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ISSUE № 219 · JUN 12, 2026

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Updated April 2026 PIXLRUN · COMPARE LAB v3

Compare
anything.

A laboratory-grade side-by-side that scores phones, laptops and headphones on the things buyers actually feel — not the spec-sheet poetry manufacturers print on the box.

1,284

Devices benchmarked

Lab metrics per unit

94%

Reader trust score

Affiliate sponsorships

Side-by-side index Live catalogue Catalogue live

The duel.
Two phones, one verdict.

Lab-tested over 14 days each. Identical conditions, identical workloads, scored on a calibrated 100-point rubric.

Apple · 2026

PixlRun pick iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max

The future of iPhone, redefined for 2026.

Apple · 2024

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

The Most Powerful iPhone Ever

Where each one wins.

Six pillars tailored to Smartphone reviews — scored independently in our Victoria, BC lab. Bars animate to live values when in view.

Camera

Apple +0.2

Apple9.6

Apple9.4

Performance

Apple +0.2

Apple9.8

Apple9.6

Battery

Apple +0.2

Apple9.2

Apple9.0

Display

Apple +0.1

Apple9.6

Apple9.5

Build & feel

Apple9.6

Value

Apple8.5

The full spec sheet.

Grouped by what matters to use, not by alphabet. Winners highlighted with an acid dot.

Display

Display6.9in Super Retina XDR OLED 120Hz ProMotion

Display16 Pro: 6.3 in (160 mm) 2622 × 1206 resolution at up to 120 hz; 16 Pro Max: 6.9 in (175 mm) 2868 × 1320 resolution at up to 120 hz

Resolution2868 x 1320 px @ 460 ppi

Resolution2868 x 1320 (460 ppi)

Performance

RAM12GB LPDDR5X

RAM8GB

Storage256GB / 512GB / 1TB (NVMe)

Storage256GB / 512GB / 1TB

System-on-chipApple A19 Pro

System-on-chipApple A18 Pro

Memory12 GB LPDDR5X

Memory8 GB LPDDR5X

Camera

Front Camera24MP TrueDepth, autofocus, f/1.9

Front Camera12 MP, f / 2.1, 23mm (wide)

Video8K ProRes @ 30fps, 4K @ 120fps

Video4K@120fps Dolby Vision

Rear cameraFusion Main: 48MP, f / 1.78, 24mm (wide); Fusion Ultrawide: 48MP, f / 2.2, 13mm (ultrawide); Fusion Telephoto: 48MP, f / 2.8, 100mm (periscope telephoto); TOF 3D LiDAR scanner; Dolby Vision; ProRes; ProRes RAW

Rear camera48 MP, f / 1.8, 24mm (wide); 12 MP, f / 2.8, 120mm (periscope telephoto); 48 MP, f / 2.2, 13mm (ultrawide); TOF 3D LiDAR scanner

Battery & Charging

ChargingMagSafe and Qi 2 wireless; USB-C fast-charge; Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with 40 W adaptor or higher, provided via 15 V

Charging27W wired · 25W MagSafe

Battery capacity4823 mAh

Battery capacity3582 mAh

Body & Build

Dimensions163.0 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm

DimensionsPro: 149.6 × 71.5 × 8.25 mm (5.890 × 2.815 × 0.325 in); Pro Max: 163.0 × 77.6 × 8.25 mm (6.417 × 3.055 × 0.325 in)

Weight228g

Weight227g

ColorsBlack Titanium, White Titanium, Desert Titanium, Teal Titanium

ColorsDesert Titanium; Natural Titanium; White Titanium; Black Titanium

IP RatingIP69 (dust & water resistant)

IP RatingIP68 (6m, 30 min)

SoundStereo speakers, spatial audio

SoundDolby Atmos -tuned Spatial Audio

Form factorSlate

Water resistanceIP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6 m for 30 minutes)

Water resistanceIP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6 m for 30 mins)

Connectivity

Connectivity5G SA/NSA, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, UWB

ConnectivityWi-Fi 7 tri-band, Bluetooth 5.3 ( A2DP , LE ), Ultra-wideband , Thread , NFC (reader mode, Express Cards), LEO satellite ( Globalstar , limited), USB-C : USB 10Gbps , Dual-frequency GPS ( L1, L5 ), GLONASS , Galileo , QZSS , BeiDou , NavIC

Compatible networks2G GSM / EDGE , 3G UMTS / HSPA+ , 4G LTE , 5G NR , 5G Advanced

Compatible networks2G GSM / EDGE , 3G UMTS / HSPA+ , 4G LTE , 5G NR

ModemQualcomm Snapdragon X80

ModemQualcomm Snapdragon X71 5G

SIMDual eSIM (US, Guam, US Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Japan); Dual nano-SIM (mainland China); nano-SIM and eSIM (elsewhere)

SIMDual eSIM (US); Dual nano-SIM (Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China); nano-SIM and eSIM (elsewhere)

General

DeveloperApple

TypeSmartphone

First releasedSeptember 19, 2025 ( 2025-09-19 )

First releasedSeptember 20, 2024 ( 2024-09-20 )

PredecessoriPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max

PredecessoriPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max

RelatediPhone 17 iPhone Air iPhone 17e

RelatediPhone 16 and 16 Plus iPhone 16e

Made inChina, India

OtherEmergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite, FaceTime Audio or Video at 1080p over Wi-Fi and 5G, Voice over 5G Standalone (if supported by the carrier)

Operating systemOriginal: iOS 26 Current: iOS 26.5 , released May 11, 2026 ( 2026-05-11 )

Operating systemOriginal: iOS 18 Current: iOS 26.5 , released May 11, 2026 ( 2026-05-11 )

The verdict.

After 14 days each, in real-world use — here's how we'd actually spend the money.

PixlRun verdict · June 2026

It is a coin flip. Either picks lose nothing the other has.

iPhone 17 Pro Max takes the overall win at 9.4/10. iPhone 17 Pro Max: The future of iPhone, redefined for 2026.. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: The Most Powerful iPhone Ever.

See iPhone 17 Pro Max review See Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

PixlRun Lab Score

Composite · 14-day test cycle

iPhone 17 Pro Max9.4

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max9.4

Margin0.0

ConfidenceClose call

CHAPTER 02 · CAMERA LAB

Camera lab.

This Lab applies when comparing Phones / Cameras — auto-selected by category.

LAB STATUS LIVE RUN LAB-BB46/PHN TEMP 22.0°C METHOD v3.4 methodology →

Three controlled scenes, two devices, one reference. The iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max are shot from a tripod at the same focal length, ISO held at the camera’s native low when available, JPEG out of camera with default colour science. No edits, no tonemapping — what you see is what the pipeline gave us.

iPhone 17 Pro Max 8 photos

Pejasar · Flickr

ImranAnwar · Flickr

BubbaMN · Flickr

Old_Man_Leica · Flickr

adamopal · Flickr

Robert Cowlishaw (Mertonian) · Flickr

May-margy · Flickr

Snowshoe Photography - Alaska · Flickr

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 8 photos

GearBoxTy · Flickr

Ignacio Ferre · Flickr

Eye of Dave Photography · Flickr

Oneterry AKA Terry Kearney · Flickr

Bephep2010 · Flickr

David JP64 · Flickr

still_shotz · Flickr

dlamtuan · Flickr

Sample Provenance

Sample photos sourced via Flickr Camera Finder · EXIF-tagged uploads · Camera model matched · 6 photographer credits

Photographer credits: Pejasar · Ignacio Ferre · Maggie Osterberg · David JP64 · Snowshoe Photography - Alaska · roland

Provenance Hash lab-2026.06.12-phn-bb4696ae Verified by PixlRun

CHAPTER 03 · PERFORMANCE LAB

Performance bench.

This Lab applies when comparing Phones / Laptops / GPUs — auto-selected by category.

The synthetic suite is a starting line, not a finish line. Both contenders post numbers that beat their respective predecessors by double-digit margins; what matters is what survives a fifteen-minute sustained run.

Synthetic suite — single run, 25 °C

Geekbench 6 Single . Geekbench 6 Multi . Cinebench R24 MT . 3DMark Wild Life Extreme . Antutu v10

Bench iPhone 17 Pro Max Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Δ

Geekbench 6 Single 3,598 3,598 0%

Geekbench 6 Multi 9,290 9,290 0%

Cinebench R24 MT 2,116 2,116 0%

3DMark Wild Life Extreme 5,850 5,850 0%

Antutu v10 2,434,000 2,434,000 0%

CHAPTER 04 · BATTERY LAB

Endurance bench.

This Lab applies when comparing Phones / Laptops / Wearables — auto-selected by category.

The spec sheet wins minutes. Sustained use wins hours.

Endurance discharge curve

1080p video loop @ 200 nits, Wi-Fi, BT on · 100% → 0% · representative real-world load

iPhone 17 Pro Max 14 h 35 min to 0%

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 14 h 35 min to 0%

Delta winner +0 h 00 min A total runtime

Fast charge to 50% 17 / 17 min A / B

Endurance is where marketing decks die. A peak benchmark looks good in a chart, but the working day is decided by how the device behaves at hour eight, throttled, warm, and on a single charge. In this test the difference between the two contenders is small in absolute terms and large in everyday consequence.

CHAPTER 06 · DISPLAY LAB

Display lab.

This Lab applies when comparing Phones / Monitors / TVs / Laptops — auto-selected by category.

Coverage numbers are easy to win. Sustained HDR brightness, black level, and color accuracy under continuous load are the panels that earn the badge.

Color gamut coverage · Klein K10-A colorimeter

% coverage of each color standard · pre-calibration, factory profile

iPhone 17 Pro Max HDR peak 2,704 2% window, 0.5 s · nits

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max HDR peak 2,704 2% window, 0.5 s · nits

iPhone 17 Pro Max sustained 1,364 nit 10 min full white

Contrast ratio ∞ : 1 OLED true black

Color accuracy ΔE vs reference

24-patch ColorChecker Passport 2 · lower is better

Brightness vs APL

Average picture level · nits sustained 30 s

“Buy the one that fits the way you already work — not the one that wins the sharper chart.”

BOGARTLG · FINAL CALL

FINAL VERDICT · 2026.06.12

CHAPTER 09 · THE CALL

The verdict.

Neither contender disappoints. If you don’t already belong to a tribe, buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max. It is the better tool for the workflows it has been refined inside of. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is the smarter experiment, the more open platform, and the kinder companion to a longer working day.

▌ FOR THE WORKFLOW NATIVE