Technologies

I Upgraded to an iPhone 15 Pro Max From an 11. Here’s What Happened

Commentary: Why I jumped from my old iPhone to the newest, priciest model — and why I don’t regret it.

I was so confident that I wanted an iPhone 15 that I told the internet I was buying one before it was even announced. It’s a bold claim, I know. And I kept my word and upgraded from my 3-year-old iPhone 11 (I bought it in 2020) to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, my first Pro Apple phone ever.

At first, my decision to get an $1,199 iPhone 15 Pro Max that is bigger, heavier and much more expensive than my iPhone 11 might seem impulsive. But I guarantee it was anything but. And you might wonder why I opted for Apple’s most expensive phone instead of the $999 15 Pro that’s closer in size to the iPhone 11, or the $799 iPhone 15 which is more of a direct descendant from the 11. For me, it came down to the 15 Pro Max’s cameras. Let me explain.

Unprecedented 5x optical zoom

The 15 Pro Max has a 5x optical zoom, which is unheard-of for the iPhone and a major upgrade from my no zoom iPhone 11. The new telephoto camera is what ultimately convinced me to buy the 15 Pro Max. I mean, take a look at the photo evidence.

I played tourist for the day in San Francisco and took the photos below at the Golden Gate Bridge. I set the 15 Pro Max to 5x optical zoom and used the 11’s 5x digital zoom. I can’t believe the 15 Pro Max caught details like the panels on the bridge, and even the windows on the Salesforce Tower miles away in the background. Colors also appear truer-to-life in the 15 Pro Max’s photo. The Golden Gate Bridge’s iconic orange vermilion-colored paint really comes through in the 15 Pro Max image below.

I like using the 5x optical zoom to record videos too, especially at concerts. The last artist I saw was Labrinth at Pier 80 during the Portola Music Festival in San Francisco. The 15 Pro Max videos I recorded during the concert looked so good I might as well have told everyone I was at the barricade, even though I was actually a few rows behind it. I couldn’t record anything remotely as good with my old iPhone 11. You can see my 5x zoom concert recordings in the video at the top of this page.

Brand-new action button (plus other features I don’t use enough)

The 15 Pros have swapped the classic mute switch for a brand-new action button. You can still use it to silence your phone, but you can also set it to do other things, like open the camera. (That’s what mine does.) When I saw the action button announced, I thought I’d use it a lot, but I’ve only used it a couple of times now that I actually have it. I’ll probably just switch it back to the mute function.

There are other 15 Pro Max features that are even more hyped like the always-on display and the Dynamic Island that I likewise found less useful once I tried them. I have poor self-control when it comes to my smartphone and seeing the screen even slightly lit makes me want to scroll. So I’ll probably turn off the always-on display so I have one less temptation to pick up my iPhone when I should be doing something else.

And while I told the internet how cool I thought the Dynamic Island looked, I’m walking that statement back. The Dynamic Island gets in the way of doing things I’m used to, like tapping the top of the screen to scroll up. On my iPhone 11, a tap on the top center of the screen brings the webpage or social feed I’m scrolling immediately back to the beginning. But on my 15 Pro Max, I need to tap just to the side of the Dynamic Island to trigger the same shortcut. This is going to take some getting used to. Also, when I try to use the Dynamic Island for things like changing songs, I end up accidentally closing it.

Titanium vs. aluminum

The iPhone 11 has an aluminum frame and weighs 6.84 ounces (194 grams), while the 15 Pro Max has a snazzy new titanium frame and weighs 7.81 ounces (221 grams). The titanium sides look and feel nice, but because I always have a case on my phone, they’re not a game-changer.

You also may have seen some titanium durability tests going viral. They made me a bit anxious. It’s worth keeping in mind that the people making these videos are pushing the iPhone 15 Pro Max to its limit. None of my CNET colleagues who have a 15 Pro or Pro Max have had any issues with the phone’s durability. But remember I’m coming from an iPhone 11 which, when CNET put it through a series of brutal drop tests, came through without a crack.

We got USB-C!

