Apple ’s iPhone 15 lineup has arrived , and at the very base of the lineup is the standard iPhone 15 . While most people may be truckle over the Pro models , the regular iPhone 15 is really a handsome peck , too .
In 2022 , Apple did n’t make many change to the iPhone 14 that made it deserving getting over the iPhone 13 . But with the iPhone 15 , there are some pretty pregnant changes — admit the Dynamic Island , USB - coke charging , a 48MP primary camera , and the A16 Bionic chipset .
Do all of these change make the received iPhone 15 worth it ? It did , at least until Apple revealediOS 18atWWDC 2024 .
About our iPhone 15 review
Christine Romero - Chan in the beginning reviewed the iPhone 15 in October 2023 after about two weeks of function . She used the iPhone 15 again after Apple ’s WWDC 2024 case , which gave us a look at iOS 18 coming in the fall . Since we ’ve used the iPhone 15 with this new information , we have included a follow - up “ Nine months later ” incision , which you’re able to scan below . The reexamination musical score was also set from an 8/10 to a 7/10 .
iPhone 15: nine months later
The iPhone 15 is a great headphone for most people . The computer hardware get some big upgrades from its herald , making it one of the biggest raise for the radix model in quite some sentence .
First of all , the design of the phone is quite gracious . Instead of going with the usual shining back glass , the iPhone 15 use a new “ color - infused ” glass that has a matte finishing . Though the color could be more concentrated throughout , the matte finishing has a great in - handwriting tactile property . And since it ’s lustrelessness , you do n’t really have to shell out with a lot of fingerprints and smudges if you decide not to utilize a case . The rounded corners and edges also make it well-to-do to hold for recollective periods of time , and it ’s very lightweight .
Apple surprise everyone by giving the iPhone 15 a 48MP main camera , which is a bad jumping from the 12MP of the iPhone 14 . One of my previous ailment with the iPhone was the coarse colors that seemed to leave from the processing of images after you take them , but that ’s less baffling with the iPhone 15 . The Auto Portrait is also extremely convenient to have , as it can make any normal picture with a person or pet face even better . All these months afterward , it ’s still a orca photographic camera addition .
Fruity Pebbles Ube French Toast, yum!Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
However , after Apple revealed its upcoming iOS 18 update , which is compatible with most sound , admit the iPhone 15,I ca n’t fully recommend it anymore . Why ? Because even though the iPhone 15 just came out , it will not be capable to utilise most of iOS 18 due toApple Intelligence , which is Apple ’s suite of AI powered tools .
Despitephones go back to the iPhone XS serial being able-bodied to get the iOS 18update , only two modeling will be able to use Apple Intelligence : the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max . So , despite the iPhone 15 being one of the latest models , it will only get about half of the raw feature of iOS 18 .
I can no longer urge stick the iPhone 15 unless you ’re all right with not have one-half of the new iOS 18 features .
Fountain in a pond at the park.Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
iOS 18 will be a big modification for Apple users , with about one-half of the mark new features only being available for those who buy the most recent higher - end models . Apple Intelligence will be show in anew era of fragmentation , unfortunately . The understanding only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are capable to get Apple Intelligence is due to the more powerful A17 Pro chipset , as well as having 8 GB RAM – all other iPhones , include the iPhone 14 Pro , have only 6 GB RAM .
So , unless you are okay with not getting the cool unexampled Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18 , I would recommend not get the iPhone 15 at this decimal point . We should anticipate the entireiPhone 16 batting order , include the base fashion model , to be able to run Apple Intelligence .
iPhone 15: design
On the control surface , the iPhone 15 face exchangeable to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 that came before it . You have flat edges , an aluminum underframe , a glass back , and a diagonal treble photographic camera layout . But that ’s where the similarities end .
Previous models of the standard iPhone had a glossy trash back , which I was never a big devotee of . The sheeny texture meant it would always be a fingermark and smudge magnet .
Thankfully , the iPhone 15 eliminates this trouble by using a new , “ colour - infused ” trash back that result in an incredibly prissy flatness finish . With this new matte methamphetamine hydrochloride , it ’s very hard to see fingerprint , at least on the green modeling that I was sent . This should also use to the other scant colors as well , but I ’m not sure about the calamitous pick .
