The iPhone 15 (Plus) is secretly the iPhone you should buy this year. Thanks to the various new features, you no longer need an iPhone 15 Pro! Read all about it in this iPhone 15 review!
iPhone 15 (Plus) review
iPhone 15 (Plus) review
On September 12, it happened again this year: Apple introduced the four new iPhones. The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. During this event, Apple announced the titanium casing of the iPhone 15 Pro (Max) with much fanfare.
But secretly, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus were the real ones stars of the event. Because Apple’s ‘budget’ iPhones have received some major upgrades. This even means that you don’t actually have to buy a Pro anymore…
Chip upgrade: A16
The iPhone 15 (Plus) has of course received a chip upgrade. Both models now contain an A16 chip that is also in the iPhone 14 Pro (Max). When you switch from the iPhone 13 or iPhone 14, you will not notice much of this faster chip in practice, because quite a lot of the processing power is used for functions in the background. But if you switch from an iPhone 12, you will really feel the faster chip.
An advantage of the new chip is of course that you will receive updates from Apple for longer. So you will be good to go with the iPhone 15 (Plus) for the next five to six years.
The screen is now even brighter
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus again have a Super Retina XDR display of 6.1 inches or 6.7 inches. That in itself has all remained the same. But the iPhone 15 (Plus) does have another nice upgrade. The maximum HDR brightness is now 1600 nits, making photos and videos look better than ever in HDR.
In addition, the improved brightness of the screen is also useful on sunny days. The iPhone 15 (Plus) can even boost the screen brightness to a maximum of 2000 nits. This is twice as bright as the previous generation. When you hold the iPhone 15 next to the iPhone 14 (and set the screen to the brightest setting), you will immediately see the difference in brightness.
Significant improvements for the camera
What we were particularly impressed with in this review of the iPhone 15 (Plus) is the camera. Last year, the camera on the iPhone 14 received only a minimal upgrade. But this year, Apple has gone all out with the iPhone 15.
48 megapixels
For example, you now have the new 48 MP sensor on the iPhone 15 (Plus), just like with the Pro iPhones. The iPhone then uses ‘pixel binning’. This merges adjacent pixels. This ensures that you get an even sharper photo, with less noise, even in low light. You will ultimately get a 24 MP photo (on the iPhone 14 this was still 12 MP).
By the way, the 48 MP camera is not the same as that of the Pro. On paper it is even better. But thanks to the software, the final photo is almost as good as its Pro brother.
Also new is that you have the option to shoot a 48 MP photo with the HEIF MAX option. These photos are (slightly) larger than the standard photos and perfect for making a crop without losing too much detail. After all, you have a larger photo to work in. This function is especially suitable for more avid iPhone photographers.
There is a small caveat to this. When you use night mode, you’ll always get 12MP photos, regardless of the setting you’ve chosen. So you can only take the 48 MP photos in enough light.
The camera of the iPhone 15 (Plus) is also a lot better than the previous iPhone. Night photos in particular are less affected by artifacts and noise if you compare them with those of the iPhone 14 (Plus). But you can also see this clearly in photos you take during the day. When you view the photo in its entirety on your iPhone, the difference is not too bad, but when you zoom in, the photos from the iPhone 15 (Plus) are a lot sharper.
In addition, the iPhone 15 (Plus) now also has more zoom levels than previous versions. You now have the choice of 0.5x, 1x and 2x. The 2x zoom may seem like a small upgrade, but it is secretly a very useful extra.
The new zoom is especially useful when taking portrait photos. The iPhone then automatically switches to 2x zoom when the camera is in portrait mode. From now on you no longer have to be so close to your subject.
By the way, it is not a separate zoom lens. The camera uses the middle 24 megapixels of the 48 MP sensor for this. Those 24 megapixels are then combined into a 12 MP photo. As a result, the quality is hardly inferior to a ‘real’ optical zoom, so the 2x function is certainly a welcome addition.
Furthermore, the iPhone 15 (Plus) gets another useful function, which we used quite a lot during our test. Are you taking a photo that shows a person, a dog or a cat? The camera then also automatically saves the depth information. You can then activate portrait mode for these photos afterwards, make the background (less) blurred or even change it.
Welcome to the Dynamic Island
Just like last year’s Pro models, the iPhone 15 (Plus) now has a Dynamic Island. The notch (black notch) has disappeared and has been replaced by a black bar.
The Dynamic Island (which actually consists of two parts) can change size when information is displayed. It is therefore no longer noticeable that there is a camera in the screen at that location.
