- Source: Apple
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
The iPhone 15 Pro Max introduces an all-new, customizable Action button, a titanium chassis with round edges, and a USB Type-C port. It exclusively offers up to 5x optical zoom, too.
Pros- Superior build quality
- 120Hz ProMotion display
- 5X optical zoom
Cons- Expensive price tag
- Source: Apple
iPhone 15 Plus
The iPhone 15 Plus is a great base model smartphone from Apple. It features a bright 6.7-inch display up to 2000 nits and a 48 MP main camera.
Pros- Dynamic Island
- Good processor and camera upgrades
- USB-C port
Cons- No Always-On Display
- No telephoto lens
Apple's new 2023 iPhone lineup includes four new models, all packing some noteworthy improvements over their predecessors. The regular iPhone 15 models also look very impressive this year with features like Dynamic Island, a USB-C port, upgraded cameras, and more. The Pro models look even better with a brand-new chipset, faster USB-C ports, and a new titanium chassis, among other things.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is genuinely the most exciting option this year with some additional features, but it's also the most expensive iPhone in the lineup. So is it really worth the asking price, or should you consider the iPhone 15 Plus instead if you want a bigger screen? They both have a lot more in common than you think, so let's take a look at the iPhone 15 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max comparison to find out which one is better for you.
Apple iPhone 15 Plus vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Price, specs & availability
Apple's new iPhone 15 series was made available to preorder on Sept. 15. Unlike the iPhone 14 Plus, which arrived on the market almost a month after the other models, the iPhone 15 Plus will be available at the same as the rest of the lineup. This means both phones here will ship on Sept. 22.
As far as the pricing is concerned, the iPhone 15 Plus starts at $899 for the 128GB variant and goes all the way up to $1,199 for the 512GB model. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, starts at $1,199 for the base variant with 256GB storage and tops out at $1,599 for the 1TB model. The base variant of the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with 256GB storage instead of 128GB, but it also starts at the same price as the top-end variant of the iPhone 15 Plus. You can pick up the iPhone 15 Plus in Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green, and Black colors, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes in Natural Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Black Titanium.
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Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
- SoC
- Apple A17 Pro
- Display
- 6.7" OLED Super Retina XDR
- Storage
- 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Ports
- USB-C
- Operating System
- iOS 17
- Front camera
- 12MP TrueDepth camera
- Dimensions
- 6.29 x 3.01 x 0.32 inches (159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25mm)
- Colors
- Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium
- Weight
- 7.8 ounces (221g)
- IP Rating
- IP68
- Price
- $1,100
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iPhone 15 Plus
- SoC
- Apple A16 Bionic
- Display
- 6.7-inch OLED Super Retina XDR
- Storage
- 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
- Ports
- USB-C
- Operating System
- iOS 17
- Front camera
- 12MP TrueDepth camera
- Dimensions
- 6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches (160.9 x 77.8 x 7.80 mm)
- Colors
- Blue, pink, yellow, green, black
- Weight
- 7.09 ounces (201 g)
- IP Rating
- IP68
- Price
- $899
Apple iPhone 15 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Design & build
Apple has made some changes to the overall design of these iPhones, but they largely look the same as their previous-gen counterparts. Both iPhones featured in this comparison are on the bigger side, packing a 6.7-inch display on the front. However, they look noticeably different from each other, at least from the back, due to the material choices, colors, the number of rear camera sensors, and more.
The first thing you need to know is that the iPhone 15 Pro Max features a titanium chassis with a textured matte glass back, whereas the iPhone 15 Plus uses aluminum with infused color glass. The titanium build makes the iPhone 15 Pro Max noticeably lighter than its predecessor, but it still weighs about 20 grams heavier than the iPhone 15 Plus. Both phones also have the same footprint overall, but the iPhone 15 Plus is a hair taller and thinner than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The overall dimensions of these phones are slightly different from their predecessors, so your old cases won't work. Thankfully, there are plenty of iPhone 15 Plus cases and iPhone 15 Pro Max cases out there, so there's nothing to worry about.
The Pro model visually differentiates itself with a refined brushed finish and sophisticated neutral colors, whereas the regular iPhone 15 Plus comes in more fun and pastel color options. Both phones have a USB-C port at the bottom, but the Pro model comes with a user-customizable Action Button, whereas the iPhone 15 Plus sticks with a mute switch. I love the idea of having a physical mute switch more than an action button, but it essentially comes down to personal preference.
Apple iPhone 15 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Display
The iPhone 15 Plus and the iPhone 15 Pro Max both have a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display on the front. They're both OLED panels with 2796x1290 resolution and a Dynamic Island, and they also have a peak HDR brightness of 1,600 nits and a peak outdoor brightness of up to 2,000 nits. The only difference is that the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a ProMotion display with support for up to 120Hz refresh rate, whereas the iPhone 15 Plus tops out at 60Hz. You don't get support for the always-on display on the iPhone 15 Plus either, meaning you can't use things like the Standby mode on iOS 17.
All things considered, it's safe to say that you're not going to notice a huge difference between the two displays just by looking at them. The ProMotion display on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, however, will make a huge difference when you're using the phone. A higher refresh rate panel will offer a better day-to-day experience overall. It's not necessarily a deal-breaker if you're coming from an older iPhone with a 60Hz display, but it would've been nice to have a higher refresh rate panel on the iPhone 15 Plus, too.