The iPhone 15 lineup swapped the Lightning charging port for a USB-C port, which is a big deal because it’s been over a decade since Apple last changed the charging port. USB-C is an industry-standard that can charge multiple devices, not just the iPhone.

So far, I’m a big fan. It was kind of annoying to have to switch out the Lightning aux cord and charger in my car. But because I already have so many USB-C cords lying around the house from devices like my MacBook Pro and Nintendo Switch, the transition has been easier than the one from the 30-pin to Lightning in 2012. I love only needing to have one cord at my desk that can charge both my laptop and my phone.

Battery: Is it giving ‘Pro Max’?

Apple says the 14 and 15 Pro Max iPhones offer up to 29 hours of video playback. But to be honest, I was not getting «Pro Max» battery life when I first got my new phone. I’d unplug it at 100% around 10 a.m. and it would be at about 30% by around 3:30 p.m. I had to limit my usage to get through the day on a single charge, which isn’t something I’ve ever experienced with a new (even non-Pro) iPhone. This is despite the fact that both the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max beat both the 14 Pro and Pro Max, as well as most Android phones, in CNET’s battery tests.

I was concerned, so I took a trip to the Genius Bar. I originally transferred my data wirelessly by placing my iPhone 11 next to my new 15 Pro Max. But Apple recommended I restore the 15 Pro Max to factory settings and transfer the old data from my computer. I was told if that didn’t fix things – which it didn’t – a future update probably would. A little under two weeks later, iOS 17.0.3 came out and fixed the problem. The software update also fixed a problem in iOS 17 that caused iPhones to overheat. After this experience, I probably won’t buy a new iPhone during launch week again.

How’s my battery doing today? I can get through a full day on a single charge, but I do need to plug it back in at night. I was honestly expecting a bit more from a Pro Max battery. It would be nice not to have to plug in my iPhone at night. But then I took a look at how much I actually use my phone. It turns out my daily average is 10 and a half hours a day, which is absolutely horrendous. And to be fair, even when my iPhone 15 Pro Max battery was struggling, it was still much better than the one on my iPhone 11, which would be at 30% by around 1 p.m. each day.

Thank goodness for macro mode

I’ve been having so much fun playing with Macro mode. This is a feature exclusive to Pro iPhones and I really didn’t realize what I was missing out on. My iPhone 11 can’t take macro photos. I’ve had a lot of fun taking creative shots in nature. Below are side-by-side photos of the underside of a leaf with Macro mode on my iPhone 15 Pro Max and without it on my iPhone 11.

I use this feature to take pictures of my food because, as the saying goes, the phone eats first. Macro mode actually saved me from ingesting a bug in my pasta. While the iPhone 11 got pretty close to my lunch before losing focus, the 15 Pro Max got even closer and caught something crawling. So thanks Macro mode, because without you, I would’ve eaten that bug.

Next-level night mode on the 15 Pro Max

How about taking photos in lighting that’s less than ideal? Here are some shots of my friend and CNET colleague, Abrar Al-Heeti, taken at a restaurant in low-light.

Both of these photos were taken with Night mode, but being able to use it with 15 Pro Max’s Portrait mode takes low-light snaps to the next level.

I also find that 15 Pro Max Night mode photos are generally brighter and more detailed than those from the iPhone 11. For example, the knitting in Abrar’s sweater is clearer in the 15 Pro Max photo below.

More portrait flexibility

I love that all of the iPhone 15s let you take Portrait mode photos of a person, cat or dog and change which subject is in-focus after a photo’s been taken. But changing the focus isn’t always perfect.

Take the photo below of myself, Abrar and our friend and CNET colleague, Viva Tung. When I change the focus to Viva, it blurs the edges of her sunglasses a bit, but generally works pretty well. But when I try to change the focus to Abrar, Viva’s still in focus, too.

To be fair, Apple does say not to have the subject you’re trying to have in-focus too far away from the camera, so maybe that’s the issue here. Overall, even though this feature isn’t seamless, it’s still fun to play around with — and I do appreciate the extra portrait flexibility. On my iPhone 11, I can’t change the focus in any of the photos I took.

