If you didn’t see the show, let me inform you that Apple’s WWDC presentation showed several excellent iOS 18 upgrade changes, the most striking of which is Apple Intelligence.
I recently upgraded my iPhone 12 to the iPhone 14 Pro Max and had no plans to upgrade again. However, Apple’s WWDC event has changed my perspective, and I am now considering upgrading. There is, however, a catch: I am still not interested in the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max for a variety of reasons.
Apple, on the other hand, has chosen to lock off some of the most popular features from previous iPhone models. The issue appears to be related to the lack of RAM on previous iPhones. It appears that Apple Intelligence requires at least 8GB of RAM, yet the majority of iPhones only have 6GB.
bit I’m tempted to upgrade my handset, I’m still undecided about the iPhone 15 Pro for a variety of reasons, so I may have to wait a bit before exploring any new iOS 18 features.
What is the issue with the iPhone 15 Pro series
It may appear strange that, despite wishing to upgrade, I have no interest in the sole gadget available at this time. However, I have little interest in the new phone for one simple reason: it isn’t unique enough to warrant my purchase.
In my opinion, a new phone should be significantly different from the previous model, either in terms of hardware or software. For the purpose of fairness, let me compare my current iPhone 14 Pro Max to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
At first glance, the phones appear practically identical, and the specifications back this up. For starters, the screen sizes and refresh rates are almost identical, and the cameras have similar sensors, with the exception of a greater zoom for the telephoto lens, and the battery life is roughly the same.
There are a few advantages to the iPhone 15 Pro. First, there is the action button, which can be programmed to do multiple activities. The second key difference is the new A17 Pro chip, which is a significant upgrade over the A16 Bionic chip seen in the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
When we ran both phones through Geekbench, we noticed a 10% boost in single-core scores and a 9% increase in multicore scores. Overall, there isn’t enough here to justify spending more than a thousand on a new iPhone 15 Pro Max.
While there were some differences between the devices, they were rather minor. The two iPhones appearing identical was already a poor point, but the general absence of any significant improvements is the last nail in the coffin.
I could be tempted by the iPhone 16 Pro Max
A few months ago, I wrote about how uninterested I was in the iPhone 16 Pro Max because of its restricted performance and small hardware modifications. However, I also stated that AI inclusion might change my mind. Interestingly, it appears to be what happened.
I honestly didn’t expect the debut of Apple Intelligence to sway me choosing the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but the features alone are sufficient. For starters, the introduction of text rewriting and creation is a huge selling point due to my sloppy typing.
Due to dyspraxia, I frequently misspell words and WhatsApp messages. This can be humiliating, especially when messaging someone for work, but Apple’s Intelligence could assist to alleviate the problem.
Other capabilities, such as enhanced photo editing, will further strengthen the reported camera upgrades for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which the iPhone 15 Pro Max severely needed. In addition, the advent of picture generating, particularly genmojis, adds some much-needed fun and may entice me back to casual SMS and RCS chatting.
But how does this relate to choosing between the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro Max—after all, all phones have the same features, right? That’s the point; it’s more about what’s being enhanced and how it adds perceived value.
For example, the gap between the A16 and A17 Pro chips was modest, however the difference between the A16 and the predicted A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro Max will most likely be greater. As a result, paying for the update seems like a better value for money.
When I update a phone, I expect to see a noticeable difference from my existing model, which is exactly happened when I switched from the iPhone 12. I anticipate that the upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, even with iOS 18’s enhancements, would be minor and leave a foul taste in my mouth.
I’m going to wait for the next generation
Choosing when to upgrade your cellphone can be difficult, especially considering how similar all new phones appear to be. If you held the last three iPhones next to each other, you’d probably struggle to tell them apart at a look. The biggest change presently is in software, and iOS 18 appears to be a significant upgrade.
However, my concern about the lack of changes in iPhones remains, and Apple’s iOS 18 is insufficient to prevent me from skipping a generation. However, it has convinced me not to keep my current phone for as long as possible, which may have been Apple’s intention all along.
Having said that, most of what we hear about the iPhone 16 Pro Max is, at best, conjecture as it is still in its early stages of development. Thus, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on our iPhone 16 Pro hub to stay up to date on all the news so that when it does eventually release, I’m still tempted.
