My iPhone 15 Pro Max after 7 months: Too many drops to count, but still great

Seven months into using the iPhone 15 Pro Max, one of the biggest surprises – which, unfortunately, I can confirm from personal experience – is that it can survive drops. Many, many drops.

He fell from the arm of my sofa onto the wooden floor in my living room several times. It fell out of my pocket onto the sidewalk twice while I was trying to get it out. And there were several instances where the 15 Pro Max hit the floor of the CNET San Francisco studio during filming. I often use the iPhone as a teleprompter with an accessory that fits a Panasonic S1H camera and lens. Sometimes my camera operator or I accidentally bump the “rig” while adjusting the Panasonic, which causes the phone to become dislodged and hit the floor. Fortunately, the screen and back of my 15 Pro Max didn't break.

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And it's worth mentioning: I don't use a case. I know, I'm a horrible, soulless monster, but I'm just not one case guy. But, maybe I should be.

Over the course of my seven months with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, I traveled with it around the country, watched TV and movies, played games, and even took it to a surf rock concert. It's become my one-pound rectangular friend that does everything I need.

I've become dependent on features like StandBy mode at home and in the office, Check In during long bike rides, and that amazing 5x zoom on the camera. There have been low points, like the software overheating bug that made its way to iPhones running iOS 17 last fall, but luckily my phone wasn't affected and Apple has now resolved the issue.

That's why, more than half a year later, I'm still glued to my iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Wear

Let's start by explaining what my iPhone 15 Pro Max looks like, especially after all those drops. The titanium sides are in good condition, but there is a small cut on the side in the upper left corner – no comment! The rear glass looks good. My phone is the natural color of titanium, or what a friend jokingly calls “not quite beige.” But this monotonous color, along with the matte finish, hides fingerprints and dust very well. Looking closer, I see no marks or scratches on the back.

The Ceramic Shield display didn't fare as well. There are some small scratches on it, especially in the lower left corner, and the oleophobic coating appears to be worn off in some spots. I'm definitely not complaining, especially since I don't take care of my phone. But it's good to see that the 15 Pro Max mostly suits Patrick Holland's everyday experience.

Battery life and display

My 15 Pro Max's battery health is normal, although the maximum capacity has dropped from 100% to 99%. The battery cycle count is 111, and my 10-day average of screen-on time is eight hours and 41 minutes. In terms of battery life, not much has changed. It still lasts a full day on a single charge and can last a day and a half when I'm not using the phone much.

There were times, like during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Samsung Unpacked in January, when I pressed the phone to take hundreds of photos and videos and call CNET's live video feed over 5G. On days like these, using Low Power Mode helped offset battery drain, but I'm still impressed with the phone's performance even in these scenarios. Since the 15 Pro Max has a larger battery than the 15 Pro, it can last much longer.

The iPhone screen looks so good. Whether I'm watching The Bear, reading an article, laughing New Yorker cartoons or when taking a photo, images and graphics are rich and detailed, and text is easy to read, even when the brightness is low.

If you read my iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, maybe you know where I'm going next. The 15 Pro Max's screen leaves something to be desired in one aspect: reflections. After using the Galaxy S24 Ultra and its low-glare screen, I can't help but see the reflective mess that is the iPhone screen – and most smartphone screens out there. I hope Apple adds the coating, or whatever Samsung is doing, to the screen of the rumored iPhone 16.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max and iOS 17

Perhaps the biggest change to the phone, besides the camera, is iOS 17. We're 19 months away from Dynamic Island's debut on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, and it still feels underutilized by third-party apps. Yes, it's great for Uber, music controls, and system alerts for Apple apps, but it seems like there's more that can be done with it. I'm not sure if this is on Apple, as the company can't force developers to use Dynamic Island. But it still feels like it's the beginning of Dynamic Island, even though it isn't.

We now also have Stolen Device Protection, which protects your accounts and personal information if your iPhone is stolen. If you haven't already, turn it on. On iOS 17.3 or later, enter settingstouch Face ID and password and you can enable it there.

