iPhone 15 Pro: The Matured One
Introduction
My OnePlus 9 Pro started showing signs of aging and that’s when I thought of upgrading to a phone which gives me that luxury feeling and is as powerful as my current phone. That’s when I decided to make a bold move of moving from Android to iOS and I went ahead with owning the iPhone 15 Pro. The initial looks of the device are just mesmerizing, with the minute attention to details, high-quality titanium build, similar to the luxury swiss watches. Being a tech-enthusiast, I have been following the iPhone since its beginning and it has aged like fine wine even after keeping its design language similar from the iPhone 11 Pro Era. The iPhone has that appeal and has remained relevant over time, much like a classic piece of literature that stays in the limelight no matter what.
Design and Build
The iPhone 15 Pro comes in four different color variants, namely Natural Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium, and Blue Titanium. The first two are lighter shades, while the latter are darker. While every color is a highlight, the Natural Titanium is a classy colour and stands out for me, which is why I chose this variant.
The most minimalistic unboxing I’ve done so far was for this phone. The box is slim and contains only the essentials: the phone, a cable, and some basic paperwork. Since iPhones in the US now support only eSIM, the phone doesn’t have a SIM tray, and the box doesn’t include a SIM ejector tool either.
I must say it has a distinctive finish. Unlike stainless steel, the brushed titanium rails don’t catch fingerprints and look golden on the natural titanium. The phone seems more expensive and has a more sophisticated look thanks to the textured rear glass surface. The shiny appearance of the camera module goes well with the entire style.
The volume controls and the new action button are on the left, and the lock button is on the right. As in earlier generations, the action button is by default the mute slider. The newer iPhone 15 Pro is a centimeter less in height which reduces the bezels without compromising the screen size in any way. The edges of the phone have been rounded a bit on the rails which makes it pretty comfortable to hold the device. With the majority of the market filled with phone sizes bigger than 6.5 inches, the 6.1 inch iPhone feels a perfect size for me. Its reduced weight increases comfort, and it fits neatly in pockets.
At the bottom, the most significant change is the introduction of USB-C, simplifying connectivity with a motto “Single Cable for All”. While the standard models are limited to USB 2.0, the Pro offers USB 3.0 speeds, making it a favorite among tech enthusiasts.
Display
The phone boasts a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. The screen delivers accurate and vibrant colors that truly stand out. It offers a typical brightness of 1000 nits, an HDR peak brightness of 1600 nits, and a maximum outdoor brightness of 2000 nits. With the 120Hz ProMotion enabled, the screen provides an exceptionally smooth experience for consuming content and browsing social media. While the auto-brightness performs adequately, it’s not the best display available — Samsung’s S24U surpasses it.
Although the Dynamic Island debuted in last year’s upgrade, it has been significantly enhanced to be more engaging and interactive. Tapping once on the Dynamic Island opens the relevant app, while holding it longer displays the app in a floating window. Similar features, now rebranded as Capsule by major brands, provide quick access to information at your fingertips.
Performance
The Phone has an A17 Pro Chip and it’s the first 3nm chip by Apple. The A17 Pro chip has a new 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores. It also has the 6-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. iPhone 15 Pro does all the tasks thrown at it with ease!! Whether it’s the normal content consumption, or editing high res photos and videos, or playing high intensive games all goes smooth on the phone.
The phone launched with iOS 17 and is now running iOS 18.1. This update was also made available for the iPhone X and iPhone XR series, demonstrating Apple’s software support, which typically lasts between 5 and 7 years. It also proves that Apple’s hardware is built to last as long as the software updates are supported, providing immense satisfaction in owning such a phone.
The highlighted feature I’m most excited about is Apple Intelligence, which is currently in beta and limited to select regions.
Camera
We are all familiar with the triple-camera system in the Pro models, and Apple has finally made its shift from the 12MP main sensor to a 48MP sensor with a 24mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture. This sensor offers a digital crop at 28mm (1.2x) and 35mm (1.5x) and delivers unique results even if the subject and lighting are the same. The 12MP Ultra-Wide sensor has a 13mm focal length with a 120-degree field of view. The 12MP Telephoto lens provides a 2x optical zoom out, a 3x optical zoom in, and up to 15x digital zoom. All three lenses provide a good dynamic range and sharpness. The post-processing is natural and subtle, avoiding the overprocessed look often seen in photos from the Google Pixel.
The iPhone 15 Pro has the best video capabilities of any smartphone on the market, with consistent color accuracy across all three lenses. Stabilization, autofocus, and the ability to seamlessly switch lenses while recording are top-tier. Both 4K and 4K Cinematic Mode capture subjects beautifully, often making people question whether the output is from a professional camera.
Battery
The phone has 3274mAh battery, though less in number than most android phones in market, the optimisation on the iOS is amazing that for me it works for one and half day with light use and one full day with some heavy tasks like 4k recording. The only time it’s stressful when I have the 80% charging limit and I have use it for an entire day without getting any access to the power source. When you are on 100, that’s when it’s comfortable but then you compromise on the battery health.
The 27W fast charging isn’t fast for me since I come from a background of OnePlus which have some amazing charging speeds. The USB-C type hasn’t been updating the charging speeds yet. I guess Apple must be far behind in the list when it comes to charging speeds.
Connectivity
When it comes to Apple, you just can’t miss mentioning the ecosystem or can we call it the forbidden garden!! The seamless connectivity is only with other Apple devices. The Handoff feature lets you seamlessly continue tasks from one device to another, exactly where you left off. Another feature is AirDrop, which allows you to share files between your iPhone and other Apple devices.
With the latest update, you can now use iPhone mirroring to project your phone’s screen onto your MacBook, which allows you to operate your phone without even touching it. Moreover, if your phone rings while you’re on your Mac, you can answer and even talk directly from your Mac. This eliminates the need to physically use your phone when you’re already working on another device. Whether you see this as a benefit or a distraction, I’ll leave it up to you but for me, it’s incredibly convenient.
Finally, the Phone in my pocket is fun to use and gives me immense joy using it.
