Apple iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Max, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max were launched early this morning with two different configurations as they did last year. For those planning to buy the iPhone 15 series when it goes on sale on September 29, here's a list of 15 interesting and disappointing things about Apple's two latest smartphones this year.
ATTRACT
1.Dynamic Island For All
Goodbye to the screen notch that was introduced with the iPhone X six years ago. In the beginning it was a joke of Android but now it has become an iconic design that has been copied by other manufacturers including Samsung who was the first to laugh at it.
This year there is no more notch with all iPhone 15 models being offered with the Dynamic Island feature. Dynamic Island replaces the notch with two large camera holes. When needed Dynamic Island will display important information such as received messages, food delivery will arrive and also what song is playing.
2. Apple A17 Pro First 3nm Chip
The new Apple A17 Pro chip is used on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max series. The Fusion name is no longer used in the branding that was introduced with the A11 Bionic seven years ago. As the notch was disposed of this year, the Bionic name was also buried like the previous Fusion.
The 2+4 core configuration is maintained with two high-performance cores and four more cores for tasks that do not require high processing power. The six-core GPU on the A17 Pro promises up to a 20% increase in graphics performance compared to last year's model. That's why four console-level games like Resident Evil 4 can be played on the iPhone 15 Pro series this year.
3nm technology is also used making the A17 Pro the first to use it on the market. Steps that will also be followed by the Qualcomm Snapdragon and MediaTek Dimensity series later.
3. Finally USB-C On iPhone
Alhamdulillah because after waiting for more than half a decade, finally the iPhone with a USB-C charging port has become a reality. All four models of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max use USB-C ports which bring them in line with iPads and Macs that have migrated to this port over the past few years.
The change was made by Apple to meet the requirements of the EU and Bharat markets which require electronic devices such as smartphones to use USB-C to reduce electronic waste. The era of hard to find Lightning charging heads and the problem of missing cables until the iPhone can't be charged is now over.
4. New Camera 5X Optical Zoom
It's rare for Apple to make improvements to a camera two years in a row. Last year the 48MP main sensor was paired with a wide-angle lens. This year on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, a 12MP telephoto sensor comes with 5X optical zoom and up to 25X digital zoom. An increase from just 3x and 15x on last year's iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The new prism mechanism on this Pro Max model allows higher zoom levels to be achieved. Even so, Apple is still behind Samsung and Xiaomi, which respectively offer devices with up to 100X and 120X zoom this year.
5. Video Recording Directly To SSD On iPhone 15 Pro
Apple is selling the idea that the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are smartphones with the best video recording capabilities on the market. The improved camera system allows the iPhone 15 Pro series to be used to produce films professionally.
Recognizing that ProRes recording requires large storage, the iPhone 15 Pro series supports recording directly to external SSD storage via USB-C. This will also activate the ProRes 4K60FPS recording mode which uses higher bitrate cards. With this the issue of insufficient storage no longer occurs.
6. Multi Function Action Button
The action button (Action Button) replaces the adjustable button to mute the notification that has been used on the iPhone since the first generation. This time the button can be programmed to not only mute the iPhone 15 Pro series but also launch the camera, start a Voice Memo recording session, activate the smart home system and more.
7. Titanium body
Some complained that last year's iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max felt heavy in the hand. This year with the body made of titanium metal on the iPhone 15 Pro series, it becomes the lightest Pro model they have ever produced. This metal is not only light but also durable allowing the owner the confidence to use it without a frame. Another change to this year's Pro model is that the sides are rounded back with titanium black, titanium white, titanium blue, and natural titanium color offerings.
8. Spatial Video Recording And ACES Standards
The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max cameras are also the first on a smartphone to meet the ACES (Academy Color Encoding Standard) standard. This standard makes it easier for videographers to use the iPhone 15 Pro to produce more cinematic films.
9. iOS 17 Lots of New Features
Last year iOS 16 was a bit of a disappointment as not many new features were introduced. This year iOS 17 cures past disappointment by bringing features such as Contact Poster, NameDrop, AirDrop without distance limit, StandBy, Live Voicemail, Look Up, Journal, Live Stickers and many more. This year sees iOS coming back with its own innovation not just taking inspiration from Android which has already offered it first.
DISAPPOINTING
10. Apple A16 Bionic Chip On Regular iPhone 15
Last year's strategy was recycled on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus which only used the Apple A16 Bionic chip like last year's iPhone 14 Pro series. If people want the most powerful iPhone, their only choice is the two 15 Pro models. With the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, Apple has created their "mid-range" device where last year's flagship chips are recycled on non-Pro models.
The good news here is that the A16 Bionic is still powerful enough when compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. So device owners don't have to worry about it not having enough power to run heavy gaming applications in the near future.
11. Fast USB-C Only On iPhone 15 Pro
The difference between the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro processors can also be seen in the speed of the USB-C port. It looks similar but the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 series only supports the same USB 2.0 protocol as Lightning before.
On the iPhone 15 Pro series, USB-3 is supported allowing 20X faster transfer rates up to 10Gbps. Apple also only provides a USB-C USB 2.0 cable in each device purchased. Buyers of the Pro model will have to spend RM399 for a fast USB-C cable sold separately.
12. The Charging System Is Still Slow
Charging is still at the old 20W notch on all four iPhone models this year. Like Samsung, Apple still refuses to offer a significantly faster charging system than those used in mid-range devices from Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Redmi and more.
There is a rumor from the 9to5Mac site that says on the Pro model, charging up to 35W is supported but on Apple's official site it is not even listed. Even if true, 35W charging is still slow compared to the mid-range OnePlus Nord 3 5G device which supports 80W with a charging head provided with every purchase.
13. No Increased Battery Life
Charging is still officially only 20W. This may be forgivable if there is a change in battery life. But according to Apple's official website, all iPhone 15 series have the same level of battery life as last year's iPhone 14 series. With the new 3nm Apple A17 Pro chip, the iPhone 15 Pro series should be able to offer longer battery life but this is not the case.
14. iPhone 15 and 15 Plus Screens Still 60Hz
As we mentioned above, the selling price of the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus increased by RM200 this year. With it starting from RM4399 we expect the screen used to support 120Hz. But the fact is that the screen on these two devices is still only 60Hz which is no longer used on entry-level Android devices. In the market now you can buy a device like the Infinix GT 10 Pro with a 120Hz screen at a price of RM999. Apple continuing to offer 60Hz screens in 2023 is extremely disappointing.
15. Prices Increase Again
The year 2023 is the year the price of all goods will rise. From subscription prices to streaming services to food items, everything has increased due to global economic factors. The price of the iPhone 15 also did not survive the increase this year.
The iPhone 15 is sold at a price starting at RM4399 for 128GB compared to the iPhone 14 which is sold at a price of RM4199 for the same storage size. An increase of RM200 is not small in the current economy. The price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max reaches RM8499 for the 1TB model compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB model which is sold at a price of RM8299.
So does this list of 15 things get you excited to buy the iPhone 15 series? If so, what features are most interesting to you and what might we have overlooked? Please leave a comment below this article to share your thoughts.