Since I switched from Android to iPhone at the end of 2021, I had a feeling that the day would come when I would switch back and abandon Apple's iterative phone for something more interesting from our list of the best Android phones.
That day almost came… but then it didn't.
Before I tell you why, let me give you a little context. I've never been dogmatically in the iOS camp or Android army. My first smartphone was the iPhone 4S, which I loved, but it gave way to the Samsung Galaxy S6 with its superior specs and then later Android phones that found their way to my desk for testing as I progressed in my career as a consumer technology journalist. .
For about seven years, my SIM card was installed in several Android phones; I had iPads to test Apple's mobile operating system. And I found Apple's slow adoption of 120Hz to be a pain.
Android Exodus
That changed with the iPhone 13 Pro, which not only brought a 120Hz LTPO display, but also introduced a second-generation version of Apple's return to phones with flat sides and some excellent cameras. So when the opportunity came to try one, I jumped at it.
I expected to change back within a few months, but that never happened. I loved the size of the 13 Pro, its cameras produced great shots, and while Apple's software can be a little tedious compared to the complexities and features of Android, it… well… “it just worked.”
So while I still carried several Android phones, particularly some of the better flip phones, an iPhone was my primary device.
But more than two years later, I started to get completely bored with my iPhone 13 Pro and felt like its battery wasn't holding up as well as I wanted. However, my colleagues had TechRadar's allotment of iPhone 15 models, so I was preparing to move up to models like the Samsung Galaxy 24 Utra or Google Pixel 8 Pro.
Then an iPhone 15 Pro Max came into my hands and gave me reason to pause.
Well, I guess size does matter.
I have never been convinced by the previous iPhone Max. The notch design made me opt for the Pro instead of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which I found a bit silly, as if the phone had been stretched rather than cleverly expanded.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max eliminated the notch issue by using Dynamic Island. But its stainless steel chassis felt too heavy and unwieldy; On the contrary, I think the weight of the regular iPhone 14 Pro is about right.
So I didn't think I would like the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But I was wrong.
The titanium edges, which I thought were more Apple marketing and bragging than an actual design change, make the iPhone Max feel much smaller despite its larger screen size. It's still difficult to use one-handed (my hands aren't small either), but I'm less likely to drop it when my thumb reaches the top corner of the screen.
It feels great too, as the matte back of the iPhone 15 Pro Max feels smoother to the touch than the back of my iPhone 13 Pro. And in 'Natural Titanium' I think it looks good too, with the sides and the camera model merging better with the phone chassis.
Of course, design is one thing; It needs more to keep my attention away from Android.
Major updates
And this is where the new 5x telephoto camera comes into play. While it's nothing new in the world of phones, this tetraprism periscope camera provides a zoom that seems more useful than 3x for my phone photography. However, it's not as impractical as a lower resolution 10x optical zoom camera.
That new camera, combined with the already excellent camera performance of the main and ultra-wide-angle lenses and my enjoyment of Apple's image processing and color balancing, makes the iPhone 15's camera suite, in my opinion. Pro Max is almost unbeatable; Phone photography is very subjective, of course. Add in how easy it is to get great videos with ease from the iPhone Pro models, and the camera suite is simply wonderful for point-and-shoot fans.
I hate myself for saying this, but Apple finally abandoning the proprietary Lightning port for USB-C is slightly transformative for my iPhone experience. It's silly, but not having to carry an extra cable or go fishing in my backpack for a Lightning cable is a minor pleasure. I certainly don't applaud Apple for adopting USB-C, but I can't deny that it's a definite upgrade from the latest iPhone series.
Oh, and the Action button is pretty fancy. I use it to turn on the flashlight function without swiping across the screen, which is actually a discreet wonder.
All of the above combined means there's a little further to go for my iPhone journey.
I'm not mad about it, but I'm not excited about it either; Rather, I'm starting to accept that iOS's usability, its robust ecosystem, and that I rarely get frustrated with iPhones, even if I get a little bored, is a testament to Apple's approach of taking its time to adopt new technologies. and iterate from generation to generation to create a device that is hard not to like. I didn't think I'd say that in 2024.
