New iPhone 15 Pro Max: Reaction

Yes, if you're a fanboy. The rest of you can hold on

Apple introduced its latest and greatest Tuesday, and as I promised, my instant reaction.

I haven’t held the phone in my hand yet and can only go by what I saw in the online presentation, but I’m sold. Yet you knew that was coming. Read on and see if you come to a similar conclusion.

First the facts

Apple introduced four new models, two entry-level iPhone 15s at $799 and $999 that bring some of the iPhone 14 Pro features (most notably higher resolution 48 megapixel images) to the smaller models, and the Pro models at $1,099 and $1,199. The model I’m interested in, the Pro Max, has the most new camera upgrades, so that’s the one for me.

Now here’s what I found interesting:

Zoom

As expected, Apple expanded the telephoto reach of the iPhone, from a 3x, 77mm close-up to a 5x 120mm. That all sounds great, expect Samsung’s Galaxy S23+ has an excellent 10x zoom, and I’m miffed that Apple couldn’t match it.

USB-C

We’ve been charging our phones with a “Lightning” cable from Apple for years, at a time when the industry moved to the USB-C cable for pretty much everything. Even Apple did this with iPads and the MacBook Pro computers. So now you’ll be able to use the same cable on all your devices. Best of all, your stuff will charge faster, and via USB-C, transfer data way faster.

Roadside assistance via satellite

Reader Carole was really interested in this feature,. first introduced on the 14, but now “new and improved.” If you get stuck in an area without cell service and have an emergency, Apple will connect you via satellite for help via text, even if you have no signal. The AAA will even offer roadside assistance via satellite, and promises free operations for two years. This is offered on all 4 iPhone 15 models, and frankly, reason enough for an upgrade.

7 Lenses

Apple is claiming that the new iPhone 15 Pro Max has “7 lenses,” which will surely confuse anyone who looks at the back of the phone and sees only three. Translation: there’s the Macro feature, which Apple is claiming as a lens, the Ultra-wide .5x 13mm lens, and digital zoom/optical cropping on the 1x wide lens, that offers us the ability to use a portion of the 48 megapixel sensor at 24mm, 28mm or 35mm, and then the telephoto lens, same concept, a crop that takes you from 48mm to 120mm.

Lens Flare

My biggest beef with the iPhone camera has been lens flare, most noticeable a yellow dot that pops up during sunsets. Apple promises a new coating will make this way better. I sure hope so.

Hard drive

With the USB-C port, Apple says we’ll be able to connect hard drives to the iPhone 15, to which I say YAY! This will really help me move all that PhotowalksTV footage around much easier.

The Headphone Jack is back

Sort of! By switching from Lightning to USB-C, music fans can buy a wired headphone that connects to USB-C, and thus, to the iPhone again!

$1,599

That’s how much the maxed out iPhone 15 Pro Max, with 1 terabyte of storage will cost, pre-tax. The models start with 256 GB of storage, but with all the photos and video I shoot, I want as much storage as I can have.

Portrait Mode.

The cool pictures with a blurred background we’ve been taking on iPhones in Portrait Mode all these years can now be done in the regular Camera app as well, and adjusted afterwards, without having to open Portrait Mode.

Selling your old phone

How much is Apple offering to trade-in your old phone? For the 14 models between $570 and $650, $370-$580 for the 13s or $250-$400 for the iPhone 12.

Availability

The new models go on pre-sale Friday morning and will be in stores the following Friday.

My Take:

I would make the upgrade just for the USB-C and hard drive connection, lens flare fix and emergency service. The Zoom will be nice, but really won’t get you that much closer. Still, it will nice to have.

Do you have to buy the new models? Of course not. If you bought the 14 within the last few months, and are happy with what you have, you’ll still get years of service from your purchase. But if you’re a fanboy or fangirl, then you know you’ve got to have it.

I’ll fill you in my hands on reaction soon. I can’t wait to take it out into the field!

Click above to listen to Scott Bourne and I weigh in on the new iPhone!

Jeff