Out of all the iPhone 15 Pro rumors, there are only two that I really care about

We have heard many rumors about iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. As reported by 9to5Mac many times, Apple has plans for a revamped design with slightly curved edges, as well as a new titanium chassis for the Pro models. There are also rumors of the entire lineup getting Dynamic Island and USB-C. But out of all these voices, there are only two that I really care about.

What the rumors say about the iPhone 15 Pro

Let me focus on the Pro models, since they are Apple’s flagship phones. If the rumors are correct, the iPhone 15 Pro will have a slightly new design with more rounded edges and thinner borders around the screen. Other than that, the phone won’t look too different from current iPhones in terms of design and size. The display will keep the same technologies and the same Dynamic Island as the iPhone 14 Pro.

There have been rumors of new tactile volume buttons, but it seems Apple has given up on that idea and postponed its plans for 2024 models. Even so, the rumors still suggest that the mute switch will become an action button like to what Apple introduced with the Apple Watch Ultra last year.

There are also rumors of USB-C replacing the Lightning port, bigger batteries, a new periscope lens on the Pro Max model, and new colors.

I am disappointed with the iPhone 14 Pro Max

As someone who updates my iPhone every year, I’m used to not getting too excited about new models as the changes become less and less significant. Still, I consider the iPhone 14 Pro Max to be one of the most disappointing updates ever, from the perspective of someone who had an iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Dynamic Island is cool, but as time goes on I realize it’s more of a gimmick than anything else. It doesn’t really change the way I interact with my iPhone. And compared to my 13 Pro Max, I feel the iPhone 14 Pro Max is worse in some respects. And that’s where two major iPhone 15 Pro Max rumors come in: cameras and battery.

I have to be honest. The iPhone 14 Pro Max battery sucks. With iPhone 13 Pro Max, I could use my phone all day and still had some battery left for the next day. iPhone 14 Pro Max, on the other hand, requires me to charge the phone at least twice a day. The biggest proof of this is that Apple itself promotes iPhone 14 Plus and not 14 Pro Max as the iPhone with the longest battery life.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max has roughly the same battery capacity as the 13 Pro Max (4352mAh vs 4323mAh). However, iPhone 14 Pro Max is the first to have an always-on display and that means it consumes more battery than its predecessor. Sure, I could turn that feature off, but what’s the point of buying a new phone and turning off one of its key new features?

I also believe that part of this is due to poor software optimization (iOS 16 was not a good version) and the A16 Bionic chip which hasn’t made much of an improvement over the A15.

Let’s talk about cameras

I’ve always preferred to have iPhones because I use my phone’s camera a lot. But in recent years, the competition has done a good job with cameras, while Apple has only done the basics and sometimes screwed up things that were perfect. We need an option to turn off Smart HDR, Apple.

But one thing that really disappoints me with the iPhone is the lack of a good zoom. Since the iPhone 7 Plus, Apple has invested in better quality optical zoom telephoto lenses. At the time, having that kind of zoom on a phone was pretty revolutionary. But as the years have gone by, the competition has invested in technologies to take optical zoom on phones much further.

The iPhone 14 Pro introduced 2x digital zoom thanks to the new 48MP sensor (which is a cool feature I must say) and kept the same 3x telephoto lens as the iPhone 13 Pro. iPhone zoom is mediocre.

Companies like Google and Samsung have been offering phones with periscope lenses for years, which allow for up to 10x optical zoom. Combined with AI and digital zoom, these phones offer zoom ranges up to 100x. As an aerial observer, this aspect of the iPhone camera really disappoints me.

iPhone 15 Pro Max could solve these two things

According to a recent leak, Apple will increase battery capacity on all iPhone 15 models. As for the Pro Max model, the battery is expected to go from 4352mAh to 4852mAh, an increase of about 10%. Combined with the A17 chip, the first to be built with 3nm technology, battery life could return to the good levels of the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

At the same time, it appears that the iPhone 15 Pro Max (and only the Pro Max model) will feature a new periscope lens for better optical zoom. It’s not yet clear what the zoom range of the new camera will be, but analysts say it will be between 5x and 6x.

I don’t really care for the new design or new colors, and performance isn’t an issue for any of the current iPhones. USB-C and thinner bezels around the display will be nice to have, but I really hope the iPhone 15 Pro Max has better battery life and cameras that make me want to take pictures with an iPhone again.

And you? What do you expect from the new iPhones? Let me know in the comments section below.