It’s the day of Apple’s Wonderlust event and the latest iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to dominate the headlines with reveals of pricing, specifications, and release dates. However, this year could be the last time Apple’s top-tier device, the iPhone Pro Max, is part of that deluge of news — at least in name.
Will Apple retire the Pro Max name?
Apple has a bit of a messy naming structure at the minute with its indecision to pick and stick with either the Pro Max or Ultra nomenclature on its high-end devices and components.
Want the top-tier Apple Watch device? Then you want the Apple Watch Ultra. Want the primo iPhone experience? Then you want the iPhone 15 Pro Max. And, if that wasn’t confusing enough, along comes Apple Silicon with both Max AND Ultra variants of its M1 and M2 processors.
It’s time to clean house on these messy tech tiers, and the iPhone Pro Max name could be first on the chopping block when the iPhone 16 releases in 2024. Bloomberg’s scribe of all things Apple, Mark Gurman, has previously reported that Apple has considered bringing the Ultra branding to its flagship smartphone — especially as the feature set between the Pro and Pro Max models begins to expand.
However, Gurman has seemingly confirmed that Apple intends to stick with the Pro Max title for this year after a recent spate of rumors pointing to a last-minute adoption of the Ultra moniker. As such, it’s business as usual from the Cupertino crew today, though next year's lineup could look a little different with a potential 16th-gen showcase featuring the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and newly branded iPhone 16 Ultra.
Outlook
This year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max could be the last of its namesake, but it’s retiring with a bang and not a whimper.
Not only will the device make the switch to a titanium frame, it will likely be outfitted by Apple’s 3nm A17 Bionic processor, feature an upgraded telephoto (Periscope) lens and LiDAR sensor, a new U2 ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, USB-C connectivity is 35W of charging and Thunderbolt data transfer speeds, an all-new Action Button in lieu of the tradition mute switch, and LIPO manufactured ultra-slim bezels.
Talk about leaving on a high note! Take a bow Pro Max, your watch is over.
For breaking news and updates on all things Apple and iPhone as it arrives, follow along with our Apple September event live blog or catch Laptop Mag on Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest word as it arrives.
