The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max has been out for a while now, and in that time, it’s remained my phone of choice. Why? Because it’s an excellent phone overall that does everything many of us need from a phone and does them well too.
There’s no denying that its price tag is high and it might be a little behind the times when it comes to flashy AI camera features – offered now by both Samsung and Google – but neither of those stop the iPhone 15 Pro Max from delivering exceptional day-to-day performance that won’t let you down. Six months on, here’s my review.
The Disconnekt Downlow
Pros
+ Build quality and design
+ Superb screen
+ Camera performance
Cons
– Battery life could be better
– Expensive
– Action Button options limited
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is by no means cheap but no phones are these days and if you were looking at the Pro Max, you had probably already come to terms with what you were going to be spending. What you get for that money is an excellent build quality, an easy-to-use interface and brilliant camera performance. The battery life could be better in some scenarios and we’re all praying for the day when screens don’t scratch as easily and the Action Button can accommodate more than one press. Overall, the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is a sublime phone and one you won’t regret buying.
The reasons you should choose the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
In the time I have been using the iPhone 15 Pro Max, I’ve learned a number of things. The first is that I am a person who very much appreciates a simple camera experience. Don’t get me wrong, some of the camera features offered by the Google Pixel 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 range fill me with envy, but Apple has always been brilliant at allowing anyone who uses its iPhones to get great snaps by just picking the phone up and tapping the shutter button.
I’m no photographer – though I can very much appreciate a decent photograph – and I’ve managed to get some wonderful photos over the last few months. Framing is important, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max even helps you with that these days serving up a grid and a level line, so it’s actually harder to take a bad photo than a good one if you use the tools on offer.
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A 5x optical zoom option was added as a feature for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which allows you to get closer to your subject through zoom without losing detail. Sure, it’s no 100x Space Zoom like Samsung delivers, but I’ve found 5x to be more than sufficient for everyday photography – your dog, cat and kids for example, rather than trying to work out what’s on the moon. It’s also a feature I’d miss dearly if I dropped down to the iPhone 15 Pro model that only offers 3x optical zoom.
The second thing I’ve learned over the last few months is that I love a big display and the iPhone 15 Pro Max delivers this in abundance. Colours are rich and vibrant and there’s plenty of contrast so everything – and I mean everything – looks incredible, from the home screen with all your apps, to those epic photos you’ve taken and the Netflix show you can’t stop watching. I also love the Dynamic Island feature – yes I am aware it’s not for everyone – but this feature is all about how you use your phone and for me, it comes in useful as I’m often doing multiple things at once. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it is what I say to this one.
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Changing the silent toggle that’s been on iPhone since it launched in 2007 was a bold move, but the Action Button is a feature I use daily, whereas the silent toggle was something I never touched.
The third thing I’ve very much come to appreciate – and the last thing I’m going to dwell on to keep this snappy – is the Action Button. Aside from a switch to titanium for the iPhone Pro models in 2023, the Action Button was the only change to the design.
We all know what the iPhone looks like and while it’s changed incrementally over the years like Apple Watch, it’s still a very recognisable design. Changing the silent toggle that’s been on iPhone since it launched in 2007 was a bold move, but the Action Button is a feature I use daily, whereas the silent toggle was something I never touched. I chose to set the Action Button up to open WhatsApp and so I would say I use it at least 100 times in a day and my only complaint with it is that you can’t double press or triple press it for more shortcuts.
What the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max could do better
Speaking of complaints, I don’t have many for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but there’s always a couple of things that could be improved – it would be no fun otherwise. The first is the display. No matter how careful I have been with it, I’ve still managed to get a hairline scratch in the middle of the screen so while it’s a tough screen, it’s still scratchable – worth keeping in mind.
I very much regret not getting a screen protector on it immediately – especially as Belkin have a special machine in Apple Stores that will apply one for you with no pesky bubbles – so that would be my top tip in order to protect the glorious display.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
The battery performance is second. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is great in day-to-day use, but there are times when it struggles a little, as is the case with basically all phones and smartwatches. If you’re out and about, using an app like Google Maps or Citymapper to find your way around, messaging on WhatsApp and playing music for example, you will notice the battery on the iPhone 15 Pro Max take a bigger hit than usual.