I’m also a big fan of Cinematic and Action modes for video. Cinematic mode blurs the background and makes video look so professional. And Action mode makes my shaky filming look nice and smooth. But to see what I’m talking about, you’ll have to watch the video above.

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

+31 more

See all photos

Is going Pro worth it?

I already told you that the camera alone made the iPhone 15 Pro Max worthwhile for me. Aside from the 5x optical zoom, my favorite camera features were things I could’ve gotten on the 15 Pro, like Macro mode, or on the regular 15, like Cinematic mode. So if a 5x optical zoom isn’t important to you, I’d recommend considering one of those other models, or even an older iPhone.

I was also surprised that features that sounded so cool on paper, like the Dynamic Island and the Action button, weren’t big draws for me once I actually tried them.

I’m interested to see how long the 15 Pro Max lasts because it was so expensive. I splurged because I was excited about that 5x optical zoom and hopeful this phone will last longer than any of my previous iPhones, including my beloved iPhone 11.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Oct. 22

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 22.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s one of those with absolutely no empty spaces, just a grid of letters, which means if you correctly answer all the Across answers, you’ve solved the Down answers, too. Need help? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Roomful of students
Answer: CLASS

6A clue: Something to bring in a brown paper bag
Answer: LUNCH

7A clue: __ Harbor, sightseeing area of Baltimore
Answer: INNER

8A clue: Where many Stephen King novels are set
Answer: MAINE

9A clue: Beagle or bulldog
Answer: BREED

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Go bouldering, e.g.
Answer: CLIMB

2D clue: ___ New Year
Answer: LUNAR

3D clue: Redhead of musical/movie fame
Answer: ANNIE

4D clue: Something an actor might steal
Answer: SCENE

5D clue: Tear to pieces
Answer: SHRED

Technologies

These Small Tweaks Can Give Your Old Android a Big Speed Boost

Instead of buying a new phone, try clearing some space, updating your software and changing a few battery settings.

If your Android is a few years old and starting to feel sluggish, it doesn’t mean you have to rush out and buy the newest flagship model. Thanks to longer software support from brands like Google and Samsung, older models can still run smoothly, as long as you give them a little attention.

Before you start shopping for a replacement, try a few simple adjustments. You might be surprised by how much faster your phone feels once you clear out unused apps, optimize battery use and turn off background drains.

Whether you use a Samsung Galaxy, Motorola or OnePlus phone, chances are you can still improve battery life and overall speed without buying something new. Just remember that Android settings vary slightly from brand to brand, so the menus may look a little different depending on your phone.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Settings to improve your battery life

Living with a phone that has poor battery life can be infuriating, but there are some steps you can take to maximize each charge right from the very beginning:

1. Turn off auto screen brightness or adaptive brightness and set the brightness level slider to under 50%

The brighter your screen, the more battery power it uses.

To get to the setting, pull down the shortcut menu from the top of the screen and adjust the slider, if it’s there. Some phones may have a toggle for auto brightness in the shortcut panel; otherwise, you need to open the settings app and search for «brightness» to find the setting and turn it off.

2. Use Adaptive Battery and Battery Optimization

These features focus on learning how you use your phone, including which apps you use and when, and then optimizing the apps and the amount of battery they use.

Some Android phones have a dedicated Battery section in the Settings app, while other phones (looking at you, Samsung) bury these settings. It’s a little different for each phone. I recommend opening your settings and searching for «battery» to find the right screen. Your phone may also have an adaptive charging setting that can monitor how quickly your phone battery charges overnight to preserve its health.

Why you should use dark mode more often

Another way to improve battery life while also helping save your eyes is to use Android’s dedicated dark mode. Any Android phone running Android 10 or newer will have a dedicated dark mode option.

According to Google, dark mode not only reduces the strain that smartphone displays cause on our eyes but also improves battery life because it takes less power to display dark backgrounds on OLED displays (used in most flagship phones) than a white background.

Depending on which version of Android your phone is running, and what company made your phone, you may have to dig around the settings app to find a dark mode. If your phone runs Android 10 or newer, you’ll be able to turn on system-wide dark mode. If it runs Android 9, don’t despair. Plenty of apps have their own dark mode option in the settings that you can use, whether or not you have Android 10.

