A few grams here and a little design change there, plus an increase in internal specification later, and like last year at least Interesting phones have turned into a serious contender for your money in 2023.
I’m talking about the Apple iPhone 15 Plus, which, for a variety of reasons, will be very easy to ignore this year. But you shouldn’t do that at all, because it’s actually quite special.
rejuvenating the plus name
Apple re-introduced the Plus name with the iPhone 14 series in 2022, after it stopped making its original models with larger screens for several generations and started playing with smaller screens instead. But the iPhone 14 Plus model wasn’t perfect. The iPhone 14’s angular, pointy shape wasn’t a good fit for the massive phone body, and the result was a huge, clunky, uncomfortable device that I was happy to stop using after I finished reviewing it.
The iPhone 15 series couldn’t be more different. It has been very subtly redesigned, and although some may complain that it still looks basically the same, in reality, the seemingly minor changes have made a huge difference. The edges have lost their sharpness, the weight has dropped slightly, and the overall footprint size has shrunk to just under a tenth of a millimetre. It really shouldn’t be made Any Difference, but you’ll just have to trust me – it happens.
It’s the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max that really benefit from Apple’s design and ergonomic changes. The 221-gram Pro Max is lighter than ever, but still a weighty beast, while the iPhone 15 Plus is far more reasonable at 201 grams. Remember, the iPhone 15 Plus has the same screen size at 6.7-inches, making it much easier to live with every day and keeping up with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus and OnePlus 11. The iPhone 14 Plus was very clunky and very annoying to hold. To compete, but the iPhone 15 Plus can no longer be considered too heavy or much less pleasant to live with.
iPhone 15 Plus is different
It’s understandable if you think I’m exaggerating. I reviewed the iPhone 14 Plus, so it made sense for me to review the iPhone 15 Plus, a task I didn’t enjoy at the time. I went in expecting it to be the same, but I was completely wrong, and I was really surprised by how much I liked using the iPhone 15 Plus.
I use both an Android phone and an iPhone every day, and that means if a phone is about to annoy me, I realize it right away. The way the iPhone 14 Plus was designed made it look heavy and awkward, but the iPhone 15 Plus never quite reached that level. The camera is also better. When I started using the iPhone 15 Plus, I came from the iPhone 14 Pro, which had a camera that got better over time.
The iPhone 15 Plus takes the best parts of that phone, like the A16 Bionic processor, and pairs it with the latest advanced cameras with a few software tweaks to make it as good for normal, everyday life as last year’s flagship Apple camera phones. Can be made capable. Photography. It’s no iPhone 15 Pro Max when it comes to camera tech, but it’ll be close enough for many people.
It all adds up to a great phone
Since I finished reviewing the iPhone 15 Plus, I’ve started using the iPhone 15 Pro Max as my everyday iPhone, and I’ve learned something very interesting in the process. After using both back-to-back for several weeks, I can confidently say that if you want a larger-screen iPhone this year, you really have a choice between two. Last year, it could be argued that there was no alternative, and the smaller iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Pro was the best bet in every way.
You might be considering the iPhone 15 Plus or iPhone 15 Pro Max because you want a larger screen, so what about the difference in refresh rate? Apple seems to have worked some magic with the iPhone 15 Plus’s 60Hz refresh rate screen, although the 120Hz refresh rate screen on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is noticeably smoother, but the switch between them is less jarring than you might expect. Is. By comparison, the iPhone 14 Plus’s 60Hz screen was much clearer.
The 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max have similarly sized screens, providing the same immersive view for games and videos, and the switch between 60Hz and 120Hz isn’t as painful as it could be. Add this to the Plus’s good camera and advanced ergonomics, and it becomes a great phone for you want to use, Perhaps even more importantly, if you don’t need the extra capacity of the iPhone 15 Pro Max but still want a larger screen, the iPhone 15 Plus saves you $200.
The iPhone 14 Plus didn’t mark a triumphant return of the Plus name. It was a compromise, a little disappointing and I couldn’t recommend it wholeheartedly. This year, the iPhone 15 Plus is a completely different device, and Apple has breathed new life into its cheapest big-screen model with a few small changes. If you want a bigger iPhone this year, don’t ignore the iPhone 15 Plus.
