iPhone 15/Plus iPhone 15 plus v 12 pro max

[Mac2019]

Looking at the specs apart from
The camera system and quality of build, the 15 plus is an upgrade on the 12pm, correct?
Screen looks the same, battery better etc.

How much worse is the dual camera sustem
On the 15 plus?

Need a new phone but just can’t get my head around the pro max prices nowadays for minimal upgrades in the hardware.

Anything else to be aware of going from a pro max to plus?

 

[Robot21]

Screen looks the same

15 plus actually has a brighter screen

How much worse is the dual camera sustem
On the 15 plus?

I think the 15 plus camera is better. Yeah the 12 pro max has a dedicated tele lens but its only 2.5x vs 2x of the 15 plus. 15 plus has a 48mp camera.

Anything else to be aware of going from a pro max to plus?

maybe the only downgrade is the material...SS vs aluminum.

 

[Student of Life]

Looking at the specs apart from
The camera system and quality of build, the 15 plus is an upgrade on the 12pm, correct?
Screen looks the same, battery better etc.

How much worse is the dual camera sustem
On the 15 plus?

Need a new phone but just can’t get my head around the pro max prices nowadays for minimal upgrades in the hardware.

Anything else to be aware of going from a pro max to plus?

Why not look at the 14 pro max, it’s the same chip, better screen, better camera etc and it should be cheaper. Ideally wait for the 16 pro since all the phones are suppose to have the same chipset.

 

[Mikeske]

I am going to assume that the 12 Pro Max is a used unit and as such the battery will not be at full capacity and 15 Plus will be new. The other assumption is the fact that the 12 Pro Max will not be available with AppleCare as if that makes any difference. The thing is they had storage capacity starting at 64 GB it might be difficult to manage the limited storage. That being said the price point of the 12 Pro Max is around 1/2 to 2/3rds the price of the new phone.

It all depends on what you accept and I can't really make a recommendation on either or as you are the consumer

 

[JPack]

iPhone 15 Plus is better than iPhone 12 Pro Max in most ways that matter. I wouldn't give a second thought to the 12 Pro Max.

 

[Mac2019]

I might just order it to see for myself and send back if needed, but does the 15 plus feel really cheap v the pm due to the material difference? I know I shouldn’t really care but I’ve got used to the premium feel with the 12pm

 

[Clamjuice65]

I might just order it to see for myself and send back if needed, but does the 15 plus feel really cheap v the pm due to the material difference? I know I shouldn’t really care but I’ve got used to the premium feel with the 12pm

You’ll be fine the 15plus has a premium feel also .

 

[Caseguy]

I’m coming from a 12pm to a 15pm. I’ve noticed the camera is a little better as well as the battery life, but that’s about it. I’m a little underwhelmed by the 15pm in general but I only purchased it to take photos of my upcoming children, so for that I may keep it.

Even in terms of speed, all apps open at the same rate in side by side tests. A little confused how 3 years have passed and the phone hasn’t changed much in practical application (not specs on paper)

 

[ssledoux]

I might just order it to see for myself and send back if needed, but does the 15 plus feel really cheap v the pm due to the material difference? I know I shouldn’t really care but I’ve got used to the premium feel with the 12pm

My daughter has a plus, and it’s a great phone. I think it has a nice feel to it, and not as heavy as the pro max.

 

[Arid]

Just picked up a 15 plus for my daughter. After having played around with it, my wife offered my daughter her 2 month old 15 PM for her plus. Wife said it’s lighter and much better feel not to mention the better battery life.

 

[JPack]

I’m coming from a 12pm to a 15pm. I’ve noticed the camera is a little better as well as the battery life, but that’s about it. I’m a little underwhelmed by the 15pm in general but I only purchased it to take photos of my upcoming children, so for that I may keep it.

Even in terms of speed, all apps open at the same rate in side by side tests. A little confused how 3 years have passed and the phone hasn’t changed much in practical application (not specs on paper)

The performance gains each year are only 5-10%. You're coming from A14 and most people wouldn't notice that 30% increase.

 

[Mac2019]

I’m coming from a 12pm to a 15pm. I’ve noticed the camera is a little better as well as the battery life, but that’s about it. I’m a little underwhelmed by the 15pm in general but I only purchased it to take photos of my upcoming children, so for that I may keep it.

Even in terms of speed, all apps open at the same rate in side by side tests. A little confused how 3 years have passed and the phone hasn’t changed much in practical application (not specs on paper)

Yeah that’s what I’d expect really these days - slight improvements in battery and camera is all they offer now, it feels like Apple have stopped innovating on the standard iPhones as let’s face it, what more is there to deliver? Wouldn’t surprise me if all their effort is going into the flip iPhone.

