As long as you don’t mind the lack of a telephoto lens, the iPhone 15 is a solid sub-Pro phone.
With Google’s next-gen flagship launching just around the corner, this felt like an apt time to visit the iPhone 15/15 Plus and see what this “first tier” model offers alongside its counterpart in the Android world. At its core, the iPhone 15/15 Plus are all the best bits of the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max without debut features like an Action Button and a periscopic camera. They also come in fun colors with last year’s Pro-level guts—save for the telescopic camera.
I’ve been using the iPhone 15 alongside the Google Pixel 7, which will expire once Google reveals the Pixel 8. The iPhone 15 suffers from some of the same setbacks as Google’s un-Pro model, like limited zoom due to that missing third lens. But it also excels in ways the Pixel 8 will hopefully aspire. The front-facing camera is one of the best for TikTok selfie rants, and the battery life doesn’t make me fear leaving the house with a USB-C cable. Also, isn’t it nice the iPhone uses USB-C now? I can share cables between my Android and Apple review units.
Apple’s sub-Pro tier iPhone is an excellent package for anyone who doesn’t need to zoom in.
Apple’s sub-Pro tier iPhone is an excellent package for anyone who doesn’t need to zoom in.
I am a sucker for a pastel. It pertains to my feminine side, though I don’t like something that’s too overt. I hate the default pink offering that seems to be on every phone maker’s inventory list. The iPhone 15’s pink colorway is also too blush for my liking, though I heard squeals of delight when it was announced in person in the Steve Jobs Theater. I’m not one to squash personal preference. I’m happy for those of you who wanted pink.
The iPhone 15 has a more polished chassis than the Pixel 7’s shiny back. Apple infused glass throughout the chassis and used a new manufacturing method. The iPhone’s backside is “strengthened with an optimized dual-ion exchange process before being polished with nanocrystalline particles.” The outcome is a smartphone that looks like it’s been tumbled around like sea glass. I love how smooth it is.
I also like how well it pairs with PopSockets’ new MagSafe accessories. The transparent PopSocket with one of these pastel colorways is charming. Adding one of Apple’s FineWoven cases is not, and even though I don’t think they’re as bad as the rest of the internet says the cases are, I don’t like that they hide the iPhone 15’s soft aesthetic.
The iPhone 15 has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, while the 15 Plus is 6.7 inches. They both sport the 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island, officially considered a fixture of Apple devices. I like the Dynamic Island because it’s kind of an Android artifact—it’s like when a notification bubble quickly pops up to let you know what’s happening in the background, except way less intrusive.
