iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max: Pro for a reason

CHENNAI: The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max might be the most significant upgrade of the iPhone Pro line since its 2019 debut. We’ve grown accustomed to camera upgrades and processor updates each year, but Apple did more than a customary refresh of its ‘Pro’ line in 2023; it all starts with a design overhaul.

Space grade titanium is the big story of this year’s iPhone Pro Max and Pro. It’s one thing to see a 10% reduction in heft (the iPhone 15 Pro Max weighs 221 gm, while the 14 Pro Max is bulkier at 240 gm) on a spec sheet but it’s another experience to hold this in your hand, especially if you use one of the earlier Pro Max versions on a daily basis. Titanium is used in spacecraft and has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of any metal.

This lightweight titanium design encases a new substructure that’s crafted with 100% recycled aluminium, one of the many environment-friendly changes that have been incorporated in this year’s iPhone line-up. For instance, the battery is 100% recycled cobalt.

The new brushed titanium finish plays out particularly well in the natural titanium variant that we checked out. Apple has shrunk the borders for a more immersive screen experience.

One of our favourite design updates is the Action Button. We enjoyed using this handy button first on the 2022 Apple Watch Ultra. Think of it as a customisable hot key for the function of the choice. It replaces the mute switch; the Action button can also be used as a mute button but it’s most handy as a camera hot key.

The other big story is the 5x telephoto camera on the iPhone 15 Pro Max (the smaller iPhone 15 Pro offers a 3x zoom lens). It features a unique ‘tetraprism’ that bends the light path four times before it hits the sensor.

The light travels longer on this lens – this results in sharper images than a conventional periscope lens that we’ve seen on other smartphones. Apple finds the balance between image quality and a practical file size (for storing and sharing) with a new 24MP super-high-resolution default size, that’s an industry first. The iPhone Pro 15 devices become the first smartphone with a 3-nanometer chip (Apple’s new A17 Pro) under the hood and will see the debut of console titles (like Resident Evil Village) for the first time on a smartphone.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is more than just an iterative upgrade over last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max. There are meaningful changes that include a much-improved camera and Apple’s long- awaited switch to a USB-C charging port that also results in faster data transfers (20x faster than last year’s Pro devices). It all makes this the perfect upgrade if you’re moving from an iPhone 13 Pro or older. (Rs 1,34,900 onwards)