I popped into my PC world and took some screens comparing 5, 7, 10, 12, and 16 chunk render distance. At least in the old version I was using 16 is where it maxed out, though I'm sure when playing VR modded version I've at least had it in the 20s before.
Thanks for the screens showing the comparisons. I think you're missing the label for 12 chunks? On 10 chunks and below (and even 12, to a lesser degree), you cannot even see the island which is only a short distance away. When exploring, not being able to see things until you are on the same major landmass is a bit of a buzzkill.