Apple iPhone 15 and 15 Plus review: Almost Pro

Buying a new iPhone, but not sure which one you should get? This year, Apple decided to make that choice harder than ever.

Yes, the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are better than ever, and if money is no object, go for those phones. But if you’re just a little cost-conscious, you simply have to consider Apple’s “regular” new phones, the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus.

In a way, the cheaper iPhones are the opposite of the Pro models. The new iPhone 15 Pro hasn’t seen any major improvements, but it’s been tweaked in so many little ways that it feels like Apple’s most-refined phone ever. On the other hand, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have gotten two major new features: The Dynamic Island and the 48-megapixel camera, and this brings them a lot closer to the Pro phones than last year’s models.

Colors on the back, Dynamic Island in the front

Yes, the colors are very subdued. Yes, it is the Apple way. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

On the rear, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus still have the dual cameras in the top left, though the back of the phone is now color-infused glass with a choice of very soft colors including blue, pink (yay!), yellow, green, and black. The chassis is still made of aluminum, but it’s now a little rounder on the edges, making the phone nicer to hold. On the front, however, there’s a big difference: The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus now have the Dynamic Island, inherited from the Pro models which received it last year.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max review: Close to perfection

The Dynamic Island itself hasn’t received any massive upgrades, but it’s still gives the phone a unique look (compared to non-iPhone smartphones), and is a useful, situational reminder that something is happening in the background - be it a timer, some music playing, or the Uber app letting you know when the driver’s arriving.

Yes, the iPhone 15 looks just like the Pro now. If you don't look at the aluminum chassis, that is. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The customizable Action Button from the Pro models is sadly absent; iPhone 15 users will have to make do with the old mute switch.

Put all of these changes together, though, and you get phones that inherit nearly all of the key features of the Pro models, and even surpass them in some ways. Despite having the same, 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch display sizes, they’re very light (6.02 ounces for the 15 and 7.09 ounces for the 15 Plus). They’re also nice to hold, and are way more colorful. And while the aluminum frame isn't as fancy as the titanium on the Pro models, I doubt there are other significant drawbacks.

What's up with the 60Hz display?

Inside, you get the A16 Bionic chip which the Pro models had last year. Suffice to say, it’s still one of the fastest mobile chips you can get, and it will serve you well for two, three or more years. Apple doesn’t say how much RAM its phones have, and it’s probable that the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus don’t have as much as the Pro models, but it’s not something you’ll often feel in everyday use. Finally, the storage starts at 128GB and ends at 512GB for both models, which will do just fine for most people.

The cameras are significantly better than on last year's iPhones. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Unfortunately, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus feel slower than the Pro models due to lack of one key feature: Their displays only have a 60Hz maximum refresh rate, while the Pro models have ProMotion displays with a refresh rate up to 120Hz. Comparing these phones side by side reveals just how important this is; everything just feels so much smoother on the Pro displays. If you’ve never used a 120Hz display, you won’t mind the lower refresh rate on the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus; to me, switching from the 14 Pro Max which also has a 120Hz display, the difference was palpable.

Another thing that's missing from the iPhone 15 is the always on display. Personally, I don't care about the feature (I have it turned off on my daily driver as it's too distracting), but it is something to consider. Curiously, StandBy - Apple's new feature that turns the phone into a fancy alarm clock when flipped on the side and plugged in - does work, though without always on, it's fairly pointless, as it will only work when you touch the phone's display.

On the flip side, brightness now goes up to 2,000 nits. This does make a difference, especially in bright sunlight, as the phone's display is much easier to read.

Battery life hasn’t changed. Apple’s official figures are up to 20 and 26 hours of video playback, respectively. In real-life use, that’ll be roughly a day for the iPhone 15 and a day and a half for the iPhone 15 Plus.

USB-C is here, though it doesn't support USB 3 and super-fast data transfer. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Also very important: The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus now have a USB-C charging port. It doesn’t support super-fast, USB 3.0 data transfer speeds like the one on the Pro models, but is otherwise an improvement over the old Lightning port, simply because most other devices and accessories, including Apple’s own MacBooks, iPads, and new AirPods Pro, have the USB-C, too.