My last two upgrades have been significant (6 to XR - massive upgrade) and XR to 12PM (big upgrade) but now I think I’d barely notice an upgrade to a 13/14/15PM. It’s far and away the best iPhone I’ve had, aesthetically it is stunning and the performance has been incredible. I think the camera is amazing. It’s only due to a degrading battery and slightly loose lightning port that I’m considering changing phone, whilst it’s still got a bit of residual value. Even then I may sweat it for another year, or until it gives up the ghost. The premium price I paid For a PM was worth it in my opinion but I don’t think I could justify it again as the upgrades are so so minimal and they’ve jacked the price up another £100 for the base model. Alongside all the other cost of living increases in the past few years, I’m shocked the higher end models sell as well as they do with that mass market. Trade in my 12pm for a 256gb 15 plus would set me back less than £30/month which is ok, but still feels a lot to go to a less premium model.

Still the biggest gripe for me is the storage rip off. Of course the plus and pm start at different capacities (128 and 256), so for the plus I’m in the hook for another £100 to get the bigger capacity. That has to be one of the greatest cons in the industry. That £100 must have cost them pennies, if that.

 

[Mac2019]

My daughter has a plus, and it’s a great phone. I think it has a nice feel to it, and not as heavy as the pro max.

Is it almost as premium in feel as the pm?

 

[ssledoux]

Is it almost as premium in feel as the pm?

I think it feels great, although I’ve always liked the aluminum phones. If heavy=premium then I’d say no because it’s not as solid and heavy feeling, but the back of the phone feels amazing. I prefer it to the pro. YMMV

 

[culo77]

I am very curious to about this too. How much of a jump in improvements is there really besides battery and usb-c? Are there any non spec sheet "oh wow's" in real usage difference?

 

[contacos]

I went from iPhone 12 Pro Max to iPhone 15 Plus and I actually love how it feels, so much that I use it without a case. The battery life is a great improvement and it does feel somewhat lighter.

I don’t notice any speed improvements however, but that only speaks for how well the iPhone 12 PM is still doing today.

Regarding the camera, it depends on what you are doing. I never did Macro shots so I don’t miss it at all. I am not 100% a fan of the selfie camera on the 15 Plus like everything looks amazing just before you take the shot but once you took it, some weird processing seems to be going on. Spatial Video would have been nice now that I have a Quest 3 but oh well.

 

[culo77]

Thank you Contacos.

Yeah the processing with the cameras the past few iterations doesn't suit my eye. The pictures that to me look the best always came from the iPhone 11.

 

[Mac2019]

So I had the 15 plus delivered today as a test.
Thoughts:
- Apple have completely given up innovating, other than very minor design tweaks this is almost identical to the 12 range

- speed is exactly the same
- the feel is much less premium, don’t like how light it is and the finish is much cheoaer
- camera slightly better but no telephoto lens

Sending back tomorrow. It’s definitely reached the stage where I’ll be replacing my phone when it is totally dead rather than after 3 years.

The step from 12 to 15 is bleak, basically nothing.

 

[Mac2019]

Went to the Apple Store today to find that the build of the plus and pro max isn’t that different. Very strange as my 12 pm looks so much more superior to the 15pm.
How do they manage to go backwards in 3 years?

 

[James6s]

I wouldn’t say they’d gone backwards? They changed the shiny stainless steel for brushed titanium, some argue the stainless steel looks more premium because of the polished look. I agree as I think my 14 Pro looked more premium than my 15 Pro with the stainless steel frame. The 15 Pro is much better in hand with the slightly rounded off edges.

There have been significant camera upgrades from the 12 series right across the board in all aspects of photography. Also the Dynamic Island is a nice evolution from the notch, especially the original and now dated looking one on the older iPhones, (X-12 series)

Smartphones are hitting a plateau now imo and no need for me to upgrade from my 15 Pro until the iPhone 17/18.

 

[Mac2019]

disagree about the dating, think the 12 pm is absolutely stunning still.

Do like the camera upgrades on the plus, although not sure I want to drop the telephoto lens.

I think they’ve stopped innovating on these phones and putting everything into the iPhone flip. Flip phone - meh

 

[James6s]

I didn’t say the 12PM isn’t a stunning phone anymore (it is), merely the old style notch and small cameras in comparison to the new iPhones.

The 15 Plus does have a 2x zoom option with is a crop into the 48mp sensor. Only 0.5 less than the 12PM dedicated telephoto lens. The results are probably better given the new camera hardware & software.

Are you going to keep hold of your 12PM a little longer?

 

[winxmac]

15 Plus is nearly identical to 14 Pro Max but it has USB Type C and no telephoto

15, 15 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max all use A16 Bionic
14, 14 Plus, 13 mini, 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max all use A15 Bionic

64GB minimum for 12 and 12 mini
128GB minimum for 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max