A shed at a pumpkin patch.Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
The mat glass also seems like it reach it easier to hold the iPhone 15 without a case . At least for me , it does not feel as slippy as other models . My only complaint with the “ color - infuse ” glass is that the color are A-one light and pallid for most of the lineup . It seems that pinkish await the good , and green is not as bad as I originally thought . But the blue appear to await especially bad with how pale it is .
Also , unlike former models , the iPhone 15 has a routine of curvature going on the edges , so it is not as sharp as before . This is a welcome alteration , as it in spades facilitate with making it palpate more ergonomic to hold — particularly when conflate with the lightweight aluminum frame .
The iPhone 15 has an incredibly decent flatness finish .
Sarge’s Surplus Hut at Cars Land inside DCA.Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Speaking of aluminum material body , as someone who has only really used the Pro models of iPhones , I treasure the atomic number 13 being passably repellent to fingerprints and daub , unlike untainted steel and titanium .
Unlike the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max , the standard iPhone 15 andiPhone 15 Plusstill have the Ring / Silent switch , so that is unchanged , along with the volume and side button .
On the bottom , however , you will now happen a USB - degree centigrade port for charge , as Apple in conclusion eliminated Lightning . We ’ll get more into that in a bit .
Ube Horchata, very tasty.Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
iPhone 15: screen
For the standard iPhone 15 , we have a 6.1 - inch Super Retina XDR OLED display that keep going HDR10 and Dolby Vision . Resolution is 1179 x 2556 pixels with a 19:5:9 aspect ratio and 461 pixels per inch ( ppi ) density . It reaches 1,000 nit for normal brightness and up to 2,000 nit for peak outdoor cleverness .
The display on the iPhone 15 looks pretty unspoiled . The colors are bright and vivacious , text is sharp and crisp . For the median person , this show is great . But if you ’re number from a Pro exemplar with ProMotion , or even anAndroid telephone set , then you might notice some janky scrolling and modulation animation . That ’s because Apple continues to apply a 60Hz refresh charge per unit for the standard iPhone display , which is disappointing considering the $ 799 start price .
When I first buzz off the iPhone 15 and started using it , I frankly did n’t discover the 60Hz refresh rate . But that may be due to the newness of the gadget and my excitement about getting it . After I got my personal iPhone 15 Pro and have been using that , run short back to the received iPhone 15 display earn it well-to-do to see that scrolling is dull and unquestionably not as smooth .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Still , while the refresh rate is disappointing compared to the competition , the average non - techie person probably is not going to acknowledge . It certainly is n’t quite like pass away from non - Retina to Retina ( iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 ) , which was a very obvious difference .
The iPhone 15 show isn’tbad , but the 60Hz is certainly dated when you look at other option on the market place . perchance at some point in time , Apple could go with at least 90Hz exhibit on the standard models .
Apple also brought the Dynamic Island to the standard iPhone 15 models after it was aniPhone 14 Proexclusive last year . One ofmy subject with the Dynamic Islandover the past year was the fact that not a fortune of the apps that I use on a day - to - day basis really make use of the feature . However , now that even the regular iPhone 15 models have the Dynamic Island , I ’m hoping to see more originative ways to make usance of it .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Unfortunately , the stock iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus do not have an always - on exhibit like the Pro models . I was hoping that Apple would bring that Pro feature down to the stock models as well ( Dynamic Island made the jump , after all ) , but alas , not this yr . Perhaps in the next yr or two ? One can only hope .
iPhone 15: software and performance
Malus pumila ships iOS 17 with the stock iPhone 15 models out of the box . Inside the iPhone 15 , you have the A16 Bionic that launched last year with the iPhone 14 Pro models and 6 GB RAM .
The iPhone 15 also practice Apple ’s new second - generation extremist - broadband chip , which have you get someone who deal their positioning with you by guiding you to them like with the AirTag Precision Finding feature . However , this feature film only works with iPhone 15 example . Unless all of your friends and family are upgrade to an iPhone 15 , you may not be able to make use of this feature . I certainly am not capable to right now , but this could be different in the time to come .
As you ’d ask from a new iPhone , the iPhone 15 running play iOS 17 well , and everything experience fast and snappy . I mostly used the iPhone 15 for checking my personal and work email , sending messages in Microsoft Teams , endlessly scroll through my social media ( Threads , Instagram , Facebook , andMastodon ) , withdraw a lot of photos and syncing with iCloud , music and video cyclosis , and some sluttish gambling .