To turn it on dark mode, open the Settings app and search for Dark Mode, Dark Theme or even Night Mode (as Samsung likes to call it). I suggest using dark mode all the time, but if you’re not sure, you can always set dark mode to automatically turn on based on a schedule, say from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day, or allow it to automatically switch based on your location at sunset and sunrise.

Keep your home screen free of clutter

Planning to hit up the Google Play Store for a bunch of new Android apps? Be prepared for a lot of icon clutter on your home screen, which is where shortcuts land every time you install something.

If you don’t want that, there’s a simple way out of this: Long-press on an empty area of your home screen and tap Settings. Find the option labeled something along the lines of Add icon to Home Screen or Add new apps to Home Screen and turn it off.

Presto! No more icons on the home screen when you install new apps. You can still add shortcuts by dragging an app’s icon out of the app drawer, but they won’t appear on your home screen unless you want them to.

Read more: Best Android Phones You Can Buy in 2024

Set up Do Not Disturb so that you can better focus

If your phone routinely spends the night on your nightstand, you probably don’t want it beeping or buzzing every time there’s a call, message or Facebook alert — especially when you’re trying to sleep. Android offers a Do Not Disturb mode that will keep the phone more or less silent during designated hours. On some phones, this is referred to as the Downtime setting or even Quiet Time.

Head to Settings > Sounds (or Notifications), then look for Do Not Disturb or a similar name. If you can’t find it, search for it using the built-in search feature in your settings.

Using the feature, you can set up a range of hours when you want to turn off the digital noise. Don’t worry, any notifications you get while Do Not Disturb is turned on will still be waiting for you when you wake up. Also, you can typically make an exception that allows repeat callers and favorite contacts’ calls to go through. Turn that on. If someone is calling you in an emergency, odds are they are going to keep trying.

Always be prepared in case you lose your phone or it’s stolen

Is there anything worse than a lost or stolen phone? Only the knowledge that you could have tracked it down if you had turned on Google’s Find My Device feature.

To prepare for a successful recovery, here’s what you need to do: Open the Settings app and then search for Find My Device. It’s usually in the Security section of the Settings app.

If you have a Samsung device, you can use Samsung’s Find My Mobile service, which is found in Settings > Biometrics and security > Find My Mobile.

Once that’s enabled, you can head to android.com/find from any PC or mobile device and sign in to your account. Samsung users can visit findmymobile.samsung.com to find a lost phone.

If you have trouble setting any of this up, be sure to read our complete guide to finding a lost Android phone.

Assuming your phone is on and online, you should be able to see its location on a map. From there, you can make it ring, lock it, set a lock screen note to tell whoever has it how to get it back to you, or, worst-case scenario, remotely wipe the whole thing.

And always keep your phone up to date

As obvious as it may seem, a simple software update could fix bugs and other issues slowing down your Android device.

Before you download and install the latest software update, make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi, or else this won’t work.

Now, open the Settings application and type in Update. You’ll then either see Software update or System update — choose either one. Then just download the software, wait for a few minutes and install it when it’s ready. Your Android device will reboot and install the latest software update available.

There’s a lot more to learn about a new phone. Here are the best ways to boost your cell signal, and here’s a flagship phone head-to-head comparison. Plus, check out CNET’s list of the best cases for your Samsung phone. More of an Apple fan? We have tips for boosting your iPhone’s performance, too.

Technologies

I’m Finally Using the iPhone 17 Pro’s Camera Control, Thanks to These iOS 26 Settings

In just a month, I’ve already used Camera Control on my iPhone 17 Pro Max more than I did in a whole year with the iPhone 16 Pro.

I was keen on using the Camera Control button when it first debuted on the iPhone 16 Pro. But in over a year of use, it caused more accidental swipes and presses than its intended use cases to take photos and adjust camera settings. I was frustrated with the experience and hoped that Apple would remove it from the iPhone 17 lineup. Instead, the Cupertino, California-based company made its touch-sensitive capacitive control surface more customizable with iOS 26. And I’m happy to report that it helped!

