Apple made a highly-anticipated announcement on September 12, 2023, introducing the world to its latest smartphone series – the iPhone 15. This series boasts four different models, each with its own set of features and benefits to cater to a diverse range of users.
The iPhone 15 is the standard model, featuring a 6.1-inch OLED display, 128GB of storage, and a dual-camera system. The iPhone 15 Plus is a step up from the standard model, with a larger 6.7-inch OLED display, 256GB of storage, and a triple-camera system.
The iPhone 15 Pro is a premium model that comes with a 6.1-inch ProMotion display, 512GB of storage, and a quad-camera system. Finally, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the most advanced model, boasting a massive 6.7-inch ProMotion display, up to 1TB of storage, and a triple-camera system with a 5x telephoto tetraprism camera included.
If you’re in the market for a new phone and considering the iPhone 15 series, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll dive deep into each model’s features, benefits, and drawbacks, so you can make an informed decision on which iPhone 15 is the best fit for your needs.
Apple iPhone 15 Specs
The new iPhone 15 and 15 Plus specs aren’t really that surprising. But there are some nice changes here. So the iPhone 15 has a 6.1-inch OLED display with 1000 nits brightness and 2000 nits peak brightness. It weighs in at 171 grams, with dimensions of 147.6 mm x 71.6mm x 7.8mm. That’s just a gram lighter than its predecessor. The iPhone 15 Plus is largely the same, but with a larger 6.7-inch display, it also weighs 201 grams. It has dimensions of 160.9mm x 77.8mm x 7.80mm. That’s two grams lighter than its predecessor.
Otherwise, they both sport the A16 Bionic chipset from the iPhone 14 Pro series last year, along with IP68 for water and dust resistance. There’s a new camera on these phones this year. With the upgrade to the 48-megapixel sensor that the iPhone 14 Pro models saw last year. This has a f/1.6 aperture and allows to do up to 2x optical zoom. Meanwhile, the ultrawide is still 12-megapixel and has an f/2.4 aperture. The front camera is a 12-megapixel sensor still with a f/1.9 aperture.
Apple does not release battery capacities, but according to their battery life metric, it’s unchanged this year. The iPhone 15 is rated for 20 hours of video playback, and the iPhone 15 Plus for 26 hours of playback. Don’t forget that they also come with USB-C this year.
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max Specs
Now, moving on to the Pro models. They still come in 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch sizes. The iPhone 15 Pro measures 146.6mm x 70.6mm x 8.25mm and weighs 187 grams. That’s nearly 40 grams lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro. While the iPhone 15 Pro Max measures 159.9mm x 76.7mm x 8.25mm and weighs in at 221 grams. That is also pretty light compared to its predecessor, but only about 19 grams lighter.
Inside, both phones are running the new A17 Pro chipset, which appears to be a pretty hefty upgrade over the A16 Bionic. It’s a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Pretty similar to the A16 Bionic, though it’s adding another GPU core.
Onto the camera front, things are a bit different for the two devices. Both sport a 48-megapixel main camera, with 12-megapixel ultrawide and 12-megapixel telephoto sensors. However, the telephoto sensor on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a periscope lens, which is capable of doing up to 5x optical zoom, matching the Pixel Fold.
As with the regular iPhone 15 models, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max do not have battery capacities listed. But Apple claims up to 23 hours of video playback on the iPhone 15 Pro – the same as the iPhone 14 Pro. There are up to 29 hours of video playback on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the same as the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
We did compare the battery life on the iPhone 15 Pro Max to a few Android phones in our battery life test, and it outperformed everything by a mile. As you can see in the graph above, the iPhone 15 Pro Max lasted over 22 hours on our video playback test. That is still far short of how long Apple claims it would last. But it is more than double the most recent Android flagship phones. Which is really telling.
How much is the iPhone 15 series?
The iPhone 15 series is getting a bit of a price jump this year, but only on one model – the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Which, ironically, has the most upgrades this year around. Otherwise, prices are mostly staying the same.
iPhone 15 will start out at $799, the iPhone 15 Plus at $899, the iPhone 15 Pro at $999, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at $1,199. That’s a $100 jump in price for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. All models, except for the iPhone 15 Pro Max will start at 128GB. While the iPhone 15 Pro Max will start at 256GB.
Now, obviously, the carriers will be offering some pretty incredible discounts on the iPhone 15 this year. We’re expecting to see some pretty good deals, including getting a phone for free with a trade-in, among other things. You can check out our deals section for the best prices on iPhone 15.
