Two things I'd never change about my iPhone, but the developer did - switching from 14 Pro Max in the latest color. What I'm loving and what's got me disappointed.

Hello everyone!

I recently upgraded to the latest Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, and I'm excited to share my thoughts on this new device. My husband surprised me with the 512GB version on New Year's, and I have to say, it's been a wild ride so far. The latest model is the most advanced and expensive iPhone out there, and I'm loving every minute of it. You can find it in stores like DNS or Eldorado for around 200,000 rubles.

I used to have the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which we upgraded to at the time of its release. It was the latest model back then, but my decision to stick with 128GB was a mistake - I've never made a mistake like that before. The memory was woefully inadequate, and I'm not the only one - my husband has more than half the space free, but I always run out of room for photos and videos, especially from trips or the kids and our cat. I was happy with my old phone and wouldn't have changed it even if I'd had the chance, but this was an inevitability - I'm glad my husband finally listened to my complaints about the memory.

I'm really happy with how the 14 matches the color of our car.

One thing I will say is that I upgraded from a 12, and I have to admit that I missed the screen size on the standard model, so I wanted the max. But the 128GB on the 12 was enough for me, even though I thought it would run out sooner. It was only when I got the 14 that I started to run low. My husband actually gave me the 12 as a gift for my birthday, but it was a few months before the 13 came out, so I skipped it and went straight to the 14 when it was released.

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about the 14 so far. I'm a bit disappointed with some of the new features and updates, but at the same time, I'm excited about some of the new stuff. Some of the features that were introduced in the 15 were actually pretty cool, but I never got to try them out, so I'm not missing out on anything. What I am missing out on is the new charging cable, the updated silent mode button, and the camera button and sensor zoom on the side of the phone. I have to say, I'm really not impressed with some of the changes.

I've noticed that with each new version, the packaging just keeps getting thinner and cheaper. It feels like they're skimping on quality and using the environment as an excuse. The packaging just doesn't feel the same as it used to, even compared to the 14th generation iPhone. Let alone the older models with their beautiful packaging that was actually a pleasure to touch and look at.

Check out the flash - the picture is dull and lacking in detail. You can even see the cardboard quality has gone downhill. I remember opening the 12th generation iPhone and being impressed by the packaging, which had a nice protective film on it. The 14th generation was a bit different, but at least the box felt nice to the touch.

Nothing new here, just the Apple logo and branding. I'm starting to think that's all we'll be getting soon - they'll just say the ink on the boxes is bad for the environment.

I didn't bother taking a closer look at the back of the box, to be honest - it's a global brand, and I already knew what to expect.

First things first, let's get the stickers out of the way.

Manufacturer: AppleCountry of origin: USAStorage capacity: 512 GBPrice: Starting from 200,000 rubles for the 512 GB modelColor: Desert Titanium - or, as I like to call it, goldWhat's in the box:

Under the lid, you'll find the phone itself, positioned with the back facing up. I flipped it over and moved on to the contents.

The packaging is a bit different from what I'm used to, but that's not a bad thing.

First thing I pulled out was the charging cable - it's a nice, soft, braided cord.

One thing that caught my eye - the SIM ejector tool is actually built right into the phone, which is a nice touch, I think. I'm guessing they're trying to cut costs, but it feels like a step backward. I mean, who needs to carry around a separate tool when it's already included?

Unpacking the charger, and I'm already disappointed, disappointment number one - the charging cable has those annoying tape-style connectors on both ends. Let's be real, this is just a regular Android charger, not some fancy iPhone Lightning cable. I recently bought a new cable for my 14 iPhone and was hoping to use it with this new phone. I'm really disappointed that Apple has ditched their proprietary charging format - it was a unique feature that set them apart. Now it just feels like a step backward.

Further down from the charging port, you'll find the user manual, which I've never even opened in my life… And I thought they'd include stickers, but nope... Instead of 2 stickers, they gave me 1? You'd ask, right? But no, they don't include any stickers at all anymore! In 2014, they used to give me 2 stickers, but now it's just 1, and now 0! Don't even get me started. Apple doesn't need to advertise anymore, so they're not including these stickers so you don't end up sticking them on your stuff, like my daughter did when she was 11 and had an iPhone with 2 sets of stickers.

I'm sticking to my tradition and I'm not opening the manual.

Now, let's move on to the phone. The screen has a white protective sticker with button markings. I carefully remove it and proceed to set up my new phone.

I'll admit, activating a new phone always gets me a bit anxious. Even switching from an iPhone to an Apple phone is pretty seamless, but I'm not a fan of all the setup hassle. I like things to be spot on, so I'll be stuck with two phones for at least two weeks until I finally get everything transferred over.

Transferring to an Apple phone is a breeze. Just hold the two phones, old and new, together and let the magic happen.

It took about an hour, and I dozed off, but when I woke up, everything was ready to go. Just make sure both devices are charged.

And that's my first impression of the new Apple phone. It's a looker, feels great in the hand, and there's just something nice about getting a brand new phone.

