Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max review

28 September 2023


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After quite a long time a phone I really like the night photography of - personally I'm absolutely OK with that "over-sharpening". Similar approach to my older OP Nord 2 night mode - see the pics, similar results (which is a compliment to OP). Just in case of the traffic light intersection iP underexposed it a bit - perhaps the night mode didn't switch on. But for it's restrictive system polici iP is a no go for me.

    One thing I wish most Android phone brands would take from Apple is the more natural colour's in photos. It's very easy to add a little saturation afterwards if that's your preference. It can be harder to do the opposite when phones have excessive saturation especially if the colour's are a bit off. Over the last few years the phones I've had and tried seem to be have a tendency to produce increasingly oversaturated pictures. What Apple could learn from some of the top Android flagships is to go a little less heavy handed on the sharpening for photos. The videos though don't seem to have the oversharpening

      • J
      • Jman
      • pLh
      • 29 Sep 2023

      Nice, balanced review. Some people will hate it though.

        [deleted post]By GSMArena, whose explanation isn't credible as the manufacturer's official description? Or are you *seriously* believing otherwise? You really can't be that obtuse, can you?

        Look, I can't discuss something with a person who has no English comprehension skills whatsoever - I've been telling you to always CHECK THE SAMPLES YOURSELF, yet all you keep saying is "Ahh reviewer A said this, B said that", like how the hell am I supposed to have a conversation with you about photos and image quality when you're not even interested in seeing them yourself? I don't give a damn about what personal opinions GSMA give to each phone, for instance one reviewer saying "Find X6 Pro produces a waxy photo" doesn't automatically mean it actually does produce a waxy photos. So cut it out already, yeah?

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • 32Q
          • 29 Sep 2023

          AnonD-546724, 28 Sep 2023Three things, the most boring smartphone, the least innovat... moreAnd yet when you break down quintessentially what is a smartphone and what does it actually do, everyone is boring because reinventing the wheel just isn't possible to satisfy the boredom of a few enthusiasts.

          The iPhone does what it needs to do, quite well the same way the flagships from other phones also do a pretty damn good job.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • XBx
            • 28 Sep 2023

            4.6 is actually pretty low for a flagship of this price

              • D
              • AnonD-546724
              • pZ5
              • 28 Sep 2023

              "Most of these features have already peaked, and it's only natural to see smaller, incremental improvements instead of large generational jumps"

              This way of thinking is the ultimate plague to innovation.
              It's like saying "It's boring but it's okay, they did everything they could".

              With people thinking like that, you can be sure that companies don't need to create anything new, ever. I really wonder how someone with that mindset landed a Job at GSMA, a place supposedly crowded with tech heads. Someone doesn't belong here.

                Anonymous, 28 Sep 2023I knew it. 12MP photos using HDR, then upscaled to 24, ... moreBoth the balcony shot AND the studio comparison shot suggest that iPhone's 24MP shots are slightly less detailed than Mi 11's 27MP but more detailed than other phones' 16MP photos - Which is what you would expect from a fusion of 12MP Bayer and 48MP Quad Bayer images. Heck, Apple's own advertisement even mentions that it "combines the best pixels from a super‑high‑resolution image with another that’s optimised for light capture". You've already lost your argument at that point because you're literally inventing lies to deny the official claim by the manufacturer themselves.

                https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=4&idPhone1=12559&idPhone2=10656&idPhone3=12258

                You, once again, are being caught red handed for not checking the actual samples on your monitor and choking yourself on what reviewers feed you because you stubbornly believe they never make any mistakes🤦

                  So it gets 4.6* but it still has slow charging, worse battery than the other Max phones, worse shatter resistance, gpu / cpu throttle and still costs a load of money on EU, not to mention that some features like battery limiting only exist on brand new phones (which defeats the long term guaranteed updates for every platform), and only gets usb c because they were forced to. Trash as always.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • 0w7
                    • 28 Sep 2023

                    It lost 30% in gpu and more than 20% on cpu. Basically, 14 pro max had better performance than this device.

                      Anonymous, 28 Sep 2023If Apple reduced the maximum clock speed people would compl... moreIt already IS not much faster than the previous model, less than 10% between the two chips

                        Nice and balanced review I thought.

                          • D
                          • AnonD-546724
                          • pZ5
                          • 28 Sep 2023

                          Three things, the most boring smartphone, the least innovative device, and the most recycled design. The most boring smartphone, the least innovative device, the most recycled design !

                          Are you getting it ? These are NOT three separate devices! This is one device ! And we are calling it iPhone. Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone. And here it is.

                            Nothing new here, an iPhone with the same issues I've experienced on my 13 Pro. At least this time we get a new telephoto and the long awaited type C port...

                              TBF for that CPU and GPU heavy throttling issue, it definitely doesn't deserve a 4.6 rating.
                              Last year 14 Pro Max was far more superior than this junk.
                              Sadly with all these downgrades I rather to pass this one and go with an Android.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • 3SI
                                • 28 Sep 2023

                                jerem06, 28 Sep 2023On the French site lesnumeriques their iPhone 15 Pro Max we... moreIf Apple reduced the maximum clock speed people would complain it‘s not much faster than the previous model

                                  • W
                                  • WYO
                                  • p3f
                                  • 28 Sep 2023

                                  LoneOwl, 28 Sep 2023So despite the bigger battery, it gets worse battery life t... more👍

                                    • W
                                    • WYO
                                    • p3f
                                    • 28 Sep 2023

                                    jerem06, 28 Sep 2023On the French site lesnumeriques their iPhone 15 Pro Max we... moreAgreed.

                                      • K
                                      • Kiwi
                                      • BCJ
                                      • 28 Sep 2023

                                      LoneOwl, 28 Sep 2023So despite the bigger battery, it gets worse battery life t... moreThe 13 PM is legendary.
                                      The first ever iPhone with fantastic battery endurance.

                                        Kaloyan, 28 Sep 2023What do you mean? The CPU throttle test is in the review.My mistake, I was looking at usual Cpu throttling test like other devices, I wasn't aware you guys use different app for Iphone.

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