At a lookSkilled’s Ranking
Execs
- Epic battery life
- Clean efficiency
- Crisp and shiny display
- Prime quality IP68 construct
Cons
- No telephoto lens
- Begins at 128GB storage
- 60Hz refresh charge
- No reverse wi-fi charging
Our Verdict
The iPhone 15 Plus is without doubt one of the finest huge telephones on the market and hits a pleasant candy spot in Apple’s 2024 vary. It even undercuts some Android rivals on value however with much less storage and lags behind in another areas in the event you care concerning the newest and biggest {hardware}.
Value When Reviewed
1 119 €
Greatest Costs At this time: Apple iPhone 15 Plus
€1119
1 009,00 €
The iPhone 15 Plus is without doubt one of the ‘huge telephones’ vying to your consideration however is there sufficient to win the battle of the what was referred to as ‘phablets’?
For me, with the telephone beginning at £899, there’s lots to like in the event you’re onboard with iOS. The show is beautiful, the battery life is insanely good and efficiency is clean.
It’s not excellent although as there’s no telephoto lens and charging speeds are nothing to jot down house about so you may get some higher {hardware} within the Android camp if that’s an choice for you.
Notice: Because the iPhone 15 Plus is so much like the common 15, I’m going to maintain this overview on the shorter aspect and you may take a look at many of the element in that full in-depth overview.
Yow will discover out what we think about to be the ten finest handsets in our greatest smartphones chart.
Design & Construct
- Huge however simple 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 and greater battery.
Apple affords 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 seen in sure gentle.
the 15 Plus shocked me in how simple and cozy it was to deal with
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
Sometimes 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 shocked me in how simple and cozy it was to deal with. I used to be utilizing it with no case which felt unnerving at instances however it wasn’t anyplace close to as slippery and slidy as lots of the telephones I’ve examined not too long ago.
Construct is as top quality as you’d count on from Apple and this lump of crafted steel and glass comes with an IP68 mud and waterproof ranking which is the best you may get (6 meters as much as half-hour in water going by Apple’s small print).
It’s additionally price noting that not solely does the glass rear cowl with its frosted matt end look good, it has extra grip that the majority and resists fingerprints very nicely certainly.
The Tremendous Retina XDR show with its OLED panel makes for a beautiful display
Display screen & 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 essential causes to ‘go massive’.
The specs are the identical aside from the next decision to keep up the identical 460ppi pixel density.
The Tremendous Retina XDR show with its OLED panel makes for a beautiful display 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 outdoor, too.
I measured it with autobrightness off at a extra pedestrian 517 nits which jumped to 570 nits with True Tone switched off. Nonetheless, I discovered the display simple 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 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 it’s a must to get a Professional mannequin to profit from 120Hz which is a disgrace. Even 90Hz as a midway home could 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 today) however the audio system on the 15 Plus are respectable in the event you haven’t bought any wi-fi cans to hearken to your podcasts, video games or video streaming.
I didn’t discover any flaws with real-world efficiency in my testing
Specs & Efficiency
- Yr-old A16 Bionic
- Clean efficiency
- Begins at solely 128GB
There’s little or no to fret about in the case of 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 yr previous.
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 however it’s price selecting correctly what capability you want as there’s no microSD card slot.
After all, 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 essential sensor
- 12Mp ultrawide and selfie cameras
The 15 Plus has the very same digital camera setup as its smaller brother so the principle factor right here is that there’s no telephoto lens. You’ll must get a 15 Professional for that.
Nonetheless, the improve from final yr’s 12- to a 48Mp (f/1.6) sensor makes a major influence. One component being that it’s excessive sufficient decision to crop in for what’s the equal of a 2x optical zoom, in accordance with Apple.
the 15 Plus is flexible sufficient to manage nicely with most conditions
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
Photographs pixel bix all the way down to 12Mp, although you’ll be able to shoot within the full 48Mp in the event you like. Apple correctly buries this in the principle settings although and even when it provides ‘HEIF MAX’ to the nook of the digital camera app, it’s not clear what which means 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 corresponding to autofocus and an f/1.9 aperture.
General, high quality is sweet and the 15 Plus is flexible sufficient to manage nicely with most conditions. On most events, element is sweet and I just like the pure, true-to-life colors.
Being able to crop in to an efficient 2x zoom on the principle digital camera is useful 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 difficulty so a few of pictures got here out blurry. The 15 Plus can be good in low gentle conditions however plenty of Android rivals are higher for this.
One space the 15 Plus excels is video with very top quality and many choices and instruments at your fingertips.
For me, the 15 Plus simply saved going and going
Battery Life & Charging
- Excellent battery life
- 20W wired charging with no charger equipped
- MagSafe and Qi2 wi-fi charging
One among my favorite issues concerning the iPhone 15 Plus is the battery life.
Apple doesn’t listing the capability however by all accounts, it’s 4383mAh. Quite a bit smaller than similar-sized Android telephones that are usually round 5000mAh however it’s what you do with it that counts.
For me, the 15 Plus simply saved 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, enjoying 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 perpetually 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 bought 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 – in the event you purchase Apple’s 20W charger (£19/$19) the place you need to get 50% in ‘round’ 30-minutes.
My colleague David Value from Macworld managed 55% in 30-minutes along 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
- Seemingly six years of OS updates
I gained’t spend lengthy speaking about software program as a result of a) you most likely don’t want me to clarify iOS to you and b) there’s not a complete lot that’s new in iOS 17.
As talked about earlier, you’ll be able to learn my iPhone 15 overview if you’d like extra particulars.
All that basically must be stated right here is that the 15 Plus is a pleasure to make use of (assuming you’re not an Android loyalist anyway). After all, the display makes it tough to achieve 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 important vary of apps and there are some helpful options baked in corresponding to 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 even assume that the telephone might 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 yr off what Google and Samsung promise on flagships however it’s completely lengthy sufficient and ensures good worth in the event you don’t need to improve your {hardware} yearly or two.
Value & Availability
The iPhone 15 Plus begins at £899/$899 with two additional fashions obtainable if you’d like extra storage:
- 128GB: £899/$899
- 256GB: £999/$999
- 512GB: £1,199/$1,199
That’s £/$100 greater than the common iPhone 15 and similar to Android rivals such because the Samsung Galaxy S24+ and Google Pixel 8 Professional.
Should you’re eager to get your palms on the 15 Plus you’ll be able to buy it directly 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 below 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 achieved smartphone right here and there’s lots to love concerning the iPhone 15 Plus.
At the least, it’s one in every 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 individuals.
These Android rivals will usually get you higher {hardware} together with greater refresh charge shows, newer processors and telephoto lenses.
If that issues to you and also you’re not set on iOS, then it’s price having a browse and evaluate 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 yr’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 Principal
- 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)
