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EdMan

macrumors 6502a
Oct 17, 2011
650
342
Michigan
I had a 15 Pro I bought at launch and decided to go with the PM. It was wrestling with myself from the moment I purchased it since I had a 14 PM prior. I’ve traditionally flipped between the Pro and the Max and thought I wanted small again. Truth is the Max is just an awesome device and I have adjusted to the size and missed the screen and battery.
 

harpua626

macrumors newbie
Oct 2, 2018
27
24
Upstate NY
Just upgraded from a 13 pro to a 15 pro max. Definitely liking it so far. Fits in my pocket no problem and haven’t had any sign of any of the issues I’ve heard about (knock on wood)
 
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StoneJack

macrumors 68030
Dec 19, 2009
2,735
1,985
Glad I got the 15PM. It doesn’t even feel that big. Glad I went with my it
Second that. After I bought 15PM, I even looked into system preferences to make sure it is Max model. It did not feel big at all (maybe due to lighter weight?)
 
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MarkNewton2023

macrumors 6502a
Sep 17, 2023
604
604
Hi, I picked up the 15 Pro two weeks ago from Verizon. I really do like it a lot, but am wondering if the 15 Pro Max would have been the better choice for me.

Has anybody exchanged in either direction? What were your thoughts?
If you like larger screen and extra camera feature on Pro Max, get a Pro Max.
 

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2006
4,412
4,243
Down south
Although I’m still waiting on ATT to figure out why they can’t seem to get my exchange taken care of so I can swap for the regular pro, I’m getting a little more used to the size of the max. I still don’t know if it’s a good long-term phone for me, and I really want to start keeping my phones at least 2 years, because I definitely notice it in my hands and wrists when I use it for longer periods of time. Not sure if that would go away, or get worse with time.
 

thecautioners

macrumors 6502a
Dec 5, 2022
777
1,844
I’ve had big iPhones since the 6S+ and I’ll never go small again. I love it too much. The size and battery are great.
 
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dmccombs

macrumors 6502a
May 13, 2013
721
1,758
Although I’m still waiting on ATT to figure out why they can’t seem to get my exchange taken care of so I can swap for the regular pro, I’m getting a little more used to the size of the max. I still don’t know if it’s a good long-term phone for me, and I really want to start keeping my phones at least 2 years, because I definitely notice it in my hands and wrists when I use it for longer periods of time. Not sure if that would go away, or get worse with time.
I was on the fence as you are and had the Max phones for the last 2 years. Like you, it's not just the weight, but the physical size of the Pro that I don't like sometimes. So this year I went with the Pro.

As folks pointed out, you can make the text larger in all the Apple apps, and some 3rd party apps. I only use a couple apps, where the screen layout is fixed and you can't make the font larger. So when it comes to text, I am getting by fine with the Pro size phone.

I don't watch videos on my phone, but do look at pictures that people send me. I do miss the Max in these cases. Pictures do look smaller and its harder to see details without scrolling. I have iPads and Macbooks for this though, so picture viewing on the phone isn't a big deal to me.

For my use case the Pro is working out fine, and I love the smaller size of the Pro. Good luck in your final decision.
 

Jmik4

macrumors member
Sep 23, 2019
55
53
I switched from a 12 pro max (or whatever it was called that year) to a 13 Pro and again now a 15 Pro. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the max sizes. I think I’d be perfectly happy if the rumors of next year being 0.2 bigger are true then I think we have the sweet spot for the pro.

It’s very ideal for me because I’m just always on the go always using my phone with one hand never really sitting and using it two handed unless it’s late night in bed where then I have my iPad Pro next to me anyways.

I wish I had the battery of the PM but the usability and quality of life with it is higher on my priority list.
 

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2006
4,412
4,243
Down south
I switched from a 12 pro max (or whatever it was called that year) to a 13 Pro and again now a 15 Pro. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the max sizes. I think I’d be perfectly happy if the rumors of next year being 0.2 bigger are true then I think we have the sweet spot for the pro.

It’s very ideal for me because I’m just always on the go always using my phone with one hand never really sitting and using it two handed unless it’s late night in bed where then I have my iPad Pro next to me anyways.

I wish I had the battery of the PM but the usability and quality of life with it is higher on my priority list.

