Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The iPhone 15 is n’t an exciting product , thanks to its honest-to-goodness - fashioned design and similarity to last generation ’s iPhone 14 . But it is a very solid smartphone with a warm feature film gear up at ( by Apple ’s standard ) an low-priced damage .
Mary Leontyne Price When reexamine
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Best Prices Today: Apple iPhone 15
[ September 2024 : The iPhone 15 has had a price drop curtain follow the foundation of the iPhone 16 . The unexampled sound support Apple Intelligence and is estimable in many ways , as you could see from ouriPhone 16 review , but if you receive an iPhone 15 on sale at a adept discount we do still urge it . ]
Every fall Apple discharge four iPhones , but this excess of choice seems less intimidating once you recognize that there are really justtwophones wearing different clothing . The iPhone 15 Pro Max is essentially a gravid version of the iPhone 15 Pro – same central processing unit , same photographic camera setup , same feature – while the iPhone 15 talk about in this article is a shrunk - down version of the 15 Plus which we previously review last year .
In this clause , I ’ll be focusing on the areas where the iPhone 15 differs from the 15 asset : namely portability , the screen , and battery performance . I ’ll summarize up our determination in the other department as well , but for a replete summing up read myin - depth reviewof the larger simulation .
Design & build
If you need the latest spirit to emerge from Cupertino ’s design studio , guide on over to the Pro range , with its light titanium frame and Action Button . The iPhone 15 is more of a classic design , pretty much pose to the iPhone 14 ’s esthetic playbook but switching from Lightning to a USB - C interface on the bottom edge .
It has flat edge and square up - off corners in the style Apple bring back in 2020 with the iPhone 12 ( and which was itself a nod to the iPhone 5 from 2012 ) . The twin photographic camera lens system on the rear project outwards a couple of millimeters from the module , which itself is elicit from the rearward surface of the earpiece ; so if you sample to place the telephone set silver screen - up on a table , it wo n’t sit down flat . If that weigh to you , I ’d powerfully recommend theuse of a case .
David Price / Foundry
Having used the iPhone 15 Plus as my primary phone for four months or so before beginning this reappraisal , I was strike by how much more well the standard 15 sit in the hand . I have belike intermediate to large hands for an adult male – I can happily play a ninth on the piano – but the Plus can be awkward to use with one hired hand , with the pinky digit instinctively roam to a supportive position underneath . That does n’t generally chance with the 15 , which is well supported by the meat of your ribbon on one side and a few fingers on the other .
It weigh roughly 15 per centum less than the 15 Plus and equip more well in a pocket . ( The 15 Plus does slide into a jeans pouch fairly easily , but you have to be more aware of putting it in and film it out at the correct angle . ) It ’s just generally , and obviously , a more portable equipment than its large sibling , but there are downsides to this such as a lower - capacity battery and a smaller and less immersive cover .
Screen quality
That concealment measures 6.1 column inch from recession to corner , which is a nice size by most measuring stick ( and for sure in comparison to the sub-5 - inch screens Apple plough out for years ) but feels small next to the 6.7 - column inch iPhone 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max . Not to mention thebig - screen Android handsetspushing or occasionally even pass the 7 - inch patsy .
The size of screen you desire is a personal choice and nothing I say is potential to labor you bigger or minuscule than you ’re well-to-do with . But I would recommend experiment occasionally with borrow handset or in - computer memory samples ; I ’m a long - time fan of Apple ’s standard - sizing Pro phone , but since last fall have been growing to bed the 15 Plus and its 6.7 - inch screen . Those used to big screens , in turn , might find if they approach thing with an open mind that they ascertain the stock 15 ’s superior pocketability more than makes up for its slight reduction in tangible estate .
Size aside , the cover ’s a good one , with splendid luminousness ( boosted from last yr for better performance outdoors ) , sharpness , and color replication . It does n’t get the ProMotion adaptative refresh rate and always - on features that remain Pro exclusives , but it does the childlike stuff – making image , videos , and app interfaces take care great – very well indeed .
Cameras
As with many of the elements discuss in this review , the 15 ’s tv camera frame-up is the same as that of the 15 Plus . It has twin ( 48MP f/1.6 chief and 12MP f/2.4 Ultra wide-eyed ) rear - facing camera lenses , and a single ( 12MP f/1.9 ) front - look photographic camera for selfies .
Still no treble cameras for the non - Pro manakin , then , but this is a large step forward from 2022 ’s iPhone 14 , whose main camera lens was specced at just 12MP . It ’s such a massive increase , indeed , that it effectively acts as a substitute for the telephoto lens that non - Pro iPhones miss out on , because the iPhone 15 can pasture into an image without dropping below the level of detail we ’re used to . This is why the 15 gets a 2x optical zoom , and it ’s a very welcome addition : you may find , as I do , that 2x simply makes sense as your default selection . The 15 Pro buy the farm up to 3x optical zoom , and 15 Pro Max all the style up to 5x , but these are features you ’re likely to use less often than reliable old 2x .
