Test: iPhone 15 Pro Max - is it worthy of the title of the best?

Before the release of the new iPhone 15 phones, we all knew that they would be excellent devices. The only question was whether Apple would be able to make a significant upgrade or whether it would be more about refreshing last year's models. I can say that some updates are more as just a refresh, and the others are just the expected upgrades that are hard for any average user to notice. I tested the most powerful version of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which has all the latest toys built into it.

iPhone 15 Pro Max price in Slovenia?

• iPhone 15 Pro Max 256 GB: 1555 €
• iPhone 15 Pro Max 512GB: 1821 €
• iPhone 15 Pro Max 1TB: 1960-2087 € (depending on color)

You can buy the phone from operators, iStyle stores and elsewhere on the open market.

iPhone 15 Pro Max: USB-C, action button, titanium case

Although the general appearance compared to last year's iPhone 14 Pro Max has remained more or less identical, some minor and major changes are still noticeable. Among the larger ones, USB-C stands out, which has finally arrived on iPhones as well. We know that the European Union played a big role in this. But whatever the reason, all iPhone users can be happy about this change. Why? Let's just say that the Lightning connector was outdated a few years ago, USB-C is still a much better connector today and will only get better in the future.

With USB-C, the user can connect peripheral devices (mouse, keyboard), external screens to the phone, and Apple has added the possibility of charging other devices with the iPhone battery. I'm surprised that they limited the charging speed to only 30W, which is far. for Android competition. The closest is Samsung with the 45-W charging of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but Samsung is not known for good charging speeds. I don't expect Apple to build in 120W or faster charging. I would be satisfied with a 66-W charger, which would charge my phone for almost a whole day's use in just over 15 minutes.

Another change is the action button, which replaces the button for switching to silent mode. Like I like the idea, but less the execution. For now, you can use the button as a shortcut to some applications, such as flashlights, cameras, and the like. I want more. I miss being able to have another shortcut available with two quick clicks. Or by long holding the third shortcut. What is available now, I can also do on an Android phone with classic buttons. I hope they add this option in a future software update.

I also don't like button placement. It is placed too high to reach for one-handed use.

The third change is the titanium case. As proven by the well-known phone disassembler JerryRigEverything, Apple used titanium “le” on the top layer of the case (about 1 mm). I'm not a metallurgist, but as far as I know titanium is more difficult to control than other raw materials, so this is still an impressive achievement. Underneath the titanium is an aluminum alloy, so I would recommend that you don't take the different color, but prefer the gray one. Why?

If you use the phone without a case and when you scratch the sides of the phone, instead of the perfect black color, you will have very ugly gray (aluminum) edges. I can also praise the resistance to fingerprint stains, which are not visible on the back - and rarely on the sides. Due to titanium, this year's iPhone 15 Pro Max is also about 20 grams lighter than its predecessor, which is a difference that is immediately felt.

A minor change was also made on the edges, where the sides meet the rest of the case. These edges are now more "rounded", similar to what we see on some Android phones.

I can still charge the included USB-C cable, which is of the 2nd generation, so the speeds will not be top-notch. Apple isn't the only one I've noticed this with, but it's still a practice that makes me somewhat confused and saddened when it comes to the price of a phone. But I agree that this won't be a problem for many people, as AirDrop works fantastically and you probably won't use a cable to transfer (unless you're transferring large files).

iPhone 15 Pro Max – The OLED screen remains the same

Which didn't bother me. The OLED screen was already very good on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. 2000 nits of brightness, 120 Hz dynamic refresh, OLED colors and contrasts … More I don't need or ask for it. The screen is more as bright enough to use in strong sunlight, the refresh rate is excellent for playing games and for flawless general use, and OLED screens impress me anyway when it comes to multimedia content.

I'm still allowed to touch the basic versions of the iPhone 15, which only have a 60-Hz screen, which, in my opinion, is unacceptable even for a phone for 400 euros, let alone for those over 1000 euros. I understand that Apple needs to make noticeable differences so that users can tell the difference between the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro, but I think it's enough that they put last year's processor in the iPhone 15 (and 15+), iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max but they got a newer processor. This should be a large enough factor to interpret the models. So far, the cameras have always been different in the basic and Pro versions.

But I have to touch on the dynamic island, which did not convince me even in this version. Its functionality is still very limited. Supported applications display useful information on the island, but this list, at least for Slovenian users, is too short. In most cases, when watching movies or playing games, the dynamic island was in my way. I really wish Apple and other developers would spend more time on improving this feature.

It is difficult to quantify this capacity

You've probably already heard that Apple has installed a new 3nm A17 Pro processor in the latest iPhone 15 Pro Max, which all previous and future processors will be looking at (at least according to Apple). It's true, the numbers achieved by the A17 Pro are remarkable and surpass those of any phone I've been able to test so far. Then there is the possibility of using ray tracing technology in games. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 can do the same, but so far I haven't had a game available to test this feature.

I didn't have this opportunity with the new iPhone 15 Pro Max either. I also didn't manage to see first-hand how the iPhone 15 Pro Max manages to play some PC games, such as Resident Evil: Village and Assassin's Creed Mirage. As a sample, I only had Apple's presentation video in which the phone shined. The achievement is impressive and it happened much faster than I expected. I was sure it would be at least a few more years before any phone could play PC games with such ease. It is even more important that these are not second-rate games, but AAA titles that also put a strain on computers.

The speed of the drive is not at the level of the newer UFS 4.0, which is built into Xiaomi 13T Pro, Galaxy S23 Ultra and similar phones. Although it lags behind the best, it will still satisfy the majority of users.

