I shot more photos with the iPhone 16 Pro Max versus everything else I’ve tested in the last year. In fact, I’ve put it through a handful of comparisons with my various 200 photo shoots with some of the best camera phones around.
With Apple’s ‘Awe Dropping’ event looming, I’m really excited to see what’s in store for its flagship models — the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. All the leaks point to the pair rocking the same triple camera system, but with an upgraded 48MP telephoto camera. This would make it a 48MP triple camera system that could be well suited against the current field of competitors.
While I’m confident about the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s camera performance, it certainly has its work cut out for itself. I’ll share my experiences shooting with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, what I like and don’t like, and tell you where improvements are needed to make the iPhone 17 Pro Max the camera phone to beat.
Zero shutter lag with low light
In our iPhone 16 Pro Max review, my colleague Mark Spoonauer showed how the 48MP Fusion Camera with the main shooter is able to read and process data faster, resulting in zero shutter lag that makes subjects in motion sharp and in focus. The side-by-side shot taken at the same time between the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max prove this.
However, I would like to see the iPhone 17 Pro Max improve this with shots taken under low light. That’s because in my experience, subjects can still appear blurry because of the longer exposure. One way to mitigate this is to perhaps boost the ISO, but this would inherently introduce more noise and softness. Although, new image processing techniques could solve this.
Switch to main camera for macro shots
One of the surprises revealed to me in my 200 photo shootout with the iPhone 16 Pro Max and OnePlus 13 is how the OnePlus offered better macro performance than the iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone 16 Pro Max delivers excellent looking macro shots on its own, but the OnePlus 13 draws out better detail — which you can see in the closeups of the flower above.
At the same time, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is too generous with the exposure boost because it makes the flower a bit overexposed. In comparison, the OnePlus 13 offers a stronger contrast that evens out the exposure.
I’d actually like to see Apple lean on the main camera for macros instead of the ultrawide with the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Many new phones have begun to do this, like the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 and Pixel 10 Pro XL. I would suspect that it would capture more definition and have better exposure.
Super high-resolution mode
In my experience, foldable phones don’t have better cameras than their flagship slate counterparts. Yet, there’s one thing my colleague Richard Priday reminds me about in his iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Galaxy Z Fold 7 photo shootout. It’s that the 200MP full resolution shot from the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s main camera gives creators more editing room.
Although it’s tough to see in the shot above, the 200MP shot from the Z Fold 7 holds more detail — like in the clock near the middle. I don’t anticipate the iPhone 17 Pro Max to switch out its main camera at this point to match it, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max could achieve something similar through a combination of tricks.
Longer exposure with astrophotography
If there’s one area where the iPhone 16 Pro Max is king, it’s with low light. I captured astrophotography shots with the iPhone 16 Pro Max and managed to capture stunning images with it. No other phone does low light better than Apple, but if there’s one improvement I’d like to see with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, it’s none other than having a longer exposure with astrophotography.
It currently maxes out at 30 seconds with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is okay, but I’d like to see it extended to over a minute. That way, it can gather in more light from those faraway deep space objects that I love to capture — like the shots of the Great Orion Nebula I captured above with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
True manual modes
Even though the iPhone 16 Pro Max beat out the Galaxy S25 Ultra in my 200 photo shootout, the reason why Samsung has the best camera phone around is because of all the extra camera modes it offers. I will give Apple credit by listening to feedback from users about its camera app, which gets its first big redesign with iOS 26.
But despite the changes with the camera app, I would love to see more manual modes and settings with the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The reason why the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the best camera phone is because it gives me the ability to adjust its focus, shutter speed, color temperature, ISO value, and much more — and this extends to video recording as well.
Needs more Apple Intelligence tweaking
And finally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max can’t afford to not get help from Apple Intelligence to enhance photos captured by its cameras. AI has already proven itself to me in being able to take snapshots and make them better. Case in point, Pro Res Zoom with the Pixel 10 Pro XL and how it uses generative AI to add detail to zoom photos.
Just look at the before shot taken at 100x above, followed by the enhanced shot with Pro Res Zoom. The woman’s photo went from artwork to a real life photo, and Apple needs to copy this — or at the very least, add more Apple Intelligence features that tie to the cameras.
I really can't stress enough how Apple needs to dive in hard with Apple Intelligence, especially around the cameras. I'd also like to see more post-shooting tools powered by AI with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, like copying the new Ask Photos feature with the Pixel 10.
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