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iPhone 16 Pro Max How can I get an iPhone 16 Pro Max from the newest batch? [MERGED]

G

gluecus

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 12, 2025
19
7
Hi guys,

I constantly read about different issues with the iPhone 16 Pro Max and want to buy one. I understood that it is safe to get it if the manufacture date of the battery is November 2024 or later. I need your advice.

A few weeks ago, I ordered the 16 Pro Max 1TB online from Apple itself and the battery is from October 2024 (the iOS version was also from the same month). That’s a pity, I expected a much newer device.

What would be the best strategy to get the iP 16PM produced in or after January 2025? To go for the 512GB version as they possibly have more turnover than the 1TB versions?

Should I get it from Apple or is it also possible to buy it at Amazon or other resellers and get a recently produced phone? I would say that Apple probably has iPhones from later production batches.

Any advice is welcome…
 
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gluecus said:
Hi guys,

I constantly read about different issues with the iPhone 16 Pro Max and want to buy one. I understood that it is safe to get it if the manufacturing date of the battery is November 2024 or later. I need your advice.

A few weeks ago, I ordered the 16 Pro Max 1TB online from Apple itself and the battery is from October 2024 (the iOS version was also from the same month). That’s a pity, I expected a much newer device.

What would be the best strategy to get the iP 16PM produced in or after January 2025? To go for the 512GB version as they possibly have more turnover than the 1TB versions?

Should I get it from Apple or is it also possible to buy it at Amazon or other resellers and get a recently produced phone? I would say that Apple probably has iPhones from later production batches.

Any advice is welcome…
Click to expand...
Wait about six months and these older production units will be sold and replaced by newer ones.

Either that or keep buying and returning iPhones at the Apple Store till you finally get one. There is a 14 day return period.
 
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russell_314 said:
Wait about six months and these older production units will be sold and replaced by newer ones.

Either that or keep buying and returning iPhones at the Apple Store till you finally get one. There is a 14 day return period.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply. This is my plan indeed as it is already April. But it is strange that Apple still sells (with batteries) phones produced in October 2024. It came with iOS 18.0.1 released on 3 October 2024.
 
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I sent it back and it did. Dust under the camera lens, a few small scratches and a grainy screen. I didn’t test the responsiveness of the screen with a screen protector and decided to return the device.
 
I purchased my 16 Pro Max from my local Apple store in early February. Battery manufactured in January, Samsung G9N screen, and no touch issues without a screen protector. I only had touch issues when I installed a Torras screen protector, but with my current Belkin Ultraglass 2 I have no touch issues.
 
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gluecus said:
Hi guys,

I constantly read about different issues with the iPhone 16 Pro Max and want to buy one. I understood that it is safe to get it if the manufacture date of the battery is November 2024 or later. I need your advice.

A few weeks ago, I ordered the 16 Pro Max 1TB online from Apple itself and the battery is from October 2024 (the iOS version was also from the same month). That’s a pity, I expected a much newer device.

What would be the best strategy to get the iP 16PM produced in or after January 2025? To go for the 512GB version as they possibly have more turnover than the 1TB versions?

Should I get it from Apple or is it also possible to buy it at Amazon or other resellers and get a recently produced phone? I would say that Apple probably has iPhones from later production batches.

Any advice is welcome…
Click to expand...
What are you worried about by September 2025 your phone will be obsolete? You have only 5 months to wait until the process starts over again!
 
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GP-SE said:
I purchased my 16 Pro Max from my local Apple store in early February. Battery manufactured in January, Samsung G9N screen, and no touch issues without a screen protector. I only had touch issues when I installed a Torras screen protector, but with my current Belkin Ultraglass 2 I have no touch issues.
Click to expand...
What is the storage capacity of your phone?
 
gluecus said:
Thanks for letting us know. That’s great. So, this is one of the newest batches.
Click to expand...
Storage capacity has nothing to do with anything 🤣. What flaws are you concerned about? 20 people on a forum reporting issues? I bought my 16PM in 12/2024 and battery was made 11/2024, so very new at that time. Just re-buy and hope for the best.
 
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Newer batches can actually be worse than the first ones as they find new ways do manufacture it even cheaper!

That is often the case with cars, where newer model years lack features the first year(s) had to save some costs.
With electronics, newer „revisions“ often use cheaper materials or transistors. It’s totally normal during a products lifecycle to try to archive the „advertised functionality“ with even lower manufacturing costs.

