Apple's iPhone 15 Lineup Delivers Small but Solid Improvements
The Dynamic Island feature inherited from the iPhone 14 Pro models may make the entry-level iPhone 15 the most compelling upgrade
Just like last year, if you’re thinking of upgrading to one of Apple’s new iPhone 15 models, the choices are pretty clear.
If you want the latest features, you’ll want an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max.
If you’re less concerned with cutting-edge tech but still want something that’s capable and reliable, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are good choices, as well.
Those are the high-level takeaways of CR’s formal iPhone 15 testing, which just wrapped up after several weeks, based on phones we purchased at retail.
The full results, available exclusively to CR members, show four smartphones that earn top marks across the full range of factors that we test, including performance, battery life, and camera quality. All four models, which use USB-C instead of the familiar Lightning port, are now among the top-rated smartphones in our ratings, with the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max earning the highest-ever score for a smartphone.
Simply put, these are Apple’s best iPhones yet. (Check out CR’s iPhone reviews.)
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus
Both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are good choices, scoring well across all of our tests. But there’s one key metric where the iPhone 15 Plus stands out: battery life.
While these two phones are otherwise similarly capable—they are essentially the same phone, except for size—the iPhone 15 Plus lasts an impressive 53 hours in our tests compared with 41 hours for the iPhone 15. For even more context, last year’s iPhone 14 Plus has 48 hours of battery life, as measured in our tests.
But for everything else, including the front and rear cameras as well as overall performance, these two are the same. Because of that, which one is right for you largely comes down to preference: Do you want a big screen but don’t need any “Pro” features? Or would you prefer something that you can more easily use with one hand?
I will say that I switched from the iPhone XS to the 14 Pro Max a year ago (in part to get better battery life) and got used to the larger size in only a few days.
In any event, the biggest addition for most consumers will likely be the USB-C port that replaces the Lightning port that first appeared on the iPhone 5 in 2012. So what does that mean?
You’ll find a USB-C cable in the box with the phone, but the power adapter needed to plug the device into a standard electrical outlet is not included. So if you don’t already own one made for a laptop or tablet, you may have to buy one. Apple sells them starting at $19, but you can find them at other retailers for less.
I own a 2020 MacBook Air, so I was able to charge the iPhone 15 using the power adapter made for my laptop.
What do you as a consumer get from the transition to USB-C, other than, potentially, having to buy new cables for your home, office, car, and so on?
Eh, not much.
Before the iPhone 15 was officially introduced, there was speculation that the move to USB-C might lead to faster data transfer speeds. And that’s still true, but not for the standard iPhone 15, which relays data at Lightning-like speeds (480 megabits per second). That’s somewhat slow by today’s standards, especially when you’re transferring photos and videos to your Mac for editing. If you do that often, it makes sense to consider stepping up to one of the Pro models, which transfer data at up to 10 gigabits per second (more than 20 times faster).
The other big addition to the iPhone 15 is the Dynamic Island feature that debuted on last year’s iPhone 14 Pro. The pill-shaped interactive widget replaces the static “notch” found on every previous model dating back to the iPhone X. Mobile apps can use the space to display weather alerts, sports scores, the name and number for an incoming phone call, timer countdowns, and more.
While it probably won’t revolutionize the way you use your phone, the Dynamic Island is a handy feature to have, and it’s nice to see it become available to more people.
Lastly, Apple has upgraded the phones’ main camera from 12 to 48 megapixels. Our testers find the camera to be among the best in our ratings, echoing what I thought in my own informal use. The additional pixels may not mean much if you’re simply taking photos for Instagram, but if you’re looking to make additional edits using apps like Adobe Lightroom or the popular iOS/macOS app Darkroom, the extra pixels may come in handy.
Note that the always-on display and ProMotion, the high-refresh-rate display tech that originated on the iPhone 13 Pro, are still exclusive to the Pro.
I missed ProMotion while using the iPhone 15. That’s probably because I’ve used a high-refresh-rate computer monitor for about 10 years and have gotten used to that level of fluidity when scrolling through content. At the same time, it’s hard to miss what you’ve never experienced, so as long as you’re not going to a regular iPhone 15 from a 13 Pro or 14 Pro, I don’t think you’ll mind.
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
Both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max should be familiar to anyone who’s used a Pro model iPhone within the last few years: Take the base model iPhone and add a better camera system, a faster processor, and other assorted quality-of-life enhancements and you have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
That’s the basic story this year, too.
Photo: Nicholas De Leon/Consumer Reports Photo: Nicholas De Leon/Consumer Reports
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is now the top-rated smartphone in our rankings, in part because its camera scores higher than last year’s 14 Pro Max. While the camera in last year’s Pro Max tops out at 3x optical zoom, the new phone can zoom optically up to 5x. It’s a pretty dramatic difference, one that should make it easier to take photos of everything from faraway mountaintops to your children playing sports after school.
The 5x optical zoom is exclusive to the 15 Pro Max; the camera on the 15 Pro stops at 3x. So if you’re the type of person who needs the iPhone with the best camera possible, this is the first time in a few years that you have to go with the larger Pro Max.
Also unique to the 15 Pro models is a new button on the side of the device where the mute switch used to be. For years, many people simply turned that switch “on,” never to push it again. So Apple turned it into what it calls the Action button. By default, this button will mute the phone, but it can also be programmed to perform any number of other tasks, like opening the camera app, turning on the flashlight, and triggering an iOS Shortcut.
Shortcuts are an underappreciated feature in iOS that lets you automate certain tasks. For instance, you might press the Action button to trigger a Shortcut that tells your WiFi-connected garage door to open as you pull into the driveway, or to turn on your Apple TV and lower your smart lights to get ready for some serious relaxing.
Photo: Nicholas De Leon/Consumer Reports Photo: Nicholas De Leon/Consumer Reports
Are people going to rush out to upgrade for the Action button? Probably not, but I personally think it shows Apple at its best, taking the little-used mute switch and turning it into a blank canvas for you to experiment with.
Bottom line? The year-on-year differences may be getting harder to spot, but this year’s iPhone 15 lineup is another solid showing from Apple, with the 15 Pro Max now topping our smartphone ratings. And with the rest of the lineup also scoring very well, it’s largely a question of personal preference when deciding which model is right for you.
Personally, I’m not sure I’d be compelled to upgrade from last year’s iPhone 14 lineup, but for consumers with the iPhone 13 or older? There’s enough here to likely make it worth your while.
