Apple recently launched its latest generation, the iPhone 15 series, introducing the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Similar to last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max, which competes with this year’s high-end iPhone 15 Pro Max smartphone. In this article, we will share a guide to several things you need to know about the iPhone 15 Pro. Should you upgrade or not?
The return of the iPhone 15 marks a significant entry-level upgrade. So, should you upgrade? Additionally, Apple has ditched the mini iPhone after the 13-Series, and eSIM remains limited to US models only.
What has Upgraded on the iPhone 15 Pro Max Compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max
Whether you are buying an iPhone or upgrading, you need to know some things. If you are buying the iPhone 15 or Pro, consider getting a protective case and maybe AppleCare Plus. This solid advancement offers a better camera, a brighter screen, and Dynamic Island alongside USB Type-C.
Display
Regarding the real upgrade compared to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, there are 1200 nits (800 in High Brightness Mode) and a maximum refresh rate of 6 Hz without support for LTP. Apart from this, there are no other upgrades. However, a new Dynamic Island is replacing the notch, and the screen supports the Dolby Vision HDR standard across several popular streaming platforms.
Protection
The device features ceramic shield glass and titanium rails, which make it almost bulletproof. However, keep in mind that it is still glass on both sides.
Camera upgrade
There are several upgrades over the iPhone 14 Pro Max, starting with the camera upgrade. This time, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has 48MP and 24MP, an addition to the 12MP in the previous year. The iPhone 14 Pro Max supports 48MP, with the default still being 12MP. It has become more reliable, which might be a key deciding factor for this year’s iPhone compared to last year. It offers a default focal length of the primary camera with optional features available at 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm, which provide a 1x, 1.2x, and 1.5x zoom, respectively.
With the new lens-enabled 5x optical zoom, 3x is a more optimal zoom range for capturing portrait images; however, 5x zoom does help with long-range zoom. On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has three new video-recording capabilities, offering ProRes video in 4K at 60 fps, even for the selfie shooter. It also supports log video recording and ACES (Academy et al.) that matches the display colors to industry standards, allowing users to save the video directly to an external drive rather than internal storage.
Another major upgrade is the processing of images. This is SmartHDR captured by iPhones, and it is for the 5th generation iteration. It also features new portraits that enable the iPhone to detect human beings being captured automatically. In addition to this, the software allows users to edit depth mapping and other things. You can also manually switch to portrait mode, allowing you to easily switch from normal photos to portrait in the Gallery app after capturing the image. Thanks to the larger, higher-resolution sensor, it allows more details to be captured simultaneously.
Apart from this, the camera hardware gives the device more features thanks to the newly improved Image Signal Processor (ISP) to benefit from your sensor, which features the same aperture. There are no additional camera software updates for it. In addition, the A17 Pro supports 4K Dolby Vision HDR, Apple ProRes, Cinematic mode, and Action Mode (2.8K) at 60 fps, but ProRes and Cinematic mode are capped at 30 fps. Nevertheless, also the SOC can help capture 48MP Pro RAW images, and it can capture 48MP HEIF images as well.
Processor Upgrade
Apple brought the new A17 Pro SoC for the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year based on 3nm TSMC fabrication. Other upgrades include a 6-core GPU. Apple also brought AAA titles like Resident Evil and Assassin’s Creed, which were only available on PCs and consoles, to be made available in early 2024. Its capable hardware supports ray tracing, giving incredible graphics that will improve the gaming experience significantly.
It is based on a 2+4 split between performance and efficiency cores. The performance cores can have a clock rate of up to 3.70 GHz. GPU performance goes up to 20% faster, and it also uses a neural engine called MetalFX upscaling to improve graphics using less power. However, real-life performance remains to be seen. The A17 Pro has faster data processing and improved efficiency with more transistors, which makes it 10% faster than its predecessor.
The upgrade also includes 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which can handle more tasks simultaneously, and there is a modem that also makes it faster and more energy-efficient. Also, the increase in memory bandwidth and the 6-core GPU help improve graphics performance in games and other graphics-intensive tasks.
