Mobile phones have certainly come a long way over the last few years, advancing in leaps in bounds to the point where they are viable replacements for last generation consoles. It’s wild to think about – just a few years ago, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One represented the pinnacle of gaming in graphical capability and performance. Now, you can get about the same results on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, in a package 20x as small.
Over the last week, I’ve been using the iPhone 16 Pro Max to play through Assassin’s Creed Mirage, a game which released in 2023 for last and current generation consoles. It’s been frankly staggering to see it in action. While it’s not as graphically impressive as the version on PS5, it’s fair to say it’s about as good-looking and smooth as it is on last generation consoles.
The idea of a mobile phone being capable of this sort of gameplay, with such smoothness and colour, even a few years ago, would’ve been staggering. Yet here I am, wandering ancient Baghdad, marvelling at shadows and light, and the way Basim’s movements are snappy and responsive as I’m dragging my fingers across a phone screen.
If you’re looking for a phone capable of AAA gaming with a real sense of smoothness, a snappiness of movement, and highly responsive action, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a phone with few competitors up for the same tasks.
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iPhone 16 Pro Max: Battery and gaming performance
There is one minor caveat in praising the gaming performance of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and that comes down to battery. This is a phone that’s capable of great wonders, but being able to play AAA adventures in portable form does come with a significant cost.
In average daily use, I used the iPhone 16 Pro Max for answering emails, scrolling social media, chatting with friends, making TikToks, doing my dailies in Disney Twisted-Wonderland (which is expectedly smooth) and found the battery could last around three days without a charge. That was pushing it a bit, and I desperately needed power by the end of the third day – but it was a worthy test.
This phone rocks a staggering battery, and in practical use, it means less impetus to charge it every night. Stating it lasts around 22-24 hours in use is all well and good, but it’s perhaps best to understand how that translates in the day-to-day. Essentially: it’s fantastic, and very practical.
Read: The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus support AAA games
However, when you’re gaming on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, you should expect a significant drop in that life expectancy. Playing Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the first thing you’ll notice is heat spreading across the phone’s chassis. Within the first hour of AAA play, the iPhone 16 Pro Max becomes warm-to-hot, with this spreading to the case you’re holding.
It never became unbearable to hold in my experience, but after the first hour, it was at a temperature I’d call definitively hot. This, naturally, also aligned with speedier battery decline. Playing AC Mirage, I’d estimate the battery was running out 4-5x faster than in casual use, to the point where every 5 minutes, I exited the app, and found the battery had drained another 2% or so.
I’d estimate that playing AAA games on the iPhone 16 Pro Max will reduce the battery life to around 4 hours, possibly a smidge more, depending on which games you play, and how demanding they are.
It’s not all bad news, though. Assassin’s Creed Mirage, alongside the Resident Evil games, represent the most resource-heavy, demanding games available on iPhone devices. And if you can get four solid hours gaming with these titles in handheld format, that’s still very impressive. Especially when you consider that other handheld gaming devices capable of similar feats still only last around 2-3 hours in use.
You also need to consider that AAA games still aren’t the norm for mobile gaming just yet. Think of them like a cool attraction at a circus – they’re freaky and fantastic, but you’ll mostly be spending your time at the circus eating popcorn and looking at the lions. Personally, I spent much more of my time with the iPhone 16 Pro Max playing lighter-touch games on Apple Arcade, which are far less demanding, and don’t drain the battery nearly as much.
Apple Arcade continues to be a killer service
To date, no mobile game service has touched Apple Arcade, in terms of value and offerings. It continues to be one of Apple’s biggest secret weapons, and while the rate of new games on the platform has slowed down over the last year, it remains a fantastic platform with great, moreish games – all of which run smoothly and snappily on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Having a built-in paid service with high quality curated mobile games makes the newer iPhone models very viable as dedicated gaming devices. For those who only game casually, or want gaming on the go, Apple Arcade features a solid, diverse array of games for everyone – from smash hit indies to casual puzzlers.
Addictive poker-like Balatro recently arrived on the service. Excellent open world adventure game Hello Kitty Island Adventure continues to get frequent new updates, bringing new content and new excuses to return. Puzzle sewing game stitch. recently got Shrek hoops, which I’ve been plowing through.
There’s also other highlights in Vampire Survivors, What the Golf?, What the Car?, Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom, Wylde Flowers, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Stardew Valley, Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat, The Oregon Trail, Octodad, Cooking Mama: Cuisine!, and more.
It’s an added bonus for a great gaming phone, with plenty of opportunities for exploration.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max excels even beyond gaming
Beyond the performance of AAA games, and the inclusion of Apple Arcade titles, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is still a solid mobile phone in its own right. You don’t necessary need all the bells and whistles offered here, but if you’re looking for a top-of-the-range performer capable of being a multi-function companion, you can’t do much better than this.
Next to gaming, my most coveted criteria for a new phone is having an impressive camera. The iPhone 16 Pro Max delivers in that regard, too. It’s a strong leap above its predecessors, with pictures turning out bright, true-to-colour, crisp, and cinematic.
During a recent trip to La Perouse, I took this shot of Bare Island that turned out spectacularly. It was a nice day, and that helped, but the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s camera well-balanced light and colour, for a shot that I feel captures the grandeur of this Sydney (and Mission: Impossible 2) icon.
As an added note, it also deals well with human faces in selfies and action shots.
I had a particular problem with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, where photos turned out much darker than expected. The phone would take a shot, and then add in darker lines and contrast than the human eye could see, making faces turn out quite ugly.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max instead adds in light to photos, making for more pleasant, colourful shots that feel truer to life. A variety of portrait modes also help to make skin appear smoother (should you desire), and provide a range of lighting options to produce nice, vibrant portraits.
Should you upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro Max?
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has impressed me across two weeks of tests, scouting the upper limits of its gaming and photographic capabilities. It’s a sturdy phone with impressive battery life, and very smooth performance that comes with it being the sixteenth iteration of Apple’s flagship phone.
There are some caveats to my recommendation. If you have an iPhone 15, making the upgrade to the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro Max likely won’t be the game changer you’re looking for. Performance and overall capabilities have taken a step forward, but there aren’t a staggering array of changes to make spending the extra money worthwhile.
Given the iPhone 16 Pro starts at AUD $1,799, you should be rational about the investment. Realistically, you don’t need to upgrade your iPhone every year – and the iPhone 16 Pro Max presents few reasons to make this leap for last-generation Apple owners, beyond the inclusion of a handy camera nub (which frankly isn’t revolutionary).
As someone who went from an iPhone 14 Pro Max to an iPhone 16 Pro Max, I would feel a bit better about making the recommendation for this leap. Comparing features, this two-year gap has led to plenty of innovation, particularly for gaming performance. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is a much smoother, more capable machine when compared back two generations, and the improvements extend from gaming performance, all the way to the phone’s camera.
Apple has learned many lessons over the years, and they’re reflected well in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. While there isn’t a major difference from the iPhone 15 series here, that doesn’t take away from just how versatile and capable this phone is. You will need to fork out for this phone, but all the add-ons and inclusions here go most of the way towards justifying that cost.
Four-and-a-half stars: ★★★★½
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Release Year: 2024
Price: Starts from AUD $1,799
Pros: Great gaming performance, fantastic camera, strong battery life
Cons: High price tag, few improvements from the iPhone 15 series
An iPhone 16 Pro Max, a code for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and a subscription to Apple Arcade was provided to GamesHub for the purposes of this review. GamesHub reviews are rated on a ten-point scale.
