Apple 2023 event: Flagship iPhone 15 Pro Max launched with 5X telephoto camera, USB Type-C, action button and more

Apple event 2023: After months of anticipation, Apple has just unveiled its top-of-the-line iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, at its Wonderlust event in California. Check its features, specifications, and more.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has been unveiled at the Wonderlust event in California. (Apple)

Apple event 2023: The iPhone 15 Pro Max has officially been announced! Apple has just unveiled its top-of-the-line iPhone at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park, California, and it gets tons of new features. This is Apple's second event of the year, following the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2023 which took place in June when iOS 17, as well as the Vision Pro, were announced. Leaks and rumours had hinted about the possible upgrades coming to this year's flagship iPhone 15 Pro Max, and now that it has officially been unveiled, take a look at all that it packs. Check out iPhone 15 pro Max price, specs, features and more.

Also, Catch all the live updates here.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max launched: Check price, specifications, features and more

Titanium finish

Apple's top-end iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max features the same 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology as its predecessor but now comes in a new titanium finish. Apple claims the same material is used in spacecraft. Owing to this change in structure, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has become Apple's lightest ever ‘Pro Max' iPhone. It also gets contoured edges, thinner bezels, as well as a brushed finish on the sides.

Not sure which
mobile to buy?

New A17 Bionic SoC

Apple has yet again upgraded the iPhone 15 Pro Max with a new A17 Pro SoC under the hood. The Cupertino-based tech giant has gotten rid of the ‘Bionic' moniker and replaced it with ‘Pro'. It is the first chipset in the industry to be fabricated on a 3-nanometer process, which has allowed Apple to fit in more transistors, not only promising a boost in power but also in energy efficiency. It features a pro-class GPU which enables a 20 percent bump in performance while the new 6-core design enhances its peak performance while maintaining energy efficiency. The A17 Pro's CPU is now 10 percent faster while its Neural Engine 2 times as fast as the A16 Bionic SoC, and it also becomes Apple's biggest GPU redesign in its history.

The A17 Pro also enables console-level gaming for the first time on the iPhone. It gets hardware-accelerated ray-tracing which Apple claims is 4 times faster than software-based ray-tracing. It allows more immersive AR applications and console-level gaming performance with games such as Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4, Death Stranding, and Assassin's Creed Mirage 4.

Action button

Apple has finally replaced its iconic mute switch which has been present since the first iPhone, and replaced it with an action button. Just like the Apple Watch Ultra, the new action button provides multi-functionality, which can be used to toggle between ring and silent. Moreover, it offers additional options so users can choose between quickly accessing the camera or flashlight; activating Voice Memos, Focus modes, Translate,3 and accessibility features like Magnifier; or using Shortcuts for more options.

Telephoto lens

The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a big upgrade in terms of camera. The highlight is a new 5X telephoto lens that allows users to capture detailed and vivid close-up snapshots. Apple claims that the new A17 Pro brings a camera performance equivalent to seven pro lenses. Users can now switch between three different focal lengths - 24 mm, 28 mm, and 35 mm, and the camera system now captures 48MP HEIF images with 4x more resolution.

While the iPhone 15 Pro features a 3X telephoto lens, the iPhone 15 Pro Max gets a 5X telephoto lens at 120mm. According to Apple, the new tetraprism design of the telephoto lens combines Optical Image Stabilization with Apple's 3D Autofocus Sensor Shift to create its most advanced stabilization system yet.

USB Type-C

Following the EU's new legislation which requires all electronic devices to have one standard charging connector, the iPhone 15 Pro Max now features USB Type-C and has replaced its proprietary lightning port. It supports USB 3 for data transfer speeds up to 10 gigabits per second. In addition to that, the iPhone 15 Pro Max also gets the 2nd Generation Ultra-Wide Band chip along with Wi-Fi 6E.

iPhone 15 Pro Max: Pricing and availability

Unlike the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has received a price hike, and it now starts at $1199 in the US, and at Rs. 159900 in India. However, Apple has also bumped up the storage, with 256GB now being the base storage option. It is available in three storage options - 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available for pre-orders starting Friday, September 15 at 5 a.m. PDT. It will go on sale starting September 22.

It comes in four finishes - Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Natural Titanium.