The iPhone 13 Pro Max was my first big iPhone ever, and I enjoyed the experience so much that I called it my favorite phone of 2022. That was primarily due to the exceptional battery life, which overshadowed my minor grievances with the camera. But the following year, shifting to the iPhone 14 Pro Max was a not-so-fun experience. Apple dropped the ball on battery life, the Dynamic Island wasn’t very useful for the first four months, the heavier design was unergonomic, and the cameras had issues as well.
This year, I decided to opt for the non-Max variant and go for the smaller iPhone 15 Pro. A month later, I can confidently say that this is the best Pro iPhone I’ve ever used. And that’s because of the number of ways it’s improved over its predecessor.
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The iPhone 15 Pro is the perfect size
I was assuming I’d not like the iPhone 15 Pro and shift to the iPhone 15 Pro Max within a couple of weeks, similar to my experience last year with the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. But that didn’t happen because of the massive improvements in design, battery life, and cameras.
Using the iPhone 14 Pro Max as my primary was a pain in the … wrist. Coming from the iPhone 13 Pro Max, I expected it to be unergonomic due to the sharp edges, but the added weight made it the most uncomfortable phone I’ve used in years. And that was one of the reasons I opted for the smaller iPhone this year.
I was glad to see the sentence “Apple’s lightest Pro models ever” on the iPhone 15 Pro press release and expected it to be more comfortable to hold than the iPhone 14 Pro. But I had the uncertainty factor weighing on me.
That is until I held the device in my hand and started to actually use it. Fast-forward to a month later, and the titanium design and slightly curved edges make a lot of difference in day-to-day use. It no longer puts a temporary dent on my pinky finger after a long video call or browsing session. And I don’t feel the need to adjust my grip every time I need to click a landscape picture.
Battery life isn’t as bad as I feared
I expected the move from a 240-gram phone to a 187-gram device to be pleasant, but I didn’t expect it to be this enjoyable. And it’s been this way because I’m getting iPhone 14 Pro Max-like battery life on my smaller iPhone 15 Pro. It’s still not at the iPhone 13 Pro Max-level, but it’s better than I expected.
The iPhone 15 Pro lasts me a day if I’m using it at home. This includes my ideal workday that looks like this: jumping between Instagram and Twitter (X) for entertainment, using Safari for browsing, and using messaging and video calls on WhatsApp, Gmail, Teams, and Slack for work. If I’m out and navigating for 30 minutes with my MacBook Air connected to the hotspot, the battery drains by 5 p.m., so I have to carry a battery pack with me.
But this is still solid battery life for a phone with a 6.1-inch display. It is easily on par with my iPhone 14 Pro Max, and it made shifting to the smaller Pro iPhone a breeze.
Apple’s new cameras impress
My third annoyance with the previous iPhones was with the camera, which had bad lens flare and bad HDR, and produced not-so-good-looking portraits. While lens flare remains a problem, the other two issues have been fixed. The photos below do a good job of showing off these improvements:
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As you can see, the highlights are blown out in the iPhone 14 Pro’s image, but the second selfie shot on the iPhone 15 Pro was able to keep the details despite focusing on the faces. The third and fourth images are also shot on the iPhone 15 Pro, and I’m sure the background would have suffered had I clicked these on my iPhone 14 Pro Max. I love the colors, dynamic range, and details in these images.
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Secondly, the portrait shots on the iPhone 15 Pro have better bokeh and edge detection than before. Plus, it is able to focus faster and more efficiently. The ability to click photos in normal mode and then being able to add the bokeh later in the Photos app is great, but it doesn’t work all the time. However, I’m happy switching to the portrait mode and getting shots like those above.
Why I’m sticking with the iPhone 15 Pro
I like big phones because of the more area I get to interact with apps and the improved productivity (specifically on Android phones). I was skeptical about shifting to a 6.1-inch display phone for two reasons. First, battery life, and second, productivity. As mentioned above, the battery situation is solved.
Regarding productivity, iOS doesn’t let me take advantage of the bigger screen on the Pro Max iPhones. As I’ve written before, iOS feels limiting, especially on a big screen, because you’re only getting a blown-out version of an operating system that still works the same way on a 4.7-inch iPhone SE.
If I’m opting for a 6.7-inch iPhone, I want to be able to interact with multiple apps at once with multi-window or popup window support – both of which are available on Android phones, but not on iOS. The 6.1-inch display size also works for me because I don’t watch TV shows or movies on my iPhone (I have a good setup for that in my living room). My use case involves text-based apps more than video apps unless I’m watching Instagram Reels for hours before bed.
The iPhone 15 Pro gives me the iPhone 14 Pro Max-level battery life in a form factor that’s 53 grams lighter and so much more comfortable to hold. It fixes my two big issues with the camera and offers a reliable performance. This is, for me, the most significant iPhone upgrade in years.
Apple Intelligence features are finally available for everyone
Apple has begun rolling out Apple Intelligence to those with eligible iPhones through the latest iOS 18.1 update. Apple Intelligence was originally shown off during WWDC 2024 in June and has been available to those on the developer and public betas. However, as of today, iOS 18.1 is available to everyone, though Apple Intelligence is only available for the iPhone 15 Pro models and the entire iPhone 16 lineup.
With iOS 18.1, those users can now access several Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools, a more natural and capable Siri, summarize notifications, a smarter Photos app, and priority messages in Mail. Be aware that these are just a fraction of Apple Intelligence features — there are even more AI tools coming in iOS 18.2, which is currently in beta.
The iPhone 16 is a little over a month old, and I've been using it almost nonstop since it was announced last month. I reviewed the phone for Digital Trends and bought one with my own money as my personal phone of choice.
Not long after its unveiling, I wrote an op-ed complaining about the iPhone 16's lack of a 120Hz display. I said it was the "one thing holding back the iPhone 16" and that its 60Hz screen was "an unreasonable spec." I'd still like to see the refresh rate addressed with the iPhone 17, but after living with the iPhone 16 for over a month now, I've found that it's not nearly as big of an issue as I believed it would be.
A 60Hz screen matters, until it doesn't
Why Apple Health, not the iPhone, will be Apple’s biggest impact on our lives
Imagine yourself 20 years from now, and ask yourself the question: What was Apple’s biggest impact on the world? Since the return of the prodigal Steve Jobs in 1997, the California company has unveiled a series of innovations that have heavily impacted how we use technology today.
Apple’s influence is vast, and its sheer market power means it’s a consultant to companies and governments worldwide. It has many products that have had a lasting impact on our lives, not the least of which is the iPhone and how it changed the smartphone industry. Then there’s the iPod and iPad, which created entirely new categories.