Review of the iPhone 15 Pro Max: the best smartphone ever just got better

Excellent cameras, a large screen, and a captivating appearance and feel

The iPhone 15 Pro Max increases the standard for smartphones in general as well as the iPhone family in almost every way. Apple’s large flagship device checks all the boxes, from the new materials to some of the greatest smartphone cameras we’ve ever used. The fact that it costs a little more than the previous generation, doesn’t offer true fast charging, and Apple’s annoying fixation on marketing 5x optical zoom as the pinnacle of smartphone telephoto technology all contribute to its little lack of perfection. Nevertheless, these turn out to be small complaints that don’t significantly lessen what is otherwise an amazing iPhone experience.

 Apple’s huge flagship ticks box after box, from novel materials to some of the best smartphone cameras we’ve ever used.

I know, Apple gleefully informed us that the iPhone 15 Pro Max (and Pro) uses the same titanium as NASA’s Mars rover. That sounds impressive to me, but when I think of titanium, I think of hip or knee replacements. Because of its low-corrosion, lightweight, and high-strength qualities, the material is preferred by surgeons, and it makes perfect sense as the new iPhone frame material.

Patients with new titanium knees and hips are unlikely to be able to touch the metal, but if you buy an iPhone 15 Pro Max or – as I did – test it, you’ll find it to be smooth yet strong, with a brushed surface that feels cool but not chilly. When compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, holding the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max feels lighter, and the titanium feels a tad warmer than the polished steel of its predecessor.

It’s not just the titanium; Apple has changed the frame somewhat, eliminating just enough metal to add curved edges all around. It’s one of the simplest yet most significant design improvements I’ve seen from a smartphone manufacturer, and it actually transforms how the phone feels in the hand.

Keeping with the theme, one of the most pleasant and useful changes is Apple’s removal of the silent / ring button. It transforms a boring, one-trick pony analog feature into a sleek, customisable button that can be practically anything you want it to be.

The introduction of the USB-C port in favor of the Lightning port, however, will be the most significant shift for some iPhone aficionados. I understand your dissatisfaction with the transition (all those now-ineffective wires in your house, office, and car), but it has no effect on the phone’s operation, and Apple does provide you with a woven USB-C-to-USB-C connection. I’ll miss the old port, but I think we’ll all forget about it quickly.

Naturally, if the only alterations between this phone and its predecessor were external, the iPhone 15 Pro Max may be a letdown. However, this is a substantially more powerful phone than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, thanks to Apple’s all-new A17 Pro hardware, which brings console-quality gaming to the iPhone range for the first time. Granted, Resident Evil: Village was not created for a 6.7-inch display, nor was Apple’s high-definition Super Retina XDR OLED panel, but at least that display now has the tiniest iPhone bezels I’ve seen.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s triple-camera array looks unchanged from the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s, but looks can be deceiving – there are upgrades both inside and out that help to deliver one of the best photography experiences you’ll find on any phone.

The triple-camera array on the iPhone 15 Pro Max appears unaltered from the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s, but appearances may be misleading – there are enhancements both inside and out that help to give one of the best photography experiences available on any phone.

IPHONE 15 PRO MAX SPECIFICATION : REVIEW

IPHONE 15 PRO MAX REVIEW: DISPLAY

The 2,000 nit maximum brightness of the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s Super Retina XDR screen can keep the view at bay.

• 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display
• Ultra-thin bezels around the display.
• Resolution remains unchanged. Still believes The adjustable refresh rate of ProMotion
• Display that is always on

If you enjoyed the 6.7-inch display on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, you’ll probably like the screen on the iPhone 15 Pro Max even more.

Apple shaved millimeters off the black bezel surrounding the Super Retina XDR OLED screen to make it seem larger (this also makes the Dynamic Island look smaller). Between that and the newly-curved edges, it really looks as if the screen extends all the way to the outer edge of the phone.

To be clear, the screen is slightly larger, but the resolution (2796 x 1290) and pixel density (460ppi) remain same from the iPhone 14 Pro Max. This iPhone is essentially just giving those pixels a bit more breathing room.