For example, do you play music with Spotify? The album cover and the equalizer will then appear in the bar. By holding your finger on the Dynamic Island for a moment you will see a small playback menu. If you tap the Dynamic Island, you open the app.
Still a gimmick
Now, slowly but surely, more and more apps (also from third parties) are getting support for the black bar. During the review of the iPhone 15 we found that the Dynamic Island is still more of a gimmick, but at least it is less in the way than the notch. And that’s a bonus.
Also interesting: iPhone 15 battery test – this iPhone has the best battery
Goodbye lightning, hello USB-C
With the current series of iPhones, Apple is also saying goodbye to the Lightning port. You now have to charge the iPhone 15 (Plus) with a USB-C cable. Also nice: the cable that you get with your iPhone is a braided USB-C cable. They are a lot less sensitive to cable breakage.
It is useful that you can now also use the iPhone to charge your AirPods, for example. We tried this a number of times during the review of the iPhone 15. It’s not super fast, but it is sometimes useful if you want to recharge the earbuds and there is no socket nearby. This charging also works with other iPhones, Android smartphones and more.
The USB connection is not very fast for transferring files. You have about the speed of a USB 2.0 port (about 480 Mbps). But it is useful that you can charge the iPhone with the cable of, for example, your MacBook Air or a recent iPad.
New colors and stylish design
The eye also wants something and with the iPhone 15 you are at your beck and call. The iPhone 15 (Plus) is available in a number of cool new colors. There is now a pink, blue, yellow and a green version. You also have a black option. For this review of the iPhone 15 we had the yellow and green version.
The colors are not as bright as the iPhone 14 (Plus) and have a more nuanced look. From a distance, the blue iPhone even looks completely white and the yellow iPhone has a kind of gold cast.
The back is also no longer glossy, but has a matte appearance and the screen edges are rounded. This gives an iPhone 15 (Plus) a very stylish appearance that makes you actually not want to put it in a case.
Also interesting: iPhone 15 covers – these are the nicest options at the moment
The iPhone 15 also has these functions
Of course, the necessary safety functions are still available, such as accident detection and SOS emergency notification via satellite. The Satellite Roadside Assistance feature is new on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
This feature will initially only be introduced in the US. If users are stranded there with car trouble in a place without mobile coverage, they can now call on the help of AAA, the largest roadside assistance service in the country. It remains to be seen whether this feature will ever come to the Netherlands…
Ultra Wide Band
Furthermore, both models have a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip. Two iPhones that both have this chip can make contact over a distance three times as long as before. This opens up all kinds of new features, including Precise Search in Find My Friends. This allows iPhone 15 users to share their location and even find each other in busy places. In our test this worked up to about 60 meters away. A useful function on paper, but then everyone will need an iPhone 15. Only in a few years – when more iPhones have the second generation of Ultra Wideband chip – will it really become useful.
iPhone 15 (Plus) review: conclusion
We were pleasantly surprised by the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Last year the iPhone 14 was not really recommended. This year, just the opposite is true. The iPhone 15 (Plus) now has the best features of last year’s Pro models.
The camera is a lot better and with the new chip you can use your new device for quite some time. The screen is now also easy to read in the sun and the zoom function of the camera is a really welcome addition.
It’s a shame that Apple hasn’t done anything about battery life this year. The iPhone 15 (Plus) lasts just as long on a battery charge as the iPhone 14 (Plus). But to be fair, the iPhone 15 Plus is already quite good.
We do think it’s a shame that you can’t charge even faster. It still takes 30-35 minutes to charge the battery to 50 percent. It takes about an hour and a half to fully charge it.
In addition, with the iPhone 15 (Plus) you do not have a ProMotion screen and you are stuck with the 60 Hz display (without always-on). That is actually outdated and we hope that Apple will decide to bring the ProMotion screen to the regular iPhone with the iPhone 16 (Plus).
Furthermore, you do not have to immediately buy a new iPhone if you still have an iPhone 14 (Plus). Pro owners such as the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro also do not have to run to the store yet. Switching from the iPhone 13 is a questionable situation, but do you still have a regular iPhone 12 or older? Then the switch to the iPhone 15 is definitely worth it.
Buy iPhone 15
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are available with 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB of storage respectively €969 and €1119. For the best price, it is best to check our iPhone 15 price comparator or iPhone 15 Plus price comparator.
On iPhoned we test the latest iPhones and other Apple products. The editorial team (just like all other content on the website) compiles the reviews with a lot of time, care and attention.
This way you as a reader know exactly what to expect from the tested smartphone (and other products). In the reviews we go into depth, but in an understandable way. After all, we want everyone to understand the story and ultimately know how good (or bad) the tested device is.