48MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide, and a 12MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom - but is it enough? In this Photo Shoot|out Tom's Guide compare photos from the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max to see how much of a year-over-year improvement there is.
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00:00When the iPhone 15 Pro Max was announced last fall, I knew right away that it would eclipse
00:04the iPhone 14 Pro Max in the camera department.
00:08Since then, I've been able to snap a few photos whenever I had a chance to get my hands on
00:12it.
00:13But I finally got a better idea of how much more improved it is in this iPhone 15 Pro
00:17Max versus iPhone 14 Pro Max camera shootout.
00:20There's never been a time I can remember when an older iPhone manages to outperform the
00:24newer one, so I'm not worried about that at all.
00:27However, I'm more interested to see how Apple widens the gap between generations.
00:3110 categories, 1 winner, let's find out.
00:34By just looking at the specs, the most glaring difference between the two camera systems
00:37is their telephoto cameras, with the newer iPhone 15 Pro Max getting a longer zoom range.
00:43The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a 48MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, and a 12MP telephoto
00:49with 5x optical zoom.
00:51In contrast, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is armed with a 48MP main shooter, 12MP ultrawide,
00:57and a 12MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom.
01:00On an absolutely gorgeous day down by Bryant Park, these photos showcase why the main cameras
01:05in iPhones are simply extraordinary.
01:07There are a lot of excellent qualities in these two shots, like their strong dynamic
01:11range performance and high contrast that expose the scene nicely.
01:14I can tell the highlights are handled better by the iPhone 15 Pro Max, as evidenced by
01:19the brighter spots around the planter on the right side.
01:22Meanwhile, the sign showing Bryant Park near the left side has better definition with the
01:26iPhone 15 Pro Max.
01:28It's nearly a draw with this ultrawide angle shot of Bryant Park overlooking its lawn.
01:32Their ultrawide cameras offer the same 120 degree field of view, so it's more than enough
01:36range to capture the lawn from one end to the other.
01:39These shots also showcase how they handle strong sources of light that are overpowering
01:43the scene.
01:44But the edge goes to the iPhone 15 Pro Max simply because of the finer details it preserves.
01:49While the grass and faraway skyscrapers look identical, a closer inspection on the back
01:53end of the New York Public Library towards the left side has better contrast and detail.
01:58I also like the more vibrant colors produced by the newer iPhone.
02:02High contrast scenes can often be tough on a camera to evenly balance out the exposure,
02:06but this shot of the water fountain at Bryant Park reveals that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is
02:11better equipped to handle the shadows.
02:13If you look at the base of the fountain that's partly shaded, the iPhone 15 Pro Max reveals
02:17some of the details that are slightly more underexposed with the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
02:22Furthermore, the higher contrast look of the iPhone 15 Pro Max draws out details in
02:27the highlights with the buildings in the background.
02:30In fact, I can make out more detail in the brickwork.
02:33Strictly judging the colors and nothing else, I'm at a draw with these fruit photos taken
02:38inside of Whole Foods.
02:39From the yellow lemons to the warm hues of the oranges and the darker green limes, it's
02:43a deadlock between them when it comes to color reproduction.
02:46That's a tie.
02:47By getting close to a subject, both iPhones automatically kick into their respective macro
02:52modes, which is indicated by the icon that pops up on screen.
02:55Again, it's a close call as they both capture a lot of details with this flower, but I made
03:00sure to keep the focus and exposure locked into the middle of the photo.
03:03I love how they capture the pollen sticking onto the flower, so much so that I could tell
03:07which has the better detail.
03:09Even when I zoom into the shot, both iPhones capture the same amount of detail.
03:12However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max's shot pops a little more because of the vibrant tones
03:18of the reds in the flower.
03:19In yet another highly contested decision, the iPhone 15 Pro Max only narrowly wins at
03:24capturing the better looking portrait photo.
03:26The shallow depth of field in both shots evenly throw the background out of focus while keeping
03:31more crisp in the center frame.
03:34The difference between them is how the iPhone 15 Pro Max pulls in the sharper details, especially
03:39around the face, along with the slightly more saturated skin color.
03:43Some may prefer the subtle tones of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but it lacks the iPhone 15 Pro
03:48Max's sharper look.
03:50At the same time, selfies are better on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, although not by much.
03:55Both front facing cameras deliver crisp details that capture every detail on Mark's face.
04:00The only minor difference can be seen in the skin tone, which again has hidden more saturation
04:05on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
04:07The iPhone 15 Pro Max's superiority on paper is on full display with its 12MP telephoto
04:12camera with 5x optical zoom.
04:15If zooming is your top priority, then you'll want to go with the newer iPhone.
04:18It simply gives a sharper look with far away subjects.
04:21I ended up setting the zoom level to 5x on both phones, but you can clearly see that
04:26the iPhone 15 Pro Max does a better job at retaining the definition with the brickwork
04:30on the Empire State Building when you zoom into the shots.
04:34However, I have to admit the overall shots look very similar to one another.
04:39Unless you zoom in, there's not a whole lot terribly different about them.
04:42One quality I look at when capturing panoramic shots is the phone's ability to keep lines
04:47straight across the horizon.
04:48Thankfully, both iPhones do an exceptional job of this with the shots of Bryant Park's
04:53sprawling lawn.
04:54Even with the sun slightly off frame to the left, the exposure throughout the shot is
04:58uniform while the rich greens of the lawn and details look similar in both photos.
05:03This one's going to be a tie.
05:05Low light performance goes to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, largely due to how the shot of the
05:09garage in my backyard appears a little brighter, as well as how it pulls in more detail.
05:14I see it most in the branch of the tree above the garage, which has more characteristics
05:18in it than the smear details of the iPhone 14 Pro Max's shot.
05:22This camera shoot had turned out closer than I expected, which is a shocker in my opinion.
05:26Yes, the iPhone 15 Pro Max won most of the categories, but I don't think it was by a
05:30huge stretch.
05:32However, telephoto and low light are the two biggest areas where the iPhone 15 Pro Max
05:37proves it delivers much better results.
05:39As for iPhone 14 Pro Max owners tinkering with the idea of upgrading, well, it's a tougher
05:44call after looking through all the 200 plus photos I captured between the two.
05:48It's still a superb camera phone, so much so that it still holds ground against newer phones.
05:52For most shots, I think the year-over-year gains are minor for the iPhone 15 Pro Max,
05:57with the exception of its low light and telephoto performances.
06:00Ironically, I still carry around the iPhone 14 Pro Max as my other daily driver.
06:05Perhaps the iPhone 16 Pro Max would be the more meaningful one to upgrade to next.
06:09What do you guys think?
06:10Let me know in the comments below.
06:11You can follow us everywhere on social, at Tom's Guide, and subscribe to the YouTube
06:16channel so you can keep up with all the photo shootouts coming your way.
06:19I'm John V, and I'll see you in my next video.