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I’ve never done a full smartphone roundup at the end of each year, but I did pick my favourite last year – and that was the brilliant Google Pixel 7 Pro.
The Pixel 8 Pro is another contender for that crown this year, but Apple has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works in 2023.
Last year, I was iPhoned-out. I’d got to the stage of accepting that Apple’s smartphone was iterating mildly, at best – and, at worst, was a step backwards in terms of battery life and value for money.
In 2023, Apple launched the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Yes, it has continued the theme of gentle iteration and super high price, but it has also reminded me that the iPhone is, possibly, the best smartphone money can buy – if you have the budget.
There are arguments for and against this. I’ll tackle the latter in a day or two, but let’s focus on the good stuff today.
The camera is nigh-on perfect
What’s one of the main things you do with your smartphone? What do you see everyone else doing with theirs, no matter where they happen to be?
It’s the camera we all have to hand, and the one on which we rely the most heavily. The reason the iPhone 15 Pro Max scores so highly here is because it is nigh-on perfect in every regard.
It’s reliable. If you want to snap a photo of a fast-moving subject such as your kid or pet, the iPhone will pull it off, more often than not, and certainly better than the majority of Android phones I’ve used (bar the Pixel line, admittedly).
The focal lengths are also spot on – if you go for the top-tier iPhone. The standard 24mm is ideal in most scenarios, but the ability to quickly flip to 2x and 5x proves useful when you want more reach or simply want to get creative with compression. It’s also a beast in low light across the entire focal range.
We don’t need 10x zoom.
The Pixel is still my favourite smartphone camera, because I love the unique ‘look’ it adds to photos. But that isn’t for everyone, which is why the safe yet reliable approach of the iPhone 15 Pro Max scores so highly.
It’s also the best video shooter on the market, bar none, and I never think twice about using it to create content for my YouTube channel.
Build quality is still unmatched
It is, though, isn’t it? Other smartphones come very close these days, but there’s something about an iPhone – particularly if you step up to the Pro Max.
This year, we were treated to a new titanium casing which forms the centrepiece of Apple’s marketing strategy for its flagship smartphone. The reduction in weight is very welcome indeed, and it hasn’t diluted the premium feel of the Pro Max. As soon as you unearth this thing from the box, you feel like your money has been well allocated.
I’ve had no issues at all with the build quality of my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Granted, it’s spent most of its time nestled inside a case, but the desire to undress it and enjoy the nakedness is still there every single day.
In a world where we often feel shortchanged in terms of build quality on high-end products, Apple is, clearly, unwavering in its commitment to ensuring the iPhone remains the most impressive smartphone you’ll ever hold.
It has the best ecosystem
Whenever I publish a comparison between the iPhone and an Android competitor, I’m reliably informed by members of the audience that it’s a pointless process.
Anyone who has an iPhone ain’t gonna switch to Android, they’ll say. The ecosystem is too sticky, is the qualifier.
I agree – to a degree. In 2023, I’ve heard a lot of people say they’re switching from iOS to Android because they’re bored of the latter. This suggests that there is a market for switchers, but it also indicates that those people have probably never been fully grasped by the Apple ecosystem.
I have. It’s the one thing that prevents whatever Android device I’m carrying from being my main smartphone. The iPhone’s integration with my Mac, iPad, Apple TV, and two other devices which I’ll come onto in a moment, makes it indispensable.
We can look at this two ways. It’s either Apple sneakily building forced advocacy for the iPhone, or it’s the simple fact that the Apple ecosystem is utterly brilliant. I’d argue that it’s both; Apple knows exactly what it’s doing when it comes to ecosystem tie-in, but it also knows that the ecosystem needs to deliver.
It does that, in spades, which makes the Apple ecosystem, arguably, the iPhone’s most important and impressive feature.
The Apple Watch and AirPods Pro factor
I’ve dabbled with other smartwatches this year. Garmin, Samsung, and Google Pixel have all attempted to win me over – and they all have, to varying degrees.
Despite this, nothing is as complete or as seemingly designed for me as the Apple Watch Ultra. I’ve realised that its ability to deliver music or podcasts into my ears while running without a phone, and the Apple Fitness+ integration are what I miss when I try a different smartwatch.
But the Apple Watch is literally useless without an iPhone. The same goes for AirPods Pro 2; sure, you could use them as regular Bluetooth earbuds on an Android smartphone, but you’d be missing out on half of the features for which you’ve paid.
Apple’s brilliance lies in its ability to create not just a software ecosystem but a hardware ecosystem which is perfectly matched, desirable, and ultimately useful. For me, it’s the Apple Watch Ultra and the AirPods Pro 2 that complete the iPhone 15 Pro Max package.
Final thought: is the iPhone 15 Pro Max the phone of 2023?
The ability of the iPhone 15 Pro Max to claim the crown this year is heavily dependent on one’s love for Apple stuff.
That’s the takeaway today. Beyond the camera and build quality, what clearly matters to me is the stuff Apple has built around the latest flagship iPhone. Combine that software and hardware ecosystem with the pinnacle of design, form, and function of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and you’re left with one hell of a device.
But what if you don’t have a love for Apple stuff? If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last few years, it’s that there is a sizeable crowd who would do anything to avoid buying an iPhone – particularly one as expensive as the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
It’s a tough call, because of that. I have a feeling that a device like the Pixel 8 Pro relies far less heavily on a deep love of the brand. It’s a similar story for the Samsung S23 Ultra – despite the swell of Samsung fans that always invade my comments sections.
I’m holding off on my decision for now. I think it’s important to tell both sides of the story, after all, which is why I’ll return in a day or two with an alternative view of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Stay tuned.
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