Hands-on with the iPhone 15 series Improved user experience, an upgrade from good to excellent

'iPhone 15 series offers improved user experience, upgrading from good to excellent'

In this year’s Apple autumn launch event, the iPhone 15 series was undoubtedly the highlight. From the brand new design to the stronger performance and the upgraded imaging system, this year’s new iPhone 15 series continues to satisfy different consumers’ choices by covering different price ranges.

iPhone 15 series

Which color option of the iPhone 15 series is worth choosing? How is the upgraded imaging system? How much has the burden of using the iPhone 15 Pro series been reduced? How does the first-ever five-fold periscope lens perform? We hope to help you fully understand the iPhone 15 series and assist you in choosing the right device for yourself through this article.

Every year, Apple brings the latest technology to the Pro series, and this year’s iPhone 15 Pro series is no exception. From the A17 Pro chip to the titanium metal material and the brand new operation button, the various upgrades of the iPhone 15 Pro utilize higher-level technology to further enhance the product power of the iPhone.

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iPhone 15 Pro Max (original titanium metal)

iPhone 15 Pro Max (white titanium metal)

The iPhone 15 Pro series has a total of four color options this year, namely original, blue, white, and black. When I first saw these colors, I personally think that the blue version is somewhat similar to the blue of the iPhone 12 Pro, and even has a hint of “midnight blue” flavor. The original color, under the light, has a silver texture, with some gray tones in the color.

iPhone 15 Pro (black titanium metal)

iPhone 15 Pro Max (Blue Titanium)

In fact, Apple has quite rich experience in dealing with “titanium”. Not only did it launch the Apple Watch Ultra last year, but Apple also launched the Apple Watch Edition made of titanium metal several years ago. The frame of the iPhone 15 Pro uses a wire drawing process, similar to the craftsmanship of the Apple Watch Edition. From my actual test results, the blue version does tend to attract fingerprints, but they can be easily wiped clean, contrary to the rumors on the internet of it being “unwipable” or “peeling off”. Of course, if you are sensitive to residual fingerprints, it is a good choice to choose the white titanium version that is more resistant to dirt or purchase an additional protective case.

By changing to a titanium material, the grip burden of the iPhone 15 Pro has also been reduced. The previous generation iPhone 14 Pro gave me a feeling of being “solid”, while this generation’s iPhone 15 Pro weighs 187g, making it feel like “this is not a Pro” when holding the phone. In addition, the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro Max has also been reduced. If you have previously used the iPhone 14 Pro Max, you will definitely have a stronger perception.

The frame of the iPhone 15 Pro looks more rounded.

Similarly, the iPhone 15 Pro series adopts a rounded frame design, which does not feel uncomfortable when used daily. It also has a significant change in the appearance design, which is the use of a brand new operation button on the side. By default, the operation button is still used to switch between ring/silent mode. In addition, in the settings, you can also adjust the button to open the camera, open voice memos, and so on, so as to complete some quick operations in one step.

Side buttons support more rich functions

The imaging system is also a major upgrade for the iPhone 15 Pro series. The 48-megapixel main camera can output a 24-megapixel photo in daily shooting, and you can also take 48-megapixel photos to obtain more detailed information. In addition, when using the iPhone 15 Pro to take portraits or pet photos, there is no need to switch to portrait mode. With the computing power provided by the A17 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro can automatically capture depth information and obtain a portrait photo with background blur in an instant when the shutter is pressed.

The iPhone 15 Pro can directly take portrait mode photos

It is worth mentioning that the main camera of the iPhone 15 Pro has also been significantly upgraded. In addition to the daily 24mm focal length, this 48-megapixel main camera can also provide focal lengths of 28mm and 35mm, and you can also directly select the corresponding focal length as the default focal length to use in the settings.

You can choose different default focal lengths in the settings

In the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, the telephoto lenses are slightly different. The iPhone 15 Pro continues the previous three times telephoto lens, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max uses a brand new five times periscope telephoto lens. This is another time Apple has used different lenses in the same series of models, following the iPhone 12 Pro series. This five times optical zoom lens uses a “quadruple reflective prism”, which means that the light enters the lens and undergoes four reflections before reaching the sensor. We have tested it and found that the image is quite clear in good lighting conditions, indicating that the 3D sensor displacement optical image stabilization and automatic focusing module play a significant role.