Other than this handy upgrade , the 15 ’s photographic chop are on the dot what we ’ve number to expect from Apple in recent years : incisive , sharp , colorful photos with masses of contingent , along with a startling ability ( thanks to Smart HDR 5 ) to cope with difficult lighting conditions . It ’s also exceptional at grab high - quality video , while you’re able to take impressive Portrait - style selfies with the front tv camera even though it does n’t have a second genus Lens .
Battery life & charging
TheiPhone 15 featuresa 3,349mAh battery , compared to 4,383mAh on the larger Plus manikin , and seniority away from a charge is consequently lower : Apple rates the iPhone 15 for up to 20 hours of video playback , whereas the 15 Plus gets an gauge 26 hour and the 15 Pro 23 minute .
In practice , of trend , the primary measure for success is being able-bodied to get from one charging academic session to the next without running out of juice . Since most of us send overnight , or at least on some sort of daily schedule ( charging for a couple of hours each cockcrow may be better for foresightful - term bombardment health , although the80 % Battery Charge featureis a great preservative ) , the main thing is that the earpiece can get through a full day ’s oscillation without dying . And the iPhone 15 can , with ease . Indeed , unclouded users may find that even after forgetting to charge overnight , they will make it through a comme il faut chunk of a second day too .
But this is all subjective since a phone ’s battery public presentation in ‘ normal ’ purpose is enormously dependant on what you do with it . For a more scientific approach , we use the battery exam in the Geekbench 4 benchmarking entourage , where the iPhone 15 scored 6390 or a time of 10 hour and 39 minutes .
Before you panic , this is n’t a mensuration of the life you should wait in real use . Geekbench is running a designedly straining barrage test so we can liken different devices under laboratory consideration : it ’s for compare , not predictions . Here ’s how some other iPhones got on in the same test :
All of these devices would be expect to last importantly longer than this in oecumenical function , unless you ’re the sort of person who spend all day running phone benchmark .
On the charging front , the iPhone 15 features a USB - century port like all of its late 2023 siblings , which means older Lightning - base cables and docking facility wo n’t be of much use any longer . ( mention also that while you get a USB - blow - to - USB - cytosine cable in the box , you do n’t get a power adapter to go on the end of it . ) The 15 is capable of fast charging provided you pair it with a 20W or higher adaptor . Under such consideration , Apple says it can charge from 0 to 50 % percentage in 30 minutes . In examination , our run unit actually pull off 54 percent .
Performance
The iPhone 15 is equipped with the same A16 Bionic processor and 6 GB of RAM ) as the 15 Plus . This is a chip that first graced an iPhone back in downslope 2022 , and is a coevals behind the A17 Pro in the belated Pro models .
That does n’t mean it ’s dense : far from it , in fact . In the multi - core constituent of the Geekbench 6 speed test , it make a creditable 6,551 point , far surpass leading Android machine such as the Google Pixel 8 ( 2,842 ) , Samsung Galaxy S23 ( 4,994 ) , and the OnePlus 11 ( 5,209 ) . Indeed , it was n’t all that far behind the A17 - equipped iPhone 15 Pro , which scored 7,431 . Here ’s how it compare to other late iPhones :
Graphically , the 15 should be able-bodied to well handle anything that any of the plot on the App Store can throw at it . In the 3DMark examination rooms it consistently ( with one exception ) returned wads slightly lower than those of the 15 Plus , but both have 5 - core GPUs so that ’s credibly just experimental version . This is a powerful gaming telephone set that wo n’t permit you down now or in the next few old age … but that older chip intend it will bulge out to feel slow around a year earlier than the iPhone 15 professional .
Price & availability
The iPhone 15 was establish in September 2023 , and originate at $ 799 / £ 799 .
you could buydirect from Apple , or range our roundup of thebest iPhone 15 - serial deals .
Verdict: Should you buy the iPhone 15?
The iPhone 15 is n’t an exciting intersection , thanks to its old - fashioned design and similarity to the previous coevals . Nor would we , on balance , recommend make the upgrade if you presently own even an iPhone 13 from 2021 . For $ 799 ( $ 829 unlocked ) , there merely are n’t enough improvements to justify the cost .
For everyone else , however , the iPhone 15 is a very firm smartphone with a strong lineament set at ( by Apple ’s standards ) an affordable price . The screen is acute , the camera setup is brilliant , battery life is decent , and the processor is fast . Chuck in 5 gigabyte financial support and the cunning Dynamic Island , and you ’ve got another case of Apple ’s straightforward excellence .
Tech specs
iPhone history
The iPhone 16 orbit and the iPhone SE 3 are the current - generation models available from Apple . In addition to a newiPhone SE 4 modelwe’re also expectingiPhone 17to launch in 2025 . Below you could find links below to our inspection of all iPhone models , including the recent generation . get a line more about all thenew Apple merchandise come this yearandwhen is the next Apple effect . You might also want to check out our advice onwhen is the best time to purchase a new iPhone , ouriPhone buying guide , and ourcomparison of every iPhone that is available to buy today .
