Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
When I buy theiPhone 15 Pro Maxin 2023 , it was myreturn to Apple ’s largest iPhoneafter several years of onlyliving with the modest Pro model . I made the decision based on its feature upgrades and a wish to test sprightliness with a big - screen iPhone again .
Now , eight months after doing so , have I rue it ? No , quite the antonym .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is superb
I ’m not expire to beat around the pubic hair here . The iPhone 15 Pro Max is my favorite smartphone I ’ve used since its release , and I could n’t be happy with it . While it ’s not perfect , and I have used two other phones that have superscript cameras since it was unfreeze — theXiaomi 14 Ultraand theHuawei Pura 70 Ultra — the package as a whole is superb and close to unvanquishable in its category .
crowing affirmation require heap of justification , and with the iPhone 15 Pro Max , the reasons behind it being a fast favorite are numerous and easy to list . The large screen is flawless , with in high spirits brightness and bold natural colors , along with the pleasurably quiet ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate thatI think should be standardon all Apple phones and pad at this level . I ’ve never wanted more carrying into action from the A17 Pro CPU , either .
Every app I want is available , and I rarely have any reliableness trouble with them . I use my iPhone for Apple Pay mobile payment , which is so simple and commodious I never think twice about using it . The telephone set is continually linked to myOura Ringusing Bluetooth , and it has not miscarry to connect over the past yr . It ’s the same situation with headphones I use , whether it ’s myAirPods Pro , Sony WH-1000XM4 , orNothing spike 2 . I use the iPhone to link up to myRay - Ban Metasmart glasses , and like the Oura Ring , the connexion and app have been faultless .
Then there ’s theApple Watch Series 9 , which is thebest smartwatchyou can buy at the moment , and it also connects and interacts with the iPhone 15 Pro Max without issue . From the always - fast AirDrop to myrecent love for StandBy mode , the iPhone neatly fits into my life and never adds tenseness or requires sudden problem - solving to frustrate my day .
I go over Android phone all the time , but I choose to use my iPhone for the many essential casual apps — from banking to ante up for elevator car parks by app — because it ’s so fuss - free . I switch my other SIM bill of fare into different Android phones usually multiple time per calendar month , and can not say the same thing about some of them . I rely on my iPhone , and it repays me with ultimate dependableness and serenity of mind .
A great phone, but not a perfect phone
I realize that ’s a lot of rave about the iPhone 15 Pro Max , but I ’m also the first to admit it ’s not perfect . Thebattery sprightliness is often less than optimal , although I ’m currently going through a period of time where it ’s working very well indeed . Over the last calendar week as I experiment with an AI chatbot app , the bombardment has return a screen time of up to and a small beyond six hours on a single charge , and that’sfantasticperformance . However , it does n’t always do this , and I ’m suspicious that a succeeding software program update ( I ’m presently on iOS 17.5.1 ) may interchange everything again .
I lay my confidence in Apple ’s own Ceramic Shield shabu to protect the iPhone 15 Pro Max ’s projection screen after getting the phone new , and in hindsight , this was the wrong decision . Within weeks , the covert had pick up a noticeable scratch across the top , and although very few have joined it since , I do catch tidy sum of the original and quite abstruse scratch glinting in the sun , where it reminds me I really should have useda separate concealment protectortoo .
I ’m also disappointed with the camera . It ’s for certain not horrific , and a lot of the time it takes good photos . But whenthe new Apple iPad Air has the power to take more pleasing photosthan the iPhone 15 Pro Max in some situations , you know there ’s something wrong . Its shortcoming were raspingly highlight after using thebrilliant Xiaomi 14 Ultra ’s camera , which is full of character , and the astonishing technical prowess of theHuawei Pura 70 Ultra . It seems Apple has been less concerned with make its still camera the honest out there late and has center on video features . I ’d really like this to change for theiPhone 16series .
Will I continue with the Pro Max model?
I ’m struggling to discover much else that I find a specific downside . Yes , it ’s a swelled , hard phone , but I knew that break down in . And it is expensive too . But for once , it ’s in reality cheaper thanSamsung ’s top S - serial publication Ultra phoneof the year , so it ’s not the costly option out there . I also find a great mint of the benefits come from being deep inside Apple ’s ecosystem , and it adds considerable time value and public lavatory to the iPhone . If you do n’t require to principally apply Apple products — whether it ’s a MacBook , Apple TV , iPad , or Apple Watch — then it may not always form so seamlessly , and it is something you should consider before buying .
Although the summer is n’t over yet , which think the iPhone 16 series is n’t close to being announced , how do I feel about stay on with another Pro Max iPhone model when the time total , or will I return to the smaller Pro ? select the iPhone 15 Pro Max was the right decision . I accept it ’s more of a handful , but the bigger screen is such a winner for video , editing photos , and read that it ’s worth the tradeoff . It would be difficult to go back to the small size .
However , this is dependent on Apple ’s decision around the specification , as I may think differently if there ’s no feature reward outside of the screen door size to get the Pro Max model . The 5x ocular rapid climb swung the decision for me in 2023 , and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will require to offer a similar benefit to tempt me into ante up the extra cost for the phone in 2024 . But result by future plans and the downsides mentioned , the iPhone 15 Pro Max is well my favorite smartphone released since previous 2023 . Considering the contention , this is exceedingly high praise .
