There are four models in the iPhone 15 generation — the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
There’s no iPhone 15 Mini, like there was with the iPhone 13 generation — Apple discontinued its iPhone Mini model in the iPhone 14 generation.
Likewise, there’s no iPhone 15 “Ultra” model with extended upgrades over the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
iPhone 15: cameras
Apple introduced major camera upgrades on all the iPhone 15 models. The main cameras on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are bumped up from 12 megapixels (MP) to 48MP. The new camera offers optical quality (versus inferior digital) 2x zoom by cropping the middle 12MP of the 48MP sensor. That’s a meaningful new option in Apple’s iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
Photos taken with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are binned from 48MP to 24MP by default, which should add extra detail and clarity. Despite more megapixels, Apple says 24MP photos are still stored at a “practical file size,” but we don’t yet know how much storage a photo uses, whether it’s smaller or larger than 12MP (likely larger).
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max also have a 48MP main camera that takes 24MP photos, and Apple added popular 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm focal lengths as preset options.
The iPhone 15 Pro comes with the typical 3x zoom lens, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is furnished with Apple’s new 5x zoom lens with a 120mm focal length. The new 5x zoom lens is similar to the periscope-style 10x zoom lens on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but Apple calls it a “tetraprism” design.
Later in 2023, Apple will deliver spatial video recording to the iPhone 15 Pro models to capture video in 3D for the Apple Vision Pro AR headset, which is being released “early next year.”
iPhone 15: battery life
Apple spent no time talking about specifics related to battery life for the iPhone 15 generation, as there’s no claimed improvement here at all for any of the iPhone 15 models — we can expect similar battery life to the iPhone 14 generation, which was generally excellent. The iPhone 14 Plus especially wowed us and still holds the best result out of any phone in our battery test.
iPhone 15: displays
Apple made no changes to its usual display size on the iPhone 15 generation. However, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus received updated displays with a brighter 2000 nits compared to the 1200-nit iPhone 14 display.
- iPhone 15: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, 60Hz
- iPhone 15 Plus: 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, 60Hz
- iPhone 15 Pro: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz ProMotion, always-on display
- iPhone 15 Pro Max: 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz ProMotion, always-on display
It’s disappointing that Apple’s iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus still have a comparatively low 60Hz refresh rate, which is a rather major compromise for a phone that starts at $800 in 2023 — even the $500 Google Pixel 7a has a smoother 90Hz display.
iPhone 15: design
All iPhone 15 models received Apple’s latest design with softer contoured edges compared to the sharper edges on the iPhone 14 generation. The contoured edges should make the iPhone 15 generation more comfortable to hold, overall.
A Titanium frame with a brushed metal aesthetic replaces shiny polished steel on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, which makes for a lighter weight overall. Indeed, the iPhone 15 Pro is 6.6 ounces compared to the 7.27-ounce iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 7.81 ounces compared to the heavy 8.47-ounce iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max also feature thinner display bezels that make for a more premium look. They’re also easier, and likely cheaper, to repair than previous iPhone Pro models thanks to the glass back that’s more easily removed.
iPhone 15: colors
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature Apple’s new color-infused back glass with a frosted matte texture available in five color options, including blue, pink, yellow, green, and black.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max’s titanium frame are available in natural titanium, blue titanium, white titanium, and black titanium color options.
iPhone 15: performance
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus run on the same A16 Bionic processor from the iPhone 14 Pro series, so we can expect similar performance to last year’s high-end phones. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max run on Apple’s latest A17 Pro processor.
Apple claims the A17 Pro has a “10 percent faster” CPU and “20 percent faster” GPU (graphics), but it’s unclear what the company is making comparisons with.
Apple placed heavy emphasis on smoother graphics and gaming performance with hardware-accelerated ray tracing (a method of generating impressive lighting effects) thanks to the A17 Pro processor on the iPhone 15 Pro models. The company touted that full console titles can run on the iPhone 15 Pro models, like “Resident Evil Village,” “Resident Evil 4,” “Death Stranding,” and “Assassin’s Creed Mirage.”
iPhone 15: Action button
Apple replaced the iconic iPhone ring/silent switch with a new customizable Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. You can customize the Action button’s function, like toggling the flashlight; quickly launching apps like Camera, Voice Memos, and Translate; setting a Focus mode; or running a Shortcut. And yes, you can also set it to the traditional ring/silent switch.
The ring/silent switch in its original form since the first iPhone remains on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
iPhone 15: USB-C
Apple replaced the Lightning port with a USB-C port on the entire iPhone 15 lineup. Charging speed remains at the same 18-20W, as it was with Lightning. However, it’s now possible to charge another device from an iPhone 15 with a USB-C cable, like the latest AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C.
The USB-C ports aren’t the same between the iPhone 15 models and the iPhone 15 Pro models. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus only support USB 2 transfer speeds, which is typically 480Mbps, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max’s USB-C port support USB 3 speeds. The iPhone 15 Pro models support up to 10Gb/s speeds, which suggests they use the USB 3.1 Gen 2 standard.
iPhone 15: Dynamic Island
Apple’s Dynamic Island from the iPhone 15 Pro (and iPhone 14 Pro) models also made its way to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, replacing the notch that was first introduced with the iPhone X in 2017.
iPhone 15: Roadside Assistance via satellite
Apple’s latest safety feature, called Roadside Assistance via satellite, connects users stuck with car problems in areas with no WiFi or cell signal to AAA for help. The service is included free for two years after you activate a supporting iPhone, and it works with AAA memberships. For those who aren’t AAA members, it works on a cost-per-use basis.
Roadside Assistance via satellite was introduced with the iPhone 15 generation, but it’s also supported by the iPhone 14 generation. It complements the existing safety features, including Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via satellite.