Apple iPhone 15 Plus review

Competition

We'd consider the iPhone 15 Plus a big step up from its predecessor. The move to the universal USB-C port is landmark moment for the iPhones in its own right. The performance jump from the A15 Bionic chipset to the A16 Bionic is substantial; the new OLED panel is brighter, the full charge is considerably faster now, the battery life is longer, and the new 48MP main camera makes a sensible difference in daylight and low-light photography.

The iPhone 14 Plus remains officially available alongside the 15 Plus at a discounted price, so despite its poor market sales up until now, it will readily cater to consumers who find the 15 Plus too expensive but would like the same formula.

An even tougher choice would be between the iPhone 15 Plus and last year's iPhone 14 Pro Max. The latter now costs €1,100, just about the same as the 15 Plus, but delivers a more premium experience - 120Hz display, better cameras all-around with proper 3x optical zoom shooter, longer battery life and the same SoC.

Apple iPhone 14 Plus • Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max • Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

But as always, we also need to look at the market as a whole in case you are one of those rare breed of users looking for the best option available at a certain price instead of staying within your ecosystem. Sure, in iPhone terms, the 15 Plus is a nice phone with more upgrades than initially expected. However, the handset falls short of its direct Android rivals.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra • Xiaomi 13 Pro

Right now, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a slightly cheaper flagship phone with a better and more versatile camera system, better display, similar battery life and stylus as a nice bonus.

The same goes for the Xiaomi 13 Pro, which is cheaper and checks a flagship phone's boxes. The 15 Plus is no match for cameras, and its 60Hz display doesn't sit competitively on its spec sheet either.

There are other notable mentions in the sub-€1,000 category from Android manufacturers, which give the iPhone 15 Plus a good run for its money, like the Pixel 7 Pro (with the 8 Pro release just around the corner), OnePlus 11, Sony Xperia 1 V, etc. So, if you are not married to iOS just yet and you are within this price bracket, you should check out the Android-based alternatives.

Verdict

Overall, the iPhone 15 Plus boasts a significant upgrade over its predecessor in a couple of key departments - display, battery life, performance, main camera and charging.

It's still nowhere near the Pro lineup, and it's missing features such as this year's chipset, the optical zoom camera, the autofocus on the ultra-wide camera, the 120Hz high-refresh-rate screen that comes with Always-On Display, or the new customizable Action key. Depending on your priorities, the lack of some of these might be a deal-breaker for you.

More importantly, however, Apple might have hindered the 15 Plus market odds the same way it did with the 14 Plus by placing it in a limbo where it has the feature set of the cheaper-tier iPhone but it's priced way too close to the Pro-tier iPhones for its own good.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the iPhone 15 Plus; in isolation, we'd be happy to give it our full recommendation in an instant. But the market realities mean it will be a hard sell at its current price, regardless of whether you are comparing it to current or previous-gen iPhones or Android devices. This puts this particular device in a really tight spot and makes us less than optimistic for the future of the Plus lineup as a whole.

Pros

• Excellent build quality, IP68 certified.
• Brighter OLED panel with Dolby Vision and Dynamic Island.
• Even better battery life than last year.
• Nice-sounding stereo speakers.
• Flagship-grade performance even if not the latest chipset.
• Improved main camera performance, nice selfies.
• Outstanding video quality and stabilization across the board, great action clips.
• Standout charging speed to 100% for an iPhone.
• Every iPhone gets at least five years of iOS updates.
• Finally USB-C.

Cons

• Considerably more expensive than corresponding Android alternatives.
• The display is 60Hz; there is no Always On option.
• No charger in the box, still rather slow charging overall.
• No dedicated telephoto camera and disappointing performance out of the ultrawide.
• Apple's iOS restrictions can be off-putting to newcomers to the ecosystem.