iPhone 15 and 15 Plus Review: Pro in disguise

Other missing features when compared to the iPhone 15 Pro include the lack of an Action button and no optical zoom (more on this later). While I like the Pro series’ new Action button, it’s the definition of a “nice-to-have feature” that’s not totally necessary.

Say hello to USB-C

USB-C has finally made its way to the iPhone line, but with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, it’s only at USB 2.0 speeds. Image credit: Bradley Bennett

Will this matter to most iPhone users, especially those interested in the iPhone 15? Probably not, since even I can’t remember the last time I plugged my iPhone into my computer, but it’s disappointing nonetheless. Further, while the switch to USB-C is long overdue, the transition won’t be without a few bumps, especially for the iPhone 15’s average Apple user target audience that likely doesn’t know the difference between the new port and Apple’s proprietary Lightning cable.

There will be a lot of Lightning cables and accessories thrown out over the next few years. With this in mind, it would be great if Apple launched a recycling program of some sort.

Killer camera features

The iPhone 15 includes all of the camera features most people will care about. Image credit: Bradley Bennett

Here’s where the real upgrades over the iPhone 14 start. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature a new 48-megapixel f/1.6 26mm lens that’s nearly identical to the iPhone 14 Pro’s. The pixel size is slightly smaller, but it unlocks 2x sensor crop zoom.

Like the iPhone 14 Pro series, its main camera bins down its sensor to shoot 12-megapixel photos by default. In the Settings app, you can set it to capture 24-megapixels instead for a bit of extra detail. If you want to take that a step further, there’s a new ‘HEIF Max’ photo mode that snaps a full 48-megapixel capture. While it’s not ProRaw, it’s a nice addition for photographers looking to get a little extra out of the iPhone 15 camera. In my tests, it offers slightly more detail, but you need to zoom in significantly to notice a difference.

Overall, the iPhone 15’s camera takes photos on par with the iPhone 14 Pro. Even when really hunting for differences between the two images above and zooming in, they look pretty much the same. There’s great detail, solid light control and useful computational photography effects.

The 2x sensor crop zoom uses the middle of the new sensor to take full 12-megapixel images. It isn’t quite as high-quality as Apple’s optical implementation, but it’s shockingly close and a notable step above digital zoom, which I’ve always found to be far too noisy. Very few people will notice the quality difference between optical and sensor cropping, but they’ll all enjoy the extra zoom range in this year’s iPhone.

Check out those great-looking aluminum sides. Image credit: Bradley Bennett.

Adding optical zoom to the iPhone 15 without needing an additional lens is part of what makes it feel more ‘pro’ than before. Just a few years ago, the iPhone 12 Pro only had a 2x zoom. For years, I’ve felt telephoto zoom is more useful than an ultrawide camera, so it’s great to see it finally come to the iPhone 15.

Above are examples of the iPhone 15’s impressive 2x zoom in action. The siding on the shed may have a little more detail, but even then, the difference is minimal. In the second set of photos, the sailboats in the distance are a bit blurry if you zoom in. That said, the quality is far better than the digital zoom from past base iPhones.

When comparing the iPhone 14’s main 12-megapixel lens to the iPhone 15’s under ideal lighting conditions, the difference between the two cameras is marginal (are you sensing a theme here?), but it’s still noticeable. For example, in the picture above, the leaves are clearly more vibrant and lifelike, the colour is less flat, and the overall focus is a little sharper. Yet the photo has a bit of a softer feel since the larger capture needs less digital sharpening to make it look natural. This is just one example, but it shows how close the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro’s cameras are to previous Pro models.

I’ve also found low-light performance to offer minor improvements compared to the iPhone 14. The iPhone 15 shot is darker but retains more detail in blacker areas of the image due to its bigger sensor.

Like the iPhone 15 Pro, this year’s iPhone 15 and 15 Plus both feature automatic Portrait mode detection for cats, dogs and people. I’ve even gotten it to work on statues, and the natural depth fall-off this year is impressive. The cutouts could still be a little sharper in some instances, but on a smartphone screen size, most hold up, and the best ones can rival interchangeable lens cameras.

Everything else

It’s important to note that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature the same A16 Bionic chip as the iPhone 14 line. It looks like this is Apple’s new cadence of release; the top-tier phone features the high-end chip, while the base-level device gets last year’s processor. Does this matter anymore when Apple’s chips are so far ahead of the competition? It doesn’t, and at this point, Apple knows it.

Check out the chart below, and you’ll see what I mean. Even the A16 Bionic managed to benchmark above Qualcomm’s latest chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

During my time with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, I didn't encounter any slowdown, whether I was running high-end apps or being an internet power user in Firefox. Would I prefer Apple to stick with including its most powerful chip in all of its new smartphones? Definitely, especially as the promise of console-level gaming looms on with the iPhone 15 Pro and its A17 Pro chip, while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are stuck with the A16. However, this likely won't matter to the iPhone 15's audience.

Like the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 15/15 Plus features a 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband chip, allowing it to take advantage of more precise Find My with further range. This feature is cool but only works with other devices equipped with 2nd-gen chips, including the iPhone 15 series, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra.