iPhone 15 Pro Max Review: For Better…and Worse ?

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What a surprise… As every year in September, Apple announced its new iPhones. The manufacturer took the opportunity to greenwasher its entire range with the help of a video clip whose carbon footprint we would like to know. Not one to shy away from a contradiction, Apple proclaims itself green while releasing four new models per year, which — as you might expect — is an absolutely ecological approach.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is therefore the top of the range of the 2023 vintage, the one that will serve as a technological showcase for the next twelve months. Despite its Himalayan price, its predecessor was the best-selling smartphone in the first six months of the year. The marketing research institute Omnia reveals that Apple delivered 26.5 million units during the first half of 2023.

Therefore, we suspect that the iPhone 15 Pro Max was expected at the turning point by the brand's aficionados. What new features does it offer ? Will its price increase ? Decrease ? By what proportions ? And in terms of design, what does it look like ? In short, is the newcomer really worth it ?

To find out, we tested it and examined it from every angle. We also lived with it for about ten days. Rather than a formal test, this year we chose to share our impressions without overwhelming you with figures or technical data. After all, our esteemed colleagues already do it very well…

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Contrary to predictions circulating on the Internet, Apple is not increasing the prices of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Better yet: it is lowering them. You will have to spend €1,479, €1,729 and €1,979 respectively for the 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB models (compared to €1,609, €1,869 and €2,129 for the equivalent 14 Pro Max).

Let's hope that this downward trend heralds a decrease in prices, those of the iPhone 15 Pro Max being “only” way too high rather than Himalayan. But as mentioned above, we are incorrigible optimists…

Let’s start with a little riddle: which is more similar to the iPhone 15 Pro Max ? The 14 Pro Max, of course! At first glance, the two models are surprisingly similar. But upon closer inspection, there are a few differences.

Not in terms of dimensions, which are almost identical from one model to another, within a few tenths of a millimeter (the 15 Pro Max is the most compact while being a bit thicker). The weight is down by 19 grams, or 9%. This may not seem like much: believe it or not, you notice it when you use it!

The game of three differences

In fact, the 15 Pro Max differs in three ways. Its chassis is now made of titanium-coated aluminum, known to be lighter than the anodized steel used until now. This partly explains the weight reduction, but not entirely (we'll come back to this later).

The sound switch gives way to an action key. By default, it retains the function of the old switch, but can now be programmed. It can be assigned the activation of a specific function, the launch of an application or even a shortcut. The idea is good and will delight users who will be able to use it as they wish.

Finally, the proprietary Lightning port is replaced by a USB-C connector. Apple Although it presents this as a step forward, this change was imposed on it by the European Union. If it failed to comply, it would no longer have been able to market its smartphones from the end of 2024.

The manufacturer loses a lot since he no longer receives royalties when an accessory maker wants to create a cable or device that is ” made for iPhone “. The user, on the other hand, will be a winner in the medium or long term and will no longer have to worry about finding a Lightning cable to charge their iPhone.

For the rest, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is an exact copy of its big brother. We won't really complain about it, the design is successful (even if it's starting to date a little): polished glass sheet with 'back, ” Ceramic Shield ” protection at the front and above all construction of impeccable quality.

Yes, but…

The choice of a titanium-coated aluminum chassis certainly allows for lighten the smartphone, but it makes it more sensitive to scratches than anodized steel. This thin layer can also jump more easily during an impact.

If you’re old enough to have used a Powerbook G4 Titanium in the early 2000s, you’ve had the painful experience of it. So much so that Apple abandoned titanium in favor of aluminum, which was considered less fragile. Is it still the same twenty years later?? Check back in a few months to find out.

We applaud the replacement of Lightning with USB-C 3.0, but we regret that Apple did not see the need to provide a cable that exploits its high speed (10 Gbps). You will have to make do with a USB-C type 2.0 model, which is significantly slower. You won’t see a difference when charging, but you will notice it when connecting to a compatible computer.

The 14 Pro Max's screen was one of its most remarkable points. It is clear that this is still the case for the 15 Pro Max, which uses its Super Retina XDR panel identically. With a diagonal of 6.7'', it produces an extraordinarily beautiful image.

Nothing to complain about in terms of adaptive brightness, strong enough to allow use in direct sunlight. The contrasts are excellent and the variable refresh rate (120 Hz max) allows for a smooth image in all circumstances.

Awesome capsule

The capsule-shaped perforation that houses the front camera and the FaceID identification device remains as visible as ever. Fortunately, Apple is continuing the concept of Dynamic Island which turns this disadvantage into an advantage. The inactive area due to the perforation is thus drowned in a black bar which is used to display secondary information.

We are not going to go into a detailed explanation of how Dynamic Island works here. We will only specify that in use, it completely masks the hideous side of the perforation. We will happily accommodate it as long as the technology does not allow the placement of sensors under the screen, without perforation.

Last year, the iPhone 14 Pro Max caused a sensation with its A16 Bionic chip engraved in 4 nanometers. What about this year?

