The iPhone 15 seems too good to be real. Apple’s new $800 flagship is one of the biggest upgrades in the company’s history. Is there a catch?
Not too long ago I explained why last year’s vanilla iPhone 14 model was the smallest upgrade Apple’s ever come up with. That’s because the was essentially an iPhone 13 with a bit more RAM and satellite connectivity.
Without a doubt, and iPhone 14 Plus were one of the least glamorous moments in Cupertino’s long history of phone-making but there’s a positive twist here (well, certainly not for users).
When the bar is set so low, jumping over it becomes a matter of time, and the time has come. iPhone 15 is here to help Apple fans forget about the lacklustre iPhone 14.
Despite the lack of some premium features that some smartphone nerds would consider “fundamental” (like a 120Hz display, or a dedicated zoom camera), the new entry-level model turns out to be such a huge upgrade compared to last year’s that it almost seems too good to be true.
In fact, I see the as the second biggest upgrade in Apple’s recent history, second only to the iPhone 7 – iPhone X leap from 2017. Even better, the is such a good package that it also seems to make last year’s premium iPhone 14 Pro model look bad, which has never been the case until now.
The $800 iPhone 15 is this year’s surprise Semi-Pro iPhone we didn’t even know we needed.
There are a few different ways to talk about the list of upgrades on and iPhone 15 Plus this year but I think the most appropriate one would be to put the upgrades into two categories – subjective and objective.Spoiler alert: the only “subjective” category here is the new camera.
Apart from the lack of the 120Hz ProMotion tech and Always-on display function, iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus now share the same displays with the more expensive iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max – they get just as bright, and you get the Dynamic Island cutout instead of the notch, as well as slimmer borders; this is a notable moment in Apple’s history – so far, Pro iPhone models have always had noticeably better displays than their vanilla counterparts
The design of Apple’s vanilla flagship finally looks somewhat new; the Dynamic Island, contoured edges, matte finish, and slimmer display borders now make iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feel different than before, as well as a bit more compact and easier to hold; that’s another upgrade we don’t often see from Apple – both a visual and practical design change, in one generation
Of course, the USB-C upgrade with reverse charging (allowing you to use your iPhone to charge your AirPods, Apple Watch, etc.) is the cherry on top this year, letting you charge your iPhone, MacBook, iPad, and AirPods with the same cable for the first time ever; sure, the USB-C port in iPhone 15 isn’t exactly fast at transferring data but that’s totally fine, since most people who buy the vanilla iPhone don’t use is for transferring large files/work
The brand new UWB 2 chip in iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus now lets you locate your lost/misplaced iPhone faster; that’s because Precision finding now works from a longer distance; take it for what it’s worth but that makes iPhone 15 the most “findable” smartphone in the world
While the A16 Bionic chip in iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus is the same one used in last year’s iPhone 14 Pro, this SoC is still more powerful than anything else available on the market right now (at least according to benchmarks); this guarantees iPhone 15 should work reliably for years to comeUpgraded camera in iPhone 15 is almost too good to be true: Super detailed 24 and 48MP photos, dramatically improved Portrait mode, optical-quality 2x zoom, better HDR and selfie camera
I must preface this section by reminding everyone that I’ve criticized the iPhone’s camera for years now, and that’s because Apple deserved it.
