Why The iPhone 15 Pro Max Won Me Over Before I Even Turned It On

With Apple's fastest smartphone processor yet, its most capable cameras, and a "well, it's about time" USB-C port, you'd think you needed to turn the iPhone 15 Pro Max on to really appreciate 2023's flagship upgrades. Turns out, though, the appeal of the largest and most expensive iPhone in Apple's line-up this year isn't so much about what has been added, but what has been taken away.

I was a relatively slow convert to the largest size of iPhone, but after you live with a bigger display it's tough to go back to a smaller device. Although "mini" phone fans have been vocal in the past, the fact that iPhone 13 mini sales were seemingly so underwhelming as to axe a direct successor suggests that "bigger is better" remains the stance for most people.

Certainly, the 6.7-inch iPhone models have progressively trimmed my iPad usage at home. There's certainly more screen space still on even an iPad mini, never mind an iPad Pro, but the convenience of a device that fits in my pocket (and thus is always within arm's reach) can't be understated. In short, I'm already primed to want the biggest iPhone that Apple offers.

The recent downside to that, though, came with the switch in Apple's design language to squared-off edges. That transition, on the iPhone 12, wasn't exactly new — in fact, it was heralded as a welcome nod back to one of the most popular designs in the Cupertino firm's back catalog, the iPhone 5 — but it was the first time we'd seen that crisp aesthetic with such big screens on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

As anybody who has used any of the Max-scale models since then will probably have discovered, there can be a downside when it comes to your fingers.

To be blunt, the iPhone is sharp. Whether using the iPhone 14 Pro Max one- or two-handed, I'd typically support the bottom edge with the little finger on my right hand. 240 grams may not sound like a lot, but when it's all pressing down on one narrow edge, on the sensitive skin of your weakest finger, after a while you notice it.

At first glance, in the box, the iPhone 15 Pro Max really doesn't look all that much different. The company's ebullient pitch doesn't help, either: its talk of "aerospace-grade titanium that's strong yet lightweight to deliver Apple's lightest Pro models ever" makes the new design sound like marketing hype more than anything else.

Take it out of the box, though, and I'd wager any iPhone 14 Pro Max user will instantly spot the huge upgrade in their hand. The combination of a physical design change, and a trim in weight, add up to an outsize improvement.

Apple credits its use of titanium to help slim the heft down to 221 grams. Only 19 grams less than its predecessor, true, but the point at which the weight makes contact with your fingers has been finessed as well. The slightly curved profile of the titanium frame means it's now a smoother bevel, rather than a sharp edge, that you come into contact with.

I've been using the iPhone 15 Pro Max this week, and at times picking it up has felt like grabbing a dummy phone. Exactly how much weight difference you can tell in your hands varies from person to person, and there's actually a whole branch of psychology — dubbed Just-Noticeable Difference, or JND — which explores the degree to which the weight of something needs to be changed before that change is recognized more often than not.

Rather than dig into that complicated theory and math, my main takeaway is just how much of an improvement can be achieved with a handful of tweaks. Even before I turned the iPhone 15 Pro Max on, it felt more appreciably user-friendly in my hand.

If, of course, you're one of the sensible people who immediately slaps a case on their brand new smartphone, then Apple's changes for this 2023 generation of iPhone might not make quite such a difference. All the same, before you cosset your newest iOS toy in its protective shell, I think it's worth taking a few minutes just to enjoy how a design change can be more than just an aesthetic one. Trust me: your little finger will thank you.