Apple’s next flagship phone appears to be the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with the so-called iPhone Ultra possibly being delayed until 2016. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, as the largest and most fully-featured model in the iPhone lineup, has the potential to make a big impression on our best phones list and set a new standard for smartphones to follow.
While we don’t expect significant differences between the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Dynamic Island, with Apple likely to double down and refine the Dynamic Island, the rumoured upgrades could all add up to a very impressive phone. A powerful new A17 Bionic chip, a periscope zoom camera, a titanium design, and other improvements could be seen.
So keep reading for the latest iPhone 15 Pro Max rumours.
iPhone 15 Pro Max potential release date
And the iPhone 15 Pro Max will most likely lead the family, positioned to compete with rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and, more likely, the Google Pixel 8, which could launch in October.
iPhone 15 Pro Max price
There are no significant rumours about the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but we suspect it will be similar to the iPhone 14 Pro lineup. That means a base 128GB model starts at $1,099 / £1,199 / AU$1,899 and goes up to $1,599 / £1,749 / AU$2,769 for a 1TB model.
According to one early rumour, the iPhone 15 Pro will be $100 more expensive. However, this could simply be for the United States to match the price increases of the iPhone 14 models in the United Kingdom and other regions.
In any case, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will not be cheap. However, as a true flagship phone, this is to be expected, and it will most likely compete with the Galaxy S23 Ultra in terms of price.
iPhone 15 Pro Max design and display
Apple is unlikely to change the overall design of the iPhone 15 Pro Max or the Pro lineup in general. The Dynamic Island will almost certainly return, possibly with a few tweaks, improved functionality, and third-party app support, especially since it’s expected to appear on all iPhone 15 models.
The display will be 6.7 inches in size and will have a 120Hz refresh rate thanks to an LTPO OLED display. Apple may tweak the brightness and colours of the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s screen, but given how good iPhone displays are in general, such tweaks are likely to be minor.
One major difference could be found on the edges of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with some rumours claiming a return to curved sides rather than the flat edges introduced by the iPhone 12. The idea is that the larger iPhone will be easier to hold. And the chassis of the iPhone 15 Pro Max could be made of titanium to increase durability while potentially reducing weight.
Instead of moving parts, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to have solid-state buttons with haptic feedback. This would make the flagship more dust-resistant and durable overall.
We haven’t heard many iPhone 15 colour rumours, but 9to5Mac(opens in new tab) claims that we will.
We haven’t heard many iPhone 15 colour rumours, but according to 9to5Mac(opens in new tab), the iPhone 15 Pro series may get a deep red colour option.
iPhone 15 Pro Max USB-C
Rumors of USB-C connectivity replacing the venerable Lightning port on the iPhone 15 Pro Max appear to be very likely, as the European Union has demanded that phones adopt USB-C as the common charging standard by December 2024; Apple is very likely to get ahead of that with the iPhone 15 lineup.
Adopting USB-C would undoubtedly improve charging and connectivity. However, without converters and dongles, it may be difficult to connect to older iPhone accessors; such is the price of progress.
According to one rumour, Apple may require Made for iPhone USB-C accessories, which could limit how unapproved third-party accessories work with next-generation iPhones. This could jeopardise the entire concept of open standards and interoperability with USB-C connectivity, but time will tell.
iPhone 15 Pro Max cameras
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to retain the same trio of rear cameras as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, including a primary, ultra-wide, and telephoto lens. That’s fine with us because the iPhone 14 Pro Max is one of our favourite camera phones.
However, expect sensor and software improvements; Apple has been rumoured to use a new Sony “state-of-the-art” sensor for the iPhone 15.
A periscope telephoto lens for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, tipped by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, would use an array of optical lenses to boost the camera’s zoom range without relying on cropping or digital zooming. A 6x optical zoom could be on the way. Periscope cameras first appeared in phones a few years ago, but their popularity has since waned. However, as we saw with the Oppo Find X2 Pro, they are capable of producing some rather nice telephoto shots. As a result, this would be an excellent upgrade for the next iPhone Pro Max.
According to another Kuo rumour, the iPhone 15 Pro will have an 8P main lens to reduce distortion in wider-angle shots. However, taking into consideration
iPhone 15 Pro Max specs and A17 Bionic
The iPhone 15 Pro Max, like many previous Pro iPhones, appears to be getting a new A-series chip, most likely the A17 Bionic.
Expect increased CPU and GPU power, as well as advances in machine learning and neural processing to power smart features ranging from computational photography to Siri. The new chip could theoretically be built on a TSMC 3-nanometer process, giving it more power but also greater efficiency.
Memory is also expected to be increased, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max rumoured to have 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Given that the iPhone 14 Pro Max is far from slow, this additional performance is unlikely to be noticeable, but it could be a welcome boost.
iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life
There have been no rumours about the battery life of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, with a new 3nm chip, we expect it to be more energy efficient, even if the battery remains at 4,323 mAh.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max lasted 13 hours and 39 minutes in our battery test, which involved continuously surfing the web until the battery died. That’s good enough to make our list of the best phone battery life. So we can expect the iPhone 15 Pro Max to be similar or even better.
We’d like to see a larger battery pack, especially since the Galaxy S23 Ultra only has a 5,000 mAh cell.
iPhone 15 Pro Max outlook
According to rumours and leaks, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is going to be a fantastic smartphone. It may not be a significant upgrade from the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but a number of minor changes are expected to add up to make it one of the best phones to buy.
And it will almost certainly be the best iPhone available in 2023. It’ll have to be good, because the Galaxy S23 Ultra has really impressed us and is arguably the phone to beat right now.