The iPhone in the numeric series has a lower purchase threshold and is a preferred choice for many consumers due to its balanced product design and user experience. This year, the iPhone 15 series comes in five colors: blue, pink, green, yellow, and black. Personally, I prefer the blue and green colors. These colors have lower saturation, giving them a fresher look.

In addition, the back glass of the iPhone 15 series uses a new process that incorporates ultra-fine metal ions into the glass, achieving a colored glass overall. The back panel has also been changed from previous glossy glass to frosted glass, further reducing the impact of fingerprints.

iPhone 15 Plus (pink)

After actually holding it, the new rounded frame greatly enhances the grip of the iPhone 15 series. The rounded side frame greatly reduces the occurrence of “cutting hands” and, combined with its lightweight design, makes the iPhone 15 series the best-feeling numeric series iPhone in recent years.

This year’s iPhone 15 series has two core upgrades worth mentioning. First, the front adopts the same dynamic island design as the Pro series. Second, the rear imaging system has been upgraded to a 48-megapixel main camera.

The iPhone 15 series uses a 48-megapixel imaging system on the back

Last year, we referred to the dynamic island as a “significant stroke in the transformation of iPhone’s interactive experience.” After nearly a year, mainstream apps in the market have already adapted to the dynamic island, making the experience more mature.

Apple introduced this design in the iPhone 15 series, undoubtedly allowing more users within the Apple ecosystem to enjoy this smooth interaction design. Although the screen refresh rate of the iPhone 15 series is still 60Hz this year, after actual hands-on experience, there is no delay in the animation of the dynamic island area. Whether it is the animation of the app “going to the island” or the animation of long-pressing to activate the dynamic island, they are all very smooth, and the user experience is no different from the Pro series.

The iPhone 15 series supports the dynamic island.

As for the 48 million pixel imaging system on the back, it is a significant upgrade for the digital series of iPhones. In the iPhone 15 series, the 48 million pixel main camera not only undertakes the daily 1X shooting tasks but also utilizes the central area of the sensor to achieve optical quality 2X zoom. The importance of 2X focal length for the digital series is self-evident. This is equivalent to adding a lens that is easier to use and take good photos for the iPhone 15 series, especially in the process of shooting portraits. The 2X focal length can achieve an equivalent focal length of 48mm, which is basically similar to the human eye’s field of view. It is also easier to focus and shoot the subject in daily shooting.

It is worth mentioning that with the powerful computing power provided by the A16 Bionic, the iPhone 15 series can also take portrait photos with a blurring effect in normal mode. When taking photos of people, cats, and dogs, the iPhone 15 will automatically collect depth information and directly present portrait photos with a blurred background. Of course, you can also continue to edit the photos in the album and choose the effect that suits you.

In addition, with the help of the new optical image engine, when using the iPhone 15 for shooting, the phone will select the best pixel portion from the ultra-high-resolution image and merge it with the pixel portion optimized for light capture, resulting in a final image of 24 million pixels. Combined with more efficient HEIF format, the photos also occupy less space.

Overall, this year’s iPhone 15 series can be regarded as a comprehensive upgrade from the outside to the inside. The dynamic island and the 48-megapixel main camera of the Pro series last year have all been brought to the digital series, and it still has the lightweight, colorful, and reliable characteristics of the digital series. Compared to the Pro series models, its purchase threshold is lower, so the iPhone 15 series is still the preferred choice for many iPhone users to upgrade.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus (blue)

As for how to choose between the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, it depends on the actual usage scenarios of different users. The main differences between the two are mainly focused on the screen and battery life, while other aspects are almost the same. If you are someone who always uses your phone and needs to use it frequently every day, then the longer battery life of the iPhone 15 Plus will definitely be recognized by you. On the other hand, the lower threshold iPhone 15 can meet all your needs.

For users within the Apple ecosystem, the dynamic island and the imaging system on the back of the iPhone 15, the lighter body and the richer focal lengths of the iPhone 15 Pro can all prompt some users who are still using old phones to upgrade. This year’s iPhone 15 series and iPhone 15 Pro series once again provide consumers with the most suitable choices through different price segments. However, upon careful observation, it is not difficult to find that this year Apple has further differentiated the Pro series by refining the imaging system, seemingly returning to the classic “three-tiered differentiation”.

Compared to the stunning feeling brought by “from nothing to something,” the upgrade of the entire iPhone 15 series is more like “from good to better”. Its perception may not be as strong, but in the process of daily use, we can still feel the goodwill Apple has released to users from the ecological level.

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