In my previous check-in of the iPhone 15 Pro, I noted several iOS 17 software bugs that I experienced, such as Safari freezing and becoming unresponsive. I'm happy to say I haven't had this problem in months.

And the last thing I'll say about iOS 17 is that there are a lot of little improvements that have been lovely, like the Catch Up arrow in Messages. But the feature I see most people adopting is StandBy mode, which turns the iPhone into a mini-hub while charging. StandBy mode shows widgets, time or photos and is not limited to the iPhone 15 series. It's fun to be at a friend's house and see them with an iPhone stand in the kitchen or home office for StandBy. And I'm curious if and how Apple might expand StandBy mode in iOS 18.

Cameras and video

Cameras are always a big deal on the iPhone, and the 15 Pro Max is no different. Essentially, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max have the same cameras, but the 15 Pro has a 3x telephoto lens and the 15 Pro Max has a 5x telephoto lens. It makes me wonder what an iPhone 15 Pro Ultra would be like with the 3x and 5x – think the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The photos from the 15 Pro Max are great and on the same level as those from the S24 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro, especially with that 5x lens! Take a look at the gallery below with photos I took with the phone.

But I want to give the iPhone's video capabilities a moment to shine. The 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max have the ability to record ProRes video and even save files as SDR, HDR, and Log. Log files may look strange: the color is desaturated and the exposure appears dark. The files are designed to capture more image information than non-ProRes video and receive color grading and balancing for later exposure to achieve the desired look – or combine video footage recorded with another camera.

In fact, the video that accompanies this article was shot by CNET's John Kim on an iPhone 15 Pro Max. The key scene of me in the video speaking directly to the camera was captured using the 15 Pro Max's 5x camera and recorded in ProRes Log. Here's a composite before and after the same video frame: one unedited as it appears in the Log and the other after having been graded and balanced.

One of my other favorite parts of capturing video on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is being able to record video directly to an external hard drive thanks to the USB-C port that supports USB 3 speeds. With this method, I can quickly transfer videos I've recorded from the iPhone to your computer for editing by simply disconnecting the drive from your iPhone and connecting it to your laptop. I don't have to wait for videos to upload and download or AirDrop. To make the recording process even better, I use different accessories.

My Favorite iPhone 15 Pro Max Accessories

I use two main accessories to record CNET videos: the Blackmagic Cam app and a Samsung T9 SSD. Keep in mind that for casual videos and social posts, I mostly hold my iPhone and use the default Apple Camera app.

O Blackmagic Cam app It's basically the pro camera mode I've wanted from Apple for years. It's just for video, but it provides waveforms to balance exposure, zebras to show where bright parts of the image are clipped to white, controls for shutter speed, ISO, and more. I can select different video codecs, audio formats, and heck, there's even a mini-slate! Perhaps my favorite thing about the Blackmagic Cam app is that it's free.

The Samsung T9 SDD is small and large. It's about the size of an Altoids can and comes with storage configurations of up to 4 TB. I've been using Samsung T drives for years just because of their value and portability. But unlike the previous ones I've had, this T9 drive is robust. Samsung claims it can withstand a 9.8-foot drop. After reading about my propensity for dropping my iPhone, it may come as a surprise to learn that I haven't tested this claim. The Samsung T9 SSD costs $175 for 1TB, but at the time of writing this, Best Buy sells it for $130 ($45 off).

I also want to highlight Peak Design's mobile tripod. It's made from aluminum and has MagSafe-compatible magnets to attach to the back of your iPhone. The tripod's small legs fold to make it portable. There is even a small Allen wrench that is magnetically stored in the body to tighten the ball joint! I carry the mobile tripod in my backpack and it is always useful, not only for recording videos, but also for watching them. O Peak Design mobile tripod costs $80which is a lot, but worth every penny.

Final thoughts

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has been my daily carry for the past 7 months and that's the best endorsement I can give a phone. If you're thinking about buying one, I definitely recommend it, and as we get closer to summer, keep an eye out for deals and sales. Also, I'm going to start buying a phone case for iPhone 15 Pro Max.