What makes the iPhone 15 Pro Max so special? Top 5 features that set it apart

Camera upgrades

The iPhone 15 Pro models feature powerful features for content creators including 48MP ProRAW support. (Image: Apple)

Apple says that the camera system on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the equivalent of having “7 camera lenses in your pocket.” Of course, that doesn’t mean the phone actually features seven sensors – those are still four – but thanks to the flexibility these cameras offer, the claim is pretty much valid.

You can shoot stunning macro shots and ultra-wide landscapes, but the biggest upgrade is the 5x zoom support with the new periscope lens. The main camera has a 48MP sensor that can switch between three focal lengths, and also supports ProRes video recording directly to an external drive. And if you want to add some bokeh to your photos later, the iPhone 15 Pro can do that too, thanks to its smart depth detection. Plus, get ready for Spatial Videos, a new immersive format coming soon to the Apple Vision Pro.

Action button

The Action Button on the iPhone 15 Pro Max in action. (Image: Apple)

Say goodbye to the old Mute Switch that you’ve been using since the dawn of iPhones. The iPhone 15 Pro introduces a new Action button that lets you do more than just shush your phone. You can personalise it to launch your favourite apps, snap selfies, record voices, or run shortcuts.

Of course, you can still use it to silence your phone, but it’s not as quick as flipping a switch anymore. You now need to press and hold the button until you feel a buzz and see an animation in the Dynamic Island. The button can also be configured for other functions, like opening the camera, starting a voice recording, turning on an accessibility feature like the Magnifier or flashlight, or running a Shortcut.

Small design changes, big difference

The titanium frame introduces a new texture. (Image: Apple)

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the lightest and sleekest Pro iPhones ever, thanks to a new titanium body and a slimmed-down display border. Apple has ditched the stainless steel for a more durable and lighter Grade 5 titanium, which is bonded to an aluminium internal structure. Compared to the previous iteration, the iPhone 15 Pro Max weighs around 20g lighter. Meanwhile, the extremely narrow bezels mean that the phone is smaller and easier despite retaining its display size of 6.7 inches.

USB Type-C

Apple has finally ditched the Lightning port for USB-C on all iPhone 15 models. But on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, you get a blazing-fast USB 3 connection that can transfer data at up to 10 Gbps. That means you can now shoot ProRes video directly to an external drive, without filling up your phone’s storage. The presence of USB Type-C also means that you need not carry an extra Lightning cable anymore.

A17 Pro processor

The A17 Pro makes some strides in the GPU department. (Image: Apple)

A new iPhone Pro without a new Apple Silicon? Impossible. The iPhone 15 Pro Max features an upgraded SoC dubbed the A17 Pro. The insertion of the Pro moniker is a first for an iPhone chip as so far Apple has only used it for desktop CPUs. The A17 Pro is actually the first processor in any consumer product to be built on a 3nm process, meaning it packs more transistors in the same size. Apple says the chip is comprised of 19 billion transistors – a notable jump over the A16 Bionic’s 16 billion figure – adding that the chip’s power cores are 10 per cent faster.

But the real jump has been made in the graphics department. The A17 Pro features a hexa-core GPU that uses a completely new shader architecture and introduces ray-tracing support. This new GPU offers 20% faster peak performance and better energy efficiency. This upgrade allows the iPhone 15 Pro Max to handle console games like Resident Evil Village.

But it doesn’t end there. The Neural Engine also sees a significant performance boost – twice as fast as its predecessor to be precise – despite still using 16 cores.