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iPhone 15 Pro Max: One Year Review

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It's been almost a year since the iPhone 15 models were released, so MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera decided to do a one-year check-in review on the iPhone 15 Pro Max to see how it's performed over the last 12 months.


Unsurprisingly, Dan has seen some iPhone battery degradation, and it's dropped to 89 percent. That's with regular CarPlay usage, running betas, and standard day-to-day use. Even at 89 percent, the battery can still last for a full day without needing a charge.

As for the titanium chassis, it's held up well. There are a few nicks due to minor drops, but the display has seen a lot more damage with several scratches, some of which are deep.

The transition to USB-C has been a little tough just because there are still people with Lightning iPhones. If someone wants to borrow your charger, you may not have the right cable if you've switched to USB-C and they're still on Lightning.

Dan uses the Action Button for opening up the Camera app, but there's so much more that the Action Button can do in iOS 18, and it's going to get a lot more useful in the future. You can set Control Center controls to the Action Button, and developers can make new controls for apps that you can use.

There's not too much to say about the triple-lens camera setup, which is great. The 5x zoom lens is excellent for taking portrait pictures of people, and it's been a solid improvement. Otherwise, the cameras are fantastic with a lot of focal length versatility thanks to the new zoom option.

Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has held up well, and if you have one (or a Pro), there's no real need to upgrade to the iPhone 16 models. The A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro is incredibly fast and there's no way most people are even reaching the limits of its capabilities at this time, and Apple isn't adding too much more than an extra Capture Button and a slightly larger display in 2024. You can already use Apple Intelligence if you have an iPhone 15 Pro model, so there's not a lot to get out of a year-over-year upgrade.

If you have an older iPhone, it's worth looking at the iPhone 16 models, or even an iPhone 15 Pro when prices drop and they're discontinued. All of the iPhone 16 models will have a chip compatible with Apple Intelligence, a Capture Button, and an Action Button, so there's a lot to gain coming from an iPhone 14 or earlier.

How has your iPhone 15 held up if you have one? Let us know in the comments below.

Article Link: iPhone 15 Pro Max: One Year Review
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/08/21/iphone-15-pro-max-one-year-review/
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Day 1 iPhone 15 pro max. Rarely get a day out of the battery without topping up.

Physically in great condition. No signs of wear in the frame etc


94% battery health with 474 charge count.


My only three gripes. Battery life, Screen dimming when hot and the wallet keeps deleting my passes weekly at random.
 
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Reactions: G5isAlive, Stormshadow, 0134168 and 1 other person
I plan to upgrade my 15 Pro to the 16PM. I made a mistake in downsizing from the 14 PM. I 100% love the smaller form factor, but the battery life on this thing just does not last. I don’t CarPlay—I just listen to music and podcasts and browse Reddit while I work my desk job. Almost always I’m 39% by this time each afternoon which means daily top-ups to get through a full day. Battery life feels comparable to the Pixel 4XL and that was 5 years ago! Battery health is 92% and it’s dropped 5% last month alone. These 15 Pros feel like they don’t have the longevity of the 11 and 13 series, for example. IDK, back to the Pro Max for me—my spouse will happily take my 15 pro and run it until it dies
 
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Battery in my iPhone 15 Pro is still at 100% after a year of use. Having the max charge at 80% has helped a lot. It also still looks brand new.

It's been a solid phone. Things that are great: The camera, the speed, the screen. Things that aren't great: overheating when it's warm outside and you're trying to record video, it really didn't feel like a huge upgrade over my 12 Pro.

I'm going to be keeping this one for several years, and see no need to upgrade.
 
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Reactions: rezzo, G5isAlive, Persecki and 9 others
Standard day-to-day use at 89% huh. 15 Pro Max must have a horrible battery if that’s the standard, I suppose, when my iPhone 13 Pro Max is still at 94% today?
 
Bought mine in early July, so almost brand new my phone.
I can’t say much about battery and heat, because I am on beta train since I received my phone, so I’ll have to wait for the official release of iOS 18, to comment on these things.