The battery is also very good. You can expect more as all-day use. YouTube creator Mrwhosetheboss tested the last three generations of iPhones and the iPhone 15 Pro Max came in second, just behind the iPhone 15+.

Is the iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating alarmingly?

You could see in the news that the new iPhone 15 phones, especially the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, have problems with overheating or heat dissipation. At first, I expected that the core of the problem is when playing demanding games, but according to users, overheating also occurs during the most everyday tasks, such as making calls, charging, taking photos, and the like.

At first, there were hints that there was a flaw in the new A17 Pro processor, that it could not efficiently drain all these capacities. There were also concerns about the titanium case, which also dissipates heat less well. Others speculated that something was wrong with the SIM card slot, as the problems were said to occur mostly in European versions of the phone.

Apple refuted all theories. They say the problem is in iOS 17 and they have recently released a patch. Once you download iOS 17.0.3, you should notice a difference.

During testing before Apple released the patch, I was one of the few who didn't experience the same overheating as the rest. I played Genshin Impact, which is one of the more demanding games for phones - the phone did get quite warm, but still within normal limits. According to official measurements, it was on average a degree or two warmer than the best Android phones, which I don't think is an excessive difference.

However, I noticed that it got hotter during the most basic tasks, which has never happened to me with other phones. For example: when I was browsing the web and listening to music at the same time, the iPhone 15 Pro Max started to heat up unusually. It was honestly warm to the touch and not "young" as I am used to with other phones, for example Huawei P60 Pro, Galaxy S23 Ultra, Xiaomi 13 and the like.

Overheating during less demanding tasks really shouldn't happen, at least not in the final versions of the phones available to buyers. However, it is commendable that Apple solved the problem relatively quickly. However, I'll keep an eye out to see if the bug is really fixed or if users run into another similar scenario.

The cameras have been further polished, the magnification and night photography have been improved.

The external and hardware appearance of the cameras have not changed compared to last year. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the only phone in the series, which nevertheless got a dedicated telephoto lens, thus closing the gap with the best Android phones here as well. The software side has also been further organized, which can be seen in the details of the pictures and recordings.

The sensors of the main (48 MP) and ultrawide (12 MP) cameras are the same, but they have a new photo processing algorithm. Last year, the iPhone 14 Pro Max used “pixel-binning” technology and took 12 MP photos. This year, the #141 cameras record a 48 MP and a 12 MP photo at the same time, which the software subsequently combines. The user gets a 24 MP photo that takes advantage of pixel-binning, but at a higher resolution.

The main camera and the telephoto camera have optical image stabilization (OIS), the ultra-wide one does not, which is noticeable in poor lighting conditions.

Photo gallery

The speed at which it does this is also at an extremely high level. The whole process is faster than the blink of an eye. The shutter is faster than, for example, Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra, but slower than the recorder vivo X90 Pro, which still remains in my memory precisely because of its lightning-fast shooting speed.

I didn't have any comments about last year's model when taking pictures on a daily basis. Today's best phones can capture truly stunning photos, and the differences between them are often minimal and ultimately a matter of personal taste. Many complain about the saturation of Samsung photos, but the other half of users love it. So far, the iPhone has always stuck to calmer tones that tend towards realism and add a touch of warmth.

This year's iPhone 15 Pro Max may have gone a little more into the world of realism. The colors are very calm and neutral and a very good approximation of what I see with the naked eye. The general quality is as always at a very high level. You barely notice ghosts and artifacts, the detection of edges in the portrait is phenomenal (you can also create a portrait afterwards in the image gallery), it also does better at night and in an environment with many light sources.

The 12 MP telephoto camera is an accessory that has long been on the wish list. With 5x optical zoom, the iPhone 15 Pro Max can compete with the best zoom sensors on the market, but it is greatly assisted by the #141; also the software side. Unfortunately, I don't have a Galaxy S23 Ultra or a Huawei P60 Pro on hand to test and compare all three under the same conditions. Based on past experience, I would give a slight preference to Huawei and Samsung, especially for larger increases. In any case, you will be extremely satisfied with the photos. We are in a quality range where only the most experienced eyes will be able to find major differences. Average users will be speechless with all the listed phones.

Video, however, is an area where I think the iPhone will retain primacy for some time to come. The stabilization is excellent, the details are in focus, the colors are amazing, the automatic adaptation to the surrounding conditions is excellent…¦ It's really hard to find any comment.

The front camera is also very good, I was also satisfied with the sound capture and the possibility of recording in 4K resolution (up to 60 fps), which will be important for vloggers.

Final opinion

You won't be surprised if I say that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the best iPhone. It has received some necessary and expected improvements (processor, USB-C), the titanium case is a surprising addition, and in the field of cameras it has done enough to rank it among the best photographers.

Should you buy it? If you own an iPhone 14 Pro Max, I don't see a need to upgrade unless you're unhappy with it for some reason or can sell it for a good price. The upgrade makes more sense for users of basic versions of the previous or older model, where the leap in performance is much more noticeable.

What about Android users? The first hurdle you will have to overcome is the transition from Android to iOS. If you don't think this is a problem and you're unhappy with your current phone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max could be the right phone.

What about me? Android's claws are deep within me, and Apple has an impossible task ahead of it. Endless personalization, use of third-party solutions and system unlocking of the phone are just some of the factors that make switching to iOS impossible for me. Nevertheless, I see a certain appeal of the iPhone and the Apple ecosystem. As always, every eye has its painter.