> In my hands the 16 pro max looks small. I only care about battery life really and it is really not great

The Max version may have room for a bigger battery, but it needs to drive a bigger screen so it’s a double-edged sword. I’m not sure if you end up ahead or not.

If battery life is an issue you can turn off some the more gimmicky «pro» features like the always on screen.

I have a «regular» 15 pro and I think battery life is good. I haven’t had a single day where overrun out of battery so far.

The Max phones always have better battery life