They don’t tout it and in fact actively discourage it, but they also offer 2 and 1 year plans as well, as long as you are an existing customer.
You just have to be insistent and start with something like " I know of someone that got a two year plan…"
BTW @dstrauss We have a customer that got to do some fairly extensive camera shots with the new Pro Max which is the only model that has the most advanced lens set (grrrrr, the max is too big IMHO) and the results are quite impressive.
I wasn’t planning to switch from my 14 pro, but am reconsidering given how much I use my camera and the results from his shots.
Apple always seems to have something just compelling enough to make me upgrade each year.
PS: IOS 17 allows e-sim on “dual on” cellular operation so you could conceivably benefit from the great metro T-mobile 5g to be found in some TX cities such as Houston
Thanks! I messed up then - order already submitted and if I cancel now I may not get it in time for Thanksgiving dinner pictures…
I have to agree it’s too big, but what’s a guy going to do…it has become my only camera anymore…
And thanks for the tip on T-Mobile 5g - got a taste of that while trialing Mint Mobile and their 5g is pretty good…
We had T-Mobile for 14 years or so. It’s gotten significantly better for coverage overall. I’m in Houston now, so can’t say for more rural parts of TX as a whole, but traveling between DFW, Austin, and Houston I’ve never had an issue with coverage in the in-between spots. We moved to Google Fi a couple months ago though. Haven’t travelled much since, so we’ll see if they maintain coverage.
But also, no, I have no plans to buy an iPhone. I just got a Pixel 7a because I really don’t use my camera much on my phone. Decided I’d go with a smaller phone and maybe look into a smallish companion tablet.
Question for you @dstrauss
Is the 5x telephoto THE reason you are upgrading? The existing pros have a 3x already and so it seems to me the difference would be limited in practical use to a relatively small number of shots.
For me the improved dynamic range might be a more compelling reason but I also think at least some of the improvement is also due to IOS 17 and thus should make its way to my 14 pro too. Now if it was a 10X true zoom…
Maybe, but 5x/3x is still a factor 1.67 more zoom. Pretty substantial!
Now the question is whether the image quality is a lot better than if you just crop the 3x image. Presumably yes, but it would be good to see such comparisons.
That’s a big one in my book, but also the 48mpx main shooter compared to my 13 Pro. Do I wish it were a real 10x camera, very much so, but I’m sure they are saving that for the 16 Pro Max, or maybe even 17 Pro max. i think my three year sentence may be up in time for the iPhone 18 Pro Ultra-Fold…
In mathematical terms that’s true, but…
First off that 5x number is based of the base lens which is a wide angle to begin with.
Then you have to factor in perception as well. Most people when they hear 5x they expect that it will bring the subject 5 times closer/ make it 5 times larger.
I’ve heard from our cell phone sources that a top reason for the return of the s22 and s23 ultra is that the customers didn’t feel like they actually got a 10x zoom.
BTW: all this “stuff” stems from a decision in the early days of 35mm film where 50 mm was effectively 1x visually for most people and thus a 200mm telephoto was 4x closer/larger.
And as a side note even that was not strictly accurate. It’s closer to 58mm for most adult people but it was a compromise that also incorporates humans slightly wider stereo (2 eyes) view versus a single optic.
So I think @dstrauss has mentioned that he came from one of the “superzoom” point and shoots which typically had a 16 to 20x “zoom” but even there they do the same thing and that “16x zoom” also starts with an equivalent 24mm wide angle base point.
And finally as one more data point, perceptually when people are shown the same scene shot with a 25 mm lens and a 50mm the 50 mm doesn’t seem twice as close when that’s the criteria of judgement. Conversely (and oddly IMHO) when how wide is the view is the criteria a 25 mm does appear to have twice as wide a view as a 50mm that’s the judgement basis…
PS:Yes I have probably spent way too much time on this topic, but it’s a job hazard that comes with me being a “display expert”
for me, it’s mostly about garden shots of irises in bloom - my wife needs them for her American Iris Society functions, and if I can get that “close-up” without having to reach through a crowd of other enthusiasts, the more the better. I can’t deny I was hoping for 10x, but from my limited experience with a Sammy OIS is even more important with that “optical” gear…
Quoting a single magnification number is not that helpful for exactly that reason. But if I take a picture at 3x (compared to whatever 1x historically means) and then I take a picture on the same camera at 5x zoom, the object in the picture will be a 1.67 times wider and taller, right? That’s all I’m saying. And I’m saying that that is pretty substantial.
And my point is also valid that most people won’t perceive it that way and as Steve infamously said, “perception is reality” 
Didn’t he actually say “perception is the reality distortion field…” 
I’ve been harsh about the lame decision to only go 5x instead of 10x like S23 Ultra, but I ignored aperture - from T3
" But more impressive than that is the aperture value it comes equipped with. It’s an f/2.8 lens, meaning a physically large opening that’s ideal for naturally pronouncing background blur, but also allowing more light in to permit faster shutter speeds that are ideal for capturing sharp images – especially in low-light conditions.
Consider this: the Google Pixel 7 Pro has a 5x zoom but f/3.5 aperture (so two-thirds of a stop slower), while the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and its 10x zoom has an f/4.9 aperture (so one-and-two-thirds of a stop slower)."
Wow, we’re not the only nerds on the internet, who knew!
iPhone 15 Pro 10% lighter but 15% lower rotational inertia because of edge mass.
Sorry @JoeS - but this is all marketing BS - I don’t care what anyone says, I’ll never believe 10% can be perceived except by the most faithful of the faithful fanboys.
I really love the camera on the iP15 Pro Max; even digital zoom is decent. Can’t say whether it is “lighter” than the previous Max varieties, but it is well balanced and easy enough to pocket for a big phone.
Samples:
1x, 2x, 5x, 10x, 25x
Those look great. I don’t even care that they’re using machine learning to make pictures more pleasing to look at, they do a good job! Looks very natural. And very impressive zoom, nice demonstration. Congrats on your new phone!
Thanks @JoeS; obviously liking it a lot so far, bu it’s not all unicorns, puppies, and rainbows - this video (start at 7:00) shows serious back glass damage from not a lot of pressure:
Yeah…no. It certainly does fracture IF… you do what he does in the test. But I’d argue real world that’s just highly unlikely to happen.
He does occasionally get it right as he was one on the first to show that the iPhone 6 Plus bent more easily than it should (which had real world consequences )
But I also think these days he chases clicks as much as reveals anything useful.
I mean I could do the same for displays, eg. I could make even the very best ones look quite bad… 