It’s still a lovely and brilliant screen, with a maximum brightness of 2000 nits, so I had no issue using it outside in direct sunshine. Its large color gamut ensures rich pictures, and its 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio allows it to sustain the darkest of blacks. It’s a pleasure to look at everything from images to games, apps, websites, and videos on this display.

With ProMotion compatibility, the iPhone 15 Pro Max can handle web page scrolling just as well as films and gaming. Everything appears to be moving smoothly. Furthermore, the phone’s ability to halt at 1Hz means that it can consumes power while still providing information when necessary; ideal for always-on functionality.

REVIEW OF THE IPHONE 15 PRO MAX CAMERAS

• Camera with dedicated 5x optical zoom
• Impressive improved portrait photography capabilities with the new 48MP main sensor

You’d be mistaken if you read the iPhone 15 Pro Max specs, see 48MP, and think nothing has changed since the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Before I begin, consider the following specifications:

• Ultra-wide: 12MP f/2.2 with 120oFoV 
• Main: 48MP f/1.78 with OIS 12MP, f/2.8, 5x optical zoom
• 3D sensor shift Front-facing
• TrueDepth: 12MP f/1.9 OIS

Every photograph I taken with the iPhone 15 Pro Max by default is produced at 24MP resolution. Yes, that is a new resolution for iPhones, and Apple accomplishes it by pixel binning 48 megapixels of data into the finest possible 12 megapixel image and then merging it with the full information of the 48MP sensor. The sole disadvantage is that 24MP photos will be slightly larger (by around a megabyte) than 12MP stills. Apple reduces storage costs by automatically storing photographs in HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format). You can also shoot in 48MP RAW format for uncompressed, editable photos.

As a result, the photographs are simply stunning. The colors are brighter and more realistic than I’ve ever seen on a smartphone, with the exception of a slightly too-blue sky (perhaps due to more aggressive use of smart HDR). Even when pitted against the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the iPhone 15 Pro Max came out on top. Flowers have beautiful hues and a stunning clarity. My macros are a step forward from what I got with the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. The skin tones are accurate. It didn’t matter what skin tone you had; the iPhone 15 Pro Max recognized and reproduced it. For example, I appear equally as pale and freckled as I do in real life.

SOFTWARE REVIEW FOR THE IPHONE 15 PRO MAX

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max charging with a Belkin MagSafe locking mechanism charger, displaying iOS 17’s StandBy feature.

• iOS 17 is available right away.
• Excellent enhancements to one’s quality of life.
• Otherwise, there have been no significant modifications.

iOS 17, which will arrive pre-installed on your new iPhone 15 Pro Max, is a very lightweight update to an already rich and complex platform, which I imagine most iPhone owners have only scratched the surface of.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s StandBy feature transforms it into one of the best bedside clocks and at-a-glance information hubs available. The new Contact Posters are a wonderful extension of some of the features included in the last Lock Screen update. I especially appreciate the new Name Drop function, which uses AirDrop to transmit contact information with another iPhone placed nearby. Just keep in mind that this feature is enabled by default, and if you have two phones close to one other with this enabled, they may automatically connect. If you buy an iPhone 15 (or any other model), I recommend going into settings and turning this off until you learn how and when to utilize it.

• Software score: 4.5 / 5

REVIEW OF THE IPHONE 15 PRO MAX BATTERY LIFE

• The battery life is the same as that of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
• USB-C charging has a little higher capacity year on year (and data speeds of up to 10Gbps).
• The power adapter is not included.
• Apple iPhone MagSafe

Apple never discloses battery capacity, so one can only presume that the battery in the iPhone 15 Pro Max is at least as huge as the one in the iPhone 14 Pro Max (independent sources claim it’s slightly larger). However, battery size is only one aspect of the story. To regulate energy usage, mAhs (milliampere-hours), CPU efficiency, and inbuilt intelligence (typically AI-based) are used.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to Apple, can be charged to 50% in 30 minutes with an optional 20W USB-C adaptor. Mine was charging 47% at the time. It took another hour and a half to charge completely. I’m not sure why Apple is so resistant to quicker wired charging.