It’s 2025, I was thinking about a new webcam. I was using a Microsoft (!) 1080p webcam for ages and it’s crap - esp. on a Mac. I had to use a utility called WebCamSettings to get this even working with Teams etc.
Webcam
My decision was buying a “real” webcam like an OBSBOT or an Insta 360 Link. These are not cheap and these are “only” webcams. Since iPhone 11 or never are quite capable webcams when being used as a wireless cam on macOS (the newer once even are center stage-enabled and also support portrait mode) I considered getting a new iPhone after 2 years. My iPhone 14 Pro is awesome as a camera and it supports all the new features like center stage, portrait, reactions or backgrounds. I just had to decide which phone to get as a substitute.
I bought the iPhone 16 Pro Max as my new daily device and the 14 Pro is now available as my webcam. I wanted a “Max” for a long time.
New iPhone
The 16 Pro Max is a banger in design, the titanium frame is a charm - I chose the natural color which perfectly fits my Apple Watch Ultra (1). This is the first device I also chose Apple Care with as I expect to drop it during the next 24 months due to it’s size - my hands are big but maybe not as this big ;-)
I have no issues with performance, the 14 Pro was already a game changer. The 16 Pro Max is even more impressive. It’s huge. It’s heavy. The last phone I had of this size was the Samsung Galaxy Note 1 with the stylus. My problem adapting this phone is not the size but the weight - it’s 40 grams more then the regular 16 Pro but using it with a solid case increases the weight significantly, esp. using my leather case of choice from Bandwerk.
I will use this for the next 2 years now but I am already looking forward to the 17/18 in the regular size ;-)