Go big or go home: iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max: The best big iPhones ever?

Apple tried to resist creating a huge iPhone for years, but finally gave in, making the first truly big iPhone, the iPhone 6 Plus. To this day, no one knows whether the late Steve was involved in the design of the iPhone 6, but given his staunch opinion against phablets, it’s pretty safe to assume he wasn’t… Anyway Fast forward to today, the big phone trend is continuing to pick up pace and Apple’s only option seems to be to leave the mini past behind and look to a brighter, more profitable but, more importantly, future filled with bigger iPhones. The ones that don’t even fold.

This year, however, there’s something different about the big iPhones that Tim Cook & Co will be offering. The difference is that I actually find the larger iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max models to be noticeably more attractive than their predecessors, and compared to their smaller counterparts, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, respectively. At least based on the recent leaks and rumors we have about them.

The iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max appear to be getting some major upgrades across the board that (I think) can and will change users of smaller phones! And that’s coming from someone who uses an iPhone 13 mini every day.

Here’s why you should go big or go home when it comes to your iPhone 15 purchase!

Huge upgrades to make iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max the best iPhones in 2023: Significantly better than the smaller iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro?

Take the vanilla iPhone 15 Plus, for example. It’s no secret that the iPhone 14 Plus (technically, the indirect successor to the iPhone 13 mini), doesn’t seem to be selling as well as Apple hoped. Although, to be fair, Apple’s biggest failure is often someone else’s biggest win as the iPhone 14 Plus was the sixth best-selling phone in the world in Q1 2023. Despite this, the iPhone 14 Plus doesn’t it impressed exactly no one with anything, as it’s the worst-selling iPhone out of the 14-series (again, what a way to lose!). Now, many tech nerds will tell you it’s due to the lack of the 120Hz ProMotion display or zoom camera that most other $900 flagships have.

However, I actually think it’s the notch that makes the 14 Plus look dated next to the 14 Pro; the ancient 12 MP main camera; battery life, which while excellent, is shorter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max (at least according to our tests); and, of course, the $900 price tag, which is only $100 less than the cheapest iPhone 14 Pro.

But now look at the series of updates expected to see with iPhone 15 Plus

A bigger display won’t be the only reason to buy a bigger iPhone in 2023; iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be hard to resist

• iPhone 15 Plus is expected to have the largest battery ever in an iPhone: nearly 5,000mAh (looks like your new battery champ is here)
• iPhone 15 Plus is ditching the notch for the sleeker (if a little gimmicky) dynamic Island (there’s your new look on a budget)
• iPhone 15 Plus should be the first non-Pro iPhone to get Apple’s new 48MP camera capable of 2x optical quality zoom in photos and videos (there’s your telephoto)

• iPhone 15 Plus (like all other 2023 iPhones) is getting USB-C, which I still can’t believe isn’t a joke but there’s yours one upgrade to rule them all (at least if you ask me)

Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to arrive with a plethora of what are shaping up to be pretty big updates! Just think about the state of the smartphone market right now (and how slow this can be), and now look at the updates the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to bring.

• iPhone 15 Pro Max is getting the first periscope zoom camera on iPhone
• iPhone 15 Pro Max Rumored to Become First iPhone with 256GB of Base Storage
• iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to have the thinnest symmetrical display edges ever on any phone
• iPhone 15 Pro Max should be the mainstream phone with a titanium frame (which is stronger and lighter than stainless steel)
• iPhone 15 Pro Max is also expected to be the first phone ever to feature a 3nm chip, the most efficient SoC available
• iPhone 15 Pro Max is also expected to be the first iPhone with 8GB of RAM, which would keep it running faster for longer (check out this story for proof)
• And of course, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the first big iPhone Pro to feature USB-C, which might be reason enough to refresh some tech nerds.

Sure, you could argue that Apple is trying to catch up on Android with certain features, but that’s always been the case, hasn’t it? Tim Cook & Co usually takes a while to implement new features, but does it well.

Go Big or Go Home! Everyone will be tempted to upgrade to iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max, but not just because of USB-C

The above upgrades make the larger iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max extremely appealing and very hard to resist, even if you are someone who appreciates the convenience of a smaller phone.

As an iPhone 13 mini user, I too am a little tempted to upgrade to Plus or Pro Max this year, but I don’t think I will. That’s because the 2024 iPhone 16 is said to get a 6.3-inch display with a narrower aspect ratio, which seems like the perfect size to me. Additionally, the smaller 16 Pro is also expected to get the periscope lens, which would be exclusive to this year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max.

That said, most people aren’t me (thank God for that), and I guarantee most of them would be willing to upgrade to a bigger iPhone like the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max as soon as possible. That’s if they’re not already using a phone that’s as big or bigger. My prediction is that the huge batteries in the 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max, as well as the periscope zoom camera in the latter, will make the smaller 2023 iPhones look a little meh and attract more users than ever before!

Contrary to what some tech geeks (like me) might tell you, I don’t think USB-C will be the main reason people upgrade this year. Why? Well, regular people don’t tend to care so much about porting Lightning. Not as much as you’d think.

In fact, I truly believe that most people have no issues with the Lightning port, and something tells me that buying an iPhone 14 Pro over the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro may even turn out to be the best option for them. I guess time will tell.

BUT I WANT MY USB-C PORT ASAP.