Under pressure from the European Commission, Apple has now also switched to USB-C to charge and sync its new iPhones. Is this the most eye-catching difference between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 series, or are there more substantial improvements that justify a purchase this year?
It has been a long time coming: the much-vaunted Lightning port has come to the end of its useful life with the iPhone 15 series. Lightning was announced by Apple in 2012 (with the introduction of the iPhone 5), with Apple having thrown its full weight behind this standard for more than a decade, with no changes or tweaks that have caused incompatibility. While the switch from Lightning to USB-C is annoying for those with a house full of Lightning accessories and cables (including yours truly), it’s not surprising that it’s now time for a new, faster standard. However, it’s unfortunate that the USB-C port is more fragile mechanically than Lightning. Nevertheless, the European Commission forced Apple’s hand, so USB-C it is.
Clear lineup
Although we still regret the removal of the ‘mini’ from the range, the lineup of the iPhone 15 series is exceptionally uncluttered. For the average user, there’s the ‘normal’ iPhone 15 and the ‘large’ iPhone 15 Plus. For professional users, Apple offers the ‘normal’ iPhone 15 Pro and the ‘large’ iPhone 15 Pro Max. Dimensions aside, the two iPhone 15 handsets are nearly identical in terms of specifications. Something similar applies to the two iPhone 15 Pro handsets – with one significant difference on the camera front, which we will touch on later. Those looking to spend less money on an iPhone can opt for one of the older models or the iPhone SE, but the latter has not been updated this year.
Although we received an iPhone 15 Pro from Apple as a test model, we will briefly talk about the iPhone 15, where we see the most significant differences from its predecessors. Indeed, whereas Apple introduced the ‘Dynamic Island’ with the iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max, the iPhone 14 / Plus still had to make do with the old familiar ‘notch’. With the iPhone 15 / Plus, this has been rectified, as we also see Apple’s new user interface popping up quite clearly here.
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
| Starting price | € 969 | € 1,119 | € 1,229 | € 1,479 |
| Screen diagonal | 6,1 inch | 6,7 inch | 6,1 inch | 6,7 inch |
| Screen resolution | 2556×1179, 460ppi | 2796×1290, 460ppi | 2556×1179, 460ppi | 2796×1290, 460ppi |
| Screen type | Super Retina XDR OLED | Super Retina XDR OLED | Super Retina XDR OLED | Super Retina XDR OLED |
| ProMotion / Always-on | no (60Hz) / no | no (60Hz) / no | yes (1-120Hz) / yes | yes (1-120Hz) / yes |
| Dynamic Island | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Processor | A16 | A16 | A17 Pro | A17 Pro |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Rear camera | 48MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide) | 48MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide) | 48MP (tele), 12MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide) | 48MP (tele), 12MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide) |
| LiDAR | no | no | yes | yes |
| Zoom (optical/digital) | no / 5x | no / 5x | 3x / 15x | 5x / 25x |
| Camera front | 12MP | 12MP | 12MP | 12MP |
| Connectivity | 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.3, UWB | 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.3, UWB | 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.3, UWB, Thread | 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.3, UWB, Thread |
| 5G / Satellite support | yes / yes | yes / yes | yes / yes | yes / yes |
| Wireless Charging | yes (15W) | yes (15W) | yes (15W) | yes (15W) |
| Dimensions | 148 x 72 x 7.8 mm | 161 x 78 x 7.8 mm | 147 x 71 x 8.3 mm | 160 x 77 x 8.3 mm |
| Weight | 171 grams | 201 grams | 187 grams | 221 grams |
New casing and Action button
Anyone comparing the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro must have a keen eye to discern the differences. Those differences become apparent when you pick up the devices: Apple switched from stainless steel to titanium for the iPhone 15 Pro, making the device considerably lighter. With that, it is also immediately more comfortable to hold. The display itself has become slightly larger, resulting in thinner screen bezels, but in practice, this is hardly noticeable.
More subtly, the mute switch on the left side of the device, above the volume keys, has made way for a new Action button. This button can perform an adjustable action by holding it down for a long time. With that, it no longer has to serve as the “mute” option. The button can allow for instantly opening the camera, translating calls, or performing a Shortcut. That’s a fantastic improvement. Although the functionality could have been implemented even better as far as we are concerned, the button only supports long presses and no double or triple clicks. Hopefully, this will be added in a future iOS version.
Pro Max for photographers
In practice, the Action button and the USB-C connector significantly impact everyday use. The iPhone 15 Pro doesn’t actually feel significantly faster, nor does it have a longer battery life than the iPhone 14 Pro. The slightly larger screen is not noticeable in practice, and while the cameras have improved, those who do not engage in professional photography will see few differences. One exception is the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which, unlike its smaller brother, features a significantly better zoom lens. Whereas the iPhone 15 Pro makes do with a triple optical zoom, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a five-fold optical zoom (with stabilization) on board. Those who really use their iPhone a lot for photography (for example, travel photography) would be better off buying the Pro Max.
iOS 17
The most exciting improvements are not in the hardware but in the software. With iOS 16, Apple focused on ways to personalize the iPhone more, and with iOS 17, all rough edges here are blatantly smoothed out. Mind you, iOS 17 runs on all modern iPhone models and some exceptions aside, nobody needs to switch to the iPhone 15 series to take advantage of all the new features.
A few examples: all contacts can now get their own “Contact Poster” with an image or Memoji; widgets are now interactive, so you no longer have to open the underlying app to perform basic operations; Standby lets you use the iPhone as a screen for important information, and on modern Apple TVs you can now use the iPhone as a FaceTime camera.
We’re especially big fans of the improvements to AirDrop. You can quickly and easily exchange contact information by tapping your iPhone against someone else’s iPhone or Apple Watch. And those who transfer files via AirDrop no longer have to wait for the transfer to end – the transfer continues seamlessly over WiFi if the device is no longer within Bluetooth range. iOS 17.2 introduces the latest improvements announced earlier this year, and as far as we’re concerned, iOS 17 is a mature, stable operating system that shows Apple is listening to customer feedback – especially after the buggy iOS 13.
Should you upgrade?
Unless you’re eager to get rid of all your Lightning accessories, there’s relatively little reason to upgrade from the iPhone 13 or 14 to the iPhone 15. Yes, the device is a bit lighter as well as faster and the cameras are better. However, at the end of the day, these are improvements at the margin. Rumours are circulating that the iPhone 16 and iOS 18 will focus heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) to make the iPhone an actual personal assistant. If you can get another year with your current device, then as far as we’re concerned, it pays to wait and see what Apple will do in 2024.
If you have an iPhone 12 or older, now is a great time to switch. The differences between this generation and the iPhone 15 series are significant enough to justify the purchase, and we dare say that the iPhone 15 will easily last you another few years.
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