iPhone 15 Pro Max: Price, Action Button, USB-C, and More
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is Apple’s most expensive, powerful, and capable smartphone so far. It has some notable features like a new Action button, a titanium design, and a powerful A17 Pro chip. What sets it apart from the smaller iPhone 15 Pro is its unique 5x optical zoom telephoto camera.
For a comprehensive review of the iPhone 15, check out our iPhone 15 Pr Max Camera review. Don’t forget to also read our reviews on the iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro Max vs iPhone 14 Pro Max, and iPhone 15 Pro Max review for an in-depth look at the entire iPhone 15 lineup from Apple.
You’ll find that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is more than capable of competing with top Android phones from Samsung and Google. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about Apple’s best new iPhone. Additionally, the device now offers a larger 5x telephoto zoom, bringing it closer to Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra in terms of capabilities. However, not everything about the iPhone 15 Pro Max is impressive. It comes with a higher starting price of $1,199 compared to the previous model. Despite the inclusion of a USB-C port and the end of Lightning, charging speeds remain relatively slow. Considering these factors, one might wonder if the iPhone 15 Pro Max is truly the best phone available.
If you’re undecided, take a look at our comparison between the iPhone 15 Pro Max vs the iPhone 15 Pro Plus.
- Review of the iPhone 15 vs iPhone 14
- Review of the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Review of the iPhone 14 Pro
Contents
iPhone 15 Pro Max Cheat Sheet
Here are some key features of the new iPhone 15 Pro Max:
- New titanium design that combines aluminum, making the iPhone stronger and lighter while effectively dissipating heat.
- Introducing the new Action button which allows for custom shortcuts.
- Improved Dynamic Island capabilities.
- More options for customization on the always-on display in Standby mode.
- Powered by the A17 Pro chip, featuring a 3-nanometer process, 19 billion transistors, a 6-core CPU, and 2x Neural Engine performance.
- Enjoy a 20% faster GPU that enables hardware-accelerated ray tracing and sustained gaming performance.
- Equipped with a USB-C connector and a new controller that supports USB 3 speeds at 10Gbps. This is 20x faster than USB 2, allowing for quick transfers of ProRaw files to Mac.
- Enhanced Night Mode thanks to the Photonic Engine and LiDAR technology.
- The new telephoto camera utilizes a periscope design, providing 5x optical zoom at a focal length of 120mm. Perfect for detailed close-ups.
- The ultrawide camera now features an improved night mode, enhanced HDR, and an anti-reflective coating.
- Capture spatial videos by using both the ultrawide and main cameras together, perfect for Apple Vision Pro.
- Prices start at $1,199 for the base model with 256GB storage and go up to 1TB.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Design and Display
The design of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is really eye-catching. It looks sleek and elegant, showing off Apple’s attention to detail and high-quality craftsmanship. You can choose from a range of beautiful finishes like Graphite, Gold, Silver, and Sierra Blue to match your style.
The standout feature of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is its Super Retina XDR OLED display. It offers a really immersive viewing experience with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and great contrast. The display also supports HDR content, making movies, photos, and games look incredibly detailed and realistic.
What makes the display of the iPhone 15 Pro Max even more impressive is the ProMotion technology. With a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, the screen feels incredibly smooth and responsive. Whether you’re scrolling through social media or playing games with intense graphics, you’ll notice how fluid everything looks.
Not only does ProMotion enhance the visual experience, but it also improves usability. Touch interactions feel immediate and precise, giving you instant feedback when tapping or swiping on the screen. This makes tasks like typing or navigating through apps feel faster and more intuitive.
Another great feature is True Tone technology. It adjusts the color temperature of the display based on the surroundings so that colors always look consistent and accurate. Whether you’re indoors or outdoors, your content will always appear vibrant and true to life.
Overall, the design and display of the iPhone 15 Pro Max come together beautifully to create a visually stunning device that enhances your multimedia consumption and gaming experiences. The Super Retina XDR OLED display with ProMotion technology, along with the range of available finishes, sets this iPhone apart from its competitors. Get ready to be amazed by its stunning visuals and immersive display.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Colors
The iPhone 15 Pro Max offers a stunning new titanium design that exudes elegance and sophistication. To complement its sleek metallic body, it is available in a range of captivating colors that enhance its aesthetic appeal.
Here are the captivating color options for the iPhone 15 Pro Max:
- Natural Titanium: This color option showcases the raw beauty of titanium, with a subtle yet striking silver hue. It exudes a timeless charm and adds a touch of understated luxury to the device.
