pommephone
macrumors regular
Oh, it can be done while still having a phone. I recently purchased 3 iPhones in 10 days, returning two of them! Details in this post.
iPhone 15/Plus Who bought the regular 15, and do you love it?
- Thread starter ssledoux
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LongBall14
macrumors member
I went from a 13 PM to a 15 Plus. I did notice the difference losing the promotion display, however, I adjusted quickly without it. I do not miss it. It is snappy. I’ve had my 15 Plus for nearly two weeks at the moment. The camera quality is great, the aluminum and color of the phone are aesthetically gorgeous, the weight and feel is the biggest difference for me and I am pleased with it. I’m planning to go 3-4 years with this phone. Everyone has different taste and if they have the will to adapt to changes. I figured I would share my experience from PM to Plus parallel to your dilemma with the Pro and regular 15.
applepotato666
macrumors 6502a
Regret it why? There’s no dummy stuff on the regular 15. I’d personally say the opposite. Pro-exclusive stuff feels like something that targets people who really need that additional functionality for their work. I don’t care about shooting ProRes LOG footage. I use my camera to capture simple memories, not movies. I don’t need to zoom in 5 times and now with the regular 15 you can get great 2x and Pro-focal length portraits. I agree that in previous gens it was comparable to cars and their added luxuries, but now the Pro feels worthy of the ‘Pro’ title, which is great. 120Hz is probably the only thing the average person would want from the Pro and to a lot of us even that is not worth the added cost. Don’t go for the Pro just because it’s called that.
The.Glorious.Son
macrumors 68000
I agree with you completely. While I don’t have a horse in the race regarding these phones, there are trade offs that don’t always favor the pro.
Some advantages to the vanilla 15:
- fair amount lighter
- better battery life
- slightly better main camera. They don’t highlight this, but the pros got the exact same sensors as last year. While they have better zoom capabilities and a better ultra wide camera, the regular 15 sensor lets in more light. The regular 15 camera, while not having macro mode, also has a much closer focus capability (non macro) than the pros.
- no heat issues (I acknowledge this doesn’t affect all pro phones)
People act like moving from 120Hz to 60Hz is so intolerable. Maybe it’s just me, but put the same phone in front of my face day in and day out….I’m going to adjust to that display. I just am.
Anyway, just some thoughts.
HeyMazza
macrumors regular
I agree with Applepotato. I went from a 14 Pro to the 15 Plus just due to the larger screen size. I didn't play video games or find that I needed the 120htz. I actually had turned it off on my Pro to help with Battery life. I am quite happy with my choice as it works for me on a daily basis. I end my day with enough battery life till the next morning even after heavy use.
ssledoux
macrumors 601
I’m not sure I’d see better battery life, but probably because I would be turning off some of those extra features on the pro, which means they aren’t doing anything for me. Lol
Pro motion is definitely not a biggie for me - I don’t much notice a difference. I have an iPad Air after having a pro, and I honestly just can’t see it. I mean I CAN, but with what I normally do, it just doesn’t matter.
At the end of the day, the pro will last a little longer due to the specs (not that I’d have it that long), and I’d have the macro camera. The benefit of the 15 is the weight (and the colors are more fun).
ssledoux
macrumors 601
That was my original plan because I could get bigger screen without bigger weight, but I wound up going pro max. Had I done just the plus I may have actually stuck with it because I wouldn’t be dealing with size AND weight.
But now I’m afraid to go to a plus because I’m not loving the size of the max (although I’m sure the weight contributes to that). It’s a big jump from a pro max to a regular 15 - I know with a regular pro I’ll still see a weight reduction, but keep most of the features.