Flo’s V8 Cafe neon sign in Cars Land at DCA.Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Switching between apps is seamless , edit exposure is a breeze as the renders happen apace , conquer photos has no meanwhile , and so far , I have n’t had subject with apps crash . I do notice that if you are run some more resourcefulness - intensive game or apps , then the iPhone 15 will pop to find warm .
Though I have a bun in the oven the iPhone 15 to get warm when using diagrammatically intensive apps and game , current reports seem to bespeak that theentire iPhone 15 card could have an overheating issue , though it ’s morecommon with the Pro models .
away from the overheating government issue , which I ’m hoping can be settle through software updates , the iPhone 15 has been solid in term of performance .
A tree in Cars Land in DCA covered in purple and orange lights shot in ultrawide.Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
iPhone 15: cameras
The iPhone 15 sustain a surprising camera rise this year , bring a 48MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide lens with a 120 - level subject field of thought ( FoV ) . The ultrawide does n’t have any change from last class , which is a bit of a letdown since it still does not have autofocus . The selfie camera is also still 12MP .
Unlike last year ’s iPhone 14 Pro models , which could only bourgeon in 48MP full resolution with ProRAW and defaulted to 12MP for regular photos , the iPhone 15 nonremittal to 24MP photos . If you do n’t need the slightly larger file size of a 24MP persona , you could change it back to 12MP , but the 24MP photos do attend substantially overall , and the size difference is negligible .
I ’m actually quite impressed with the iPhone 15 ’s overall photo timber .
you’re able to still shoot in full 48MP resolving if you really need to , but that setting needs to be enable in the options app first . candidly , the 24MP nonpayment should be fine for most , and the 48MP should be reserved for those images that you plan to publish since the differences are n’t super noticeable .
Again , I typically always go for the Pro poser because I prefer having a telephotograph electron lens . But in my clip with the unconstipated iPhone 15 , I ’m in reality quite impressed with the overall exposure tone , despite lack an actual telephotograph tv camera .
The photos I ’ve shoot all come out with rich and vibrant color , incisive details , and just count more detailed overall compared to what I was look . I especially jazz the Auto Portrait feature , which is available on all iPhone 15 fashion model , so you no longer postulate to manually switch to Portrait mode . or else , as long as the tv camera focuses on a person ( or even a pet ) , it can automatically capture the depth data in the background , and you’re able to twist it into a Portrait image after the fact .
I tend to take a mountain of pic of my girl , and the newAuto Portrait mode is in spades one of my pet new features of the entire lineup . Since my daughter is a very alive tot , it ’s hard for me to get honest photo when she ’s on the move , let alone portraits ( every 2nd count ! ) . This feature has set aside me to capture some somewhat amazing portraiture that I would never have been able to capture with my former iPhone 14 Pro . It ’s super easy to turn on Portrait musical mode after the figure of speech is appropriate , and even adjusting the intensity of your ground fuzz is super intuitive .
The large sensors in the iPhone 15 cameras also allow it to reach 2x optical zoom without an literal telephoto lens , which is seemly . You wo n’t get all of the finer details with an actual telephoto lens , but it does n’t attend half sorry , all thing considered . The iPhone 15 also seems to do well in low - light environments , as more details are catch even when the scene is pallidly lighted .
Overall , the cameras on the iPhone 15 are pretty good , especially if you ’re upgrading from aged models . If you demand a bit more with the cameras , then you should considerthe iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max .
iPhone 15: battery life
Apple included slimly larger batteries across the intact iPhone 15 lineup . For the iPhone 15 specifically , there ’s a 3,349mAh battery inside , which is a slender bump from the 3,279mAh from its predecessor . Unfortunately , this is still very much a one - daylight phone .
An average day of telephone utilisation for me look like this : always checking electronic mail in Spark and Microsoft Outlook , mail messages in Teams , a lot of iMessage use , societal medium , Apple Music streaming , Disney+ cyclosis , World Wide Web browsing in Safari , and some clear gaming . In my time with the iPhone 15 , I ’ve been playingHello Kitty Island Adventureon Apple Arcade .
The telephone come off the charger around 6 a.m. , and by the time I go to layer around 10:30 p.m. , it is at 30 % . This seems pretty average , and unlike my iPhone 15 Pro , the iPhone 15 did not seem to have an overheating issue . It does get lovesome , but not to the stage where I ca n’t comfortably hold it . I feel like this is mayhap due to having the A16 Bionic rather than the A17 Pro chip .
