iPhone 15 Pro Max Just, Too, Big

[profmjh]

Thanks for the suggestions in the this thread, but I still can't make the size work for me. I did buy the Max for two reasons, the 5x lens and the screen real estate when shooting video/photos. The cons outweigh the pros unfortunately. Especially the fact it started aggravating my arthritis at the bottom of my thumbs.

Return initiated, ordered a 15P replacement. 4-5 weeks

I just “downgraded” from a 14PM to a 15 regular. It’s basically a 14PM in a smaller size with a slightly less good camera and battery life.

No regrets so far. The PM was so bulky and heavy. I’m not really noticing the smaller screen size. But I am noticing how light it is and how much better it fits in my pockets.

 

[C. Robert]

The iPhone 15 pro's just don't have the battery life they should and the sizes aren't far off each other.

 

[Ariel32]

You know not everyone lives near a Apple Store, 5 hours drive north or south for me 😀

I understand that. That's why I said "If you can at all".

 

[FunkyTang]

 

[Lee_Mac]

The iPhone 15 pro's just don't have the battery life they should and the sizes aren't far off each other.

The sizes aren't far off but for one handed use it's pretty hard work. Especially when it's causing me pain. I'm coming from an 11P some battery life isn't going to be much different.

 

[Lee_Mac]

I just “downgraded” from a 14PM to a 15 regular. It’s basically a 14PM in a smaller size with a slightly less good camera and battery life.

No regrets so far. The PM was so bulky and heavy. I’m not really noticing the smaller screen size. But I am noticing how light it is and how much better it fits in my pockets.

Because I'm so used to holder the phone in a certain manner I find the PM too top heavy, and it's quite a jump in weight from a 11P.

 

[C. Robert]

The sizes aren't far off but for one handed use it's pretty hard work. Especially when it's causing me pain. I'm coming from an 11P some battery life isn't going to be much different.

I agree but for me and most people both are two handed phones. The last real one handed phone is the 13 mini.

 

[vrflyer]

https://gifdb.com/images/high/futurama-bender-that-s-what-she-said-0rdux2wy112mkyky.gif

 

[Lee_Mac]

I agree but for me and most people both are two handed phones. The last real one handed phone is the 13 mini.

I remember when the 6's came out and thinking the screen was just slightly too big. The iPhone 5 for me was a good size, not too big but perfectly practical. Of course screen size has been driven by other factors, especially gaming. I never went for the 13 mini but almost felt too small after living with the larger screen. The Max is just a screen size too much for single handed users. I'm back on the old 11 until the new one arrives. Pain has now gone in my thumb

 

[Tsepz]

I just “downgraded” from a 14PM to a 15 regular. It’s basically a 14PM in a smaller size with a slightly less good camera and battery life.

No regrets so far. The PM was so bulky and heavy. I’m not really noticing the smaller screen size. But I am noticing how light it is and how much better it fits in my pockets.

Interesting that you “downgraded” in a generation where the Pro models have been made significantly lighter than the previous models, lol.

 

[shr631]

Interesting that you “downgraded” in a generation where the Pro models have been made significantly lighter than the previous models, lol.

Yeah but the pros are still chonk compared to the non-pros. If people don’t need or want certain features then why go for the pro? It’s not like the Pros are limited edition pieces lol, just tech. I like my 15pro but no doubt the non-pro models are awesome devices. Lighter, impressive (better!) battery life, more colors, less expensive…there’s a lot to like.

 

[rulymammoth]

The sizes aren't far off but for one handed use it's pretty hard work. Especially when it's causing me pain. I'm coming from an 11P some battery life isn't going to be much different.

I think once you come to terms with the fact that it's a two-handed phone most of the time, your views might change. Hang on to it for a few more days and see if you get used to it! The screen is amazing.

 

[NvidiaIntelPC]

I would honestly give it a little while and get a slimmer case. You get used to the size.

I can say with certainty that if you find the size cumbersome and hard to reach,YOU WILL NEVER get used to it.
I had my 13 Pro Max for 22 months now and it's as uncomfortable and awkward to handle as day 1.

 

[blairh]

So I've always done the smaller sized iPhone, my wife had always done the max size. With the 15 I thought I was prepared to go Max after al the years seeing my wife, big one..... I have big hands, but just can't hack the reach I'm afraid.
What's the deal with returning the phone to apple does anyone know or done this already? Bought of finance in the UK?

Unless you have massive hands, the Pro Max is very much a two-handed device for most uses. If you can adjust to using your iPhone with two-hands, I'm sure you will love it. If you absolutely need it for one handed usage, get the iPhone 15 Pro or non-Pro.

