Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
If you require the best , you demand to go shopping in the Pro aisle . But the iPhone 15 Plus remains an excellent phone that makes some slight concession in rescript to swot in a large , brilliant - quality screenland at a reasonable ( albeit not on the button bargain ) toll .
cost When Reviewed
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This is a pretty big phone, but those with average or larger hands should find it comfortable to use.
Best Pricing Today
Best Prices Today: Apple iPhone 15 Plus
[ September 2024 : The iPhone 15 Plus has had a price drop succeed the innovation of the iPhone 16 Plus . The fresh phone supports Apple Intelligence and is sound in many way , as you’re able to see from ouriPhone 16 Plus critique , but if you find an iPhone 15 Plus on sale at a good discount we do still commend it . ]
Of the quaternary of new iPhones released this decline , the iPhone 15 is the cheapest , the iPhone15 Pro Maxis the sexiest , and the iPhone15 Pro – powerful and portable – is the cognoscente ’s choice . But the iPhone 15 Plus might just be the most gripping .
After all , this is a shape ingredient that did n’t exist at Cupertino until last yr . Apple ’s philosophy until then was that small things should be meretricious and prominent ones expensive … which admittedly has some logic to it . But telephone buyers do n’t wish being put in neat boxes , and some of them would quite like to get a large silver screen without have to give for the very former feature article and processing ability . That ’s where the Plus lineage come in .
This is a pretty big phone, but those with average or larger hands should find it comfortable to use.
We ’re looking at a compromise earphone , then . One that sacrifices in a clump of area to supercharge one specific feature : that wham 6.7 - inch projection screen . Not that the other specification are dismal by any mean . They ’re just not Pro - standard . Are the ( modest ) sacrifice worth it ? I think so . But let ’s take a look in more detail .
Design and build
In terminal figure of figure , the 15 Plus mostly sticks to the positive formula found by Apple in 2022 ( a formula which itself was largely based on the iPhone 12 from 2020 ) . The edges are squared off ; the corners of the screen are rounded ; there are two camera lenses on the rear in a diagonal conformation . It ’s essentially a standard - looking non - Pro iPhone with only tweak from old designs .
That is n’t needs a unsound matter , of course of study . Apple is quite conservative in its earpiece design , but the troupe ’s esthetic remains both likable and instantly recognisable . The clean-living lines , the lack of external detail , the pleasing contrast between flat lusterlessness and brushed - metal surface … it all tally up to a mod classic that has ( by technical school standard ) bear the trial run of metre .
In terminus of size of it , this is as crowing as iPhones presently get , with a generous 6.7 - inch silver screen housed in a 201 - gram body that ’s more than 16 cm from nose to tail . That ’s just over 7 ounces , if you prefer onetime money , and 6.33 inches . As someone who ordinarily grabs the non - Max Pro version of each iPhone propagation , I was concerned that this might be too big for me , but I ’ve got used to it in no clock time . It fits in my jean air hole , and I can use it reasonably comfortably with one paw , thanks in part to features likeReachability . Your mileage may vary , however . I have what I consider to be median - sized hands for a man ( my limit on the pianissimo is a ninth , if that assist at all ) so those who are more petite should jaw an Apple Store and check their compatibility with this form ingredient .
With USB-C at last, the iPhone 15 Plus now matches Apple’s iPad range.
David Price / Foundry
But back to those pinch . The back meth , Apple huntsman’s horns , has been “ infused ” with color . While I ’m not quite trusted what that means , I can account that the pinkish mannequin , which I reviewed , has a soft picket rose color on the rear with a matte milky finish , counterpoint nicely with the slenderly darker translucent pinkish trapping for the camera module . I wish the way it sense in the hand , too : cool and smooth without being tricky . This impression is assisted by the more contoured edges on the aluminium inclosure , an improvement on the sharper sharpness of some former models . ( These considerations , heed you , will be moot if you utilise your iPhone 15 Plus with a case . But I know nude iPhone users exist , and I salute your courageousness . )
The expectant tweak is on the bottom edge : the Lightning porthole we ’ve grown used to has been replaced in this yr ’s unexampled iPhones with USB - C. This was a controversial decision at a bodied level – there ’s been a lot of political wrangling – but should be mostly beneficial for users , who can now file their iPhones with the same cables as their cameras , games console … and Macs and iPads . It may be frustrating that your Lightning supplement wo n’t be usable any more , unless you want to buy adongle , but on the whole you ’ll probably find that you gain more than you mislay . Just conduct in idea that the USB - century port in the 15 Plus is less advanced than the ones in the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max ; it ’s cap at 480Mbps data transference , compared to their 10Gbps .