Just sayin‘ ;)
 
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maerz001 said:
And does your phone have issues?
Click to expand...
It astounds me how many new forum posts we receive regarding battery health, charging, etc on a weekly basis. I almost wish Apple didn't bother adding the battery health section, and had been more upfront about slowing devices with old batteries instead. At least iPadOS hides battery capacity in analytics files.

Batteries are consumable. Replace them as needed.
 
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mansplains said:
It astounds me how many new forum posts we receive regarding battery health, charging, etc on a weekly basis. I almost wish Apple didn't bother adding the battery health section, and had been more upfront about slowing devices with old batteries instead. At least iPadOS hides battery capacity in analytics files.

Batteries are consumable. Replace them as needed.
Click to expand...
True. I would like to see a new subforum for battery questions which i could set on ignore
 
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I Unterstand This. I got a Late IPhone 15p (07-24) and it is so much better than the First one (still in Family use). Less Heat under iOS 18 (ok, maybe Because of that) und the Battery is more powerfull (still 100%). Great device for 700 Bucks.

So I guess Apple fixed something in the Production process.
 
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A lot of the iPhone 16 Pro Max are now being assembled in India, I just got one 2 weeks ago and the manufactured date was Feb 2025
 
Cobold said:
Newer batches can actually be worse than the first ones as they find new ways do manufacture it even cheaper!

That is often the case with cars, where newer model years lack features the first year(s) had to save some costs.
With electronics, newer „revisions“ often use cheaper materials or transistors. It’s totally normal during a products lifecycle to try to archive the „advertised functionality“ with even lower manufacturing costs.

Just sayin‘ ;)
Click to expand...
The analogy with the car industry does not necessarily hold up here. Drawing from my own experience, I can say that newer revisions of Apple devices are usually more reliable and have less “flaws” which are ironed out down the line. In the thread on touch issues with iP16PM, there is also sufficient evidence for that.

Just saying. :)
 
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A small update from my side. I ordered and already tested 4 iPhones 16 Pro Max (1TB). They are from a new batch (the batteries produced in January 2025, iOS 18.3.1). There are no touch screen issues whatsoever (without or with a screen protector (Belkin Ultra Glass 2)).

However, the screens are terrible! I got 3 GH3 and 1 GVC.

More on that here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/iPhone16Pro/comments/1gzgpin/iphone_16_pro_screen_manufacturer

If you tilt the phone a bit, the color changes from warm/yellow to green. It looks terrible. And all of them have small blemishes such as dust under camera lenses and/or scratches on the titanium frame. (One of them even has various black spots/corrosion). They all are going back to Apple.
 
gluecus said:
If you tilt the phone a bit, the color changes from warm/yellow to green. It looks terrible. And all of them have small blemishes such as dust under camera lenses and/or scratches on the titanium frame. (One of them even has various black spots/corrosion). They all are going back to Apple.
Click to expand...
Couldn’t agree more. I purchased a 16 Pro Max last week which unfortunately I had to return. The screen was absolutely horrible with what seemed like a yellow film on it, and a noticeable color shift when tilting.

I didn’t check what panel it had.

I will give it another try next week.
 
gluecus said:
A small update from my side. I ordered and already tested 4 iPhones 16 Pro Max (1TB). They are from a new batch (the batteries produced in January 2025, iOS 18.3.1). There are no touch screen issues whatsoever (without or with a screen protector (Belkin Ultra Glass 2)).

However, the screens are terrible! I got 3 GH3 and 1 GVC.

More on that here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/iPhone16Pro/comments/1gzgpin/iphone_16_pro_screen_manufacturer

If you tilt the phone a bit, the color changes from warm/yellow to green. It looks terrible. And all of them have small blemishes such as dust under camera lenses and/or scratches on the titanium frame. (One of them even has various black spots/corrosion). They all are going back to Apple.
Click to expand...
So the newest batches were manufactured in January 2025? nothing was manufactured any recent? we are talking 3 months ago.
 
IGWT15 said:
So the newest batches were manufactured in January 2025? nothing was manufactured any recent? we are talking 3 months ago.
Click to expand...
It looks like that, at least it is the case here, in The Netherlands (EU).

Three weeks ago, Apple sent me a phone produced in China in October 2024, so this is quite an improvement.
 
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