Where can I buy the iPhone 15 series?
You will be able to buy the iPhone 15 series virtually anywhere. Anywhere that sells tech will offer the iPhone 15 series. That includes Apple, Amazon, AT&T, Best Buy, B&H Photo, Costco, Sam’s Club, T-Mobile, Verizon and many other options. A number of MVNOs will also sell the iPhone 15, including Visible, Xfinity Mobile, and many more.
Keep in mind that over at Apple’s website, you’ll be able to pay in installments using your Apple Card, as well as using the iPhone Upgrade Program. This allows you to upgrade every year without changing how much you’re paying. The price is a bit higher here, but that is also because AppleCare is included in the upgrade program.
What carriers will support the iPhone 15?
Every carrier will support the iPhone 15, and all of its features will be available, too. That includes AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as well as the MVNOs that run on their networks.
What colors does the iPhone 15 come in?
The iPhone 15 will have two sets of colors. Those are the colors for the iPhone 15 and another set for the iPhone 15 Pro models.
Starting with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, they’ll be available in black, starlight, light blue, yellow, and pink. This year, Apple is going with a more pastel set of colors for the non-Pro iPhones. This is an exciting look, but at least you can still get black.
Now, over to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, we’re looking at four colors. This includes Space Black, Silver Gray, Titanium, and Dark Blue. Mostly muted colors this year, which is pretty common for the “Pro” models of any of Apple’s products. These will be made of titanium this year, so the Titanium or Titan Gray color will match the Apple Watch Ultra.
What new features will the iPhone 15 Series bring?
The big new feature for the iPhone 15 this year is going to be USB-C. But that’s not the only thing going on this year. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will get the Dynamic Island and an upgrade to the 48-megapixel camera from the iPhone 14 Pro. Meanwhile, the Pro models will get more here, including a Titanium build and a couple of new camera sensors. The iPhone 15 Pro Max will bring in a periscope zoom lens, allowing for better-zooming capabilities.
USB-C
Thanks to the EU, Apple is adding USB-C to all iPhone 15 models this year. All four models get USB-C, though the non-Pro models might get slower transfer speeds. But charging is jumping up to 30W, which is good to see.
With this move to USB-C, Apple is also updating many of its accessories to add in USB-C over Lightning. This move means that you can use the same cable to charge your MacBook, iPad, and now iPhone. So it’s a pretty big deal.
Dynamic Island is coming to non-Pro iPhones
Last year, in a last-minute surprise, Apple launched Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models. Apple took the Notch and made it smaller, giving us a pretty large hole punch setup for the front-facing camera and Face ID sensors. They tossed in some software to make it dynamic and show things like timers, progress, etc.
Now, this feature is here on the non-Pro iPhone 15 models. So it’ll be available across the entire lineup now.
New titanium build
The iPhone 15 Pro series is getting a new material this year. It had been using stainless steel for quite some time. This does make it look and feel pretty premium, but the shiny rails make it look pretty disgusting after a couple of days. Well, this year, Stainless Steel is out, and Titanium is in.
Apple has used titanium before on the Apple Watch, and now it’s on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. The main advantages here are that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are lighter this year, and they are also more durable. Two great things to see on the new iPhone.
What updates has the iPhone 15 received?
When the iPhone 15 launched, it came with iOS 17 out of the box. But since then, it has received a few updates, outlined below.
- iOS 17.0.1 – September 21, 2023
- iOS 17.0.2 – September 26, 2023
- iOS 17.0.3 – October 4, 2023
- iOS 17.1 – October 25, 2023
What cases are available for the iPhone 15 series?
Finally, what good cases can you pick up for your new iPhone 15 series phone? Well, we have rounded up some of the best options that are currently available.
Nomad Modern Leather case
While Apple has decided to ditch its leather case (and all leather products) in an environmental play, Nomad is keeping theirs around. I’ve been using the Nomad Leather Case on my iPhone for the past two years, and love it. These cases start at $50, and there’s a $70 option for Horween Leather. They come in several colors, too, including Black, Rustic Brown, and English Tan.
Spigen Thin Fit
Another solid option for the iPhone 15 series is the Spigen Thin Fit case. This is a case that I have been using on my iPhone 15 Pro Max for quite some time. It’s a pretty thin case, but still thick enough to take some punishment if you do drop it often. The main advantage here is not making it super bulky, which is incredibly important, especially if you have the iPhone 15 Plus or iPhone 15 Pro Max.
2023-12-07 15:08:16