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Most new iPhone releases offer incremental upgrades, but after testing and using the iPhone 15 over the months since its release, its upgrades are clearly more substantial. It might not look like it from the outside, but the iPhone 15 represents one of Apple’s biggest updates to the base iPhone since the iPhone 12 from 2020.
More so than any base iPhone in recent memory, the iPhone 15 doesn’t make you feel like you’re missing out by not buying the Pro version. It dips its toes in the exclusive waters of Apple’s iPhone Pro models with more trickle-down features than we’ve seen before, like a high-megapixel camera, Dynamic Island, and super-bright displays that can handle the sunniest days. And, the iPhone 15 heralds a subtly refreshed design, which we haven’t seen in three generations, as well as a USB-C port that brings Apple’s ecosystem of devices closer to harmony for charging.
To be sure, the iPhone 15 Pro models are technologically superior, and Apple is keeping a clear distinction between its base and Pro models. Though the iPhone 15 comes with major upgrades, it might still not be enough for those who typically go for the iPhone Pros. The iPhone 15’s display still runs at a 60Hz refresh rate that’s becoming stale and outdated in 2024. And only the iPhone 15 Pro models receive Apple’s latest iPhone processor, the new Action Button, and a dedicated zoom camera.
Still, the iPhone 15 is a darn good phone for most people, and considering all its upgrades relative to its price, it’s the best iPhone we’ve seen in years.
Apple iPhone 15
The iPhone 15 offers the best balance of performance, features, user experience, and price in Apple’s current lineup. While it isn’t the most advanced iPhone, its pro-like attributes will more than satisfy most people.
Performance and display: A powerful processor that’s still matched with a dated screen
Whichever way you look at it, the iPhone 15, running on Apple’s A16 Bionic processor, is a powerful and fast phone. Sure, it’s not as powerful as the iPhone 15 Pro models running on the newer A17 Pro, but it’s still a generational leap over the iPhone 14, which ran on the iPhone 13 Pro’s A15 Bionic processor.
In everyday use, during the iPhone 15’s first year and perhaps its second, you’re not going to notice much of a difference whether you’re comparing it to the iPhone 15 Pro models or the iPhone 14 (and the iPhone 13 series, for that matter). The iPhone 15’s performance gap between the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 14 will perceivably widen over the years when iOS and apps become more advanced.
Benchmark test results suggest the iPhone 15 Pro could last a year longer than the iPhone 15 before apps start to take longer than you’d like to open and run. The same is true for the iPhone 15, which should last a year longer than the iPhone 14.
It’s a shame the iPhone 15’s power isn’t mated with a 120Hz display — it would accentuate the phone’s performance with smoother animations. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, and it doesn’t hold you back, but my eyebrows raise higher and higher with every new iPhone release that still has a 60Hz display.
I could argue that a smooth 120Hz refresh rate is a standard expectation on phones these days, especially those starting at $800. Android phones have had 120Hz displays since 2020, starting with the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. And thinking about the $500 Pixel 8a with a 120Hz display, I’d even expect high refresh rates at lower price ranges. With that in mind, the iPhone 15’s 60Hz display makes it feel dated.
The iPhone 15’s simple 60Hz display also means it doesn’t support an always-on display, which is another convenient feature reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro series.
Still, the iPhone 15’s brighter display is an unmistakable improvement, as it’s noticeably brighter than previous generation base iPhones for better outdoor viewing on sunny days. Colors, especially, pop
Design: A subtle leap
The iPhone 15 is slightly more comfortable and forgiving in the hand thanks to subtly softer edges compared to the harsher and sharper edges introduced with the iPhone 12 series through to the iPhone 14 series. It still looks like a modern iPhone with its flat edges, and not like the iPhone 11 and earlier generations with the fully rounded sides.
The rear glass on the iPhone 15 has a smooth, frosted matte texture compared to the clear glass from previous base iPhone generations. Whether you like the aesthetics is up to you (I personally prefer it), but it’s undeniably less grippy than clear glass. As a result, it’s easier to adjust the iPhone 15 in your hand, especially one-handed. Despite less grip, I never felt like the phone was more likely to stumble out of my hands.
Having said all this, none of it will matter much if you typically use a case.
Colors are subjective, and Apple went with a pastel variety of blue, pink, yellow, green, and black.
‘Pro’ features: Dynamic Island, but no Action Button
Apple’s Dynamic Island, a feature introduced with the iPhone 14 series and reserved for the iPhone 14 Pro models, has trickled down to the base iPhone 15. Dynamic Island delivers a nice boost in functionality — it’s a clever way to view and interact with notifications, alerts, and app shortcuts without covering the entire screen, and it’s proven useful whether you’re actively doing something on the phone or not.
Apple’s latest functional convenience upgrade, the Action Button, didn’t make it to the base iPhone 15 and is reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro models. For reference, the Action Button replaces the signature silent switch and offers customizable functions, like toggling the flashlight, opening the camera app, switching focus modes, and, yes, enabling silent mode.
Cameras: ‘Pro’ quality trickles down
Since Apple released the iPhone 6s in 2015, most standard iPhones have had 12MP main cameras. The iPhone 15 introduced the biggest upgrade to the base iPhone camera since then with a 48MP camera, which was first introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro models. It’s not exactly the same camera as the iPhone 14 Pro, but it’s still a nice trickle-down feature that comes with some benefits.
One of those benefits is capturing more detail. It’s not perceivable when you’re casually flicking through photos, but it does let you zoom farther into a photo after it’s been taken to reveal clearer details.
