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iPhone 15 Pro Max Is Anyone Returning the iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max?

Honestly I'm thinking about returning mine and this is the first time I've ever considered keeping my previous phone, which would be the 14 Pro Max. I don't see any difference in performance, camera, or battery, which would be the biggest reasons for me to upgrade. I also thought USB-C would be a bigger deal to me, but when I think about it, I wirelessly charge almost exclusively now and carrying around 1 lightning cable isn't the end of the world. I do like the action button and have it assigned to open my most used shortcuts, but I don't know if that's enough of a reason to justify keeping it.

I do like the feel of the 14 Pro Max better. Its slightly wider which for me feels better in the hand. I also think the 14PM has the exact same camera performance, outside of the 5X zoom, which I've found doesn't look that great on the 15 Pro Max.

In the end the only real upgrade with this phone is the titanium coated band around the phone. Its very nice, but so is stainless steel.

I guess I just feel like this is the most underwhelming iPhone upgrade that there has been in years. I have until tomorrow to decide as I leave for vacation on Tuesday and will miss my return window so I have to make a decision.
 
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Although I got the smaller Pro after my Pro Max was missing at delivery (stolen), I have fallen in love with the feel of the normal Pro. I love the naked feel with the curves and how perceivably light it is. I may have to keep the Pro instead of getting the Pro Max.

However, it hasn’t been all roses.. I have had very inconsistent heating events but nothing too prolonged but have had similar issues on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro since updating to iOS17. So I suspect it’s software related so no reasons to panic return the 15 Pro for this reason.

All said and done.. not sure how to explain but feel wise and as a stand alone upgrade from the 14 Pro it feels more wholesome than it felt from 13 Pro to 14 Pro. It could be just me but I change phones a lot throughout the year (Samsung etc) so it is something for me to actually feel this way.
 
The Game 161 said:
They certainly aren't

Far superior HDR, better low light performance, lens flare has improved slightly and no more does it blow out highlights.

Better detail more versatile for zoom and short range zoom

All major areas of improvement
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I did quite a bit of testing with the 15 PM before returning it and it seems to have an issue with focus, as if the area outside the very center is blurry and edges of objects are fuzzy. I observed a noticeable decrease in image sharpness and focus compared to the 14 PM at 48 MP ProRAW. Some bright areas were also blown out in HDR images. Maybe I got a defective module that doesn’t focus correctly or it’s a software issue that can be patched.

There is only so much that can be done with the exact same camera sensor software-wise and from testing, there’s not that big of a difference.
 
SumYoungGai said:
I did quite a bit of testing with the 15 PM before returning it and it seems to have an issue with focus, as if the area outside the very center is blurry and edges of objects are fuzzy. I observed a noticeable decrease in image sharpness and focus compared to the 14 PM at 48 MP ProRAW. Some bright areas were also blown out in HDR images. Maybe I got a defective module that doesn’t focus correctly or it’s a software issue that can be patched.

There is only so much that can be done with the exact same camera sensor software-wise and from testing, there’s not that big of a difference.
Click to expand...
the improvements apple made should've been done via software but they made it seem like a hardware upgrade. smart HDR 5 they could've easily added it to the 14 series. However the areas where 14 series struggled camera wise was HDR processing and that is certainly fixed for most part. wouldn't say it beats top android flagships but still better than what I experienced for 14 pro max.
 
I had no problem with my 15PM, but I decided to return it. The camera wasn’t that much better than my 14 Pro. In the end, I couldn’t justify the cost of upgrading from 14P to 15PM.
 
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All the 15 lineup is suffering from lack of a bigger battery
However if the rumors are true about the iPhone 16 lineup being bigger in size (6.3 & 6.9) we should see a bigger battery
 
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bushman4 said:
All the 15 lineup is suffering from lack of a bigger battery
However if the rumors are true about the iPhone 16 lineup being bigger in size (6.3 & 6.9) we should see a bigger battery
Click to expand...
Do you know anyone who actually wants an even bigger max phone? Really don’t know why Apple would go that route.
 
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I doubt the .2 increase is for better battery. Likely for the cameras, action button and that rumored new button. Fitting the Pro Max camera in the Pro and the standard models according to rumors are going back to the non diagonal cameras like the 12.
 
I just discovered there’s black goo leaking out of all 3 of my camera lenses. Never saw anything like it before, I feel like my local Apple Store will find a way to deny my return as well.
 
I think the negativity has gotten to some people. My 12P was already at $360 trade-in so didn't want to wait another year. I wanted a larger Pro Max size so got it.
 
Lakersfan74 said:
I think the negativity has gotten to some people. My 12P was already at $360 trade-in so didn't want to wait another year. I wanted a larger Pro Max size so got it.
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Even when compared to 14PM, 15pm feels like a finished product - fits in my hand like a glove. Not sure about the worthiness in terms of upgrade $(550) but it is just a very solid phone to have. I mean it even opens the files from external ssd.
 
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While it is not a HUGE upgrade from my 14PM I gave to my Dad I like it much better. From factor, 5x are my main drivers. USB-c is nice for charging (use MagSafe mostly) but transferring videos to my Mac that I do for my small YT channel has been a nice addition.

And I go case-less with the white 15PM.
 
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ETA is November 8th for my 15PM.

I don't really care if Apple is BS us that this is in fact an iOS bug, I just want them to fix it. Otherwise, I have no problems returning it.
 
Coming from the 13pro to the 15pro and it’s totally worthwhile for me, I didn't upgrade to 14pro as not enough there to make it worthwhile but the 15pro was
IOS 17 is a buggy mess but I know Apple will get it sorted
 
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As I pretty much expected I'm leaning towards returning the 15 Pro and going back to my 13 mini. While I'm getting better at using it than I thought I would, there are just somethings that are just too cumbersome for me to use one handed which is how I typically use it by choice and then in some cases by necessity. This morning I took the mini instead of the Pro with me for our walk (walk the dogs about 4 miles each day) and instantly was reminded why I prefer smaller iPhones. The areas that the Pro better just don't make up for it for me yet (and then it costing $1200).

I really wish my provider made it easier to switch eSims back and forth, but they (mint mobile) charges every time you switch after the first 2 it seems. So I miss physical sim slot too. I guess I have until Friday to make up my mind!
 
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