The new iPhone 15 models are out.
They look exactly like the iPhone 14s, which look just like the iPhone 13s.
Apple seems to have settled on a design, but they continue to refine it.
When the phones look the same on the outside, you have to concentrate on what’s different on the inside.
Apple was nice enough to send me the iPhone 15 Plus and the iPhone 15 Pro Max to test. These are the larger 6.7-inch iPhones Apple introduced along with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, which feature 6.1-inch screens.
So what’s new? Let’s look at a few new features.
The change everyone notices first is the new USB-C port on the bottom. After more than 10 years of using the Lightning connector, the European Union forced Apple’s hand to switch ports.
The EU mandated a common charging port for all phones, tablets and cameras by the end of 2024.
The iPhone 15 models have USB-C, but only the Pro models have the faster, USB 3.2 transfer speeds. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have USB 2 speeds, which are slower.
Note, the nice, braided USB-C cable Apple includes with the iPhone 15s supports fast charging, but not fast data transfer, so if you buy an iPhone Pro and want maximum speed to move files, you’ll need to buy a faster USB-C 3.2 cable.
The USB-C ports on all the iPhone 15s support reverse charging, so you can plug in your Apple Watch or AirPods and charge them from your phone’s battery.
Apple does not include a USB charger or EarPods with the iPhone 15s.
The iPhone 15 models get the A16 Bionic CPU from last year’s iPhone 14 Pro, while the iPhone 15 Pros get a new chip — the A17 Pro, which is Apple’s first three-nanometer chip. I’ve read some reports that say the A17 Pro, with six CPU and six GPU cores, is 10%-20% faster than last year’s chip and 70% faster than the chip in the iPhone 12.
So, the older your phone, the more you’ll notice the speed difference in the iPhone 15 Pros.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro cameras are improved.
They both have 48-megapixel sensors and new image processing that produces great-looking photos and videos. The new Photonic Engine takes those 48 megapixels and another picture that is taken just for exposure information and combines them into a 24-megapixel final image.
That Photonic Engine also recognizes faces in pictures (people, dogs and cats) and captures portrait data in those images to let you adjust the focus of the images, even after you’ve taken the shot.
The main camera will also let you capture photos in 48MP ProRAW, which is a format that allows the photographer to have better control over the finished photo with access to the color and exposure controls.
On the 15 Pro you can choose your default main camera from three settings — 24mm, 28mm or 35mm.
The 15 Pro Max has a 5x optical zoom camera that the others don’t have. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus and 15 Pro have a 2x optical zoom.
All the iPhone 15s can capture 4K video at up to 60 frames per second.
All iPhone 15 models have a 12MP selfie camera with 4K video capture.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are made of glass on the front and back, and aluminum around the edge. The front glass is called ceramic shield glass, which is made by Corning and it has ceramic nanocrystals embedded in the glass for increased toughness.
The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max’s glass front and back are surrounded by beautiful brushed titanium, which is stronger and lighter. For reference, the 15 Pro Max weighs 7.8 ounces, while the 14 Pro Max weighs 8.47 ounces.
The 15 and 15 Plus come in black, blue, green, yellow and pink. Aside from black, the other colors are very light.
The 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max come in black, white, blue and natural (kind of a raw metal look with the slightest khaki or sand tint.
All the iPhone 15s are IP68 dust and water resistant (up to six meters deep for 30 minutes), they have Face ID (no fingerprint reader).
They all have emergency SOS via satellite, crash detection and roadside assistance via satellite.
The 15 Pros have a XDR OLED 120 hertz ProMotion display with dynamic refresh with a max brightness of 2,000 nits. The 15s have a Super Retina XDR OLED with a 60Hz refresh rate.
The 15s have Wi-Fi 6, while the Pros get Wi-Fi 6E.
The lithium-ion batteries are slightly larger than last year’s phones and have no trouble keeping things going for a full day, plus some more. The fastest way to charge them is with the USB-C cable and at least a 25-watt charger, which can take them from zero to 50% charge in 30 minutes.
They also have MagSafe charging (15W) and Qi wireless charging (7.5W).
The iPhone 15 Plus starts at $899 and includes 128 gigabytes of storage. It also comes in 256G ($999) and 512G ($1,199) configurations.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199 for 256G of storage and moves up to $1,399 for 512G and $1,599 for one terabyte.
The are available wherever iPhones are sold, including Apple, Target, Best Buy, WalMart and all the major phone carriers.
Chances are your phone company is offering a deal if you sign up for new service or trade in a phone. Check with your carrier for offers and eligibility.
My personal phone is an iPhone 13 Pro Max. I am not finished paying for it, so I’m not really inclined to upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro Max just yet.
Sure, there are some new features that I covet, but in my opinion, owners of iPhone 13 and 14 Pro models don’t really NEED to upgrade. If you have an iPhone 12 or earlier, and you’re ready for a new phone, you’ll really like one of these new iPhone 15 or 15 Pro models.
Jim Rossman is a tech columnist for Tribune News Service. He may be reached at jrossmantechadviser@gmail.com.
