Detailed information about iPhone 15 Pro Max

iPhone 15 Pro Max launch time

iPhone 15 Pro Max was officially launched at 0:00 September 13, 2023 at the Wonderlust event organized by Apple with iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Plus, Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

iPhone 15 Pro Max specifications

1. Screen size - 6.7 inches
2. Weight - 221g
3. Memory - 8GB
4. Battery Life - Up to 29 hours of video playback (25 hours when streaming)
5. Memory - 3 versions 256GB, 512GB or 1TB
6. Warranty - 1 year, extendable with AppleCare.
7. Operating system - iOS 17
8. Display - Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion and 2796 x 1290 resolution.
9. CPU - Apple A17 Pro Chip (6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine)
10. Port - USB-C

Design

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1. Titanium frame
2. 6.7 inch OLED screen
3. Finally moved to USB-C port

To be honest, many were hoping for a slightly fresher design but as with any iPhone since the iPhone X, you'll be hard-pressed to tell the difference here.

There's an Action button, which replaces the old Mute switch from 2007, and the phone's exterior is now made of Titanium. That feels lighter in the hand or in a pocket, and while the change isn't huge, it's welcome - especially for a large phone.

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However, the biggest change this year is that Apple is trying to catch up with USB-C. That's right, the iPhone 15 series finally ditches Lightning. It's nice to now be able to charge my iPhone with any other cable lying around the house.

Camera and photography capabilities

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1. 48MP rear camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, 12MP telephoto camera
2. New software feature allows portrait photos to be adjusted after capture
3. 12MP front camera

The iPhone 15 Pro Max represents a significant step forward in terms of cameras, making this phone Apple's best camera option. That improvement is 5x optical zoom instead of the smaller Pro's 3x optical zoom on the telephoto lens.

Additionally, much of the same great camera tech from last year has been carried over - there's a 48MP rear camera and a 12MP Ultra Wide camera along with 12MP Telephoto.

Perhaps the best new addition, however, is the ability to adjust the focus of portrait photos after taking them. iPhone will now collect depth data when it detects human or animal subjects, allowing you to adjust the bokeh effect around multiple subjects or blur someone in the foreground.

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For those who frequently try to take photos of a moving subject, like children or animals, it comes in handy because it allows skipping the step to Portrait mode, although it's worth noting that it will still work on the iPhone 13 and 14 series according to Apple.

Details are very clear, even in daylight. For example, look at the details on a boat or the ripples on the water.

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The colors captured are quite realistic but that accuracy can again be enhanced with Photography Styles filters that can be set before or after the photo is taken.

You can still shoot in ProRAW, but note that file sizes will be huge - removing the 128GB option means having to start with at least 256GB of storage.

There's nothing new from last year when it comes to video, other than the option to record directly to external storage thanks to the USB-C connection. That means if you have the drive available, you can record 4K video at 24, 25, 30 or 60p directly to the storage device itself.

Specifications and performance

1. Unbelievable performance from the A17 chip
2. Easily capable of multi-tasking
3. Great battery life

The iPhone 14 Pro feels like a step up from the 13 Pro, but the A17 in the 15 Pro series feels like a real leap forward in performance.

Although Apple spent much of its Wanderlust event showcasing Ray Tracing capabilities for more realistic lighting in games, there's no need to play huge, console-quality titles to get a feel for it. Get increased performance on iOS.

Switch between apps lightning fast. In League of Legends Wild Rift, react faster than ever, even when 10 players converge. The frame rate remains steady throughout, which also applies to the always visually impressive Genshin Impact.

Last year's iPhone 14 Plus was the king of battery life, but this year, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has officially usurped the throne. A whopping 29 hours of battery life is achieved on a single charge, especially when watching videos - less when video chatting or gaming.

Fast charging requires a 20W adapter and will get you to 50% battery in 35 minutes, and there's no charger in the box - just a USB-C to USB-C cable.

Finally is the Action button. While the new physical input is set as a mute switch by default, there are plenty of options including translation and flashlight. However, using Shortcuts (Apple's automation product) helps users trigger everything with it - including opening apps, changing Focus mode, etc.

How is iPhone 15 Pro Max different from iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15?

A big change this year is the inclusion of Dynamic Island on all models; smaller notch. Although the design hasn't changed too much, there are a few subtle changes. The edges are still flat but rounded, making it easier to hold and use the device. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are much more interesting as they use a new titanium frame that looks stunning.

And with the move to titanium, the Pro models will be lighter than last year's steel variants. This year's Pro models are available in black, gold, blue, and raw titanium. Another new addition, limited to the Pro models, is the Action button; Think of it as a multi-function button that allows launching shortcuts, starting a timer, taking photos, etc.

iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are powered by the A16 Bionic, which debuted on the Pro series last year. The A16 Bionic offers decent benefits over the A15, but what makes the bigger difference is the efficiency gain. Both models have satellite connectivity and an emergency SOS feature.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have the A17 Pro chip, built on a brand new 3nm node – a resounding win over Qualcomm, MediaTek and Samsung Exynos. The 16-core Neutral Engine is 2x faster and this time users get a dedicated AV1 decoder.

The A17 Pro has 19 billion transistors and includes 6 cores, a 10% performance increase compared to the A16 Bionic. The GPU sees a fundamental change this year, with the new 6-core part built on a new architecture and delivering a 20% increase.

But what's most striking is that the GPU now uses hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing - similar to the best NVIDIA cards. This new hardware allows games like Resident Evil Village to launch on the iPhone.

Obviously, the biggest change is USB-C connectivity, and all models have a standard charging port. The USB-C port works with charging, audio, video and data transfer, and Pro models have a USB 3 controller with 10 Gigabit bandwidth.

iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have a larger 48MP camera and use a new coating to reduce lens flare. What's interesting is that these models have the ability to switch focal lengths between 24mm, 28mm and 35mm. The 12MP wide-angle lens is the same as last year, and it doubles as a macro lens.

The 3x zoom lens on the Pro model has the same 77mm focal length as last year, and on the Pro Max variant, there's a new zoom lens capable of 5x optical zoom. The 120mm focal length is the largest focal length on the iPhone, this module uses OIS and 3D sensor shift to deliver stable images and videos.

Portrait and Night modes are tweaked to take better advantage of the hardware, and Smart HDR should work better in outdoor conditions.

Samuel Daniel

Update 28 May 2024