iPhone 15 Pro Max rumored release date, specs, price, colors and more

iPhone 15 Pro Max Rumors: Cheat Sheet

• The iPhone 15 Pro Max could use titanium for its frame, resulting in a more durable design that's also lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
• The iPhone 15 Pro models should run on the A17 Bionic, a 3nm chip that promises improved performance and better battery life.
• A new Action button is likely coming to the iPhone 15 Pro Max that you'll be able to customize for performing shortcuts.
• The iPhone 15 Pro Max could get an exclusive periscope-style telephoto lens that supports a much improved 6x optical zoom.
• All iPhone 15 models are rumored to switch to USB-C instead of Lightning, and that includes the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max should be Apple's top-of-the-line iPhone when it debuts September 12 at the Apple event. In addition to the all the rumored improvements coming to the iPhone 15 Pro, the Max model should see some exclusive enhancements, including a powerful new periscope zoom lens.

In fact, the changes could be so significant that Apple renames the product the iPhone 15 Ultra. (For now, we're just going to refer to this model as the iPhone 15 Pro Max to avoid confusion.)

Unfortunately, all these improvements may come at a price — we're hearing that the iPhone 15 Pro Max may cost more than last year's iPhone 14 Pro Max. If so, Apple's going to have to make the case that the new phone is worth the extra cash.

Here's what we know so far about the iPhone 15 Pro Max, including possible features, potential release dates and that rumored price hike.

iPhone 15 Pro Max potential release date

It's official. Apple has announced the iPhone 15 event for Sept. 12, and we have a roundup of everything to expect from the big Apple event. 

Based on available reporting, it appears the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available for pre-orders September 15th, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max release date should be September 22. Though we should be prepared in case the rumored delays to the Pro Max's launch turn out to be true.

iPhone 15 Pro Max price

We had been working off the idea that the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s price will track with that of the iPhone 14 Pro lineup. So that means a starting price of $1,099 / £1,199 / AU$1,899 for a base 128GB model, topping out at $1,599 / £1,749 / AU$2,769 for a 1TB version. 

But that could all be changed if the rumor of a $100 price increase for the Pro, and $200 for the Pro Max comes to fruition. This was later corroborated by sources speaking to DigiTimes. If that turns out to be the case, a base iPhone 15 Pro Max could start at a hefty $1,300, with the 1TB models topping out at $1,800. That would make it the most expensive iPhone ever. 

So if this price rise does happen then Apple will have to make the case for why you should pay more for an iPhone 15 Pro Max. If you want to be one of the first to get your hands on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, check out our iPhone 15 pre-order guide. 

iPhone 15 Pro Max design and display

The iPhone 15 Pro Max could be getting a new look, led by a rumor that says Apple's iPhones will feature more rounded edges than in the recent past. That claim has been backed up by leaks of iPhone 15 dummy units that show off rounded edges in addition to other rumored design changes, like the addition of both USB-C and an action button (more on those features in a moment). 

We've also heard that Apple may be shrinking the bezels on the iPhone 15 Pro Max to the smallest of any smartphone around. This is backed up by 9to5Mac, which has delivered iPhone 15 Pro Max renders that show the new model from every angle. 

The site says the bezels could be just 1.55mm. New iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max renders posted by Ice Universe confirm that size, while Mark Gurman says the reduction in bezel will come thanks to the same LIPO screen technology used in the Apple Watch.

Regardless of bezels, don't expect the return of Touch ID on any iPhone 15 model including the Pro Max.

For colors, it's been rumored that titanium gray and blue will join the lineup, but gold and last year's deep purple apparently won't make the cut. Additional iPhone 15 color leaks seemingly confirm that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will come in black, white, gray and blue, with images of iPhone 15 Pro dummy units, plus video clips of others, showing off those colors.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s chassis could be made of titanium, and an aerospace-grade type of titanium at that. This could lead to a stronger yet lighter iPhone Pro Max, which we think would be an excellent upgrade and shift away from the stainless steel edges that can be chipped easily, in our experience at least. 