Add using the camera to that list and you’ll need to charge it by the end of the day. If I leave home in the morning and I have plans to stay out into the evening, I will always carry the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack (snaps on the back) with me for a quick top up if I need it for an Uber home for example or simply to avoid battery anxiety. To put the reality of the battery into context however, typically on longer days where I might have started at 7AM and maybe got home at midnight, I’d finish the day with around 10 per cent, whereas if I’m home for most of the day, I’ll finish up between 30 and 40 per cent.
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The camera bump is the really the last thing I have to complain about with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I don’t mind the three lenses – nor how big they are – which is quite small compared to some flagship phones around. What bothers me – and frankly we are talking first world problems here – is that when you put the iPhone 15 Pro Max or any iPhone 15 model on it rear on a desk, it tilts.
This is something that’s been the case for years so it’s something many will have got used to, but as the camera bump has become larger, the tilt also become larger. It means I place the iPhone 15 Pro Max down on its display so it sits flat, but I’d love to see the camera bump reduced in future models to negate some of the wobbles.
A little about iOS 17 software
All the iPhone 15 models launched on iOS 17, which is the latest software for iPhone. Now, the iPhone 15 models aren’t the only models compatible with the software so you’ll get the same user interface on older devices too (iPhone X and newer) but it still wouldn’t be right to talk about the iPhone 15 Pro Max without mentioning the software core to the experience.
Several features were added with iOS 17 but some of my favourites are StandBy mode, Check In and NameDrop. Standby Mode turns your iPhone into a semi-smart display when charging and placed in a landscape orientation, and it is particularly useful on a bedside table.
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Check In meanwhile, is a safety feature I use a lot and if you haven’t heard about it then it’s worth reading up on. It allows you to send a friend or family member a ‘Check In’ through Messages, which will then see your iPhone automatically track your progress to the destination you have set and confirm with your contact when you arrive safely.
NameDrop is great too, allowing you to trade contact information by simply tapping the top of your iPhone with the top of another person’s iPhone, and AirDrop has been improved with iOS 17 too, allowing you to share files in the same way – it’s very cool.
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There are plenty of other features too, like the Journal app that arrived a little later with iOS 17.2, alongside a translate option for the Action Button.
Should you buy the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max?
The short answer is yes. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is by no means cheap but no phones are these days and if you were looking at the Pro Max, you probably already knew that.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
What you get for that money is an excellent build quality, an easy-to-use interface and brilliant camera performance, with a some manual control if you want it even if not as much as some rivals.
The battery life could be better in some scenarios and we’re all praying for the day when screens don’t scratch as easily and the Action Button can accommodate more than one press. Overall, the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is a sublime phone and one you won’t regret buying.
FAQs
Check In is a safety feature available on iPhone models running iOS 17 and later. You access it through Messages and it will allow you to send a ‘Check In’ to a contact, where they will be notified when you arrive at a particular destination or after a timer, depending on what you set.
You can choose the destination you’re heading to and how you will be getting there – walking, driving or public transport. If you then don’t make sufficient progress, your iPhone will check in with you and if you don’t respond, the contact will be sent your location, route and battery level, among other bits of information.
Open Messages, select the contact you want to send a Check In to and tap on the “+” next to the message input field. If Check In isn’t in the immediate list, tap on ‘More’ and select it from the extended list.
How do I change what the action button does on the iPhone 15 Pro Max?
The Action Button (where the silent toggle used to be on the left edge above the volume control) can do a few different things. To change it, head to Settings on your iPhone and tap on Action Button. You can then swipe between the ten different options, or create a Shortcut to do something a little more complicated like open an app. The options are Silent Mode, Focus, Camera, Torch, Voice Memo, Translate, Magnifier, Shortcut, Accessibility and No Action.
How is the iPhone 15 Pro Max different to the iPhone 15 Pro?
The main difference between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro is the physical size of the devices and as a result, the display sizes. The iPhone 15 Pro Max also has 5x optical zoom compared to the iPhone 15 Pro’s 3x capabilities. Otherwise, the software, design and materials, as well as standard features are the same.
This very much depends on what you want to use your phone for. The iPhone 15 Plus is a great phone (I’ve used it too), and with Dynamic Island and an improved main camera, there are some excellent reasons to buy it. If you want an iPhone that will give you the best camera results however, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is superior to the iPhone 15 Plus.
