The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is the larger model of Apple’s 2023 Pro lineup. Apple announced it on September 12, 2023, and sales began on September 22, 2023. It launched in the US at $1,199 with 256GB of storage. Apple stopped selling it in September 2024, when the iPhone 16 Pro Max replaced it. The phone is now discontinued, but it remains a popular reference model for upgrade comparisons.
Design and display
This was the first iPhone with a titanium frame. Apple says the titanium band surrounds an inner structure of recycled aluminum. The back is textured matte glass, and the front uses Ceramic Shield. The phone measures 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25 mm and weighs 221 grams. That makes it lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel has a resolution of 2796 x 1290 pixels at 460 ppi. ProMotion adjusts the refresh rate up to 120Hz, and the screen supports Always-On mode. Peak brightness reaches 1,600 nits for HDR and 2,000 nits outdoors. The phone is rated IP68 for water and dust. A new Action button replaces the old ring and silent switch.
Performance
The phone runs on the Apple A17 Pro, built on a 3 nm process. It has a 6-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores. The 6-core GPU adds hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Reviews report 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB in the previous generation. Storage options are 256GB, 512GB and 1TB, with no card slot.
Cameras
The rear system has three cameras. The 48MP main camera has an f/1.78 aperture and sensor-shift stabilization. It saves 24MP photos by default and also offers 2x shots from the center of the sensor. A 12MP ultrawide camera covers a 120-degree view. The 12MP telephoto camera uses a tetraprism design for 5x optical zoom at 120 mm. This 5x lens was exclusive to the Pro Max in 2023.
Video recording reaches 4K at 60 fps, including Dolby Vision HDR and ProRes. The phone also records Log video and spatial video. The 12MP front camera with autofocus records 4K video as well.
Battery and charging
Apple does not list the battery capacity, but regulatory filings show 4,422 mAh. Apple rates it for up to 29 hours of video playback. The USB-C port supports USB 3 speeds of up to 10Gb/s. A 20W or higher adapter charges the phone to 50% in about 30 minutes. Wireless charging reaches 15W with MagSafe and Qi2. No charger comes in the box.
Software and updates
The phone shipped with iOS 17. It also supports Apple Intelligence features in later iOS versions. Apple does not publish a fixed update period for iPhones. Safety features include Emergency SOS via satellite, Roadside Assistance via satellite and Crash Detection.
Should you buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max?
Apple no longer produces or sells the iPhone 15 Pro Max as a new phone. Its successor is the iPhone 16 Pro Max. If you already own one, it still has a 5x telephoto, a 120Hz display and USB 3 transfers. Buyers who find a new unit at a fair price get a large flagship with a titanium frame. Anyone buying today should also compare it with newer Pro Max models.
