The iPhone 15 is here, and it’s a significant upgrade for the base model. Is it worth getting? It depends on what you were using before.
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 fawning over the Pro models, the regular iPhone 15 is actually a big deal too.
Last year, Apple didn’t make a lot of changes with the iPhone 14 that made it worth getting over the iPhone 13 from two years ago. But with the iPhone 15, there are some pretty significant changes — including the Dynamic Island, USB-C charging, a 48MP main camera, and the A16 Bionic chipset.
Do all of these changes make the standard iPhone 15 worth it? You better believe it.iPhone 15: design
On the surface, the iPhone 15 looks similar to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 that came before it. You have flat edges, an aluminum frame, a glass back, and a diagonal dual camera layout. But that’s where the similarities end.
Previous models of the standard iPhone had a glossy glass back, which I was never a big fan of. The glossy texture meant it would always be a fingerprint and smudge magnet.
Thankfully, the iPhone 15 eliminates this problem by using a new, “color-infused” glass back that results in an incredibly nice matte finish. With this new matte glass, it’s very hard to see fingerprints, at least on the green model that I was sent. This should also apply to the other lighter colors as well, but I’m not sure about the black option.
The matte glass also seems like it makes it easier to hold the iPhone 15 without a case. At least for me, it does not feel as slippery as other models. My only complaint with the “color-infused” glass is that the colors are super light and pale for most of the lineup. It seems that pink looks the best, and green is not as bad as I originally thought. But the blue appears to look especially bad with how pale it is.
Also, unlike previous models, the iPhone 15 has a bit of curvature going on the edges, so it is not as sharp as before. This is a welcome change, as it definitely helps with making it feel more ergonomic to hold — especially when combined with the lightweight aluminum frame.
Speaking of aluminum frame, as someone who has only really used the Pro models of iPhones, I appreciate the aluminum being pretty resistant to fingerprints and smudges, unlike stainless steel and titanium.
Unlike the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus still have the Ring/Silent switch, so that is unchanged, along with the volume and side buttons.
On the bottom, however, you will now find a USB-C port for charging, as Apple finally eliminated Lightning. We’ll get more into that in a bit.iPhone 15: screen
For the standard iPhone 15, we have a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display that supports 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 nits for normal brightness and up to 2,000 nits for peak outdoor brightness.
The display on the iPhone 15 looks pretty good. The colors are bright and vibrant, text is sharp and crisp. For the average person, this display is great. But if you’re coming from a Pro model with ProMotion, or even an Android phone, then you might notice some janky scrolling and transition animations. That’s because Apple continues to use a 60Hz refresh rate for the standard iPhone displays, which is disappointing considering the $799 starting price.
When I first got the iPhone 15 and started using it, I honestly didn’t notice the 60Hz refresh rate. But that may be due to the newness of the device and my excitement about getting it. After I got my personal iPhone 15 Pro and have been using that, going back to the standard iPhone 15 display makes it easy to see that scrolling is slower and definitely not as smooth.
Still, while the refresh rate is disappointing compared to the competition, the average non-techie person probably is not going to notice. It certainly isn’t quite like going from non-Retina to Retina (iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4), which was a very obvious difference.
The iPhone 15 display isn’t bad, but the 60Hz is certainly dated when you look at other options on the market. Maybe at some point, Apple could go with at least 90Hz displays on the standard models.
Apple also brought the Dynamic Island to the standard iPhone 15 models after it was an iPhone 14 Pro exclusive last year. One of my issues with the Dynamic Island over the past year was the fact that not a lot 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 creative ways to make use of it.
Unfortunately, the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus do not have an always-on display like the Pro models. I was hoping that Apple would bring that Pro feature down to the standard models as well (Dynamic Island made the jump, after all), but alas, not this year. Perhaps in the next year or two? One can only hope.iPhone 15: software and performance
Apple ships iOS 17 with the standard iPhone 15 models out of the box.
