iphone 15 pro review

it's difficult to get excited about the latest iPhone when it rarely looks markedly different from previous models and the benefits of upgrading annually aren't as noticeable compared to the big jump you get if you wait a few years this year that's different though thanks mainly to the addition of one prominent feature USBC yes the exact same USBC that Android phones have been using since 2015. it's an example of Apple finally getting out of its own way and letting the iPhone play nicely with pretty much every other device and charger you could want to use it with and it's one of the most liberating decisions the company has ever made the iPhone 14 pro did not get a radical design change from the iPhone 13 Pro which in turn was not dramatically different from the iPhone 12 Pro likewise the iPhone 15 Pro could be mistaken for any of its recent predecessors if you didn't look too closely taking the new iPhone out in a crowd during our review period netted not a single curious eye and that lack of Dazzle will be exacerbated once you throw a case on it and cover up nearly every noticeable difference yeah it's a bummer using a case which anyone in their right mind should is kind of sad because the new titanium chassis on the iPhone 15 pro and pro Max is really nice the iPhone 14 pro has glossy steel sides that love to collect fingerprints but the new titanium size and the iPhone 15 Pro resist them beautifully the back features this sort of frosted glass that also resists fingerprints well hides any scratches that might appear and just feels really nice in the hand it's smooth without being slippery Apple also managed to reduce the size and weight of both the pro and pro Max without shrinking their 6.1 and 6.7 OLED screens respectively both reductions are minor millimeters smaller and a scant few grams lighter but hey we'll take it the only downside here is that just like nearly every year the differences are just great enough that you'll need to get a new case all right not only is the camera module slightly different the physical size reduction is going to force the issue both dynamically adjust up to 120 hertz with Apple's Pro mode version have P3 wide color support haptic touch and both HDR and Apple's true tone all that is pretty much the same as the iPhone 14 pro but the iPhone 15 pro and pro Max get almost twice as bright at up to 2 000 nits of peak brightness that is bright show yourself the dynamic Island introduced in the iPhone 14 pro makes a return as does the always-on display though you can turn it off if you want if anything about the iPhone 15 pro and pro Max's exterior design could be called radical it would be the decision to do away with a switch on the side that since the very first iPhone has toggled between ring and Silent slash vibrate only mode and replaced it with what Apple calls the action button Dynamic while you can make that button do exactly what the previous switch did it can also be assigned to a range of alternate tasks uh open the camera or go straight to video mode record a voice memo turn on the flashlight or even a shortcut of whatever you're choosing it seems minor but it's really a nice quality of life Edition it's time to talk about the best new feature on the iPhone it finally finally uses USBC goodbye lightning connector see you at hell I can't believe we were stuck with this limited slow cable since the iPhone 5 debuted 11 years ago it cannot be overstated how big of a quality of life Improvement this one upgrade is instead of having two cables on your desk one to charge your PS5 controller and one to charge your iPhone you can now have one and it's significantly reduces the number of cables you need to carry when you travel one caveat though while the iPhone 15 Pro and Promax have USBC they don't have what most people would describe as fast charging Apple says the Promax is able to give you up to a 50 charge in 35 minutes with a 20 watt adapter or higher which by the way not included with your phone the pro gets 50 charge in 30 minutes with the same adapter that's decently fast but not as fast as many might expect if they were coming from an Android device just because it has USBC support doesn't mean it's your only option Apple again brings back magsafe which was introduced in the iPhone 12 for wireless charging at 15 watts key is 7.5 watts and it supports a number of peripherals including a Belkin stand that will charge it and turn it into a bedside or desktop clock one dock a nice little melding of hardware and software appreciate that one last feature to mention is the iPhone 15 pro has voice isolation capability for calls so does easier for the person you're calling to hear you if you're in a loud area it works reasonably well and is nice to have when you're trying to have a conversation while washing dishes or while at a busy Market Apple spent a good bit of the iPhone 15 reveal event talking about the 15 Pros gaming chops even going so far as to promise that its new a17 Pro chip would bring AAA games like Resident Evil Village and Assassin's Creed Mirage we're talking the full games here not trim down mobile versions to run natively on iPhone 15 Pro with enough power left over to enable Ray tracing lighting effects not bad while we weren't able to push the iPhone 15 Pro or Promax to their limits during our review period since none of the games Apple highlighted were actually available yet our reviewer was able to play both honkai star Rail and genshin impact and both ran extremely well with visual settings and frame rates cranked to the max any dropped frames or graphical glitches despite maximum settings which is a notable improvement over last year's iPhone 14 pro which chugs even in the menu Apple's OLED display also shines here battery life while gaming is good but not exceptional after just a few minutes playing honkai Star rail the phone was down five percent we estimated it was pulling about one percent of battery life for every minute and a half to two minutes which is a pretty fast drain and would amount to around an hour and a half to two hours of intensive play without having to plug it back in apple says the iPhone 15 Pro can last for up to 20 hours of streamed video content while the pro Max can go for 25 hours which is pretty close to what Samsung promises with its s23 Ultra but games are far more energy intensive and will burn through the battery even faster for the first time in a few years only the iPhone 15 Pro Max gets the best camera Apple could offer but that difference is reserved for the level of optical telephoto zoom while the sensor behind that lens Remains the Same as last year Apple put a new 120 millimeter tetraprism lens in front of it that gives you nearly double the optical zoom you'll get out of the iPhone 14 pro and iPhone 15 Pro the quality of the images out of its 12 megapixel camera is pretty much as expected you can just see from farther away the main camera on both phones is improved by its ability to shoot 24 megapixel photos instead of last year's 12 just like last year it is possible to shoot with the full 48 megapixel resolution that the sensor captures but you do sacrifice dynamic range in order to get that additional resolution the resolution bump to 24 megapixels without sacrificing dynamic range in the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro gets a big thumbs up especially if you're a photographer to be frank most users won't find themselves using smartphone photos in a way where 24 megapixels is going to change their lives but anyone who plans to edit and otherwise publish these photos is nearly always going to be happy with a higher resolution if nothing else it lets you crop in more without losing details Apple has also made portrait mode engage by default if the camera senses a person or animal in the frame it automatically captures a depth map that will allow you to add the depth effect later should you want it that depth map also allows you to change the focus point between two subjects in post-production should you desire and I think that is pretty damn cool the iPhone 15 pro and pro Max can also record up to 4K at 60p but not out of the box this is a feature that has been added thanks specifically to the speed provided by the aforementioned USBC Port while all other resolutions and frame rates are available to record directly to the iPhone's internal storage 4K at 60p requires an attached SSD the good news is that all photos and videos can easily be transferred to and from that external drive at USB 3.0 speeds which is a massive Improvement to workflow over previous iPhones which either required the pitifully slow lightning connection or the somewhat faster airdrop provided where you're trying to send it is also an Apple device now data management is far faster and more platform agnostic Apple's annual smartphone refreshes have felt especially incremental since the iPhone x and at first blush that appears to have happened again with the iPhone 15 pro and pro Max their attractive titanium edges and useful customizable action button are fairly subtle to the eye and the first things to get covered up by a case of course that is however deceptive Apple has changed quite a bit internally to make this year's phone its most compelling upgrade since the iPhone 11.