If you prefer to charge wirelessly, you can do it via MagSafe-compatible chargers, just like you can on the Pro models.

A big camera upgrade

I love what Apple has done with the cameras on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Yes, these phones still don’t get the dedicated telephoto camera, but they now have a 48-megapixel main camera.

This comes with several big advantages. Firstly, there’s now a 2x zoom mode, enabled by the quad-pixel sensor on the main camera. Apple has done a great job here, and it's almost like having a dedicated telephoto camera; the photos that I took at 2x magnification were significantly better than the crop-outs of 1x photos of the same scene.

Left: Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable Right: The photo on the right is taken at 1x zoom; the one on the left is taken with the 2x zoom setting. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Furthermore, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus now take 24-megapixel photos by default. Again, this will result in more detailed daylight photos; and yes, this does mean these photos will often be better than the ones taken with last year's iPhone 14 Pro. It doesn't work in Night Mode, though.

There was just enough light for the iPhone 15 to capture this scene in 24 megapixels. The reasult is a wonderfully detailed photo. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

In low light conditions, the iPhone 15's main camera takes sharp, bright, vivid photos. I've tested it against the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which typically took an even sharper photo, but at the expense of colors sometimes being unnaturally saturated.

Furthermore, with the iPhone 15, you can simply take 48-megapixel photos. Sure, they will only turn out good in excellent light, but the option is there, and it will sometimes net you a wonderfully detailed photo, which you wouldn’t be able to get with a 12-megapixel camera.

In good light conditons, you can take 48-megapixel photos, but beware; they will fill up your phone's storage fast. This particular photo was 11.2MB big. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The ultra-wide camera is something I like to avoid (and it goes for the Pro models as well). It's only good for those group photos where you simply can't stuff everyone into the frame. The photos taken in ultra-wide mode will be a lot blurrier and washed out than the photos taken with the main camera.

Left: Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable Right: Skip the ultra-wide camera if you can. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Another new feature is the ability to turn every photo into a portrait photo, and change the focus point after you've taken the photo. It works well, detecting cats, dogs, and people to do it automatically, though you can also save depth information required to do this just by tapping anywhere within the viewfinder before taking a photo.

My iPhone 15 detected a dog in this photo, and saved the depth information so I could turn it into a portrait photo later. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Despite the similar specs, it's important to note that the cameras on the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are not the same as the ones on the Pro models. In general, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max take photos that are a bit more detailed and sharper, but also slightly more saturated. And, of course, when it comes to 5x zoom or macro photos, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus cannot compare.

Selfies on the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are sharp and detailed. The ones I got with the Pro models were just a hair more lively, with slightly more accurate colors, but the differences are minute.

It leans a little yellow, but otherwise this is a very good, sharp, detailed selfie. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Put all of this together, and you get an incredibly capable dual camera system that approaches the Pro phones in many ways. For the vast majority of users, just being able to point, shoot, and get a good photo nine out of ten times — which is what Apple’s iPhones are so good at — will be more than enough.

Conclusion

The new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, which start at $799 and $899, respectively, are great phones for the price. If you need a new iPhone and don't want to overpay, either one is a no-nonsense buy.

Need some color in your iPhone life? The new iPhone 15 comes in black, blue, green, yellow, and pink. in Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

In comparison with the Pro models, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus lack the new A17 Pro chip, have slightly less capable cameras, and miss out on the 120Hz refresh rate, Action Button, always on display, as well as some pro-oriented features like ProRAW support. They're also not as capable for gaming, so if that's your thing, you'll probably want a Pro.

But the cheaper iPhone 15 and 15 Plus actually win over the Pro models in several ways: They're lighter and come with a wider choice of colors. With the Dynamic Island on the front, you also get one of the coolest new iPhone-specific features Apple has launched in years. And they don't lag behind the Pro models when it comes to battery life. With all that in mind, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are probably the prudent choice for most buyers.