Why the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the true iPhone Ultra

(Image credit: YouTube/MacRumors)

published 11 September 2023

The names of the best iPhones are all a bit playground, right? Pro becomes Pro Max and many expect Pro Max to soon be usurped by the iPhone Ultra. How long till we get an "iPhone Super Mega Ultra"? Ahem, anyway it looks like we won't see an 'Ultra' model until next year, but honestly I think Apple's upcoming flagship, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, already looks like the most complete iPhone ever.

A first-ever iPhone Ultra was meant to bring with it a super-premium iPhone experience with exclusive top-of-the-range features. Chief among them are a titanium shell and a periscope lens camera. Guess what, most rumours have these tipped for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The stainless steel build of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max seems destined to go the way of the dodo, with Apple swapping to titanium on both models this year. But why? Well, titanium is both lighter and stronger than stainless steel, this should bring a significant weight reduction and perhaps even make for the toughest iPhone ever. Some are even thinking about going caseless.

Of course, this new material is expected to arrive for both the Pro Max and smaller Pro iPhone 15 models, but the Pro Max's real distinguishing feature is the camera. It's widely believed that the periscope lens will only be coming to the larger phone. This is, simply put, the camera upgrade I've been wanting for years. The new lens is widely expected to feature up to around 6x optical zoom, which is far clearer than its digital counterpart. For photography fans, it looks like a no-brainer which iPhone to get.

Of course, there is a belief that an iPhone Ultra is likely to arrive with the iPhone 16 range, but what more could they realistically add? A camera capable of taking spatial 3D images has been rumoured but you would supposedly need an Apple Vision Pro to see them anyway. That's hardly as useful as the dramatically improved zoom, in my opinion at least.

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Andy was T3's Tech Staff Writer, covering all things technology, including his biggest passions such as gaming. If he had to save one possession from a fire it would be his PlayStation 5. He previously worked for Tom’s Guide – where he got paid to play with ChatGPT everyday. When it comes to streaming, Andy will have his headphones glued in whilst watching something that will make him laugh. He studied Creative Writing at university, but also enjoys supporting his favourite football team (Liverpool), watching F1, teaching himself guitar, and spending time with his dog.