iPhone 15 Pro Reviews: Improvements Go Well Beyond USB-C

[Reeneman]

I really want to be head over heels to get it, but this year I honestly can't force myself. I have had every iteration outside of the first iPhone and the 7, no feat to brag about just fanboyism at it's finest. This iPhone feels too incremental for me, even more so than the S upgrades of yesteryear. I am one of the few opposed to USB C in the short term but might feel otherwise after some time passes. I honestly hate how most "major" upgrades always seem to be camera-related. I get it this generation of consumers is pretty narcissistic and wants to share their life with the internet constantly, but man do I miss the days of new smartphones having upgraded DACs, tweaks or changes to their display panels, etc. I may purchase one before my carrier $1000 off offer expires but I don't feel as excited to upgrade. I now understand why some keep their devices 2-3 years, there really isn't too much necessary or even fun change coming year to year anymore.

These devices are nearly complete as they are. There is not that much more possible in the way they are now.
Upgraded GPU/CPU is nice but the average user won’t utilize the power in any way, camera improvements are little, the smaller pro has the exact same camera lenses as the 14 pro.

I will upgrade from a 13 Pro because I still got a good amount of money for the „old“ device but at the end I won’t notice a huge difference. Always on display will be nice but that’s mainly all.

 

[StuBeck]

Any of these compare it to the 13 Pro Max? I don't expect much differences from the 14 to the 15, but having some information on a 2 year cycle would be useful.

 

[Stromos]

The luxury look is gone. These look basic and even lighter. Doesn’t feel or look premium anymore. Dull.

Yes if it doesn't break your face its obviously not a premium device.

If it's not heavy its not expensive. They need to cut the price by at least 50%.

I need my Apple Watch to be at least 50 lbs so I can wear one on each wrist and bulk up to fight Goku.

If it's heavier people complain, if its lighter people complain. They need to make the phone extremely light so they can introduce Magsafe iWeights, Magnetic add-on weights to make the device feel as premium as you want.

Reminds me of the dumb Logitech mice that had the weight cartridge so you could get the "perfect weight". Maybe Apple should make a case that you can add or remove a tray of tiny weights.

 

[waquzy]

Now let’s see if any reviews compare camera results from iPhone 14 pro even if it’s the same sensor…

 

[pierre_rush]

The new brushed titanium vs old polished stainless steel on the sides is enough by itself for me. This 14 Pro Max is a fingerprint magnet. It's gross.

Mr Who's the Boss' review says the titanium scratches easier than the stainless steel, but (silver lining) it is less visible.

 

[Jetcat3]

These reviews give nothing conclusive on battery life. Anyone found one that does?

Tom’s Guide has a 150 nits LTE web browsing test for 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max reviews.

 

[klasma]

Sounds like he doesn't know the volume buttons already function as physical shutter buttons.

The benefit of the action button is that it isn’t located opposite the power button (as the volume buttons originally weren’t before the iPhone 6).

 

[Mikep976]

I can’t help but see all these reviews and videos and get a tinge of “I guess it’s good, but doesn’t really push the boundaries” while you could go across the OS pond and get something innovative, like fitting a folded tablet in your pocket. I’ll be curious to see MrMobile’s review, as he’s super into the foldable space. Still upgrading as my battery is near the end and I want a bigger phone for work, but dang, I’ll have a hard time justifying the next upgrade unless it does something innovative. We’ll see what V2/3 of the Pixel Fold does, or upgrades to the Fold6/7, but I just love iOS and the ecosystem sooo much. I just feel like the HW is a bit boring.

 

[klasma]

The new brushed titanium vs old polished stainless steel on the sides is enough by itself for me. This 14 Pro Max is a fingerprint magnet. It's gross.

Maybe curb your expectations: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-titanium-is-a-fingerprint-magnet.2402064/

 

[klasma]

The luxury look is gone.

The stainless steel always looked like cheap bling to me.

 

[thadoggfather]

iPhone 15 Pro Review: Doing What Google’s Pixel 7 Pro Doesn’t

The new cameras are the best they’ve been on the iPhone. Battery and performance also remain reliable.

gizmodo.com

not sure if this is the case in all night situations but the left and right night mode photos comparing 14PM to 15PM I barely see any difference overall.

if anything the sky looks more fleshed out in 14PM, but maybe the slightest bit more light detail captured in the homes/buildings to the left on 15PM? Really pixel peeping / grasping for straws, however

Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) on X

Someone has already managed to scratch the titanium edges of the new iPhone 15 Pro 💀

x.com

Durability seems a concern too. Would probably opt for white or titanium if going pro to try to minimize this

 

[aParkerMusic]

The luxury look is gone. These look basic and even lighter. Doesn’t feel or look premium anymore. Dull.

These things are subjective, so I respect your opinion.

But, I thought the polished stainless steel looked classy on the iPhone X to iPhone 11 Pro…then when the sides became flat looked incredibly cheap and chintzy.

I love how the titanium sides call back to the brushed metal of the iPhone 4!

 

[klasma]

I’m curious about the action button…can you use the button to set your phone to mute and then repurpose it for something else? I never take my phone off mute because I usually have my watch on. Is there somewhere in settings or control center to mute/unmute the phone?