The Dynamic Island can take many forms. Here, it shows the thumbnail and audio waveform for a currently playing podcast (and lets you click through to the Podcasts app).
The other design change in this year ’s Pro manikin — namely the Action button and the titanium envelopment — are not present here , as is common under Apple ’s “ please drop more money ” strategy . But it does get one from last twelvemonth ’s Pro , and that ’s the Dynamic Island .
Screen quality
The 15 Plus has a 6.7 - column inch OLED projection screen , more than with child enough for fantabulous gaming carrying into action and immersive TV and moving-picture show watching . The sizing has n’t changed from the previous generation , but Apple has squeezed in slightly more pixels – resolution has been bumped from 2778 x 1284 to 2796 x 1290 – so in theory it ought to be fractionally sharper ; in practice you ’re unlikely to remark .
What you probablywillnotice is the far more important increment in maximal brightness , which now live all the way up to 2,000 nits out of doors . That matches the bar set by last year ’s Pro model , and far surpasses the 1,200 nit which Apple says is the limit of the iPhone 14 Plus . I spent fourth dimension in a sunny park see the gloomiest Netflix demonstrate I could regain , and was exhaustively impressed . Of course you ’re still dealing with some reflections in the screen , the experience is n’t idealistic out of doors , but the brightness of the picture makes it prosperous to make out what ’s run on .
And how can we forget the Dynamic Island ! Introduced to the Pro line in 2022 , this “ floating ” aperture for the front - facing tv camera and sensors replaces the notch and offers far more . The island expands and enliven as it takes on different roles , showing information about machine-accessible accoutrement , run away timekeeper , and even current score in sports game you ’re following . ( you’re able to read all the thing the Dynamic Island could do from launch inthis explainer , but mark that a bunch more were added in iOS 17 . )
The rear camera module still sticks out a lot, but I like its translucent look.
Now , this is still at long last a compromise : a small orbit of unusable screenland that is necessary because under - projection screen sensors are not yet workable or cost - in effect for Apple to include in its smartphones . But by smartly fuse that sphere in with the space immediately around it and using the whole thing as a multipurpose presentment zone , Apple has made a becoming fist of convince us that it ’s not a bug , it ’s a characteristic .
Cameras
Here we come to one of the biggest improvements on the previous generation . The 15 Plus is still bound to two camera lenses on the rear ( whereas the Pro telephone line has boasted triplex photographic camera since the 11 Pro in 2019 ) , but this year one of these has gotten a lot more knock-down : the main lens has jumped from 12MP to 48MP , following a alike bump in the Pro models in 2022 .
Ordinarily we ’d monish readers not toobsess too much about megapixels , but this is a lilliputian different because , first , it ’s areally bigincrease , and second , because it makes a functional difference with the addition of optical - caliber soar . That third lens system on the Pro handsets is telephotograph , and the want of this has always limited the rapid growth capabilities of non - Pro models . ( They have had two zoom options since the iPhone 11—0.5x and 1x — but zooming out does n’t really consider in my view . ) Because the 15 Plus ’s main lens is operate at such a high declaration , it can effectively work into the image without any noticeable red of quality , which think you actually get 0.5x , 1x , and 2x soar .
Now , this obviously does n’t compare to the 3x optical rapid climb offer on the iPhone 15 professional , let alone the superb 5x on the 15 Pro Max , but it ’s still deserving having . I used the 2x zoom a pile in examination , and was impressed with its calibre and convenience . It just feels like a natural choice when submit photos of anything small than a building : for pip multitude , fauna , and flowers , the 2x zoom ferment well , saving you cropping in afterward and losing some quality .
This was taken in the Camera app’s standard photo mode, but because I tapped on the subject I was given the option to later turn it into a portrait.
Another unexampled feature Apple calls next - generation portraiture , which is an extension of theportrait modeoffered on iPhones for years , whereby depth entropy is used to blur the setting and artistically draw attending to the subject of a portrait photo . Specifically , the updated system mechanically detects people , dogs , and cats , and records depth information on any picture with such subject in instance the phone possessor by and by need to turn the shot into a bokeh - blurred portrait . I attempt this out on masses , which worked perfectly , and on a neighbor ’s dog , which was more strike and escape : when the dog was in a three - quarter visibility ( no doubt deflect by a bird ) the lineament did n’t trigger , but when it looked directly at me the phone knew to put down the depth data .
