iPhone 15 Pro Max & Plus Review: 2 Months Later, Big Upgrades for Big Phones

I also tried the iPhone 14 Plus last year, the first Plus model which I called a big deal. Though some reports have come out stating low sales figures for the model, I still thought that the Plus had its place and served a niche. Some arguments I heard back then was that for the price of a Plus, you could get a Pro model.

At first, I didn't think there was enough of a change for either of these devices but after living with them for 2 months and using them directly after the iPhone 14 models, some things have stood out to me that might help you decide what phone to get should you want to upgrade the next time there's a sale.

The most noticeable change in the iPhone 15 line-up are the cameras: 48MP on the vanilla and the upgraded sensor and 5x zoom on the Pro Max. While in previous years you might say there isn't that much of a bump in photo fidelity between phones, the iPhone 15's camera defies that claim.

The iPhone 15 Plus's newest feature that I use all the time is the 2x Telephoto which was a favourite of mine even in the iPhone 14 Pro. This is the first time the vanilla models have this particular zoom setting directly in the camera options which gives the new generation 0.5, 1x, and 2x lens options. In real life, I rarely turn on the HEIF MAX option but it's there when you need it.

If you're an enthusiast photographer, taking photos in HEIF MAX can be a little slower, but the details it retains in the photo and the amount of manipulation you can do without losing detail in the photograph is great. Overall, the camera does respond faster than last year's model and at the default 24MP mode, the colours in regular photos and in tricky lighting situations is noticeably improved.

The improved camera sensor and processor makes the iPhone 15 an easy upgrade, even from as early as the iPhone 13.

As for the much touted 5x Telephoto camera on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, I'm happy to report that I use this lens all the time. Sure, it's half the reach of the 10x zoom on a Samsung S23 Ultra, but for iPhone users, this extended reach is a huge differentiator in the product line up.

The Pro Max line more clearly differentiates itself this year with the inclusion of the 5x Telephoto lens and makes a strong case for going all in when you're considering what iPhone to upgrade to. The RM1,000 extra you need to pay to get the camera seems justified when you also consider the bigger battery and higher default capacity at 256GB compared to 128GB.

On top of the 5x telephoto, the Pro phones now also come with 1.0x, 1.2x, and 1.5x on top of the wide 0.5, the favourite 2.x, and the telephoto 5.x. That's 7 "focal lenghts" if you include the Macro mode.

The main 48MP, 24mm f/1.78 camera's 3 "focal lengths" the 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm are more flashy than functional in use. I leave the camera at 35mm (1.5x zoom) because it reminds me of when I used to shoot film, but otherwise, it's just a more zoomed in photo.

Other reviewers say there's some additional processing between the "lenses" to make them different but after 2 months, that feels like marketing hype. It's more about the comfort and familiarity you feel with the chosen focal length that you used to get when lifting up a film camera with a 35mm prime lens.

If you're used to shooting with phones, you'll more than likely just leave it at 1x and zoom when appropriate.

The next big thing that the new Pro Maxes bring is the ability to shoot with Log encoding. Log outputs are flat, almost grey but they retain all the detail in the shadows and colours so that you can re-colour your footage to tweak it however you like.

Pro videographers have already used this feature and showed off the difference in footage in many videos. Notably, YouTuber Peter McKinnon showed the potential of the feature in a short video and even said the iPhone 15 Pro might change filmmaking forever.

As for our workflow at Rojak Daily, we need to shoot videos quick, have them be colour accurate and consistent, and we need to be able to edit them in the same breath and upload, so shooting in Log doesn't really make sense for us. We couldn't test it either as we didn't have a USB-C cable with fast data storage. It's also infuriating that there's no way to tell what kind of USB-C cable is plugged in to the iPhone and whether it's transferring correctly, as The Verge's Becca found out the hard way.

What we can accurately report, based on our usage is that, comparing with the iPhone 14 Pro, the Pro Max can shoot, edit, and output in 4K without lag and without losing too much battery.

Previously, the iPhone 14 Pro would heat up like crazy when I shot in 4K and the battery will decrease significantly (by up to 40% in one, one-hour shooting and editing session). With the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the battery drops probably about 10% by the time I've shot about 20 videos and edited them in Capcut.

I shoot way more videos now with the 15 Pro Max and I have no issue editing it directly. My Intel MacBook Pro from 2020 struggles to even preview 4K videos in Premiere Pro so it's mad that a device that's in my pocket can be more powerful than a laptop from only 3 years ago.

Once again, heat is an issue when shooting in 4K (and even 1080p), but unlike the iPhone 14 Pro, the 15 Pro Max didn't feel that hot to the touch. Maybe the bigger surface area and the Titanium body helps somehow?

This is my first time using the Pro Max size as my daily driver, so besides an aching hand when trying to reply messages with one hand, the one thing I've noticed the most is the improved battery life over the smaller models.