The rear with camera modules is almost indistinguishable from my 14 Pro Max, so it's likely to be the same with the 15 Pro Max. I didn't notice any differences except for the color and design of the phone at this stage.

The phone still has a matte back, ceramics? And a shiny, beautiful Apple logo

The titanium rounded frames are a clear difference between the bodies of my 14 iPhone.

And the same button:

I've gotta say, the new sensor on the top corner is a game-changer. It lets me snap photos, adjust the focus, zoom in and out, and more. The cameras are stacked vertically, and I love the 48-megapixel main camera with 2x optical zoom. But what really caught my eye is the new ultra-wide-angle 12-megapixel camera. And with the base model, I can finally take some amazing macro shots. Plus, it's got built-in support for spatial photos and videos.

The company's really pushing the boundaries with their new AI platform, Apple Intelligence, which integrates ChatGPT across their entire product line. And it's all thanks to the new A18 processor with a beefed-up Neural Engine that's 40% faster than the A16. I'm excited to see what kind of magic this tech can bring to my content creation.

From a distance, it's hard to notice anything out of the ordinary. The only thing I did notice is that the screen looks slightly more vibrant, especially when it comes to colors in photos.

I didn't notice any difference at first, but I guess it's worth mentioning that they've removed the frames around the screen or whatever. Honestly, I'm not sure what's changed here. Does it affect performance or anything? I'm not seeing any difference, maybe it's just a cosmetic thing?

The charger is now a USB-C, starting from iPhone 15.

I've got a variant with one physical and one virtual SIM card. What's got me a bit miffed is that I used to have the Hong Kong version, which had two physical SIM cards. Even though I only use one SIM card most of the time, it was more stable for me, especially when I'm traveling to other countries. It's convenient to buy a local SIM card and swap it with my existing one, and having a second SIM card on roaming means I can receive SMS notifications and bank codes, etc.

COMPARISON TO 14 PRO MAX:

Time to compare my old and new phone – what a difference!

If you take a close look, you can see that the bezels on the 16 are actually slightly smaller than on my old phone.Same thing with the screen size – if you really look closely, it's about 0.3% bigger, but I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't read it. But when I put it to the test, I could definitely feel the difference.The screen on the 16 is way more vivid and bright than on my old phone, especially in photos.The notch on the 16 is a game-changer – it's so much more functional and shows me so much more info, like my navigation is displayed right there, telling me exactly how far I am from my destination and more.One thing that really stood out to me when looking at the back of this phone is how similar it is to other devices in terms of size and shape. The camera lenses are the same size, but if you take a closer look, you can see that the inside of the lenses are slightly different. The diameter of the fill is different, but it's hard to notice.

Now let's talk about the side of the phone - it's in action. Compared to the 14 iPhone, this one has a matte finish and a more rounded design, but to be honest, it doesn't really make a difference to me. I'm a bit of a klutz and always put my phone in a case, so I never really notice the finish. My husband, on the other hand, never uses a case, so he might have a different opinion.

Disappointment number 1:

I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed that Apple decided to stick with the Lightning port in this era of standardization. It would have made more sense to switch to USB-C, which is what most other devices are using.

Charging Port.

Why on earth did they mess with the original Lightning charging port? This is the first thing that pops into my head. All those years of exclusivity, only to ditch it for a standard Android charger after 13 years? Maybe I'm missing something, but now the charging port on my iPhone is a USB-C port, starting from the 15th model. This was a shock for me, and it's super inconvenient, especially since everyone at home has iPhones and there are cords everywhere - in every room, in the car, and so on. Now I'll have to update my chargers and then search for them among all the iPhone cords. And to make matters worse, this charger now fits any Android device and vice versa. It's just lost its individuality. I'll get used to it, I suppose, but why mess with perfection?

Disappointment number 2:

Pro Max, like Pro, boasts a new action button - it replaced the previous silent mode button. You can assign functions to it in the settings.

The Silent Mode Button. Why on earth did they replace it with a regular button? This was a unique feature that no other phone in the world had - a clever and convenient switch for silent mode.

I've got to say, there are a ton of features here.

I know the new version might be more convenient with quick settings, but... Honestly, I'm really disappointed.

APP TRANSFER:

Everything transferred and is available: Exactly what was already in my app store, but unfortunately, none of the Russian bank apps work - PNB, T-bank, and Sber were all inaccessible, with a cloud icon showing instead.

To transfer, we use a PC, preferably Windows-based, as it's easier to download the app on a Mac. We search for the Imazing app on Google, install it on the PC, connect the old phone first, copy the desired apps, then connect the new one and transfer - it takes no more than 5 minutes, and it's a breeze.

CAMERA:

I have to say, even compared to my 14 Pro Max, there's a noticeable difference - personally, I can see it. Firstly, the quality is vastly improved, brighter and more vivid, even when zoomed in, the same goes for video. Plus, the camera's functionality has expanded, for example: