Apple’s iPhone 15 Plus is big and beautiful but doesn’t blaze any trails

The iPhone 15 Plus is without doubt one of the ‘massive telephones’ vying on your consideration however is there sufficient to win the battle of the what was once known as ‘phablets’? 

For me, with the telephone beginning at £899, there’s rather a lot to like if you happen to’re onboard with iOS. The show is beautiful, the battery life is insanely good and efficiency is easy. 

It’s not good although as there’s no telephoto lens and charging speeds are nothing to put in writing house about so you may get some higher {hardware} within the Android camp if that’s an possibility for you. 

Notice: Because the iPhone 15 Plus is so much like the common 15, I’m going to maintain this assessment on the shorter aspect and you may try many of the element in that full in-depth assessment.

You’ll find out what we think about to be the ten greatest handsets in our greatest smartphones chart.

Design & Construct

• Huge however straightforward sufficient to deal with
• Prime quality construct
• IP68 rated

It’s no shock that the iPhone 15 Plus is just an even bigger model of the iPhone 15. 

Whereas it’s nonetheless 7.8mm thick, it’s round 6mm wider, 13mm taller and 30g heavier. All primarily to slot in its bigger display screen and greater battery. 

Apple provides it in the identical 5 colourways – black, blue, yellow, pink and inexperienced – I’ve examined the latter which is a really pale pastel tone. It’s virtually white on the again considered in sure mild. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Usually I’m not a fan of bigger telephones – I used to be reluctant to maneuver on from my iPhone 12 mini – however the 15 Plus stunned me in how straightforward and comfy it was to deal with. I used to be utilizing it and not using a case which felt unnerving at instances nevertheless it wasn’t wherever close to as slippery and slidy as lots of the telephones I’ve examined just lately. 

Construct is as prime quality as you’ll count on from Apple and this lump of crafted metallic and glass comes with an IP68 mud and waterproof score which is the very best you may get (6 meters as much as half-hour in water going by Apple’s small print). 

It’s additionally value noting that not solely does the glass rear cowl with its frosted matt end look good, it has extra grip that almost all and resists fingerprints very effectively certainly.

Display & Audio system 

• 6.7-inch OLED
• 60Hz refresh charge
• Stereo audio system

At 6.7-inch, the show on the iPhone 15 Plus is 0.6-inch bigger than the common 15 and this is without doubt one of the two foremost causes to ‘go massive’. 

The specs are the identical aside from a better decision to take care of the identical 460ppi pixel density. 

The Tremendous Retina XDR show with its OLED panel makes for a beautiful display screen and there’s tons to love together with a crisp and vibrant expertise. Apple says it may well hit a peak brightness of two,000 nits outside, too. 

I measured it with autobrightness off at a extra pedestrian 517 nits which jumped to 570 nits with True Tone switched off. Nevertheless, I discovered the display screen straightforward to make use of in all conditions. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

One of many attracts right here is Dynamic Island which makes intelligent use of the pill-shaped space embedded within the display screen for notifications and the like. It’s nifty and actually helpful at instances. 

On the draw back, Apple has caught with a 60Hz refresh charge right here so you need to get a Professional mannequin to learn from 120Hz which is a disgrace. Even 90Hz as a midway home can be appreciated. 

The agency additionally forgoes any type of fingerprint scanner so it’s all on Face ID. That’s nonetheless the very best facial biometric system on the market however you may want the choice of both. 

There’s no headphone jack (a given nowadays) however the audio system on the 15 Plus are first rate if you happen to haven’t obtained any wi-fi cans to take heed to your podcasts, video games or video streaming. 

Specs & Efficiency 

• Yr-old A16 Bionic
• Easy efficiency
• Begins at solely 128GB

There’s little or no to fret about in relation to core specs and efficiency. Apple’s A16 Bionic chipset is each highly effective and environment friendly on its 4nm manufacturing course of, even when it’s a 12 months outdated. 

I didn’t discover any flaws with real-world efficiency in my testing and I used the 15 Plus for almost three months. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

What I might level out is that the iPhone 15 Plus solely comes with 128GB of storage for the most cost effective mannequin which is a disgrace. 

Granted, rivals just like the Samsung Galaxy S24+ are £100 extra and begin with 256GB which is similar value because the 256GB 15 Plus nevertheless it’s value selecting correctly what capability you want as there’s no microSD card slot. 

In fact, you get options like 5G connectivity, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6 and extra. 

Apple iPhone 15 Plus benchmarks

Cameras

• Similar cameras as common 15
• 48Mp foremost sensor
• 12Mp ultrawide and selfie cameras

The 15 Plus has the very same digital camera setup as its smaller brother so the primary factor right here is that there’s no telephoto lens. You’ll must get a 15 Professional for that. 

Nonetheless, the improve from final 12 months’s 12- to a 48Mp (f/1.6) sensor makes a big influence. One factor being that it’s excessive sufficient decision to crop in for what’s the equal of a 2x optical zoom, based on Apple. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Pictures pixel bix right down to 12Mp, although you’ll be able to shoot within the full 48Mp if you happen to like. Apple correctly buries this in the primary settings although and even when it provides ‘HEIF MAX’ to the nook of the digital camera app, it’s not clear what meaning to most individuals. 

The primary digital camera is accompanied by a 12Mp (f/2.4) ultrawide shooter with a 120-degree area of view. Across the entrance is one other 12Mp digital camera with options reminiscent of autofocus and an f/1.9 aperture.

Total, high quality is nice and the 15 Plus is flexible sufficient to manage effectively with most conditions. On most events, element is nice and I just like the pure, true-to-life colors. 