I’ve been using the iPhone 17 Pro since launch and spent 5 to 10 minutes customizing the Camera Control to my liking. The result? Minimized accidental swipes and more conscious usability.

I transformed my Camera Control experience by changing a few iOS 26 settings

When setting up a new iOS 26-supported iPhone, Apple includes a toggle (now turned off by default) called Light press to adjust Zoom, Exposure and more. This is what used to cause a lot of fake input earlier. I’m glad it is turned off by default.

Apple now also lets you customize the Camera Control further from the Settings menu. I tweaked settings there to personalize my shortcuts, functionalities and more.

For example, I’ve set the Camera Control to launch a Code Scanner on Double Click without requiring the screen to be on. This allows me to scan and pay at payment kiosks (my most frequently used mode of payment) without needing to open the payment app and then tap on a menu to scan a code. If I enter the Code Scanner without Face ID, it requires authentication before making the payment, so it is still as secure as ever.

Earlier, I had set an Action Button shortcut to open Google Pay, but I realized I still need a one-press solution to turn the phone to silent mode. Adding a Code Scanner shortcut to Camera Control frees the Action Button to be my Silent Switch again. Moreover, Code Scanner lets you select from multiple apps to pay a vendor, which could be useful for people who use multiple payment apps.

Secondly, I have turned off the Swipe gesture and selected only three controls that I use most often. Now, when I open the Camera app, I can lightly press on the Camera Control button and then swipe between my selected controls. It doesn’t register swipes from the get-go. This has reduced fake touches and my frustrating experience with the swipe gesture.

To further streamline my controls, I chose Exposure, Styles and Tone, and left out Depth, Zoom and Cameras. This way, I have access to hidden viewfinder settings with a single press-and-swipe gesture at my fingertips.

I also turned off the Clean Preview toggle, so I can still switch between cameras with a single tap, and switched on the Lock Focus and Exposure toggle for a light press-and-hold gesture.

Customizing these settings helped me personalize Camera Control and use it more often. Now, it appeals to me with the settings I need and the way I need them, instead of being an overcrowded mess. And you can personalize your Camera Control, too. Here’s how:

Change Camera Control launch functionality

You can use Camera Control as another Action Button to launch an app of your choice. The only requirement is that the app should have access to the camera.

Go to Settings > Camera > Camera Control.
Under Launch Camera, select the app you need.
Go back and select Single Click or Double Click to open the said app.

I rely on Double Click so I don’t accidentally trigger an app when taking out the iPhone from my pocket. In my opinion, it is the safer and more convenient choice.

Under the same Launch Camera menu, you can also choose if you want the screen to be on or off when opening the app. I have turned it off to save the extra step of scanning my face to access the said app.

Choose the Controls that you want to appear on Camera Control

Apple allows you to choose from six controls, namely, Exposure, Depth, Zoom, Cameras, Styles and Tone. I have chosen three because the other three are available as on-screen toggles in the viewfinder.

Go to Settings > Camera > Camera Control.
Under Controls, make sure Camera Adjustments is turned on.
Tap on Customize.
Under Gesture, turn on Light Press and toggle off Swipe.
Under Controls, choose the functionalities you need.
Now, turn off the Clean Preview toggle if you require the viewfinder toggles to remain accessible.

You can further adjust the Camera Control pressure by going into Settings> Camera > Camera Control > Accessibility.

Turn on Lock Exposure and Focus with Camera Control

This setting will help you lock the exposure and focus without needing to press and hold on the viewfinder. It can be beneficial when you need consistent settings, especially when moving the camera from one subject to another.

Go to Settings > Camera > Camera Control.
Swipe down to Lock Exposure and Focus.
Tap on the toggle to turn it on.

For me, Camera Control was a hot mess when it debuted last year because I was either using on-screen controls or the new button. That’s why room for more personalization and customizability has been a game-changer. I realized I could access on-screen toggles while adding hidden settings to one-tap access. On my iPhone 17 Pro, I now use the Camera Control to open my payments app, adjust Exposure and Styles as well as trigger Visual Intelligence when needed.