The iPhone 13 Pro Max was my first big iPhone ever, and I enjoyed the experience so much that I called it my favorite phone of 2022. This was mainly due to the exceptional battery life, which outweighed my minor complaints with the camera. But the next year, shifting to the iPhone 14 Pro Max wasn’t as fun an experience. Apple dropped the ball on battery life, Dynamic Island wasn’t very useful for the first four months, the bulky design was ergonomic, and the cameras also had problems.
This year, I decided to opt for the non-Max variant and go for the smaller iPhone 15 Pro. A month later, I can confidently say that this is the best Pro iPhone I’ve used so far. And that’s because it has been improved over its predecessor in many ways.
The iPhone 15 Pro is the perfect size
I was assuming I wouldn’t like the iPhone 15 Pro and would shift to the iPhone 15 Pro Max within a few weeks, similar to my experience with the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max last year. But that didn’t happen due to massive improvements in design, battery life, and cameras.
Using the iPhone 14 Pro Max my primary problem was wrist pain. With the iPhone 13 Pro Max, I expected it to be unergonomic due to the sharp edges, but the extra weight made it the most uncomfortable phone I’ve used in years. And that’s one reason I chose a smaller iPhone this year.
I was glad to see the sentence “Apple’s lightest Pro model ever” on the iPhone 15 Pro press release and I expected it to be more comfortable to hold than the iPhone 14 Pro. But the uncertainty factor was weighing on me.
That is until I got the device in my hands and actually started using it. Fast forward a month later, and the titanium design and slightly curved edges make a huge difference in day-to-day use. It no longer leaves temporary scratches on my little finger after long video calls or browsing sessions. And I don’t feel the need to adjust my grip whenever I need to click a landscape picture.
Battery life isn’t as bad as I feared
I expected it to be pleasant to move from a 240-gram phone to a 187-gram device, but I didn’t expect it to be this enjoyable. And it’s that way because I’m getting the same battery life as the iPhone 14 Pro Max on my smaller iPhone 15 Pro. It’s still not at iPhone 13 Pro Max-level, but it’s better than I expected.
The iPhone 15 Pro lasts me a day if I’m using it at home. This includes my ideal workday that looks like this: jumping between Instagram and Twitter (X) for entertainment, using Safari for browsing, and using messaging and video calls across WhatsApp, Gmail, Teams, and Slack for work. To use. If I’m out and navigating for 30 minutes with my MacBook Air connected to a hotspot, the battery is dead by 5pm, so I have to carry a battery pack with me.
But that’s still solid battery life for a phone with a 6.1-inch display. It’s easily on par with my iPhone 14 Pro Max, and made it easier to switch to the smaller Pro iPhone.
Apple’s new cameras impress
My third irritation with previous iPhones was the camera, which had poor lens flare and poor HDR, and didn’t produce very good-looking portraits. While lens flare remains a problem, the other two problems have been fixed. The photos below do a good job of showing these improvements:
As you can see, the highlights in the iPhone 14 Pro image are lost, but the second selfie shot taken on the iPhone 15 Pro was able to retain details despite focusing on faces. The third and fourth photos are also shot on the iPhone 15 Pro, and I’m sure if I had clicked them on my iPhone 14 Pro Max the background would have been damaged. I love the colors, dynamic range, and details in these images.
Secondly, portrait shots on the iPhone 15 Pro have better Bokeh and edge detection than before. Additionally, it is able to focus faster and more efficiently. The ability to be able to click a photo in normal mode and then add Bokeh later in the Photos app is great, but it doesn’t work all the time. However, I’m happy to switch to portrait mode and get shots like the one above.
Why am I stuck with the iPhone 15 Pro?
I like larger phones because I get more space to interact with apps and improve productivity (especially on Android phones). I was skeptical about switching to a phone with a 6.1-inch display for two reasons. First, battery life and second, productivity. As mentioned above, the battery situation is resolved.
Regarding productivity, iOS doesn’t let me take advantage of the larger screen on the Pro Max iPhones. As I’ve written before, iOS feels limited, especially on larger screens, as you’re only getting an evolved version of the operating system that still works the same way on the 4.7-inch iPhone SE.
If I’m choosing a 6.7-inch iPhone, I’ll want to be able to interact with multiple apps at once with multi-window or popup window support — both of which are available on Android phones, but not iOS. The 6.1-inch display size also works for me since I don’t watch TV shows or movies on my iPhone (I have a good setup for that in my living room). My use case involves more text-based apps than video apps, unless I’m watching Instagram Reels for hours before bed.
The iPhone 15 Pro gives me iPhone 14 Pro Max-level battery life in a form factor that’s 53 grams lighter and much more comfortable to hold. It fixes two big problems I had with the camera and delivers a reliable performance. To me, this is the most significant iPhone upgrade in years.