Just how light could a titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max be? One estimate says the new phone would weigh in at 7.8 ounces, which is 0.67 ounces lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Another rumor claims the iPhone 15 Pro models could come with an action button similar to the one found on the Apple Watch Ultra. This Action button would be customizable, like that on the Apple Watch Ultra. And one report has the Action button tipped to be a super shortcut button for the iPhone 15 Pro phones, enabling users to assign actions like triggering the camera, flashlight, translate or Voice Memos features. 

iPhone 15 Pro Max USB-C

Rumors of USB-C connectivity replacing the venerable Lightning port seem very likely on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, as the European Union has demanded that phones need to adopt USB-C as the common charging standard by December 2024; Apple is very likely to get ahead of that with the iPhone 15 lineup.

That seems more likely than ever, based on a report that Apple has moved its own USB-C accessories into mass production ahead of the iPhone 15 launch in the fall.

Adopting USB-C would certainly help with charging and ease of connectivity. But it could make connecting to older iPhone accessors a little awkward without converters and dongles; such is the price of change. 

It could be worth it for the rumored Thunderbolt 3 speeds though. Thunderbolt also allows for display output, which could have all sorts of fun implications for iPhone users. A report even suggests that some iPhone 15 models — most likely the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max — will offer Thunderbolt connectivity via the USB-C port.

Sadly we've got reasons to be worried about this change. Rumor has it that Apple could transition the "Made for iPhone" certification program to USB-C, and deliberately restrict the charging and data transfer speeds of non-certified cables. The fact that pictures allegedly showing iPhone USB-C ports feature a mysterious chip doesn't bode well for anyone hoping to use all their old USB-C cables on iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Fortunately, Apple may be including nice braided, color-matched USB-C cables in the box with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, the speed of these cables may not be any quicker than the Lightning cable you're likely already using.

iPhone 15 Pro Max cameras

Expect the iPhone 15 Pro Max to stick with the same trio of rear cameras as the iPhone 14 Pro Max; a main, ultra-wide and telephoto suite of snappers. That’ll be fine by us as the iPhone 14 Pro Max is one of our top picks for the best camera phones.

One likely upgrade could be a periscope telephoto lens for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, tipped by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, which would use an array of optical lenses to boost the zoom range of the camera without needing to rely on cropping or digital zooming. 

In fact, many rumors claim that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a 6x periscope zoom, which would be double what the iPhone 14 Pro Max offers, though a more recent rumor claims we could see as high as 10x optical zoom. There's no word on how high the iPhone 15 Pro Max's digital zoom will go, but it will certainly be higher than the 14 Pro Max's 15x. 

As a result of the new periscope zoom lens, Apple is reportedly swapping the position of the ultrawide and telephoto cameras on both the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max — even though the periscope is supposed to be a Pro Max exclusive. 

In addition, the iPhone 15 Pro models could sport an upgraded LiDAR sensor to bring in more performance and better power efficiency. Not only could this be a boon for iPhone battery life, but it could make for better portrait photos with improved depth sensing, as well as boosted augmented reality apps, which can benefit from better room scanning sensors. That said, it seems like the iPhone 16 Ultra will be even better at spatial video and images to link in with the Vision Pro's launch next year.

We've taken a look at what these changes might mean for an iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra camera face-off when Samsung's new flagship appears next year.

iPhone 15 Pro Max specs and A17 Bionic

Like many Pro iPhones before it, the iPhone 15 Pro Max looks set to bring in a new A-series chip, likely in the form of the A17 Bionic. 

Expect more CPU and GPU power, but also an upgrade in machine learning and neural processing to better power smart features, from computational photography to Siri. The new chip could be built on a 3-nanometer process from TSMC, theoretically giving it more power but also greater efficiency. Apple's apparently got exclusive use of this tech for a whole year as well, allegedly giving the iPhone 15 Pro Max a power advantage over rival phones for a considerable amount of time.

Allegedly leaked benchmarks for the iPhone 15 Pro show off how much faster the A17 Bionic chip could be over its predecessor as well as the chipsets of the best Android phones. 