- Blue Titanium: The Blue Titanium variant introduces a bold and eye-catching shade to the iPhone 15 Pro Max lineup. Its deep blue tone effortlessly captures attention and adds an element of uniqueness to the device.
- White Titanium: The White Titanium color option exudes purity and elegance. With its pristine white hue, it offers a clean and sophisticated look that appeals to those who prefer a minimalist aesthetic.
- Black Titanium: For those seeking a classic and sleek appearance, the Black Titanium variant is an excellent choice. Its deep black color lends an air of sophistication and modernity to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
While we strive to accurately represent these colors on our website, it’s essential to see them in person to fully appreciate their beauty and make an informed decision. Each shade brings its own unique character to the device, allowing you to choose one that resonates with your personal style.
Whether you prefer the timeless allure of Natural Titanium, the striking vibrancy of Blue Titanium, the pristine elegance of White Titanium, or the sleek sophistication of Black Titanium, each color option enhances the overall appeal of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera
The cameras on the iPhone 15 Pro Max have been upgraded to provide even better photography and videography capabilities. Here are some key improvements:
Main Camera
The main camera now takes 24-megapixel photos instead of 12MP by default, resulting in sharper and more detailed images. The low-light photography performance has also been enhanced, allowing you to capture stunning shots even in challenging lighting conditions.
Ultrawide Camera
The ultrawide camera now features an anti-reflective lens coating, which reduces glare and improves image quality. Additionally, the HDR performance of the ultrawide camera has been improved, delivering more vibrant and balanced photos.
Telephoto Camera
The biggest camera upgrade is the new 12MP telephoto camera. It utilizes a periscope lens arrangement that enables a 5x optical zoom and a focal length of 120mm. This means you can capture incredible close-up shots with exceptional clarity and detail. It’s perfect for capturing wildlife, sports events, or any subject that requires a closer view.
Smart HDR Processing
The Smart HDR processing has been further refined to produce more realistic skin tones and colors. This enhancement ensures that your photos look true to life, with accurate hues and natural-looking tones.
LiDAR Scanner
With the combination of the LiDAR scanner, main camera, and ultrawide camera, the iPhone 15 Pro Max can capture “Spatial” footage. This specialized footage is designed for use with the Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset, providing an immersive visual experience like never before.
Video Capabilities
On the video side, the A17 Pro chip with its enhanced neural processing elevates the quality of your recordings. It excels in low-light situations, allowing you to capture clear videos even when lighting conditions are less than optimal. Additionally, fast movement capture is improved, ensuring smooth and crisp video footage.
With these camera upgrades, the iPhone 15 Pro Max empowers you to capture breathtaking photos and videos, whether you’re an amateur photographer or a seasoned professional. The enhanced features and capabilities make it easier than ever to capture the world around you with stunning clarity and detail.
iPhone 15 Pro Max USB-C
The iPhone 15 Pro Max now comes with a USB-C port instead of the Lightning port found in previous iPhones. This change allows for faster connectivity speeds, offering USB 3 speeds of up to 10Gbps. As a result, users can directly transfer high-bandwidth content like ProRes and ProRAW photos and videos from the iPhone 15 Pro Max to MacBooks using USB-C. Additionally, it enables recording 4K videos at 60 frames per second directly to external hard drives.
Some key benefits of the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 Pro Max include:
- Enhanced Connectivity: The USB-C port provides faster data transfer speeds compared to the previous Lightning port, making it ideal for professionals who work with large files or high-resolution media.
- Seamless Workflow: With the ability to transfer high-bandwidth content like ProRes and ProRAW files directly from the iPhone 15 Pro Max to MacBooks using USB-C, content creators can streamline their workflow and save time by eliminating the need for additional adapters or wireless transfers.
- Expanded Storage Options: The USB-C port allows users to record 4K videos at 60 frames per second directly to external hard drives. This means that professionals can take advantage of larger storage capacities without worrying about filling up their iPhone’s internal storage.
- Professional-Grade Video Recording: The combination of advanced cameras and the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 Pro Max makes it an excellent choice for video content creators. The ability to record high-quality 4K videos at a smooth frame rate directly to external hard drives enhances the overall video production capabilities of the device.
Interesting Fact: USB-C is becoming more prevalent across various devices due to its versatility and faster data transfer speeds. It is a universal standard that allows for seamless connectivity between different devices, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, and more.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Battery and Charging
- Up to 30 hours of video playback
Apple doesn’t discuss battery sizes, so we’ve not been told the size of the cell in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But Apple claims it’ll deliver up to 29 hours of video playback, and we managed to get a solid 28 hours while testing the phone for our full iPhone 15 Pro Max review. This is a significant improvement compared to previous generations, ensuring that you can enjoy your favorite movies and TV shows without worrying about running out of battery.