Here’s a 12MP photo compared to a 48MP when fully zoomed out, showing the entire photo’s contents on a screen. Apart from the cat in the 12MP, the photos are basically identical in quality:
Here’s the same 12MP and 48MP photos zoomed in to show the cherub’s details:
To save your iPhone’s storage space, the iPhone 15 takes 24MP photos by default, which is a happy medium between 12MP and 48MP. It captures visibly more detail than a 12MP photo while using up significantly less storage:
Another benefit of the iPhone 15’s 48MP camera is that it enables 2x zoom shots at 12MP with optical quality, and without the quality degradation from digital zooming. Essentially, it crops a quarter of the camera’s sensor from the center, resulting in a photo that appears to be 2x zoomed when expanded on a screen.
Here’s a photo taken with the iPhone 15’s main camera with no zoom:
And here’s a photo taken with the iPhone 15’s main camera at 2x zoom:
iPhone 15 photos follow Apple’s signature safe and solid approach, which produces reliably excellent photos with well-balanced lighting, contrast, and colors. But, as with most phones, generational camera improvements only become apparent the older your current model is.
In low light, the iPhone 15 takes noticeably sharper photos than the iPhone 14, despite the fact that the iPhone 15’s photos were taken at the same 12MP resolution as the iPhone 14. Improved sharpness was expected thanks to the iPhone 15’s larger sensor that can capture more light. However, it didn’t result in faster night shots — both phones prompted us to stay still for three seconds to take the test shots.
The iPhone 15 records video up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, and video quality is reliably excellent, so there’s no major upgrade here. However, the iPhone 15’s larger 48MP sensor affords up to 6x digital zooming compared to the iPhone 14’s 3x, and zoomed footage at any range looks significantly better as a result.
Battery life and charging: USB-C brings harmony, but not faster charging speeds
The iPhone 15’s battery life is comparable with that of the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 15 Pro, which is to say, it’s very good and expected for a phone with a 6.1-inch display. If you already have experience with phones that have a similar display size, you’ll find the iPhone 15 will provide similar battery life relative to your typical daily usage. Compared to an older phone with a battery that’s degraded over time, the iPhone 15’s battery life will be refreshing.
It won’t change any daily charging habits you’ve built up over time based on your typical usage — only the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max have the potential to do that with their larger batteries and stunning battery lives.
So, nothing new with battery life, but the way you charge the iPhone 15’s battery, at least with a cable, has dramatically changed with the new USB-C port that replaced the Lightning port.
The move is a triumph for some, as it standardizes the cables you’d need for electronics. USB-C is the common standard for nearly everything with a rechargeable battery these days, from laptops, tablets, and wireless headphones to kids’ toys. It also opens up a wider variety of accessories to the iPhone 15 that were previously more limited or unavailable due to the Lightning port. And a nice little party trick — you can charge another iPhone, or your own, with another iPhone with a USB-C-to-USB-C cable.
The iPhone 15 doesn’t come with a charger, but it does come with a USB-C cable. Those celebrating the move to USB-C likely already have chargers they can use, even if they’re not specifically designed for the iPhone — any USB-C charger that supports at least 25W will fully support the iPhone 15’s charging speeds.
For others who are fully entrenched in the Lightning ecosystem, this change potentially means buying new cables, chargers, and adapters. And unless you already own USB-C accessories, the new port will be more of an inconvenience for those who have been living in a Lightning-only world.
Either way, iPhones moving to USB-C or perhaps a different standard altogether was only a matter of time, even if Apple was forced to do so. The inconvenience is also only temporary, just as it was when Apple introduced Lightning to replace the 30-pin connector with the iPhone 5.
Technologically, the base iPhone 15’s move to USB-C offers little advantage over Lightning. Charging speeds aren’t notably faster, and it handles the same USB 2 speeds as Lightning. Only the iPhone 15 Pro models support USB 3 for significantly faster data transfers. It’s a shame, as the USB-C port has more to offer than what’s given in the base iPhone 15.
Should you buy the iPhone 15?
The iPhone 15 is a clear choice for anyone looking for a solid, simple phone that easily and effectively covers the basics that most people need, whether they’re entrenched in the Apple ecosystem or not. Anyone who consistently picks base iPhone models instead of Pro models should be very happy with the iPhone 15.
While the base iPhone 15 has inherited several iPhone Pro features, the 60Hz display, dual-lens camera, and previous-generation processor won’t lure iPhone Pro users to the base model. However, they should still satisfy most people’s daily needs. And, iPhone Pro users looking to spend less will find more value than ever in the iPhone 15.
As an upgrade option, the iPhone 15 and its considerable array of new features especially reward those with older iPhones, like the iPhone 12 and older. Those who recently spent good money on a more recent model, like the iPhone 13 or iPhone 14, may also feel the iPhone 15’s pull — with a good trade-in deal, the justification to upgrade is there, especially considering trade-in deals tend to be more favorable if your current model is more recent.
With that said, I’m not saying you need to update to the iPhone 15, even if you have an older iPhone. The iPhone 15 still delivers a very familiar everyday experience, and you shouldn’t expect a major change in how you use your phone. Rather, the iPhone 15 gives you more reason to upgrade than the last two generations.
In addition, the next iPhone release (iPhone 16) is cresting over the horizon at the time of writing, with a likely announcement in September. If you haven’t picked up the iPhone 15 yet or don’t need a new phone immediately, you can easily justify waiting less than half a year for the next release. It’s possible Apple could add more trickled-down features to the iPhone 16 — the Action Button and faster USB-C, for example — and the iPhone 15 will get a predictable price cut, so it may be worth waiting if you can. But you won’t go wrong getting the iPhone 15 now.
If the iPhone 15 suits your needs, check our guides to the best iPhone 15 cases and best iPhone 15 screen protectors to guard the phone from damage and ensure its longevity.
