does the new camera test score of the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Pro fare against its rivals and predecessors. It doesn’t really look too great for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which ranks below the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but still manages to outperform the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Those two devices beat the iPhone 16 Pro Max in both still photos and videos. The main camera of the iPhone 16 Pro Max fares marginally worse in comparison with the iPhone 15 Pro Max (157 vs 158 points), mostly due to the “flatter”, less-contrasty look achieved by the newer phone.

iPhone 16 Pro Max/iPhone 16 Pro camera score spider chart

Main camera: Decent sharpness and image quality, mostly consistent with previous top iPhones, with a vibrant and slightly warmer tone by default. Dynamics are handled well and colors are, typically, accurate. We like how the iPhones handle greenery and foliage, which are usually slightly skewed on other phones.

Zoom Quality:

• 5X: At the native 5X zoom level, the image quality is excellent. Decent sharpness, clear detail, consistent dynamics, and colors that match with the main camera. Noticeable here is the lack of the artificial oversharpening that has been added to the main 48MP camera.
• 10X: The 10X zoom is arguably the furthest you can zoom and still get usable photos (anything past that isn’t particularly well-detailed, and longer zoom even deliver watercolor paintings).

Ultra-wide Camera: The new ultrawide camera uses a 48MP sensor which uses quad-pixel binning and once again outputs 12MP images. Color and dynamics are consistent with the main camera. Quality isn’t drastically better than before, but we get better dynamics at lower light courtesy of the pixel-binning.

Front Camera: The 12MP selfie camera of the iPhone 16 Pro Max/iPhone 16 Pro takes splendid photos. They are not particularly sharp, but more than a decent amount of detail, a good dynamic range, and, most importantly, good skin tones.

Main Camera - Video

In video, the main camera delivers excellent quality, as is a tradition for iPhones. The colors and details are both lovely. The dynamics are good, but the previous generation was superior in delivering decent highlights and shadows. Stabilization is magnificent, but there’s also some oversharpening present.

Zoom Quality - Video: Videos taken with the iPhone zoom camera deliver a pretty decent amount of detail and colors.

Ultrawide Quality - Video: Excellent quality and good dynamics is what you get when you switch to the ultrawide during video recording.

Front camera - Video: Selfie video with the iPhone 16 Pro Max is superb, with tons of detail, dynamics, and lovely skin tones that bring out the best of our subjects.

Conclusion

The iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro come with versatile and more than capable camera setups that deliver mostly the same image quality as their predecessors, the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro. We are not seeing major jumps in image quality, but this doesn’t mean that it’s bad in any way. The leap in quality in contrast with the 2023 iPhone generation is simply not there, but those upgrading from older iPhones will surely benefit from the better imaging capabilities of the new phones.

The majority of cool new features are mostly software-based and give you more leeway for editing in post, which is considered a “pro” feature. The Camera Control button can’t be universally deemed a good or bad addition to the iPhone hardware setup, as some might like it while others not. It’s not very ergonomic and using it is more of a hassle instead of an improvement. Overall, expect more of the same great iPhone camera quality, but now with extra features sprinkled around.