Honestly the battery is really the least of my concerns. I’ve never had an issue with my phone battery being low, and not being able to charge it. I really just wanted the extra screen size for readability, and a larger keyboard for typing. My eyes aren’t getting better, and I constantly hit the wrong buttons when I’m texting.

I can increase the text size of course, but I’d like to have more than one sentence on the screen at a time. ;-p

All that considered, I agree that the usability is higher on the list, and even though I sometimes feel like I could get used to it (and I know a pro is gonna feel small when I finally get it), I lay in bed and hold it up to read on it, and realize it’s just a bit too much weight and size for comfort.
 

HiRez

macrumors 603
Jan 6, 2004
6,265
2,630
Western US
I ordered an iPhone 15 Pro Max (and another one for my wife) but even though I like the 5X lens and will probably use it, and I really like having more battery and a bigger screen, I feel like it's a huge compromise that's going to let down the whole experience. The reasons are that a) testing has shown the Pro Max photos to be of MUCH worse quality than the Pro between 3X and 5X, which is the most common focal lengths you'd want for portraits, and b) the 5X lens only has a 12 MP sensor.

To really do this right, I'd want to see 4 lenses: a 0.5X, a 1X, a 3X, and a 5X/6X, and all with full 48 MP sensors. But I doubt they will do that anytime soon.

I hope I don't regret buying these for nearly $3K.
 

Tdevilsg

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 23, 2021
182
235
I ordered an iPhone 15 Pro Max (and another one for my wife) but even though I like the 5X lens and will probably use it, and I really like having more battery and a bigger screen, I feel like it's a huge compromise that's going to let down the whole experience. The reasons are that a) testing has shown the Pro Max photos to be of MUCH worse quality than the Pro between 3X and 5X, which is the most common focal lengths you'd want for portraits, and b) the 5X lens only has a 12 MP sensor.

To really do this right, I'd want to see 4 lenses: a 0.5X, a 1X, a 3X, and a 5X/6X, and all with full 48 MP sensors. But I doubt they will do that anytime soon.

I hope I don't regret buying these for nearly $3K.
Why not have each of you buy two different phones? That way you can both test out either and go with the one you individually like best.
 

Tdevilsg

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 23, 2021
182
235
Order update. I'll have my white titanium 512gb pro max by the 27th. Verizon and their outsourced customer service was a nightmare to deal with, and no stores in a 50 mile radius in la have them. But the deed is done.
 

Tdevilsg

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 23, 2021
182
235
Well my order finally came in today. The Pro Max is definitely going to take a little while to get used to the bigger size but I do like it so far. The screen is fantastic and so is the battery life so far.
 

LionTeeth

macrumors regular
Oct 8, 2022
215
445
I spent 4.5 years with a Max phone, I ended up hating how big it was. Couldn’t wield it with one hand, is huge in pocket esp with a case on. The “extra text” on screen is like 1.5 lines.

I went 6.1” pro this time and I am thrilled to be able to use the thing again.
 

nikster0029

macrumors 6502a
Jul 21, 2010
708
484
Got the pro max, kept thinking about the smaller pro model, finally bought it after 2 weeks of thinking about it, and returned the pro after 24 hours.

If you are spending a lot of time thinking about it, I think the best thing to do is to try the smaller or larger phone concurrently to find clarity on your preferences.
 

Tdevilsg

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 23, 2021
182
235
I spent 4.5 years with a Max phone, I ended up hating how big it was. Couldn’t wield it with one hand, is huge in pocket esp with a case on. The “extra text” on screen is like 1.5 lines.

I went 6.1” pro this time and I am thrilled to be able to use the thing again.
I can understand that. The 15 pro is a fantastic device. We will see with this pro max. I do miss the width being smaller on the 15 pro but the weight I've found surprisingly similar because of how it's distributed.
 
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Tdevilsg

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 23, 2021
182
235
Well I've had the Max for a few days now. I think I'm going to go with my original plan and keep the Pro Max and return the Pro. The Pro Max is definitely wider and just bigger in general, but once you have this large screen its hard to go back. Even though the Pro is an amazing device, I'm looking forward to changing things up a bit with the Pro Max.
 
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