Potential Pros:

1. Advanced Hardware: New iPhone models typically come with upgraded processors, improved camera systems, and better displays, offering enhanced performance and capabilities.

2. Camera Quality: Apple often focuses on improving camera technology, so you can expect better photography and video recording capabilities.

3. Software Updates: iPhones receive regular software updates, providing new features, security patches, and bug fixes, ensuring your device remains up to date.

4. Ecosystem Integration: iPhones seamlessly integrate with other Apple devices and services like the Apple Watch, Mac, iCloud, and the App Store, enhancing your overall user experience.

5. Build Quality: Apple is known for its premium build quality and design, which can make the iPhone a stylish and durable choice.

6. Privacy and Security: Apple prioritizes user privacy and security, which may appeal to those concerned about data protection.

Potential Cons:

1. Price: New iPhone models tend to be expensive, and the Pro versions often come with a higher price tag.

2. Limited Customization: iPhones offer less customization compared to some Android devices, which may not suit users who prefer a high degree of personalization.

3. Proprietary Ecosystem: While ecosystem integration can be a pro, it can also be a con for users heavily invested in non-Apple platforms and services.

4. Battery Life: Battery life can vary by model, and some users may find that they need to charge their iPhone frequently, especially with heavy use.

5. Repairability: Apple devices are known for being challenging to repair or upgrade due to their sealed designs, which can make repairs costly and complicated.

6. Lack of Headphone Jack: iPhones have not included a headphone jack since the iPhone 7, which may inconvenience users who still use wired headphones