The-Real-Deal82
macrumors P6
I don’t think the average consumer is going to notice those differences and even too YouTubers are praising the 15/15Plus as being a decent upgrade for people not bothered by the Pro devices. The OP changes her phone every 12 months too and buys multiple devices trying to decide which one every year, so I doubt any spec differences are going to be noticed.
boltjames
macrumors 601
Weight matters. Bulk matters. Balance matters. The Pro is overkill for the sake of overkill. Dynamic Island, 48mp sensor, the important stuff moved from the Pro to the Standard on the 15, and auto Portrait mode and USB-C are included too. The Pro now? It's a glorified digital camera (for those who can't afford a decent digital camera).
applepotato666
macrumors 6502a
Yup, agree with all of this, but how much longer it'd last is arguable. The quality of life upgrades iOS has been getting are not exactly demanding on the hardware and I don't see a reason to drop the 15 before the 15 Pro with the way iOS and iPhones are going. As a non-Pro user (the way Pro is usually defined outside of Apple upselling), I'm happy with the feature segmentation this year excluding the refresh rate. Perhaps the iPhone 14 taught them that they can't make the regular model a stupid value proposition so intentionally and give such key upgrades to the Pro - the 13 sold more than the 14 while the 14 was out for the first time in iPhone history, and deservedly so. The 14 is also the first iPhone I skipped in a while not because I couldn't upgrade but because of the sheer audacity they had to have to release that - they got too greedy.
Surfsalot
Suspended
yes
macher
macrumors 68040
I got the 15 Pro and to be honest I would have been good with the 15. I don’t use the features the pro has over the 15. The action button is ok.
ssledoux
macrumors 601
I have never bought “multiple devices trying to decide which one.” ONE YEAR I returned an iPhone. ONE. Yeah I’ve sold a couple mid-cycle to try something different, but I’ve returned one, single phone to Apple (and never to ATT until now) since the 3G. I have never purchased more than one to try them out and decide.
And the goal going forward is to try and go more than a year since the changes are minimal, so I’d like to get this one right.
The-Real-Deal82
macrumors P6
I’ve not encountered anybody quite so indecisive over a phone. It feels each year you struggle to decide based on size, weight, camera and in reality it shouldn’t be such a major process. iPhone’s have had minimal updates for many years now and keeping a phone longer than a year has not been an issue for the vast majority of phones users on the planet either. I’m sure I got it wrong about you buying ‘multiple’ phones, it just feels like it as you have the same threads every 12 months.
MarkX
macrumors 65816
If the goal is to get off the annual upgrade train then just pick one and stick with it. Either of the 15's non pro will be more than adequate for at least 2 years plus.
You're overthinking it.
Heck, there are still people using the 6s today and managing so you've nothing really to be concerned about.
austyn23
macrumors 6502a
Buying the Pro because will last longer it does not make sense to me; 6 vs 8gb of ram on a phone? we are on numbers that match the macbook air base model configuration haha.
The iPhone 15 will perform perfect for 4 or 5 years, even more I think; maybe the Pro will stretch that number for 1 more year (but I think you will buy a new one before that 😇).
I always went with the pro for the camera setup, but this year the regular 15 with the main 48MP plus the 24MP file option is a great configuration. Even the 2x zoom performs really good. I dont use the 3x much honestly as I always try to shoot with the main camera because is the one with the better sensor. And I cant remember the last macro photo that I take... 🐜
The iPhone 15 will perform perfect for 4 or 5 years, even more I think; maybe the Pro will stretch that number for 1 more year (but I think you will buy a new one before that 😇).
I always went with the pro for the camera setup, but this year the regular 15 with the main 48MP plus the 24MP file option is a great configuration. Even the 2x zoom performs really good. I dont use the 3x much honestly as I always try to shoot with the main camera because is the one with the better sensor. And I cant remember the last macro photo that I take... 🐜
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Al Rukh
macrumors 65816
How long would you want your iPhone to last? If you’re gonna upgrade every 2 years, I think the regular ones would do good.
The main camera of the standart models is NOT superior. While the sensor is newer, it is also smaller having 1,0 micrometer pixels while the pro's have 1,2 micrometer pixels. That means the non-pro main sensor is roughly 30% smaller. That is also the reason that the non-pros have better aperture. The bigger sensor captures more light and hast better low-light performance.
While it is true that overall, the difference between the main sensors of the pro's and the non-pro's is the smallest thince maybe the iPhone Xr it's simply not correct to state that the regular model has a better sensor.
