This is the unboxing of the iPhone 15 Pro Max Titanium.  I love doing unboxings as they not only allow me to get into new toys, but they allow me to share first time, first hand experience with everyone.  You get to see my first impressions as they happen, and to be honest, I think that’s kinda cool.

The unboxing went well here, but the setup afterwards… yeah, not so much.  While the update to iOS 17.0.3 went off without a hitch, I tried to restore my device from the backup I mentioned that I had made for my 14 Pro Max a little earlier in the day.  I did NOT set the two of them next to each other and try to shoot the contents from one phone to the other.  No particular reason why, I just restored everything from a backup.  I thought it would be a smoother trip…

Oy.

There were some very serious WiFi issue after the upgrade to 17.0.3.  The phone would NOT connect to my home network. If it did manage to latch on, it would not connect to the internet, and therefore, I had a very difficult time completing the device’s setup.  The pop-overs with a Settings dialog did not open the Settings app.  Instead, I got the same sequence of device setup screens for WiFi that looped me back through the process over and over again.

After a bit though, I was able to break out, continue without setting up WiFi, and get to a device home screen.  After a bit of research and watching the device’s VPN profile rapidly flicker, trying to turn itself on, I decided to delete the VPN profile.

After this, everything flowed like water.

I also got reports as I was posting this, that even after upgrading to iOS 17.0.3, some users are still reporting overheating issues.  However, please note the following:

1. Wireless Charging is going to make your device warm, because… physics.  The process generates heat. You aren’t going to get away from it, unless you stick it in front of an air conditioning vent in the car or home.
2. Using a cable and charging cable is likely going to be preferred by many until this overheating thing is resolved, but you should know that using a power supply over 20w is going to make the device warmer yet, again, because… physics. But you should also expect that. Just be aware of it, and watch for heat warnings on the device.

My network/ WiFi issue is also making rounds, but I’m not certain if a gimpy VPN setup in the new OS is the cause.  I haven’t seen any information on the root cause yet, but if you have, feel free to put something in the comments below.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a decent device.  Is it one that you’re going to make a part of your daily communications kit?  I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.