A17 Pro can perform 35 trillion operations per second, and the Dedicated Engine has three dedicated engines that help with the ProRes Codec and Pro Display engine. In addition to this, there is an AV1 decoder for better image quality when streaming videos.
Software
A new iOS 17 comes out of the box, including several changes to the iMessage feature that allows customization and the calling screen. The new feature adds a standby mode that activates in landscape orientation while charging but also allows turning into a digital photo frame and accessing widgets. On top of that, it uses a neural engine that helps with better autocorrect and sentence prediction. It also introduces new live stickers, the Name Drop feature, and more.
Build quality
It is quite rugged and has a sturdy build quality that further improves its quality. It has a Grade-5 titanium frame, essentially an alloy of titanium and aluminum. This makes the iPhone 15 Pro series have more tensile strength than stainless steel. The iPhone 15 Pro Series has a brushed texture and contoured edges, making the device more comfortable than boxy and sharp-edged.
The latter also has a glossy frame, which is said to attract many smudges. Apple has also enhanced the overall aesthetic. Not only this, but the camera module is also integrated into the rear of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and comes in four different colors, including black, blue, natural, and white. This time, pastel and slightly dull colors make it brighter.
Design and color are subjective, whereas the device weighs 19g compared to the last generation. The bezels have also been reduced while offering the same screen size of 6.7 inches.
Connector
This is another major upgrade. For the third time, Apple has adopted the USB Type-C connector before EU regulations. The iPhone 14 Pro offers USB Type-C 3.0 (10 Gbps), and the regular iPhone 14 only offers USB Type-C 2.0, improving data transfer speeds. If you do not already own USB-C or MagSafe accessories, you will need to spend extra shopping.
USB-C is better than Lightning, while Apple arbitrarily assesses charging and data transfer performance on the iPhone 15 Series. However, USB Type-C is the way to go to get faster charging, limited to 10 GB/s on the Pro and Pro Max. USB Type-C is a multi-platform standard, while Apple designed Lightning, exclusive to Apple-compatible devices and accessories.
Additionally, Apple and others already tend to use USB-A or USB-C on their chargers, simply asking which matches the appropriate cable since Apple is bundling a USB-C-to-USB-C cable with every iPhone 15. You can use any cable or adapter, but it is not included in the box.
The iPhone 15 has dual eSIM and dual-SIM support, but it comes with a Nano-SIM card slot in other regions except the USA. The iPhone 15 still comes with dual-SIM support, but you will be forced to use 2x eSIM on the eSIM-only version of the iPhone.
They have replaced the mute switch with an action button. It helps with different tasks, making it a better choice than the mute switch. However, it is set to mute or unmute the iPhone by default, which you can change according to your preferences.
Connectivity
Furthermore, it uses Qualcomm’s 5G modem, the Snapdragon X70, which has a peak download and upload speed of 10Gbps and 3.5Gbps, respectively, covering and having lower latency. Additionally, it supports Bluetooth v5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E, which is twice as fast. Moreover, with the dedicated USB-C controller support on the Pro service, there is support for 10Gbps, which is ten times faster than previous generations.
Base Storage
Apple has ditched the 12GB version. This time, the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at 128/256/512GB and 1TB.
Price of the Apple iPhone
Apple has not increased the price this year. However, they have removed the 128GB storage variant. Not only this, but there is also the addition of a trade-in program and other incentives if you are looking to upgrade. Japan is the cheapest place to buy an iPhone, followed by China and Canada.
Others
There is also an upgraded version with Wi-Fi 6E. The Ultra Wideband Chip has also been upgraded to help recognize Apple devices nearby in a large range and with better precision. Additionally, there is a new thread network technology, NaVIC, which stands for Navigation with Indian Constellation for precise dual-frequency GPS. Moreover, the navigation satellite system in India allows Indian users to navigate better.
On the other hand, with iOS 17, there are a lot of new features and other enhancements. There is also an IP68 rating, meaning you can submerge it in up to 6 meters of water for 30 minutes.