The senor size is what count's most by a fare amount, only after that aperture and pixel matter. There are lot's of DLR's which still use or used 12MP full frams until very reasonly which still produce images fare superior than any smartphone ever.
ssledoux
macrumors 601
Well, I did consider a pro max last year, but ultimately didn’t choose it. This year with the weight and size change, I thought it might work for me. It isn’t working - still too big. Luckily the pro max will probably always be off the table from here on it, now that I’ve had the time to really use one and realize it’s not for me.
I’ve had pros the last couple years, and been happy with them, but have contemplated going back to a regular phone. I don’t feel like asking people whether they are happy with their 15s should be an issue. If my threads annoy you, you don’t have to participate.
And I never said keeping a phone is an issue. I said *I* haven’t kept my phones longer than a year. For a lot of years I’ve had people to pass them on to, and I’ve upgraded. Now I’d like to keep one for a couple years so I can alternate my watch and phone upgrades, so I want to pick one I think I’ll be satisfied with for a longer time.
ssledoux
macrumors 601
Yeah the ram is a non-issue for me. I was thinking more of certain features and the fact that if they improve on those next year it would put a regular 15 two years behind, whereas a pro would just be a year behind.
Did you go regular 15 this year?
austyn23
macrumors 6502a
I think you are thinking too much, pick the one that you feel better, if weight is important, the regular 15 is the best option; this year the Pro is lighter and smaller, so the gap is smaller. The plus is bigger than the PMAX, so maybe you can forget about the big ones.
Nobody knows what can happen next year, this year they put the regular 15 at the level of the last year pro, so... who knows!
Im tempted to get the regular 15, but I have the 14Pro and it feels like buying the same phone without Promotion and the extra lens right?
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The.Glorious.Son
macrumors 68000
I’ve seen several camera tests now where they consistently say when just using the main wide camera, photos were preferable on the non pros. They are out on YouTube. Not saying these tests are perfect or science…..just sharing what I’ve watched. Again, I have a 15 PM and don’t care what phone another person gets. But the pics I saw on regular shots with the regular 15s were slightly better 🤷🏻♂️
ssledoux
macrumors 601
I think you are thinking too much, pick the one that you feel better, if weight is important, the regular 15 is the best option; this year the Pro is lighter and smaller, so the gap is smaller. The plus is bigger than the PMAX, so maybe you can forget about the big ones.
Nobody knows what can happen next year, this year they put the regular 15 at the level of the last year pro, so... who knows!
Im tempted to get the regular 15, but I have the 14Pro and it feels like buying the same phone without Promotion and the extra lens right?
So the ATT drama finally came to an end today, and they accelerated my installments, then credited me for the phone (obviously I have to return it), so I could free up the line and get a replacement. However, I decided that after all the BS, I was just gonna see what Apple had (would've had to wait at least another week to get replacement from ATT), and return to ATT instead of exchanging (verified that would be acceptable with the guy who has been helping me from the office of the president, and after some more confusion on his part wherein I realized he never actually looked at my case thoroughly to realize this was THEIR customer service issue, he was totally fine with that - they literally weren't going to refund my taxes I paid when I ordered the max because he was thinking all along he was doing me some sort of favor because I changed my mind instead of it being escalated due to his customer service being unable to process a legitimate return/exchange - ridiculous).
Anyway, my closest Apple store had a white pro in stock (what I had in the max), and I figured I could go and make a final decision because they had a lot of regular 15s in various colors.
I went with the pro. I love the look and feel of the 15s, but honestly, the weight difference was negligible, and I just figure I won't have any regrets or feel like I'm missing anything.
My data is being transferred as we speak.
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orbital~debris
macrumors 68030
I got the 15 Pro in Natural Titanium (on the iUP so made sense to upgrade from 14 Pro as the monthly payments actually worked out cheaper!) but I really love the pink colour way of the regular 15. And the blue! The yellow and green are very nice, too.
ProMotion and the lack of macro photography are the things that stopped me; have compromised by buying the silicone case in lovely Light Pink.
I frequently feel like the regular/non-Pro iPhone is the best expression of what an iPhone is in essence. It's capable and utilitarian with none of the glossy attention-grabbing bling the Pro line incorporates. Now that the weight difference is minimised, and the Dynamic Island is across the board, I think there's quite a lot less differentiation. If there could be a halfway house for ProMotion, that would make a regular iPhone even more the easier choice.