Apple iPhone 15 Plus vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Performance and software
The iPhone 15 Plus is powered by Apple's A16 Bionic chip, which was introduced last year with the iPhone 14 Pro models. This remains one of the most powerful mobile chips out there in 2023, and it can go head-to-head with the likes of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Android world. It has enough GPU and CPU power to run pretty much any app or game you throw at it without a hitch. It also packs a powerful Neural Engine for AI-powered features, leaving no room for complaints. I suggest you check out our iPhone 14 Pro or the iPhone 14 Pro Max reviews to see the kind of performance you can expect from this chip, as they both carry the same A16 Bionic chip.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, is powered by the new 3nm A17 Pro chip. It represents the next generation of A-series processors, and Apple says it's the "fastest chip ever on any smartphone." We're yet to put this chip through its paces, but it looked very promising during the keynote. I am also expecting it to be more power-efficient, but it remains to be seen just how much usage we can get out of this phone on a single charge. In typical Apple fashion, all we know for now is that the iPhone 15 Plus can stream videos for up to 20 hours, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro Max can do that for an additional five hours. Take it for what it's worth for now, but we'll have more detailed and presentable numbers once we've had a chance to test the phones.
Both models are limited to 20W charging speeds, so the transition to USB-C doesn't bring any charging advancements whatsoever. You can also use a MagSafe charger or other wireless chargers to top them up but expect slower speeds in those cases. There's nothing to write home about the charging speeds of these new iPhones, so keep your expectations in check.
You'll get iOS 17 on both of these phones out of the box, so you'll get the exact same software experience on them for the most part. The iPhone 15 Plus model, as I mentioned earlier, won't be able to use the Standby mode due to the lack of an Always-On display, but the rest of the features should work as advertised, complete with all the Dynamic Island features. My colleague has written an excellent iOS 17 review that you should check out in case you want to know more about the software and its features. Both phones are launching at the same time, so you can expect to receive the same number of updates over the years.
The models sold in the U.S. won't have a SIM card slot, so you'll still be using an eSIM here. The connectivity features are identical except for Wi-Fi, as the Pro model has support for Wi-Fi 6E while the iPhone 15 Plus has Wi-Fi 6. You also get the new 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband chip on both phones, so there are no differences there, either.
Apple iPhone 15 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Cameras
This is where the comparison gets a bit interesting, and the Pro model starts to take a noticeable lead over the regular iPhone 15 Plus. The iPhone 15 Pro Max sports a 48MP main camera with an f/1.78 aperture, along with a 12MP ultrawide and a 12MP telephoto lens. These sensors are identical to the ones you get on the iPhone 15 Pro models, but the Pro Max variant has support for up to 5x optical zoom, as opposed to just 3x optical zoom on the smaller iPhone 15 Pro. This particular 5x lens shoots at a 120mm focal length, and it can achieve a digital zoom of up to 25x, which is the longest zoom ever on an iPhone.
It remains to be seen how the overall quality stacks up against the Android counterparts, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max has some key improvements in the camera departments. The standard iPhone 15 Plus has seen great improvements, too, and it now sports the same 48MP main camera with an f/1.6 aperture, along with a 12MP ultra-wide camera. This particular phone can only do 2x optical zoom and also misses out on things like Night mode portraits, macro photography, and support for Apple ProRAW. Both phones sport an identical 12MP TrueDepth selfie camera with an f/1.9 aperture, so you can expect them to be on par with each other. We're yet to get our hands on these phones to produce some camera samples, so stay tuned.
Moving over to video recording, both phones in this comparison can record 1080p and 4K videos at up to 60FPS, and you also get support for cinematic mode video recording up to 4K HDR at 30FPS. The regular iPhone 15 Plus misses out on things like ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 with external recording, log video recording, and macro videos. Still, you get those on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The front camera on both phones can record 4K videos at up to 60FPS, though.
Apple iPhone 15 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Which one should you buy?
It's no secret that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the superior handset in this comparison, packing more premium features. However, I am happy to see that the differences have reduced this time, and the standard iPhones have more in common with the Pro models this year. That being said, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the better phone here, and it's a no-brainer for those who don't mind spending that much on a smartphone in 2023. Not only does it have a more premium build quality, but you also get a better ProMotion display with support for a higher refresh rate and the new A17 Pro chipset for an impressive performance boost. Not to mention, you also get a 12MP telephoto lens that's capable of doing up to 5x optical zoom.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
The iPhone 15 Pro Max introduces an all-new, customizable Action button, a titanium chassis with round edges, and a USB Type-C port. It exclusively offers up to 5x optical zoom, too.
But if none of those features catch your fancy, and you'd rather stick with a standard phone that offers a reliable experience, then you simply can't go wrong with the iPhone 15 Plus. It features the same 6.7-inch Retina XDR display as the Pro Max with the same resolution and brightness, albeit with a 60Hz refresh rate. You also get the tried-and-tested A16 Bionic chip inside this phone, along with things like an upgraded 48MP sensor at the back and a USB-C port. The software experience is also going to be largely the same, meaning you're not missing out on much. The Pro iPhone models will keep getting better, but I am glad that the standard iPhones have closed the gap quite a bit this year.
iPhone 15 Plus
The iPhone 15 Plus is a great base model smartphone from Apple. It features a bright 6.7-inch display up to 2000 nits and a 48 MP main camera.