One Year On, iPhone 15 Pro Max Still Reigns as the World's Best Phone
Find out how the iPhone 15 Pro Max continues to lead in speed, camera innovation, and overall user satisfaction, making it the top smartphone choice in 2024.
Many people might dismiss the idea of the iPhone being the best phone in the world, particularly given the rapid advancements in camera technology from Android manufacturers over the past year. However, the reality is that the iPhone remains the most complete phone available today. Despite the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) being promoted as the next big thing in computing and Android flagships boasting increasingly sophisticated cameras, the iPhone continues to set the benchmark. After using the iPhone 15 Pro Max as my primary device for a year—and with Apple’s Glowtime event fast approaching, where its successors are expected to be unveiled—I explain why the iPhone 15 Pro Max remains superior to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the leading smartphone launched in 2024, the latest Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, or camera behemoths like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Vivo X100 Pro. Foldable phones are also included in this discussion.
If you browse Instagram, you’ll notice very few photos; it's mostly reels and stories. The iPhone is the undisputed king of video. Apple was so confident in the video capabilities of the iPhone 15 line that it even shot the 'Scary Fast' event for the M3 MacBook Pro lineup using it. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the best smartphone camcorder, the only one that consistently produces B-roll-worthy videos used professionally worldwide. It supports colour grading, has excellent depth, minimal noise, and features a simple camera app.
While it may not always take the absolute best pictures, it remains the easiest camera to use, making it extremely popular for photography. For those skilled with a camera, apps like Halide allow for professional-quality photos. The iPhone performs well in low light, takes excellent daytime shots, and generally rates as an 8/10 camera in most situations, including portraits and landscapes. With its 5x telephoto zoom, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers better range, improved colour consistency across lenses, and excels at product photography. As an Apple Vision Pro owner, I find the camera even more valuable because it’s the only one that can shoot spatial video and panoramas for the world’s most advanced consumer electronic product.
The iPhone has held the title of the fastest phone since the iPhone 5S in 2013. The A17 Pro, while a modest update on the CPU side, remains incredibly powerful. All of my reels are edited on the iPhone, and the processing is done in minutes, not hours. It is also the best phone for gaming. While I don’t usually play games on my phone, the ability to run titles like Resident Evil Village with ray tracing enabled or potentially play Death Stranding is compelling—this is what Apple has achieved. And this is just the beginning; Apple Arcade and announcements from Hideo Kojima about his games coming to Apple platforms add further value. Notably, these games are not available on Android. In general use, the iPhone is simply the fastest phone, supporting all the apps I use daily. With iOS 18 betas, in synthetic benchmarks this phone became even faster.
While everyone is talking about generative AI, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is already among the best phones for that purpose. I use many apps that leverage AI, either in the cloud or on-device. For example, SetApp offers Elphas on the Mac and iPhone, which corrects grammar, rewrites text, summarises content, or changes its tone—all offline on an iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18.1 beta 3. It works remarkably well, comparable to Galaxy AI on Samsung phones. I also use generative AI in apps like Mojo and VidCap to generate captions for my reels and improve audio quality by suppressing noise. I can seamlessly generate images from numerous third-party AI apps, demonstrating that the iPhone is likely on par with Samsung and Google in terms of generative AI capabilities.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max's 6.7-inch OLED display is among the best available, making it a delight for content consumption. It has some of the best speakers on any smartphone, delivering loud and clear sound. Pair it with AirPods Pro 2 or Beats Studio Pro headphones, and you are in for a unique level of immersion. The phone also supports Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio, enhancing its already superb audio and video quality. Apple TV+ further adds value with shows like Dark Matter, Sunny, and Foundation, which, while available on other platforms, are best viewed on an iPhone.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max offers robust fundamentals. It has excellent call quality and battery life, even with the iOS 18 beta, despite a 25 per cent reduction in battery life. It remains functional, and the wide range of MagSafe chargers available—such as the ANKER 10,000 mAh MagSafe charger—is a convenience unmatched by any other phone. The USB-C connectivity has made the phone more practical, with rapid data transfer speeds via cable, although AirDrop remains the fastest and most convenient option. The titanium build is exquisite, providing a more ergonomic and lightweight design. My phone has remained scratch-free despite numerous drops, and while I have had to replace two tempered glass protectors, the phone itself remains in flawless condition. It is also IP68 water and dust-resistant.
The iPhone remains the most secure phone on the market. While there have been occasional issues, Apple’s security standards are generally much higher than those of Android devices, making it a preferred choice for privacy-conscious users.
If I were to sell my review unit—which I wouldn’t—hypothetically, I could get enough money to buy a Galaxy S24 Ultra or the latest Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and still have some extra cash left over. This is due to the strength of the Apple brand, its superb after-sales support (even in India), international warranty for the iPhone, and its seamless integration with other Apple products like the Mac, iPad, AirPods, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro—all of which I own.
