Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro
Overall: ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro. Their chips, the Apple A18 Pro (flagship) and the 8 Elite (flagship), are close in speed. The ROG Phone 9 Pro starts with more RAM (24 GB against 8 GB). The ROG Phone 9 Pro has the bigger battery (5,800 mAh against 4,685 mAh). The ROG Phone 9 Pro has faster wired charging (65 W against 20 W).
Apple
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Apple A18 Pro
ASUS
ROG Phone 9 Pro
Snapdragon 8 EliteWhat matters to you?
Tap what you use your phone for. The overall pick then counts only those.
Overall: ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro
Better for work, study and ai. Score: ROG Phone 9 Pro 1, iPhone 16 Pro Max 0 (clear win 2, slight edge 1, same 0).
Backed by facts100% of areas
Pick this for…
Who wins for each way you use a phone. Tap a card for the evidence.
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
Same in practiceEither oneEstimateOfficialPublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
- Everyday speed: Apple A18 Pro about 5 of 5 (estimate), 8 Elite 5 of 5.
- Memory: 8 GB against 24 GB, so more apps stay open when you switch between chats and feeds.
- Front camera video for calls and lives: 4K@60fps against 1080p@30fps.
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
Same in practiceEither oneEstimateOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
- Gaming power: Apple A18 Pro about 5 of 5 (estimate), 8 Elite 5 of 5.
- Graphics: Apple GPU (6-core graphics) (3 nm) against Adreno 830 (3 nm).
- Screen: 120 Hz against 120 Hz.
- Light games run well on both. The gap shows in heavy 3D games. How long a phone holds its speed when hot needs testing, so it is not judged.
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialEstimatePublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
- Video recording: 4K@120fps against 8K@30fps.
- Front camera video: 4K@60fps against 1080p@30fps.
- Editing and export: Apple A18 Pro about 5 of 5 (estimate), 8 Elite 5 of 5. Storage: not listed for either phone.
- Photo and video quality need side-by-side testing, so we do not judge them from megapixels.
Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
Slight edgePick ROG Phone 9 ProEstimateOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
- Heavy work: Apple A18 Pro about 5 of 5 (estimate), 8 Elite 5 of 5.
- Memory: 8 GB against 24 GB. On-phone AI features need plenty of memory; most AI assistants run online and work on any phone.
- Screen: 6.9″ OLED against 6.78″ AMOLED.
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialEstimatePublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
- Screen: 6.9″ OLED against 6.78″ AMOLED.
- AV1 video decoding (smoother YouTube and Netflix, less battery): not listed against yes.
- Sound: stereo speakers, against stereo speakers.
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
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Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
- Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
- Location: dual-band GPS (L1 + L5) against dual-band GPS (L1 + L5). Dual-band GPS stays accurate between tall buildings.
Phone basics
What every use depends on, side by side.
Battery life
iPhone 16 Pro Max4,685 mAh20 W charging
ROG Phone 9 Pro5,800 mAh65 W charging
Efficiency: Apple A18 Pro about 5 of 5 (estimate), 8 Elite 5 of 5
Storage
iPhone 16 Pro Max256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TBType not published
ROG Phone 9 Pro1 TBType not published
UFS opens apps and files far faster than eMMC
Speed
iPhone 16 Pro MaxApple A18 Pro8 GB RAM
ROG Phone 9 Pro8 Elite24 GB RAM
Everyday speed: about 5 of 5 (estimate) against 5 of 5
Screen
iPhone 16 Pro Max6.9″ OLED120 Hz
ROG Phone 9 Pro6.78″ AMOLED120 Hz
Bigger is not better; pick the size you like
Toughness
iPhone 16 Pro MaxIP68
ROG Phone 9 ProIP68
IP68 survives dust and a dunk in water
Years of updates
iPhone 16 Pro MaxNo promise publishedLaunched September 2024
ROG Phone 9 ProUntil about 20262 Android upgrades, 2 years of security updates
From the maker’s written update promise
Side by side
Show differences only
| Spec | iPhone 16 Pro Max | ROG Phone 9 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.9″ | 6.78″ |
| Type | OLED | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1320 × 2868 | 2400 × 1080 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 2000 nits | 2500 nits |
| Spec | iPhone 16 Pro Max | ROG Phone 9 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A18 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| RAM | 8 GB | 24 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB | 1 TB |
| Storage type | — | — |
| Spec | iPhone 16 Pro Max | ROG Phone 9 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 48 MP | 50 MP |
| Zoom | Telephoto | 3x optical |
| Video recording | 4K@120fps | 8K@30fps |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 32 MP |
| Front video | 4K@60fps | 1080p@30fps |
| Spec | iPhone 16 Pro Max | ROG Phone 9 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 4685 mAh | 5800 mAh |
| Wired charging | 20 W | 65 W |
| Wireless charging | 25 W | 15 W |
| Spec | iPhone 16 Pro Max | ROG Phone 9 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | — | — |
| NFC (tap to pay) | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-band GPS | Yes | Yes |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
| Spec | iPhone 16 Pro Max | ROG Phone 9 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 227 g | 227 g |
| Thickness | 8.25 mm | 8.9 mm |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Spec | iPhone 16 Pro Max | ROG Phone 9 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| At launch | iOS 18 | Android 15 |
| OS upgrades | Not stated | 2 years |
| Security updates | Not stated | Not stated |
Quick answers
- Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the ROG Phone 9 Pro better for social media?
- For social media, there’s no real difference between them. Everyday speed: Apple A18 Pro about 5 of 5 (estimate), 8 Elite 5 of 5.
- Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the ROG Phone 9 Pro better for gaming?
- For gaming, there’s no real difference between them. Gaming power: Apple A18 Pro about 5 of 5 (estimate), 8 Elite 5 of 5.
- Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the ROG Phone 9 Pro better for camera and content creation?
- For camera and content creation, there’s no real difference between them. Video recording: 4K@120fps against 8K@30fps.
- Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the ROG Phone 9 Pro better for work, study and ai?
- The ROG Phone 9 Pro has a slight edge for work, study and ai. Heavy work: Apple A18 Pro about 5 of 5 (estimate), 8 Elite 5 of 5.
- Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the ROG Phone 9 Pro better for movies, music and streaming?
- For movies, music and streaming, there’s no real difference between them. Screen: 6.9″ OLED against 6.78″ AMOLED.
- Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the ROG Phone 9 Pro better for everyday life?
- For everyday life, there’s no real difference between them. Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
What we don’t judge on
Security patch level, charging watts, megapixels, benchmark scores and guessed values.
- Security patch level and other software settings change with every update, so one reading can’t judge a phone. We use the maker’s written update promise.
- Charging watts, megapixels, screen size and weight are shown, never scored as better: faster charging doesn’t make a battery last longer, and more megapixels don’t make better photos.
- Chip estimates (1 to 5) come from published design facts: core design and year, graphics, manufacturing and video features. Photo quality and how long a phone holds its speed when hot need testing, so they aren’t judged.
- Values with no source show “not published” and stay out of the verdict.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max specsASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro specsCompare with another phone