iPhone 16 Pro Max: already surpassed by its elders?

Every year, the release of new iPhones is accompanied by a wave of comparisons. The newly arrived models are thus compared to their predecessors. The objective? Determine whether progress is being made from one generation to the next. An exercise that has become a realritualfor apple lovers.

This time, iClarified has embarked on a rather original test. The site compared thestartup speedof the last three iPhone Pro Max running iOS 18. The iPhone 14 Pro Max, 15 Pro Max and 16 Pro Max were thus put to the test. The results are surprising to say the least…

iPhone 14 Pro Max leads, 16 Pro Max lags behind

Against all expectations, it was the iPhone 14 Pro Max which proved to be the fastest. He only put11.2 secondsto display the iOS 18 home screen. The iPhone 15 Pro Max follows closely with 11.66 seconds. The real surprise comes from the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which brings up the rear with15.2 seconds. A significant gap that raises questions.

You would have thought that Apple's latest, equipped with the A18 Pro chip, would be the fastest. However, he is 4 seconds behind his elders. A notable difference which does not fail to challenge. Several hypotheses can be put forward to explain this unexpected result.

Software optimizations still to come?

One track could be the famousadaptation timeafter a major iOS update. As we mentionedwhen deploying iOS 17.4, iPhones need some time to optimize after a new system version. However, this explanation does not hold here, since all three devices are running the newly installed iOS 18.

Another possibility would be that the iPhone 16 Pro Max, being a new model, still requiressoftware optimizations. Apple may refine startup performance in future updates. It should also be borne in mind that the iPhone 16 Pro Max, less full in terms of data and apps than its predecessors, should theoretically start up faster.

Regardless, this test highlights an interesting reality. Performance gains are not always where you expect them. If the iPhone 16 Pro Max impresses otherwise, it still seems to have room for improvement on this specific point. There is no doubt that Apple is already working to close this surprising gap. A case to follow in theupcoming iOS 18 updates.