Each year in September Apple launches the new iPhone and this year too, the new models of the iPhone were launched. Last year we reviewed the Apple iPhone 14 Pro model and this year we are reviewing its bigger brother the iPhone 15 Pro Max (check out the unboxing of the iPhone 15 Pro Max here). We have been playing around with the iPhone 15 Pro Max for over 2 weeks and this is our comprehensive review, so let’s dive in.
In This Article
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Review: Design and Display
When it comes to the design of the new Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, there are two big changes. The company has gone away with the lightning charging port and installed the USB-C port. The box now comes with the USB-C to USB-C cable (yes, no charger in the box). The other big change is the inclusion of an action button that replaces the ringer key. This is great and one can now customise this button to a task of your choosing. And it comes with a great user interface, will talk about that in just a moment.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is built of more sustainable and recycled materials, which includes an internal aluminium structure that is 100% recycled. Over that, the frame of the Pro Max is built of titanium, which not only makes the smartphone lighter but also makes it look exceptionally good. The rear of the smartphone is made of textured matte glass, while the front sports the Ceramic shield glass.
Since it is the Pro version, the camera structure at the back sport three cameras instead of two placed on a beautiful camera bump. The Apple logo can also be found under it and the overall façade looks very modern. Apart from that, the usual suspects like the power button, volume keys and the speaker grille can also be found on the sides as well as the bottom (respectively).
Let’s move to the Display of the smartphone. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max strides in with a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR (OLED) screen supporting 2,796 x 1,290 pixels resolution at 460ppi. The peak brightness of the display has been bumped to 2,000 nits, which makes everything legible even under direct sunlight. Adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz has also been included along with HDR capabilities.
We played a lot of videos and games on the smartphone and not once did it give us a chance to say, OH! That does not feel right. At every step, it impressed us and the peak brightness does make it very legible under direct sunlight. Ray Tracing is also supported, however since there are no games on the mobile platform that support it, we have to take Apple’s word for it so that in the future it will deliver the best in RT gaming.
Netflix and YT videos look good on the device and we loved that the sound compliments each type of movie or music genre. All in all, the large screen is still one of the best aspects. It is very-very impressive.
Read Also: iPhone 15 Pro Max Vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Specs compared
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Review: Performance and Cameras
Inside, the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max has been equipped with the latest A17 Pro chipset that not only boasts faster app opening but with its top-of-the-line GPU can also play the latest upcoming games using ray-tracing tech (as said). The battery has also been improved and now you will get a full-day battery life and, in some cases, even more than a day. However, if you are a power user like us, you might need to charge the phone after 20-21 hours, which is still great for a full day of office hours and more.
Cameras are one key area where the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max outshines the rest. The addition of the 48MP primary sensor at the back makes it so much better than the last generation and this is something all us techies wanted. The images shot in daylight and good indoor lights come out vivid and very sharp. Low-light images are no different. We were able to squeeze some good shots from all three rear cameras at night. Also, now users can zoom up to 5X optically and capture great shots. This is still slightly behind the competition, nonetheless, the image-capturing capabilities here are much better at max zoom levels.
Videos can be shot in 4K resolution at 60FPS and come out very crisp too, even in low-lit areas. The selfie camera is still the 12MP camera from yesteryears but does seem a bit enhanced over the last counterpart. We got good to great images from the selfie camera in both well and dimly-lit areas. Something that we love about the iPhones is that the cameras do not disappoint.
iOS 17 comes out of the box in the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and it has a lot of improvements over the last iteration. The overall operating system seems to be smoother and the addition of features such as air-dropping your contact info by bringing two iPhones together is great. Over that, if someone misses your FaceTime call, you can record a short video or audio message and send it to them.
The ringer key has been replaced by the action button, which brings along a great interface. You can choose from pre-loaded actions or customise the shortcut key to a process of your liking. If you do not want to set it at anything you can just choose no action. The action key interface can be accessed via the settings menu.
We tested the phone out with the AnTuTu benchmark, and it scored a superb 15,27,414 points on it.
The storage is also great and is available up to 1 TB, you will not end up running out of it anytime soon. And the addition of USB Type-C (with the use of the right fast cable) will make sure you end up with faster transfers between devices.
Read Also: Apple begins taking pre-orders for iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone
Verdict
The price of the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,59,900 for the 256 GB version, which many are saying is much higher than outside. But hey how many of you are actually going to another country just to buy an iPhone? Irrespective, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a brilliant buy that now has a lot of good things going for it. We loved the fast processing and the 48MP rear camera. Over that, the titanium frame just makes it look delicious.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max: Pros
Great cameras
Excellent Display
Fast processor
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max: Cons
The price might pinch some
