In the past, I have shied away from giving product or software reviews. I always felt it was a lazy way to garner clicks. Sure, I released one or two, but I quickly decided to put the blinker on and get back in my lane. I also don’t use a phone in the way a phone reviewer might, but I do think my use case is interesting enough to warrant an experience log. When it comes to this phone, the iPhone 15 Pro, I can’t help but notice all of the little, finer details, that make my beloved iPhone 12 Pro look archaic in comparison. Are there limitations? Sure, and we’ll get to those, but first, the good stuff.
The Good
It’s the most obvious thing in the world, but the aspect of our phones we interact with the most is the display. The first thing I noticed when setting up the 15 Pro, beyond the Dynamic Island, was how much brighter and crisper it was. Everything looked a little more vivid and tactile, which is something I wasn’t really expecting at all. I suppose it is one of those things that doesn’t translate well to video. While we’re on the subject, I’ve always loved the setup/migration process on iPhone. Scan a little galaxy orb and boom, you’re all set. Sure, it takes some time, but the fact that you only have to scan a nearby phone and enter a few passwords is pretty damn cool.
I debated even bringing this up, especially with the discourse surrounding it in the tech community, but this is my first experience with Apple ProMotion, and I’ve had a somewhat unique experience. Like many, when I first got the phone set up and working I put it side by side to my old phone and started comparing the two. The first thing I did was load up dapolitofilm.com and begin scrolling through a blog article. I didn’t notice a dramatic shift in responsiveness or smoothness. I tried for ten minutes across multiple sites, but aside from loading the pages faster, I didn’t notice much. Then, one night at work, I was scrolling through Twitter and I noticed how much smoother it was. I noticed how apps like App Store and Apple Music are just sliding across the screen like butter on a hot pan. With the old 60Hz iPhone directly next to it I couldn’t feel a difference but when they’re apart I could. Wild. But yeah, I can’t go back.
The second most important aspect of any smartphone, in my opinion, is the camera. And the cameras on the iPhone 15 Pro don’t disappoint. I have very limited experience using the camera for video, but in the brief time I’ve had it, photos have been outstanding. The dynamic range this camera produces and the clarity in some of the images are truly next-level — at least compared to my old 12 Pro. The ProRes MAX files are a pleasure to work with in applications like Pixelmator Pro and Luminar Neo, and the file sizes, while larger, are reasonably sized. iPhone video has always been the gold standard, and that doesn’t change here. Like I said, limited use, but so far the video, whether in cinematic/action mode or not, looks simply amazing. Being able to shoot in LOG format is such a game-changer, and I can see myself using this as my primary BTS camera. Plus, the USB-C port allows iPhone 15 Pro to record to an external drive, such as a Samsung T5 SSD 👀.
The Action Button is something new to this version of the Pro phone at the expense of the mute switch, and I love it. I was skeptical at first, mostly because the mute switch was such a good fidget spinner for me, but I understand the hype. It’ll almost undoubtedly be on all models next year, but for this year, only us Pro users get it. For me, I have it set to trigger a Siri Shortcut that activates a certain Focus mode, and also sets a scene in my bedroom called “GAME.” As the name implies, it turns on my RGB lights to my pre-selected colors and switches my TV input to my Xbox (it also turns on the TV if it is off). You can of course choose to leave the button as a mute switch, which it is by default, or you can cycle between other options including torch, accessibility features, voice memos, camera, and Siri Shortcuts.
The rest of the experience is, well, iPhone. That’s the beauty, and the detriment, of being so invested in the Apple ecosystem. Sure, the products are amazing, but so many of the awesome features aren’t iPhone features, but instead ecosystem features. While it does make the entire migration process simpler and easier for those less technologically inclined, it does sort of put a damper on the “new device feeling” we used to get when unboxing a new piece of tech. iOS 17, which is running on nearly every Apple device ever it seems, is decent, but available on all devices, and the design is so similar to last year that the only thing “special” about this phone is USB-C, a universal standard Apple had to be forced into adding, and the titanium variant (natural, ofc) in the Pro models.
The Not-So-Good
Without question, the biggest letdown of this year’s iPhone has to be the battery. My iPhone 12 Pro’s battery was plain terrible by the time I made my upgrade, and I expected to see a considerable change in battery life due to the improved chip and healthy battery. Sadly, I still struggle to make it through an entire day on a single charge. In fact, I never do because whenever I drive I connect to wired CarPlay. Maybe that’s contributing to the dreadful battery life, but I find that I need to be plugged in by noon to be able to safely make it through the rest of the day. A major letdown, considering all the eggs I put into this one basket.
I have had several instances of overheating prior to and after the iOS update said to fix the issue. Most overheating prior to the update occurred when using apps like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for prolonged amounts of time. Since updating, the only instances of overheating seem to occur when wirelessly charging or playing graphics-intense games (expected).
iPhone 15 Pro, despite its shortcomings, is a fantastic phone. I’ve only had it for a few weeks, but I’ve been having a blast with it. The design update coming from a 12 Pro is refreshing, and the Dynamic Island is a pretty nifty feature. The display is absolutely gorgeous and 120Hz is a game changer. The Action Button is a lot of fun and has opened up a whole new obsession with Siri Shortcuts. The battery life and overheating are unfortunate, but they can both get better with software updates and time. And for me, I plan on keeping this phone for quite some time.