Dogs are far more varied in visual aspect than humanity , and African tea for that matter , so I imagine they are more of a challenge for the AI . But the odd affair is that iOS knew there was a heel in the three - quarter photo , and even told me the breed when I tapped on the information push in Photos . Two parts of the organization are bomb to verbalize to each other , regrettably .
If you ’re accept a pic of another subject – a lovely horse , perhaps , or a bitt as in the image below – then you’re able to manually trigger the next - gen portraiture map by tap - focusing on the topic . When you later open that figure of speech in Photos , even though you were n’t using portrait mode in the Camera app , you ’ll see a portrayal dropdown at the top left which feed you the option to flex bokeh blurring on or off .
That sun was very bright, but you can still see my face. This used to be considered a difficult shot; recent iPhones have no issues with it.
The final television camera upgrade I ’d wish to verbalise about is Smart HDR 5 , the latest iteration of a technology Apple uses to sew together together element of multiple exposures so as to manage complex lighting conditions . This is most effective when dealing with that one-time bugbear , the backlit matter ; older digital cameras would either overexpose the brilliant background , or underexpose the subject and leave them in indistinct apparition . But with Smart HDR it ’s possible to capture point on the low - light areas without vaunt out the bright ones .
I ’m a big sports fan of Smart HDR , then , and again bask its effects on the iPhone 15 Plus . I did my usual ill - advised selfie test ( with a bright sunshine peeping over my shoulder ) and the phone coped happily with the challenge , capture detail on my look and naturalistic skin tone without turning the sky into a featureless white expanse . I hide under trees and shot flat at the sunshine through their branches , and both the sky and the bark were captured in naturalistic detail despite the huge disparity in brightness level .
In short , this is a skilful technology . What is debatable , however , is how much difference there really is between its iterations . Admittedly I ’m coming to the 15 Plus from the 14 Pro , which in full term of processing power is the equivalent of this yr ’s Plus model , not last year ’s . But in photographic term I should be seeing the upgrade from Smart HDR 4 to Smart HDR 5 – and I did n’t notice any finicky improvement on the ( already excellent ) treatment of multiple lighting conditions . The problem Apple faces when trying to sell improvements in its iPhone cameras is that long time ago they reached a horizontal surface of excellence that will well be good enough for most people in almost all normal circumstances . And reviewers like me have to regain increasingly convoluted and unrealistic ways to find the edge slip where this year ’s iPhone takes better photos than last year ’s .
Nevertheless , I ’m well-chosen to account that the iPhone 15 Plus takes bright photos in a wide mountain range of conditions . Its colour reproductive memory is exemplary , and shots were amply detail .
Battery life & charging
One of the advantage of move for a big phone is you get a big battery inside . The 15 Plus has a 4,383 mAh battery , compared to 3,349 mAh for the stock iPhone 15 . ( It ’s also slightly larger than the battery in last twelvemonth ’s iPhone 14 Plus , which had a capacity of 4,325 mAh . )
Apple expects the 15 Plus to last well longer than the 15 in standard use , omen a electric battery life of 26 hours of video playback , dwarfing the 20 hour predicted for the 15 and 23 for the 15 Pro . So much for Apple ’s estimates ; how did the 15 Plus do in the real world ?
Well , the key measure for success in footing of bombardment performance is whether a phone can comfortably and dependably get through a full day off from main power , and the 15 Plus had absolutely no worries in that section . In typical use it would in general land up the day with more than 40 per centum battery remaining ; even on a twenty-four hours when I listened to a immense amount of medicine and podcasts it made it to bedtime at 35 per centum . grave gaming exercise may reduce longevity still further , but I ca n’t ideate you ’ll postulate to commence occupy about mid - day charging until the battery has aged several year .
That ’s my immanent experience , but for a strict scientific comparison we apply the battery test in Geekbench 4 . Here the iPhone 15 oversee 12 hrs 21 Amoy . That sounds bad but really is n’t ; in fact it ’s a whole betterment on last yr ’s ( already first-class ) 14 Plus , which lasted 11 hrs 36 mins , and a longsighted fashion forwards of this year ’s iPhone 15 Pro ( 10 hrs 43 min ) .
Geekbench 4 battery test
It ’s authoritative to bear in thinker that this is a very demanding benchmark design to unfold a phone ’s capabilities ; it does n’t give you a naturalistic idea of how long a machine will last in normal enjoyment . It ’s purely useful for comparing how in force a machine ’s battery performance is in comparison to another .