A racing beast

The 15 Pro is even stronger with the new A17 Pro engraved in 3 nanometers. Its designers have particularly refined the graphics processor, with a view to performance worthy of a latest-generation game console. This should allow the iPhone 15 Pro Max to excel in all types of use ranging from gaming to augmented reality. Moreover, Apple has announced the arrival of AAA games in the App Store, including Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

As a preamble to this article, we promised not to bore you with numbers and technical data and we keep our word. Just remember that Apple didn’t lie: the computing power of the A17 Pro chip leaves all its competitors smartphone-oriented ones standing. Better yet, it almost matches the performance of the Silicon M2 processor powering the iPad Pro!

Yes, but…

As efficient as it is, the 15 Pro Max heats up quickly as soon as it is made to perform tasks requiring a lot of computing power. This inconvenience is a direct consequence of the reduced weight of the device. If the aluminum + titanium pair is lighter than the steel of previous models, its use does not is not enough to explain the 19 grams less.

We think Apple made some concessions in terms of the heat dissipation mechanism by making it lighter. This is understandable since the A17 Pro chip is supposed to heat up less. Since aluminum and titanium dissipate heat more easily, this is noticeable when you hold the smartphone in your hand. While the sensation may seem strange, it is nothing to worry about and the iPhone 15 Pro Max never gets hot enough to become hot. For now.

In terms of battery life, the iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn't really stand out in one direction or the other, despite a battery whose capacity increases (very) slightly: 4441 mAh against 4323 mAh for the 14 Pro Max.

According to our tests, a normal user will last a full day without needing to recharge the battery (a bit of gaming, streaming audio and video, recording about fifty photos and a few minutes of video).

Intensive users — those who overdo a good thing — will have a hard time getting through the day without having to recharge. It's not extraordinary, but not catastrophic either.

In order to grab a few extra hours of battery life, you can disable energy-consuming functions if possible. Examples include the always-on display, unused wireless communications (especially 5G) or limiting the brightness and refresh rate of the screen.

No change in charging speed. With a branded power adapter that will cost you a few dozen euros extra (there are no small profits), the battery goes from 0 to 50% in 32 minutes. Reaching 100% takes 91 minutes: we've seen faster.

the iPhone 15 Pro Max is also compatible with induction. This is not very fast with an Apple MagSafe charger (count 150 minutes if the iPhone is not in use) and downright slow with a standard Qi model (a little over 200 minutes, all the same). Here too, we've seen faster.

Finally, reverse charging, which allows you to transfer energy from your iPhone to a device that needs it, is making its appearance. However, you will have to use a USB-C cable, as its induction version has not been implemented. This is all the more surprising since the competition — Samsung and Huawei in the lead — has been offering this for years.

Yes, but…

No power adapter provided or reverse induction charging. A horribly slow transition from 0 to 100% for a high-end smartphone: clearly, Apple still has some progress to make in terms of energy management! Surely for the next generation… We know that this is wishful thinking, but we can't help but wish it year after year. But it is true that we are optimistic by nature…

The back camera of the iPhone 15 Pro Max has four modules:

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Main: 48MP sensor; 24mm f/1.78 lens; DualPixel autofocus; sensor-shift optical image stabilization
Telephoto: 12MP sensor; 24-120mm f/2.8 tetraprism lens; sensor-shift optical image stabilization
Ultra wide-angle: 12MP sensor; 13 mm f/2.2 lens, DualPixel autofocus
Depth of field: LiDAR technical module calculating the spatial position of objects in the scene (used for portrait mode and night shooting, does not produce an image)

The front camera is composed of two elements:

Main module: 12 Mpxl sensor(1/3.6’’ size, 1.22 µm photosites); 23 mm lens with f/1.9 aperture; DualPixel autofocus
3D module: facial identification and recognition (mainly used for FaceID and portrait mode

With the notable exception of the telephoto lens on the rear camera, nothing has changed drastically compared to the 14 Pro Max. We have no reason to complain about it as it was so efficient.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 24-120mm telephoto lens, which therefore benefits from a 5x zoom factor. In good light, the images produced are very good across the entire focal length. The quality is also there in dim light, even if we see a little digital noise appear.

The ultra-wide angle behaves like an… ultra-wide angle. The image is good in the middle of the scene, but lacks sharpness on the edges. The same observation in low light or dim light, with the added bonus of a little digital noise in the dark areas. Although it is not bad, we would like Apple to seriously look into it, even if it means using AI processing. Because the ultra-wide angle has been practically marking time since the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The main module produces images that we do not hesitate to describe as excellent in broad daylight, in reduced light and even in the dark. By default, the images are shot in 24 mm, the nominal value of the lens. It is however possible to substitute a focal length of 28 mm or 35 mm in the settings. Is it interesting ? It is a question of taste and habit.

