When I got my hands on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max at Apple’s recent event, I immediately noticed a significant improvement compared to the previous iPhone Pro models. The new iPhones are now made of titanium instead of stainless steel, making them lighter and easier to handle. While the titanium shell is the highlight of the 2023 models, there are other new features to explore on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Apple has a tradition of introducing technological advancements in its Pro phones, while keeping the overall design similar to the previous models, potentially to reduce costs and encourage users to upgrade. This trend continues with the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, which inherit features from last year’s iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the best phones Apple has ever made, debunking the baseless rumors about the iPhone 15 Ultra.
Check out: iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max: First look
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have a sleek design that feels good in the hand. During my brief 30-minute testing in a crowded room, I could still feel the slight weight and pleasant grip. The new models feature thinner glass bezels on the front screen, which remains 6.1 inches for the iPhone 15 Pro and 6.7 inches for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
In terms of colors, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max come in four titanium finishes: black, white, blue, and a grayish “natural” tone.
The starting price for the iPhone 15 Pro is $999 (£999, AU$1,849), while the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199 (£1,199, AU$2,199). Although the Pro Max is more expensive than last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max, the new model starts with 256GB internal storage, doubling the capacity of its predecessor.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max begin this Friday, with availability in Apple Stores and online starting next Friday, Sept. 22.
More from the Apple event
As previously rumored, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are switching from the USB-C Lightning port to a USB-C connection, allowing for data transfer speeds of up to 10GB per second (the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will also adopt USB-C).
Another noteworthy addition is the action button, replacing the long-standing silent mode switch on iPhones. By default, a long press on the action button will mute or unmute the phone. However, users can customize this button to trigger shortcuts such as activating the flashlight, taking notes, or opening the camera. While testing the camera app, I used the action button as a shutter button to take photos, which reminded me of Sony Xperia 1 V’s dedicated hardware lock button.
Check out: Everything Apple announced at its iPhone 15 event
Enhanced Cameras and Zoom Functionality
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max feature a 48-megapixel camera with a large sensor. By default, the images are captured at 24 megapixels, and the lidar scanning technology improves low-light and night photography. The phones are also equipped with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera carried over from last year’s iPhone 14 Pro.
But the standout feature this year is the impressive zoom capability, even on the larger Pro Max model. The Pro retains a 3x front camera (equivalent to a 77mm lens), while the Pro Max offers an incredible 5x optical zoom (equivalent to a 120mm lens). This achievement is made possible by a “tetraprism” design that enables multiple light reflections, resulting in a compact camera module for the iPhone. During my test, the Pro Max’s telephoto camera delivered a noticeable 5x improvement over the 3x zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro. Additionally, I was able to zoom in up to 25x, which is remarkable for an iPhone.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s telephoto camera offers an impressive 5x zoom capability thanks to its “tetraprism” design.
High-end Android smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S series, have had a similar feature known as periscope cameras for several years. These cameras utilize glass optics within the phone’s frame to achieve increased zoom capabilities. For instance, the Galaxy S23 Ultra can achieve 10x zoom.
Apple is also catering to photography enthusiasts by introducing additional options in the camera app interface. With the camera app open, users can press the 1x zoom button to switch between three standard focal lengths — 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm — and set their preferred focal length as the default when opening the app.
Read more: iPhone 15 Pro Max ‘Tetraprism’ Camera Means Better 5x Telephoto
The cameras on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max also offer enhancements for video recording, including vlog encoding and the ability to shoot and edit Pro Raw photos directly from the iPhone 15 Pro to a Mac using high-speed USB-C cables. Additionally, users can record videos in ProRes format directly to an external storage drive.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max demonstrate Apple’s commitment to futuristic aerial videography with the use of multiple cameras to capture depth-of-field footage for Apple’s Vision Pro AR/VR headset. Unfortunately, this feature won’t be available until later this year.
Check out: What the iPhone 15’s Spatial Video Feature Means for Vision Pro
Powerful Processor for Gaming
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are equipped with the A17 Pro Bionic processor, a 3-nanometer chip with 19 billion transistors for faster performance. The new six-core GPU is up to 20% faster than the A16 GPU and supports ray tracing.
Apple has long been promoting mobile gaming on its iPhone devices, and this year is no exception. Developers from Ubisoft and Capcom showcased the iPhone versions of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Resident Evil 8, and Resident Evil 4 Remake at the event. Both Resident Evil games are confirmed to be coming to the iPhone 15 Pro later this year, while Assassin’s Creed will arrive in early 2024. Additionally, Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding will also be available on the iPhone 15 Pro.
While Apple emphasizes gaming capabilities on the iPhone 15 Pro, the A17 Pro chip also supports virtual reality applications.
The iPhone 15 Pro comes with iOS 17, which introduces the StandBy Mode showcased at WWDC 2023. StandBy Mode offers a larger clock display and application widgets when the phone is placed on its side. Additionally, it can be used when the phone is docked on a MagSafe stand, resembling a fashionable desktop clock.