In the single-core test, the iPhone 15 Pro reportedly hit 2,317 and delivered a multi-core score of 6,750 in Geekbench 5. Geekbench 6 scores clocked in at 3,019 on a single-core test and 7,860 on a multi-core test. This resoundingly beats the mighty Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, hinting at the next Pro Max iPhone being a powerhouse.  

A later leak using what appears to be Geekbench 6 suggests a single-core score of 3,269 and a multi-core score of 7,666. While slightly different to the previous leak, that still suggests the iPhone 15 Pro will have a major leap in performance power. The iPhone 15 Pro Max should follow suit.

According to URedditor, the A17 Bionic will have 6 CPU and GPU cores, up from the 6 and 5 cores in the A16 Bionic. There's also said to be a maximum clock speed of 3.7 GHz, up from 3.46 GHz.

For RAM, one recent rumor claims the iPhone 15 Pro may only have 6GB of RAM, though the leaker later claimed Apple had tested 6GB and 8GB models. Which one we'll actually see come launch day isn't clear, and it's equally unclear how the iPhone 15 Pro Max could be affected. If this upgrade does come to be, then there's always it may end up being another Pro Max exclusive — or limited to higher storage options.

There's also the possibility of the iPhone 15 Pro Max gaining a new storage option. One rumor hints at the possibility of a 2TB version of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which would help with the expected new upgrades to its cameras.

In terms of connectivity, Wi-Fi 6E could come to the iPhone 15, with this rumor being backed up by Ming-Chi Kuo.  

Another possible upgrade could come to the iPhone 15 Pro Max's ultrawide-band chip. A more efficient version of the precision tracking chip could provide several benefits, including to Apple's AirTag and Vision Pro headset.

iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life and charging

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has been tipped to get a bigger battery than its predecessor, potentially sporting a 4,852 mAh. That rumor doesn't come from the strongest of sources, but we'd not be surprised if Apple made moves to boost the battery life of its flagship phone. Especially now we've heard further rumors of Apple using new stacked battery technology to increase how many milliamp-hours it can fit in a particular space.

Annoyingly, a more recent rumor has said the battery in the iPhone 15 Pro Max could actually be 4,422 mAh. That's still larger than the iPhone 14 Pro Max's battery, but quite a distance from what we'd heard before.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max lasted 13 hours and 39 minutes in our battery test, which involved surfing the web continuously until the battery ran out. That's good enough to make our best phone battery life list. So we could expect around that or better for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, depending on how much larger the battery ends up being, and how much more efficient the new chip is.  

The iPhone 14 Pro Max charges at 20 watts, which is fine, but isn't up to the likes of the Galaxy S23 Ultra and is miles behind the OnePlus 11 with its superfast 100W charging speeds (this is limited to 80W in the U.S.). 

We hope Apple finds a way for its next iPhones to juice up a little faster thanks to USB-C,. Previously we heard rumors that 27W charging was a possibility, but more recently that figure has risen to a potential 35W. It sounds like this could happen on all iPhone 15s too, not just the Pro Max.

According to one rumor, the iPhone 15 family could get boosted Qi2 wireless charging, which could see the phones charge at 15W speeds with any wireless charger, not just MagSafe ones. That would be double the 7.5W the iPhone 14 models charge at. Such a boost could make wirelessly charging the iPhone 15 Pro Max a good bit faster, and closer to some of the charging speeds offered by the best Android phones. 

iPhone 15 Pro Max software

Like the other iPhone 15 models, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is all but certain to debut with iOS 17 as its software. 

New features available in iOS 17 will include a Journal app, Live Voicemail, NameDrop and StandBy mode. There's currently no sign of iPhone 15-specific features on the horizon, but we'll have to wait and see if that changes closer to launch.

iPhone 15 Pro Max outlook

Based on the rumors and leaks, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is shaping up to be an impressive smartphone. It might not be a massive step up from the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but a lot of the smaller changes tipped could all add up to make it one of the best phones to buy. 

And it’s almost certainly going to be the best iPhone you can buy in 2023. It’ll need to be good, given the Galaxy S23 Ultra has really impressed us and is arguably now the phone to beat.