 

[subjonas]

I can say with certainty that if you find the size cumbersome and hard to reach,YOU WILL NEVER get used to it.
I had my 13 Pro Max for 22 months now and it's as uncomfortable and awkward to handle as day 1.

I would say this is definitely true for someone who thinks of and maybe even defines a phone as a one-handed device (I do). Obviously many don’t think of a phone that way. As far as people switching between the two camps, I definitely don’t believe it’s a given that everyone will switch given enough time, but I think it occasionally happens to some people as people’s values can change, in both directions actually.

 

[Lee_Mac]

I think once you come to terms with the fact that it's a two-handed phone most of the time, your views might change. Hang on to it for a few more days and see if you get used to it! The screen is amazing.

Hung on to it for a week, return started it’s now on its way back. After messing with my wife Max I thought I could handle it. Extra pain in my thumbs decided for me.

Unless you have massive hands, the Pro Max is very much a two-handed device for most uses. If you can adjust to using your iPhone with two-hands, I'm sure you will love it. If you absolutely need it for one handed usage, get the iPhone 15 Pro or non-Pro.

I have big hands. I’m swapping out for the 15P. As I mentioned the cons outweighed the pros. Screen and 5x lens isn’t the end of the world for me.

 

[kitt9000]

Thought I’d keep the 15 pro max too but hand discomfort using the 14 pro max all last year made me quite miserable. And the 15 pro max did not alleviate that feeling for me having tried it for a week. It is lighter but still huge and still a lot to handle on a daily basis.

Sticking with the 15 pro and returning the max today as well. The 15 pro has gotten me through a pretty heavy day, and I just got an Anker MagSafe battery pack in those rare days I really have to use my phone all day (like at a friend’s destination wedding coming up this week) and be away from a charger.

 

[subjonas]

Thought I’d keep the 15 pro max too but hand discomfort using the 14 pro max all last year made me quite miserable. And the 15 pro max did not alleviate that feeling for me having tried it for a week. It is lighter but still huge and still a lot to handle on a daily basis.

Sticking with the 15 pro and returning the max today as well. The 15 pro has gotten me through a pretty heavy day, and I just got an Anker MagSafe battery pack in those rare days I really have to use my phone all day (like at a friend’s destination wedding coming up this week) and be away from a charger.

Any friend who has a destination wedding is no friend.

 

[coso]

Thankfully I’ve adapted to the 15PM pretty fast. I would never go back to a regular Pro now. But I get that in some situations the size can be cumbersome. But screen size and battery are worth the small hassle in those situations to me

 

[Lee_Mac]

Thankfully I’ve adapted to the 15PM pretty fast. I would never go back to a regular Pro now. But I get that in some situations the size can be cumbersome. But screen size and battery are worth the small hassle in those situations to me

Indeed there are good reasons to Max it out. I tried to join the party.... :/

 

[JonMPLS]

I go up and down in size every few years. This year I went from a 13Pro to a 15Pro Max. The fact that they are pretty close in weight is surprising and helped the transition, as I like to one-hand my iPhone. I have to admit, as a boomer, the larger screens is something I appreciate too.

 

[mac-jam]

Anyone dropped from a PM to a pro - how’s the battery difference if any treating you?

 

[joshwithachance]

My best friend has the teeny tiniest hands and she has no problems with the Pro Max. But the Max/Plus are not designed to be used entirely one-handed. That's why these big-screened phones were once called phablets. Once you realize and embrace that the experience becomes a lot more enjoyable, and the pros truly do outweigh the cons compared to the 6.1" models imo.

 

[Traverse]

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is my first Plus/Max sized device and I was extremely apprehensive because I tend to favor small devices (I disliked the 12.9" iPad and the 16" MacBook Pro). Granted I use my phone without a case, but the 15 Pro Max isn't THAT bad.

After over a week of use it's become mostly normal to me. It actually feels a touch lighter than my 14 Pro due to the size increase tricking the brain. I can still use it one-handed, but trying is a bit of a struggle. It really isn't as much of of a difference as I though in terms of size, but the screen size is very noticeable and the battery life is very real.

The only behavioral change is that I'm more carful sliding it into baggy PJ shorts as this one could slip out easier.

 

[prospervic]

Apple came up with a solution to the “too-big” iPhone problem with Reachability, a feature it introduced with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. When enabled (by going into Settings->Accessibility->Touch->Reachability) a downward swipe on lower screen edge brings icons and controls from the top half down to the bottom half. It greatly reduces the need for awkward thumb stretching, thereby allowing for more one-handed use.

It's and awesome feature once you get the hang of it (it's a little tricky at first to get the swiping down on the bottom edge movement just right), and it's a pity almost no one knows about it because Apple no longer promotes it. (For shame, Apple!)