IPads have had a Silent Mode option in Control Center since they lost their mute switch. I would guess that’s now also available on the new iPhones.

 

[Eggtastic]

Looks awesome and it ticked my boxes of complaints for the 14 pro (glossy, shiny sides and bezel size).

I am on the 2-3 year upgrade route. Still able to sell previous phone for good $$$. So I will be waiting for the 16 pro max.

 

[Adelphos33]

I think the rumor is that the next pro phones are getting physically larger with iPhone 16. Not sure I will want that. This model, kind of like the 11 and the 13, seems to be a multi year keeper

 

[ShufromChina]

The latest review from Chinese reviewer Geekwan has been posted on the Chinese website bilibili. The review shows that 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max both have stepped back in terms of battery life, with 15 Pro being the worst. This is beyond unacceptable from what we expect out of a 3nm chip.

 

[jicon]

I really want to be head over heels to get it, but this year I honestly can't force myself. I have had every iteration outside of the first iPhone and the 7, no feat to brag about just fanboyism at it's finest. This iPhone feels too incremental for me, even more so than the S upgrades of yesteryear. I am one of the few opposed to USB C in the short term but might feel otherwise after some time passes. I honestly hate how most "major" upgrades always seem to be camera-related. I get it this generation of consumers is pretty narcissistic and wants to share their life with the internet constantly, but man do I miss the days of new smartphones having upgraded DACs, tweaks or changes to their display panels, etc. I may purchase one before my carrier $1000 off offer expires but I don't feel as excited to upgrade. I now understand why some keep their devices 2-3 years, there really isn't too much necessary or even fun change coming year to year anymore.

Why 2-3 years? I've had one cell phone, an iPhone 7 that I'm reluctantly swapping for a 15Pro this year. I use that 7 all the time, swapped a battery a few years ago, and its been solid. Most apps run fine... Safari sometimes has fits, but presume that might be memory and iOS version related.

I predict I won't notice much difference other than a heavier phone, and bigger display, plus a few incremental changes to iOS since 15. I was looking up differences between the A10 and the A17... Sure, core performance has about doubled in that time, but in terms of electronics going from 10nm to 3nm, I'd be expecting much better result a few decades prior. Presume as apps load fine today anyway on the 7, I'm really not going to notice that difference.

I'll keep this new phone for six years. Likely swap a battery at the 3 year mark again. I'd suggest others do the same.

 

[klasma]

These reviews give nothing conclusive on battery life. Anyone found one that does?

It may be too early to tell, as new/upgraded phones tend to run more background tasks (indexing or whatever) in the first few days.

 

[Rogue AI]

I don’t understand the battery life test from Tom’s Guide. How many of us are using our phones at 150 nits? 150 nits is super dim.

 

[AbSoluTc]

It's that time again, the usual YouTubers simping for Apple again.

Bascially. Same people, same spiel, year after year. Been over it for a few years now. Especially iJustine

 

[Rogue AI]

I've been an Apple fan for a long time but man these "reviews" are starting to bore the life out of me. No disrespect to any of the creators.

They read like PR fluff from Apple.

I suggest staying away from YouTube reviewers because they’re worse.

 

[waquzy]

The latest review from Chinese reviewer Geekwan has been posted on the Chinese website bilibili. The review shows that 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max both have stepped back in terms of battery life, with 15 Pro being the worst. This is beyond unacceptable from what we expect out of a 3nm chip. View attachment 2269085

“Beyond unacceptable”

🤣

 

[NCPine]

Apple didn't make the camera, Sony did. I believe similar and better have been availble on Android devices for some time (years actually).

Apple really "phoned in" the update this year. These selling points are a major stretch with updates to things no one asked for. In the near future, iPhone will converge with Android devices. Not really better in any way, just different.

The whole action button comment about "can be used as a shutter, but the volume button already did that...." is hilarious. There was nothing more simplistic about the switch for the primary function of a phone (as a phone!): mute (and I know it's muted even when in my pocket without looking during meetings and theater settings) or on: when I am actively waiting for an important text or call. If they needed to add another button, they should have added another button, not removed the switch. I suspect that it is actually a cost saving move, and they put it on the Pro models to pretend it's a selling point (that nobody wanted!). There was already a way to turn on the flashlight, many people turn it on by accident all the time, but that's another issue with their UI changes.

Whatever the reasons were that they switched to the titanium alloy chassis are, SWAP (Size Weight and Power), is not truly the reason they made the change. Somehow the new chassis material provides long run cost savings in manufacturing. It's not a consumer feature. Whoever complained that their iPhone was too heavy or its "moment of inertia" (as recently claimed) was too torquey, or that their material isn't strong enough?

Now if they could make Siri actually function without screwing up so much, that would be a feature that people HAVE been complaining about for a long time.

I'm so disappointed in Apple this year .

 

[Unregistered 4U]

EMMMMMMMBARGO, OH OH OH OH!
IS No Mo
OH OH OHOH!

 

[cocky jeremy]

Maybe curb your expectations: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-titanium-is-a-fingerprint-magnet.2402064/

Looks like they just finished playing with their pet pig before touching it. No way clean hands will look that bad.