Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max review

GSMArena Team, 28 September 2023.

4.6

Video capturing

The iPhone 15 Pro Max can record video at up to 4K60 with all of its four cameras. 4K24 is also available across the board if you're after a more cinematic motion look. All videos benefit from class-leading stabilization - Apple calls this cinematic video stabilization (with Enhanced Stabilization being ON by default). The slow-mo options max out at 1080p at 240fps.

Action mode is present - it uses the ultrawide camera at 60fps. It crops heavily from the 4K footage (that's why the resolution is 2.8K) and delivers super smooth and incredibly stabilized video. It is available to all rear cameras and can be shot at any resolution and frame rate, but, as we pointed out, its main hardware is the ultrawide camera at 2.8K@60fps.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max supports Cinematic mode (4K at 30fps), which applies a depth-of-field effect that keeps the subject of your video sharp and blurs the foreground and background. It takes care to rack focus automatically when the main subject changes or they look away.

ProRes can now be shot in 4K60 if you download videos on an external USB 3 hard drive. Support for Log encoding is also present. And there will be an option for Spatial Video capturing, so you can play your iPhone videos in 3D on Apple Vision Pro.

You can capture HDR videos straight into the Dolby Vision format up to the same maximum 4K60. You can edit these videos on the go on your phone; you can upload them on YouTube or any other popular platform or even send them to your friends. The Dolby Vision information is saved outside of the video stream, so the video will look normal to any non-HDR player/screen and will be color-boosted on any Dolby Vision-compatible player and display.

You also have a choice between H.265 HEVC and H.264 video encoders. The High-Efficiency mode uses H.265 and is mandatory for 4K60 and HDR footage, while the More Compatible mode (H.264) provides easier playback across different devices.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max, just like the previous iPhones, captures wide stereo audio for the videos at about 192kbps.

Before we begin, we want to applaud the iPhone camcorder for shooting equally great 30fps and 60fps videos across all resolutions. And even with the always-on electronic stabilization, which usually softens other videos, the iPhones still deliver outstanding video quality.

Daylight video quality

All 4K videos from all four cameras are simply outstanding. The resolved detail is abundant, the sharpness is superb, there is no noise, the dynamic range is incredibly wide, the colors are accurate, the processing is balanced and, everything looks natural, and there is no excessive sharpening.

Furthermore, the 2x zoomed videos deliver almost the same level of detail and sharpness, while the ultrawide videos impressed with stunning sharpness across the corners.

The 5x telephoto and the selfie videos are also super nice, just like the rest, even if their per-pixel quality is a bit lower than the rest (they have smaller sensors, after all).

Low-light video quality

The low-light video from the primary camera is very good, with enough resolved detail, low noise (if any), natural sharpness, and good exposure. The color saturation is great, contrast is high, and the dynamic range is realistic.

The 2x videos are softer and noisier but still quite usable, with good contrast and pleasantly saturated colors.

The 5x nighttime zoomed videos are quite soft as the camera app often crops from the main camera. They are usable, though they could be better.

The ultrawide camera also saves some very good clips. They have higher-than-expected detail and good sharpness, and the gentler noise reduction might have helped. The colors are saturated and realistic, and the contrast is kept high without hurting the good dynamic range.