Even without the groundbreaking innovations, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are impressive in hands-on testing. They are stronger than their predecessors and two changes make daily life with them much easier.
Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series is indistinguishable from its predecessors, and you’ll have to look twice at Google’s upcoming Pixel 8 duo to see the changes compared to the 7s. The scope for improvement has become narrower for smartphones, and you’re unlikely to see any major leaps in the foreseeable future. Apple also only cooks with water and hasn’t introduced any amazing new hardware. But the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are not only confident of further developments, they also offer small but very practical innovations.
it is easy!
The black borders around the screen have decreased noticeably.
(Image: Koi)
The most noticeable change, in the truest sense of the word, is the new titanium frame, which replaces the steel case of its predecessors. Because devices have become noticeably lighter. The iPhone 15 Pro weighs 187 grams, its predecessor weighs 206 grams, the iPhone 15 Pro Max weighs 221 grams, and the 14 Pro Max weighs 240 grams.
There are also rounded frame edges and matte metal. Taken together, the new pros are more comfortable to hold than their predecessors. Now you can hold your max for a longer period of time without feeling painful pressure points. The fact that the devices are a bit narrower than their predecessors thanks to thin screen bezels doesn’t make much of a difference in the hand, but they feel good.
Very successful working button
The action button is a practical innovation.
(Image: Koi)
The new action button wasn’t invented by Apple, but as is often the case, the company has implemented it better than others before. It starts with the fact that you can easily change the task in the settings by swiping sideways through the options in a beautiful animated way.
The button does not react to a short press so as not to trigger unwanted actions. If you hold the button longer, the activation or deactivation of the function is confirmed by well-defined haptic feedback. Small but nice detail: In silent mode, which is probably used most often, you get different vibrations depending on whether you play sounds or mute the device. For example, in a video conference, you don’t have to look to see if the bell ringing can be annoying.
The action button settings are very well done graphically.
(Image: Koi)
It’s also great to connect the action button to the camera app. Not only can you start taking photos right away, but you can also use the button as a trigger.
High performance, fine endurance
You basically don’t notice that the new A17 Pro has a more powerful chip than its already very powerful predecessor. At some point, a maximum is reached beyond which more power automatically results in a better user experience. But reserves can’t hurt. Who knows what requirements the future will impose on processors as well as console-level games?
With intensive use, it can become rare in the evening.
(Image: Koi)
Fortunately, higher performance does not lead to shorter operating time, the chip is clearly more efficient than its predecessor. Usually professionals can easily last a day. However, testing has shown that the charging indicator drops very quickly if you use the devices frequently and intensively. On a testing day that started around 8:30 a.m. with a photo safari with 5G reception, only 35 percent of the iPhone 15 Pro Max remained at 4:45 p.m.
USB-C opens up new possibilities
Thanks to the new USB-C port, you now have more options to recharge your device in emergency situations – including asking your Android friends. However, there are no turbo charging speeds like those found in competitors, and nothing has changed in this regard. But that’s not necessarily a disadvantage when it comes to battery life.
After all, Apple introduced its new services for transferring data at USB 3 speeds via the port. This means that ideally, it is possible to get 10 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). Lightning’s predecessors, or regular 15s, only reach 480 megabits per second (Mbit/s). Among other things, you can save videos directly to connected hard drives or play 4K recordings at 60 frames per second (fps) on connected displays.
Improved cameras – especially on the Max
The chip also plays a role in cameras by processing information from sensors more quickly. Other than that, there are slight improvements in photos and videos, but the differences compared to the iPhone 15 Pro models are generally limited. Interesting is the option to select whether the main camera starts with a focal length of 24, 28 or 35mm.
What’s really new is the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s telephoto camera, which achieves five times optical zoom using a periscope lens. Image quality is very high in daylight, even if you also zoom digitally at a maximum of 25x, the images remain clear and rich in detail.
At night, it’s best to let the main camera do the work. With a resolution of 48MP now, it provides a lot of image information that would normally be stored at 24 megapixels (MP). In the dark, it automatically switches to 12MP to combine four pixels into one big, bright pixel. No wonder night photos look really good.
As with its predecessor, Macros is a lot of fun with the pros. However, nothing has obviously changed regarding its high quality. As before, a lot of close-up shots rely on a steady and/or still hand.
Conclusion
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are excellent smartphones that should beat out the competition. Apple hasn’t improved much, but the changes are well thought out and not unnecessary additions. The low weight is particularly good, and the action button is a real asset. However, the differences from previous versions are not significant, and the upgrade is meaningless for its users.
Even the iPhone 13 Pro doesn’t look old in comparison. If you have a 12mm, you can consider it, but you can also wait until support for it ends. Basically, you don’t have to change your iPhone as long as it gets updates — if only for the environment.