Being able to crop in to an efficient 2x zoom on the primary digital camera is helpful however I did typically discover myself wanting a correct telephoto. You may get this on rivals together with the cheaper Xiaomi 14. 

I additionally discovered, as per the common 15, focusing a little bit of a problem so a few of photographs got here out blurry. The 15 Plus can also be good in low mild conditions however numerous Android rivals are higher for this. 

One space the 15 Plus excels is video with very prime quality and many choices and instruments at your fingertips. 

Battery Life & Charging

• Excellent battery life
• 20W wired charging with no charger equipped
• MagSafe and Qi2 wi-fi charging

Certainly one of my favorite issues concerning the iPhone 15 Plus is the battery life. 

Apple doesn’t record the capability however by all accounts, it’s 4383mAh. Rather a lot smaller than similar-sized Android telephones that are usually round 5000mAh nevertheless it’s what you do with it that counts. 

For me, the 15 Plus simply stored going and going. On the day I flew out to Barcelona for MWC, my day began at 5:30am and I nonetheless had 25% battery left at midnight.  

This included listening to music over Bluetooth, taking part in video games on the flight, utilizing social media and utilizing it as a 5G hotspot for my laptop computer. Insane behaviour (from the telephone). 

Charging has not been thrilling on an iPhone in without end and that doesn’t actually change on the iPhone 15 Plus. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Certain, the change to a USB-C port from Lightning is a welcome one however charging speeds are nonetheless behind a lot of the competitors. 

Like Samsung, Apple doesn’t provide a charger within the field, only a cable. So, utilizing my 30W MacBook Air charger, I obtained the iPhone 15 Plus to a paltry 12% in 15-minutes and 27% on the half hour mark. 

You may get quicker speeds – because it should not be PD 2.0 – if you happen to purchase Apple’s 20W charger (£19/$19) the place you must get 50% in ‘round’ 30-minutes. 

My colleague David Value from Macworld managed 55% in 30-minutes together with his 67W MacBook Professional charger. 

The telephone additionally helps 15W wi-fi charging over MagSafe or Qi2 in addition to 4.5W reverse charging however solely with a wire.  

Software program & Apps

• iOS 17 unexciting however does the job
• Probably six years of OS updates

I gained’t spend lengthy speaking about software program as a result of a) you in all probability don’t want me to clarify iOS to you and b) there’s not an entire lot that’s new in iOS 17. 

As talked about earlier, you’ll be able to learn my iPhone 15 assessment if you would like extra particulars. 

All that actually must be mentioned right here is that the 15 Plus is a pleasure to make use of (assuming you’re not an Android loyalist anyway). In fact, the display screen makes it tough to succeed in the highest part for some parts however it is a given with any bigger telephone. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

It runs easily, is straightforward to make use of, has an excellent vary of apps and there are some helpful options baked in reminiscent of floating home windows for issues like watching movies whereas doing one thing else. For instance, watching BBC iPlayer whereas ordering a McDonald’s as you’ll be able to see above.

You can too assume that the telephone shall be supported for a very long time. Apple doesn’t have an official coverage however most iPhones get six years of OS updates. 

That’s one 12 months off what Google and Samsung promise on flagships nevertheless it’s completely lengthy sufficient and ensures good worth if you happen to don’t need to improve your {hardware} yearly or two. 

Value & Availability 

The iPhone 15 Plus begins at £899/$899 with two additional fashions out there if you would like extra storage: 

• 128GB: £899/$899  
• 256GB: £999/$999 
• 512GB: £1,199/$1,199 

That’s £/$100 greater than the common iPhone 15 and corresponding to Android rivals such because the Samsung Galaxy S24+ and Google Pixel 8 Professional. 

In the event you’re eager to get your fingers on the 15 Plus you should buy it instantly from Apple in addition to loads of different retailers together with Amazon, Currys and John Lewis. 

Within the US, you may get it from Apple, Amazon (renewed), BestBuy and extra.

There are additionally a lot of choices to get the iPhone 15 Plus on contract so listed here are the highest offers proper now.

View extra choices in our greatest smartphones chart.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Must you purchase the iPhone 15 Plus? 

It’s maybe no shock that Apple has made one other completed smartphone right here and there’s loads to love concerning the iPhone 15 Plus. 

Not less than, it’s certainly one of my favorite ‘plus’ dimension telephones I’ve ever examined and far of that has to do with the unbelievable battery life and ease of use. 

Apple does even undercut some Android rivals on value, however this solely will get you 128GB of storage which could not be sufficient for some folks. 

These Android rivals will usually get you higher {hardware} together with increased refresh charge shows, newer processors and telephoto lenses. 

If that issues to you and also you’re not set on iOS, then it’s value having a browse and examine earlier than taking the plunge. 

In any other case, the 15 Plus makes for a really serviceable and good high quality handset if the common 15 is just too small and your finances doesn’t stretch to this 12 months’s Professional fashions. 

Specs

• iOS 17
• 6.7-inch 2796×1290 460ppi Tremendous Retina XDR show
• A16 Bionic processor (6-core CPU, 5-core GPU)
• 128/256/512GB storage
• 48Mp f/1.6 Predominant
• 12Mp f/2.4 Ultrawide
• 12Mp f/1.9 entrance digital camera
• Estimated battery life: As much as 26 hours video playback
• Quick cost: As much as 50% cost in 35 minutes with 20W adapter
• Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G
• USB-C charging/knowledge connection
• IP68 mud and water resistance (most depth 6m as much as half-hour)
• 6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches (160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8mm)
• 7.09 ounces (201 grams)