Yes, I get to play with the coolest and best phones for a living, but I'm very picky (and cheap) when it comes to upgrading my own phone. In fact, I've been living with the solid iPhone 12 Pro Max for nearly three years, and only recently has it started to show its age.
For example, I've noticed that apps are sometimes slow to load or crash inexplicably, and while the battery life has remained strong, it's not as good as it used to be after several iOS updates. But my biggest complaint is the camera. It's good, but I've been jealous of the quality offered by the 48MP main sensor on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Though not enough to upgrade.
Now that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is on the way, which could be called the iPhone 15 Ultra — I'm thinking that I will finally upgrade to the new iPhone for a change. Here's why.
Periscope zoom is coming
I have to admit that every time I look at the 2.5 optical zoom option on my iPhone 12 Pro Max I sigh. Especially when phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra offer dual telephoto lenses of 3x and 10x, while the Pixel 7 Pro has a 5x periscope zoom.
The iPhone 15 Ultra should change that with a new periscope lens of its own. The rumors vary on the range — it could be 6x or 10x — but I'm still excited by the prospect of a major upgrade. The digital zoom range should also be a major leap forward, though we haven't heard any specifics on that yet.
A lighter titanium design
There's two main reasons I prefer the Pro Max series to the regular Pro. One is the longer battery life, and two is that I prefer a bigger display. But the major drawback to my iPhone 12 Pro Max is that it weighs down my pocket at 8.04 ounces.
The latest iPhone 14 Pro Max tips the scales at 8.47 ounces, but the iPhone 15 UItra / Pro Max is rumored to weigh just 7.8 ounces, thanks to a stronger yet lighter titanium design. This should make the new iPhone 15 Ultra more durable yet easier to carry around.
A powerful Action button
It looks like the long trusted ringer/mute switch that has appeared on iPhones since the very first model is giving way to a new Action button. This bummed me out at first as I like how easy it is to use, but apparently you'll be able to feel when the Action button kicks in for mute mode.
And that's not all this button will be able to do. Based on leaked code in iOS 17, the Action button should be programmed to do a number of things: activate the camera flashlight and perform all sorts of other shortcuts you can customize. And I can't wait to try it out and save time.
Other iPhone 15 Ultra upgrades
I would file the following rumored iPhone 15 Ultra upgrades under nice to have versus my iPhone 12 Pro Max. These include a new 3nm A17 Bionic chip that promises to (once again) blow away all Android phones based on leaked benchmarks. And I like the idea of having an always-on display, even if it's a feature that debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro.
Moving from Lightning to USB-C for charging will also make my life easier in terms of having to deal with fewer cables.
But what about the rumored price hike?
The bad news is that the iPhone 15 Pro Max / Ultra is rumored to get a price hike. It could be $100 to $200 more based on some reports, which means the starting price for the iPhone 15 Ultra may be a whopping $1,299.
Now that's a lot of money. But since I plan on holding on to this new iPhone for at least 3 years — and I hope to get at least a small discount with my iPhone 12 Pro Max trade-in — I feel like I'm ready to take the plunge.
Let me know if you plan on upgrading to the new iPhone 15 Ultra in the comments and be sure to keep it locked to our iPhone 15 Pro Max hub and Apple event guide for all the latest rumors and leaks heading up to launch day.