A significant new feature is that the images are recorded in 24 Mpxl and not in 12 Mpxl. Here too, an option allows you to restore the lowest definition, in order to save a little storage space (1 MB less on a 12 Mpxl JPEG). You can also opt for 48 Mpxl, without the difference being obvious.

The choice of 24 Mpxl is the most relevant in most cases. Rather than applying a pixel binningLimping to go from 48 to 24 Mpxl, Apple engineers call on AI.

Ultra wide-angle © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

Main module © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

Zoom 2x © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

Zoom 5x © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

Zoom 10x © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

Zoom 25x © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

When triggered, it retrieves the image from the main sensor (48 Mpxl), but also that of the telephoto lens (12 Mpxl). They are then recombined using a complex algorithm to preserve the details of one and the technical information of the other. The result is then scaled to 24 Mpxl. This method is made possible by the impressive processing power provided by the A17 Pro chip and its neural processors.

From 2x, the definition automatically switches to 12 Mpxl, the nominal value of the telephoto lens. The information from the main sensor is always used to improve the final image. The result is impeccable up to 5x and very honorable up to 10x, the AI doing an excellent job.

Beyond that, a hybrid digital zoom takes over: the photos are correct up to 10x, then the quality deteriorates as we move towards the 25x zoom, the maximum authorized value.

In good light and with a little indulgence, we can still use the 25x zoom provided we do not crop the image too much. This would make the digital noise and lack of details too visible (although AI is efficient, it cannot accurately invent information not received from the sensors!).

Ultra wide angle at night © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

Main night module © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

Zoom 2x at night © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

Zoom 5x at night © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

Zoom 10x at night © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

25x zoom at night © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

Surprisingly, the result remains quite honorable in night shots, allowing a zoom level at least interesting. You shouldn't count on the iPhone 15 Pro Max to take pictures of the Moon, as our satellite will in any case look like a white spot that is not very usable.

As we can see, the zoom of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is ultimately a pleasant surprise, with Apple demonstrating its computational photography capabilities here.

Macro mode

Average brightness © Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron

The other functions are just as good. Portrait mode handles complex scenes well and generates very convincing background blur on objects, human subjects and even animals. The focus of a portrait can be done retrospectively on another area of the image and we can also play on the depth of field level. These possibilities prove interesting to recover a portrait shot quickly.

The macrophotographs are of excellent quality, even if it is necessary from time to time to You have to do it twice to get a decent image.

A word about video capture to close this chapter. The iPhone 15 Pro Max can now record in 4K 60 fps /s on all four modules (the three rear ones as well as the front camera). The manufacturer has refined the professional functions by now authorizing capture in ProRES 4K 60 fps provided that an external SSD is connected to the smartphone. This constraint is common sense given the volume of files generated.

Recording can now be done in Log format, which is to video what RAW is to photography. This gives videographers a format suitable for editing in professional software that supports LUTs (LookUp Table) in order to maintain color uniformity when using different cameras.

Last but not least, the action mode works wonders in terms of stabilization during filming. So much so that in many situations it allows you to not use a mechanical stabilizer. It’s not quite as good as a GoPro or DJI Osmo Action 4 camera, but it’s getting closer.

Yes, but…

As good as the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s image department is, it’s not perfect yet.During our tests, we noticed the regular appearance of reflections and aberrations related to the optics. These are present when a light source is directly in the field of view of the device. And this happens quite often, day and night.

This problem has been going on for a very, very long time (we noticed it since the iPhone 5). We naively thought that Apple would gradually refine the formula of its optics in order to correct this: this is not the case.

Apple is not the only manufacturer facing this problem: Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei have also had to deal with it. With the exception of Apple, all have found ways to mitigate it, if not make it disappear. Let's hope that Apple will get down to the task, whether by changing the optical formula or by AI processing.

The other glaring lack in the photography section is undoubtedly the lack of extensive editing options. For example, Samsung and Google offer functions for removing objects or reducing reflections when photographing through a window. None of this at Apple and you will have to invest in third-party software to do it. Too bad.

There’s no doubt that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a success in many ways. Its processing power opens up new possibilities for mobile gaming and augmented reality, while its screen is simply one of the best on the market. The replacement of the Lightning port with a USB-C connector, imposed on Apple by the European Union, is excellent news for consumers.

We note with a little concern a tendency to overheat, without it being prohibitive. Red card for the lack of charger, for the USB-C 2.0 cable

The photographic aspect is still as good, if we exclude the parasitic reflections and optical aberrations present in certain situations. The video capture is enriched with useful professional functions. Finally, we still appreciate the conformity of the device to the IP68 waterproof standard.

Is it relevant to opt for an iPhone 15 Pro Max if you have a 14 Pro Max ? No, the two models remain very close. Only wealthy USB-C fetishists will consider it. Unless you fantasize about Dynamic Island, the answer is the same for owners of a 13 Pro Max. We can also keep a 12 Pro Max without too much regret and – why not – an 11 Pro Max, even if the transition to the new model can be justified.

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Teilor Stone

Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116