I don't know how regular working people use their phones in a day, but for me, it's about 1 hour sessions of videography, some photography, about 2 hours of screen on YouTube watching, about one hour on social apps, and some Waze, browsing, and 9gag thrown in. This leaves me with about 40% battery on average every day at 10pm when I go to bed.

The iPhone 15 Plus' battery depletes about the same amount, but I find just a little more in the tank compared to the Pro Max. Maybe it's the Always-On display or the higher res screen, but the Pro Max consistently eats more battery throughout the day.

Perhaps the most controversial change to the Pro line up is the exclusion of the mute switcher and the inclusion of the programmable Action Button. After 2 months of trying out differnt shortcuts, I've defaulted to leaving it as the default Silent Mode switch.

There are instances of people programming the Shortcut app to do all kinds of things, but the average user will not think twice about the button in my opinion, and they'll probably set it to camera if they're feeling fancy.

I think in this case, Apple needs to come up with ways people can use it or promote some revolutionary new way for people to use it or the Action Button will remain just a good idea. Like the departed TouchBar on the MacBook Pro, the Action Button is waiting for use case aside from the profile switcher.

There's a line I never thought I'd write. Of all the bombastic features the phones boasts, the Ultra Wideband has proven the most useful. In a house with two rambunctious toddlers, things go missing a lot—especially the remote of the Apple TV.

You don't even need to go to the Find My app, you can look for your remote right by the Apple TV Remote control in Control Centre. Finding your Apple Watch is simiarly more tuned and you don't need to rely on only the beeping of the Apple Watch to find them. Ditto for your AirPods Pro.

For both phones, the USB-C port is a godsend. It also inserts with a satisfying click; perhaps not as secure as the Lightning port, but still, secure. You can also connect your phone to all kinds of interesting things like a keyboard, a game pad, a monitor, charge another device, and MORE.

Do I actually regularly connect the iPhone to a monitor though? No. That said, accessories like wireless mics and webcams are now more convenient to connect to.

One downside to this port change is that most cars are still on USB-A and finding a USB-A to USB-C connector is another hassle altogether. Finding a reliable third party cable that works well long-term within the Apple ecosystem remains a headache. I never leave my phone charging in the car, so it isn't a problem for me. But, if one day I need to, there are 3 useless USB-A ports in my car that I can't use.

Netflix Games is low-key one of my favourite things. There are very few games on the service, but what's there is great. From TMNT: Sheredder's Revenge to Death's Door, the service has many great indie games that can show off the power of the A16 Bionic and the A17 Pro chip on the 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max respectively.

The A16 Bionic that the Plus is a hand-me-down from the 14 Pro from last year and it remains strong in 2023. It's actually quite beefy when it comes to Apple chips and even in 2022, the chip was blazing fast. It remains good in 2023 and in the iPhone 15 Plus, the chip is perfect for mobile gaming while keeping power consumption low.

For the Pro Max however, Apple went out of their way to promote pro-level gaming on it showing off Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4, and Death Stranding. While I didn't manage to play graphically heavy games like that, older indie games like Death's Door ran well enough.

To get a smoother experience I had to put the settings down to performance mode though, as balanced mode felt laggy. It might be the optimisation of the game from Netflix, or it could be a limitation of the hardware, I can't tell. I sampled Resident Evil Village shortly on the Pro Max, but that, I'm told, outputted at 720p. It was amazing to play a AAA game like Resident Evil Village on the small screen, but at 720p with slightly muddled graphics, the experience was a little subpar.

I'll need to try more AAA games to give a better verdict on Pro gaming on iPhone, but at RM162.90 for the base Resident Evil Village, the asking price is a little high. It's RM163 for the PS5 and Steam versions as well so paying the full price for a small screen experience at lower resolution is a hard ask.

You'd still be better off subscribing to Apple Arcade or Netflix to play mobile games for now. Early reviews of Resident Evil 4 Remake on iPhone 15 Pro weren't convincing either... Still, I'll be glad to be proven wrong.

iPhone 15 Plus: It's an easy upgrade if you're using any iPhone model other than the iPhone 14 Pro Max as the robust A16 Bionic, USB-C, and 2x feature on the camera really helps push this model over the top. The 3x zoom on the iPhone Pros were okay in terms of sharpness, but the 2x zoom mostly did the job already. The 3x telephoto was a good to have but not essential. Now with the new 48MP sensor, cropping to 3x is more viable than ever which makes the telephoto lenses of the previous iPhone Pros kind of redundant.

iPhone 15 Pro Max: This one is tricky because of the price and its major differentiator, the 5x zoom, shooting in Log, and its ability to play AAA games. Its a product that's easy to recommend to people who need the features, like the zoom and Log encoding, but difficult to freely recommend to regular plebs like me who hasn't got RM6,499 lying around. If you have a setup that will allow you to work exclusively with the 15 Pro Max, then you won't regret the purchase. If you're just shopping for a big phone with a big battery that's made from Apple, the 15 Plus will do very well. For the first time in a long time, the Pro Max is more geared towards Prosumers than ever and it shows not only in specs, but price, as the base model is up RM700 from the 14 Pro Max.