On a related to note , the iPhone 15 Plus is officially open of fast charging , but that ’s a faint term that ’s more about marketing than a scientific judgment of the gadget ’s capabilities . Apple sound out that , provide you ’re using a 20W or faster adapter , 35 minute of charging will get the 15 Plus from 0 percentage to 50 percent power , and based on testing this is a thin undersell . After 35 minutes with a 67W MacBook adapter my sample had reached 64 percentage . It read 1 hr 32 mins to charge from altogether empty to completely full .
Before we leave this topic behind , it ’s deserving mentioning that ( as I sketch in myUSB - C port explainer ) the 15 Plus is also capable ofreversecharging . tie the iPhone ’s USB - C port to an Apple Watch or AirPods case and power will flow in the opposite direction , a ready to hand alternative if you get see short . I adjudicate this for 15 transactions with an Apple Watch Series 8 ; the vigil rise from 53 percent to 68 percent , while the iPhone 15 Plus dropped from 100 pct to 97 percentage .
Performance
The iPhone 15 Plus ( like the received iPhone 15 ) is equipped with the A16 Bionic chip . Again , that ’s deficient to what ’s on pass at the Pro death of the line - up ; the 15 Pro derive with the A17 Pro chip . But the A16 is still an super immobile and future - proofed piece of silicon .
Subjectively , it performed at top level throughout testing . Every app I examine was a doddle , and no processing task seemed to give it a vexation . apply retrospective bokeh blurring to a photograph , for example , was attain in sec . With the A17 Pro now on the securities industry developer will begin to let go more demanding software , but I will be surprised if anything capable of give the 15 Plus a real problem appears on the App Store within the next two year . Including a year - onetime central processor in a phone that starts at $ 899 / £ 899 might seem brash – and indeed is – and you could expect around a year less of top - level operation than if you bought the iPhone 15 Pro . But this equipment still has a long and combat-ready life in front of it .
In the Geekbench 6.2 benchmarking software the 15 Plus recorded a single - core grudge of 2641 , narrowly beating the iPhone 14 Pro from last class and 13 percent up on the 14 Plus . In multi - essence , it score an excellent 6685 , an betterment of 17 per centum on the 14 Plus . This is a unspoilt execution .
Geekbench 6.2 benchmarks
Price & availability
The iPhone 15 Plus was launched in September 2023 , and starts at $ 899 / £ 899 .
you could buydirect from Apple , or pasture our roundup of thebest iPhone 15 - series lot .
Verdict: Should you buy the iPhone 15 Plus?
It was a pleasure testing this phone , and I ’m happy that it will be my main French telephone for the get along year . The screen is big , hopeful , and brilliant . The photographic camera setup is better than ever , with the 2x optical zoom a particular highlight , and battery living is very impressive . I was also proud of to see the inclusion of the Dynamic Island have just one yr after it first appeared on the Pro series ; like most of Apple ’s odd lilliputian control systems – such as the Action button and the Touch Bar – I’m not convert it will ever catch on among third - political party software makers , but it emphatically attain the more materialistic target of replacing the snick with something upright .
It would be prosperous to get flow up on Apple ’s obvious late scheme of denigrating the non - Pro handsets in monastic order to further upsell , and the inclusion of a year - old processor at this price is doubtless vex . But as compromises go this one is relatively easy to swallow up , since Apple ’s silicon has always been libertine than it needs to be , and losing one class of future - proofing is no great hardship . And as I may have suggest in the previous paragraph , I do n’t think the Action push button is a Brobdingnagian going either .
If you desire the good , you necessitate to go patronize in the Pro aisle . But this remains an excellent phone that makes some slight concessions so as to cram in a orotund , superb - character screen at a reasonable ( albeit not exactly bargain ) price .
witness out all about the new features in the iPhone 15 series in our guide : Best new iPhone 15 Plus feature .
Tech specs
iPhone history
The iPhone 16 range and the iPhone SE 3 are the current - multiplication models available from Apple . In gain to a newiPhone SE 4 modelwe’re also expectingiPhone 17to launch in 2025 . Below you may find link below to our reviews of all iPhone models , include the latest generation . memorize more about all thenew Apple products coming this yearandwhen is the next Apple event . You might also need to check out our advice onwhen is the best metre to corrupt a Modern iPhone , ouriPhone purchasing guide , and ourcomparison of every iPhone that is available to buy today .