I have enjoyed havingUSB - C on the iPhone 15 , though I do wish well Apple meliorate charge fastness with that change . With USB - C , I have more pick of cable television to use , rather than the proprietary Lightning cable television . plug away in the iPhone 15 with at least a 20W adapter sire you about 50 % charge in 30 minute , which is the same as before .
MagSafe charging remains at 15W speeds and 7.5W for Qi - compatible wireless charging . The new reverse telegraph charging , where you may apply your iPhone 15 to blame up other devices through a USB - C cable , is capped at 4.5W. I ’m a petty surprised that Apple did n’t also add together inverse wireless charging , as that is uncouth with a lot of Android devices , and it ’s less convenient to always have a supernumerary USB - C cable W. C. Handy .
iPhone 15: price and availability
The iPhone 15 amount in five colors : dark , pinkish , green , yellow , and blue . It starts at $ 799 for 128 GB , and you may get more storage with the 256 GB or 512 GB variants .
It ’s usable on all major bearer , though you could save some money by checking out what iPhone 15 deals are currently usable . In some cause , you could even get it for innocent ( or close to it ) .
iPhone 15: verdict
This is one of Apple ’s bighearted upgrade for the standard iPhone model in years . It may not be a big variety if you ’re come from an iPhone 13 or iPhone 14 , but for those who are coming from one-time iPhone models , then this is a significant one .
The biggest upgrade is , of course , the cameras . The iPhone has been using 12MP cameras since the iPhone 6S in 2015 , so with the start to 48MP on the standard iPhone 15 , it ’s the first time Apple has bumped the camera up in almost a decade . The result photos with the main camera also look fantastic , with nicely saturate colors that do n’t look washed out and have plenty of sharp details .
Apple ditching Lightning for USB - C is also quite a significant change , and it ’s most welcome . Though the charging speeding is still capped at around 20W , having USB - C yield you more option for cables since it ’s a cosmopolitan monetary standard with most other electronics these daylight — include Apple ’s own iPads and MacBooks . Plus , you ’re capable to apply your iPhone 15 to charge up other gadget when postulate , which is handy , though it ’s surprising that Apple did n’t choose reverse wireless charging instead .
The Dynamic Island is a fun improver , but for me , it has n’t been an absolute must in the past year with the iPhone 14 Pro , though hopefully that change now with extensive adoption . The lusterlessness glass back just feel incredibly nice compared to older models , combined with the more ergonomic rounded edges , makes for an overall well-off experience when using it . I just like that Apple would kick downstairs up that refresh rate to be a scrap more competitive with Android devices at that price head .
While this is a substantial upgrade for the standard iPhone , it still falls short of some of the competition .
TheSamsung Galaxy S24costs around the same terms as the iPhone 15 but has a 120Hz refresh rate on the 6.2 - column inch AMOLED show . You also have a triple - lens camera with 50MP main , 12MP ultrawide , and 10MP telephoto lenses , whereas the iPhone 15 does n’t even have an factual telephotograph lens . The battery is also more than the iPhone 15 with a 4,000 mAh cell , and with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy cow dung , the barrage fire life-time is very impressive , lasting a full twenty-four hours . You also have inverse wireless charging .
Then there ’s theGoogle Pixel 8 . The retail Leontyne Price for the Pixel 8 is $ 699 , making it a cheaper alternative to the iPhone 15 , but you also get more features . The 6.2 - inch AMOLED display of the Pixel 8 has a 120Hz refresh rate , which is more than the iPhone 15 . The Pixel 8 also has a dual television camera system with a 50MP main gunman and a 12MP ultrawide . The Pixel 8 also has the most line of descent Android experience , similar to Io on the iPhone .
But if you ’re set to stick with Io and need an upgrade for your iPhone — or are just considering your first iPhone — the iPhone 15 is a decent alternative . It ’s almost like getting last yr ’s iPhone 14 Pro at a cheaper price and with a better , more well-to-do , and lightweight build . Though you still do n’t get some things like the always - on display and telephoto camera , it ’s a comely phone for most people .
However , at this item in 2024 , the iPhone 15 is a tricky earphone to recommend . If you could hold in out a few more month and require to be indisputable you getallof the new feature come up in iOS 18 — including Apple Intelligence — you should attempt to wait for the iPhone 16 . But if you do n’t manage about that stuff and nonsense and you just want an iPhoneright now , the iPhone 15 is still a full , reliable French telephone .