New iPhones are always a big deal for Apple fans, even though Apple's iPhone launch events have now become snoozefests. There was a lot of anticipation among the company's fans for this year's refresh. The rumors had suggested that they might get the first iPhone with a long-range zoom lens. There was also talk of a titanium shell for the device.
Apple did follow through on those rumors with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This is the company's top-of-the-line flagship and also happens to be its most expensive device. As the rumors had suggested, the device is fashioned out of titanium, making the device more durable and stronger than its predecessor.
It's a welcome change, for sure. These high-end flagships are expensive devices so it's always good when they become more durable. With people holding on to their flagship phones for longer now, the added durability ensures that they can keep their devices in good condition for a lot longer, even with the rigors that come with daily use.
The other big change was the addition of the long-range zoom lens. The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a 12-megapixel telephoto camera that's paired with a 5x optical zoom lens. Apple has taken a different technical approach to achieve this, likely to avoid infringing on various telephoto lens patents owned by Samsung and Samsung Electro-Mechanics. Instead of using a periscope-lens like Samsung does for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Apple went with a tetraprism lens design, but the outcome isn't as good as what Samsung achieves.
It's safe to say that Samsung already has the iPhone 15 Pro Max crushed when it comes to long-range zoom. The Galaxy S23 Ultra, which arrived nearly six months ago, boasts 10x optical zoom. This has actually been the hallmark of Samsung's top-of-the-line flagship for a couple of years now. Apple is only just catching up.
There's not going to be another iPhone refresh before September next year. However, given that its device comes earlier in the year, Samsung customers can look forward to a better and upgraded device in just a few months time. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is just around the corner, possibly being unveiled in January next year, in just about five months.
As you can probably expect, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is going to be packed to the gills with the latest chipset for 2024. Its cameras are going to get an upgrade as well and so will most of the other components, enabling it to offer more bang for your buck, compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Let's also not forget that even Samsung is said to be considering titanium for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. This would eliminate the advantage that the iPhone 15 Pro Max would boast over Samsung's upcoming top-of-the-line flagship. Multiple rumors have suggested that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will have a titanium body. Even Apple's announcement of this material for its latest iPhone confirms in a convoluted way that the two major smartphone manufacturers are now moving towards titanium.
So there's not going to be any buyer's remorse for people who wait for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. They're going to get more latest tech with the new device that's also going to be as durable, if not more, than its rival from iPhone. We can already be sure that the long-range zoom is going to be better as well. It already is, you can buy the Galaxy S23 Ultra right now and get better zoom than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Apple's strategy of trickling down new technology works because people in its ecosystem find it very difficult to switch. So it doesn't need to offer them as much since there are other ways to retain them in the walled garden. If you just do a holistic comparison of the capabilities, it's clear that Samsung already has the upper hand here.