But on all other things, it’s a super good iPhone and I am glad that I bought it!
 
The transition to USB-C has been a little tough just because there are still people with Lightning iPhones. If someone wants to borrow your charger, you may not have the right cable if you've switched to USB-C and they're still on Lightning.
Click to expand...

This is an extremely poor take on USB-C. I laughed. 😆
Why the hell would the transition be tough when you can literally use any Type-C charger from anybody with Android or someone already rocking iPhone 15 series!

Maybe the author needs to “upgrade” to iPhone 14 or below series with clearly superior lightning port. 🤣

PS: The author needs to cope by carrying an extra Lightning Charger to help random strangers with their iPhone 14 and lower models. Also carry the old 30 pin connector cable if feeling lucky.
 
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Reactions: G5isAlive, Tim Apple’s Glasses, MorganHiller and 17 others
I’m on an iPhone 14Pro. Looking forward to upgrading to the 16 Pro Max. The usb c will be nice to use. Capture button will be handy and being able to use all Apple intelligence features will be great. Also getting new camera x5 and spacial videos and photos will be awesome. Pretty solid upgrade for me! Can’t wait!
 
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15 PM. I like the size, upgraded from a 14 Pro. My battery is 90%. Release day also. 353 count. I never use the action button, although maybe I should. It does get warm and dims the screen sometimes.

Depending on the 16 PM features, I may upgrade. Seems like I do just to get the newer cameras. Things that would ensure it: double the storage (yes, it is expensive), even better zoom.
 
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My release day 15pm battery capacity is 98%. Annoyingly it was 100% still before installing ios18 this week.

My charging schedule is I never use wireless charging as it does affect battery health. I don’t leave it plugged in overnight either I plug it in in the morning to a 30w charger for max speed and disconnect it when it’s done. Kept the battery very well over the year.
 
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100%, using since October 1st. Charging only to 80%. My 12PM had only 92% after 1 year, so I am happy with 15PM.
 
d5aqoëp said:
This is an extremely poor take on USB-C. I laughed. 😆
Why the hell would the transition be tough when you can literally use any Type-C charger from anybody with Android or someone already rocking iPhone 15 series!

Maybe the author needs to “upgrade” to iPhone 14 or below series with clearly superior lightning port. 🤣

PS: The author needs to cope by carrying an extra Lightning Charger to help random strangers with their iPhone 14 and lower models. Also carry the old 30 pin connector cable if feeling lucky.
Click to expand...
It's a fair take. Most people I know have older iPhones and I barely know anyone with an Android phone. I had a day where I had to take several Ubers and left my charger, and my first two Ubers only had a lightning cable so my my phone died and I had to crawl into a T-Mobile store to use a charger to call my last ride home.

That being said I love the transition and the only electronics I have that don't run on USB C are my AirPods Max and TV remote.
 
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Release-day iPhone 15 Pro, battery health at 93%. It was at 99% just a month ago, not sure what's eating it up (I'm running the betas and am having to charge more often, maybe that's it.) Always use wireless charging, except in the car.

I've been a big fan of this phone. The camera is excellent - although sometimes it still seems to glitch between focus points and lenses, depending on how far the subject is from me.

I use the Action button for selfies and the photo lockscreen button for regular photos. It's a good workflow for me.
 
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I also think the iPhone 15 pro max is a great phone and I am happy with my purchase. I have no damage on my phone ( using a case) and the camera and battery are great. I can make it a whole 8 hours or full day without having to recharge. However, I do agree the battery degradation is shocking given previous iPhone battery health didn't degrade as fast. My launch day 15 pro max is at 93% battery health at almost a year of usage with 214 cycles. Also, my phone does get a little warm ( nothing uncomfortable) randomly sometimes. Other than that, no complains as this is a speedy and powerful phone that means all my needs. I look forward to upgrading in Fall 2025 for the iPhone 17 models though as I heard they are suppose to be more of a worthy upgrade.

8.5/10
 
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