Today, at Apple’s autumn event, the iPhone 15 debuted, and I was able to spend some time with the new smartphone. It lacks the flashy new titanium of the iPhone 15 Pro that Brian examined, but it has a new design with gentler, more rounded edges and the introduction of the Dynamic Island for the first time on a non-Pro phone.
In terms of appearance, the iPhone 15 is actually quite impressive. During its presentation, Apple elaborated on the material science wizardry it applied to the new colored glass and anodized aluminum used in the cases.
The ultimate effect, and the only thing that most people care about, is that they appear great, like candy-colored confections in muted but playful tones.
Apple used the new pink color as the presentation’s focal point, and the bubblegum/blush combination looked fantastic in person as well.
In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the new phones feel much better in the hand than the previous iteration due to the slightly curved outer edge, which your fingers seem to have a much easier time wrapping around.
The iPhone 15 is still the lightest of the trio, though the new titanium/aluminum frame combination on the 15 Pro means that the weight gap between the two is significantly smaller than it once was.
The iPhone 15 has a more potent processor than the iPhone 14 Pro. Currently, the iPhone 14 Pro has this processor. That presumably makes it a bit faster, but it’s hard to tell in such a short time, and I’m comparing it to my own 14 Pro, so theoretically they should be identical.
Apple utilizes the additional resolution headroom to perform some of its computational camera wizardry on the iPhone 15’s 48 MP sensor, which outputs at 24 MP by default. In the demo hall, the camera appeared to be extremely remarkable, and I believe this is a step up for iPhone users who previously felt envious of their Pro counterparts’ photographic abilities.
USB-C is also welcome and has no discernible effect on the phone’s handling or physical footprint. Apple has limited the iPhone 15’s USB 2.0 speeds, which may be annoying but is unlikely to be a problem for the majority of consumers, as they likely use their cable connection for data transfer infrequently anyway.
The iPhone 15 is available in two configurations, 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches (iPhone Plus), and will be available for purchase this Friday, with shipments beginning at the end of the following week.