- Fast charging capabilities
Apple says the iPhone 15 Pro Max can recharge to 50% in just 30 minutes with an optional 20W USB-C adapter. During our testing, we found that our device charged to an impressive 47% within that time frame. However, it’s important to note that reaching a full charge from 0% took an additional hour and a half. Nevertheless, this fast-charging feature allows you to quickly top up your battery when you’re short on time.
- Versatile charging options
Charging the iPhone 15 Pro Max is convenient and flexible. You have the option to charge it via USB-C or MagSafe, providing you with different ways to power up your device. Additionally, the phone supports Qi2 wireless charging, allowing you to simply place it on a compatible wireless charging pad for hassle-free recharging. With these multiple charging options, you can choose the method that suits your needs and preferences best.
Remember that actual battery life may vary depending on usage patterns and settings. However, with its impressive video playback time and fast charging capabilities, the iPhone 15 Pro Max ensures that you can stay connected and entertained throughout the day without constantly worrying about finding an outlet.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Processor and Storage
A17 Pro Chip
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is powered by the new A17 Pro chip, which boasts significant improvements in CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine processing. With 19 billion transistors on a cutting-edge 3-nanometer process, the A17 Pro chip offers a 10% faster CPU and an impressive 8-core GPU. This upgraded GPU not only performs 20% better than its predecessor but also supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing. As a result, users can expect visually stunning games like Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4, Death Stranding, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage to deliver an immersive gaming experience when they’re ported over to the new Pro iPhones.
Enhanced Neural Engine Processing
The A17 Pro chip brings a significant improvement in Neural Engine processing, delivering up to 35 trillion operations per second. This means that Siri can now perform advanced on-device functions without relying heavily on cloud connectivity. Users can enjoy faster and more efficient voice commands and AI-powered features right from their iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Impressive Benchmarks
Early benchmarks of the iPhone 15 Pro Max have already surfaced, showcasing the incredible power of the A17 Pro chipset. These benchmarks reveal scores that surpass any Android phone and even outperform the previous iPhone model, the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The A17 Pro chip’s exceptional performance ensures smooth multitasking, seamless app navigation, and lightning-fast responsiveness.
Increased RAM
According to these benchmarks, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is rumored to come with 8GB of RAM, an upgrade from the 6GB found in its predecessor. However, Apple never discloses RAM specifications for its devices officially. We will have to wait for teardowns or official announcements to confirm the exact RAM capacity of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Enhanced Connectivity
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is equipped with a second-generation ultra-wideband chip, enabling improved connectivity with other devices. This advanced chip extends the range of connectivity up to three times further than the previous generation, allowing for seamless communication and interaction between compatible devices. Additionally, the iPhone 15 Pro Max supports Wi-Fi 6E, which offers faster speeds, lower latency, and improved network efficiency compared to previous Wi-Fi standards.
With its groundbreaking A17 Pro chip, enhanced Neural Engine processing, impressive benchmarks, increased RAM (rumored), and advanced connectivity features, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is set to deliver an unparalleled user experience in terms of performance, gaming capabilities, and seamless device integration.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Price
The iPhone 15 Pro Max was announced at the latest Apple September event on September 12, 2023, and was made available for purchase both in-store and online on September 22. Pricing for the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,199 for the base model with 256GB of storage. The top-of-the-line 1TB model is priced at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,899.
Compared to its predecessor, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has seen a slight price increase in the US and Australia. The base price of the iPhone 14 Pro Max was $1,099 / £1,199 / AU$1,899 but came with only 128GB of storage. The iPhone 15 Pro Max now starts at a higher price but offers more storage capacity at its base level.
For those looking for the best deals on the iPhone 15 Pro Max in their region, there are several options available:
US
- Apple: Get up to $650 off with a trade-in rebate.
- AT&T: Save up to $1,000 with a trade-in.
- Best Buy: Enjoy up to $1,000 off with a trade-in.
- Boost Infinite: Get the iPhone 15 Pro with unlimited data for $60/month.
- Verizon: Get $1,000 off the iPhone 15 Pro with any iPhone trade.
UK
- Sky Mobile: Get the iPhone 15 on Sky Mobile starting from £34 per month.
- Vodafone: Choose from various plans starting from £18 per month on Vodafone EVO.
- Vodafone: Save up to £821 with Vodafone Trade-in.
- Apple: Trade in with Apple to save up to £715.
These deals provide an opportunity for customers to save on the purchase of the iPhone 15 Pro Max while enjoying its advanced features and capabilities. Whether you’re in the US or the UK, there are options available to suit your budget and preferences.
