Apple announced many iPhone models in September 2023, including the flagship iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Despite their similarities, these two phones differ in some ways that may influence your decision. Continue reading to learn more about the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, including how they compare in design, performance, and battery life.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 series on September 12, 2023, and the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are the most cheap of the four variants. So, how do these two mainstream flagship smartphones compare? We’ve answered that below using both their specs sheets and our thoughts from our complete iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus reviews. If you want something more luxurious, check out our iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max reviews.
IPHONE 15 VS IPHONE 15 PLUS: SPECS COMPARISON
Do you want to acquire this year’s affordable iPhone 15 vanilla or the Plus? We’re here to help you. They both have their quirks and strengths, but the good news is that the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are a significant upgrade over their predecessors, so whichever you choose, you will notice a measurable improvement in performance, efficiency, display quality, and, to some extent, camera performance.
CAMERA
In terms of cameras, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are identical. Both include a new 48MP main camera capable of taking super-high resolution photos, as well as a 12MP ultra-wide camera.
According to our reviews, both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus excelled at photographing in low light. Lewis Painter, our Mobiles Editor, stated that “low light is one area where the iPhone 15 Plus has seen a significant improvement year on year, delivering shots not that far off what you’ll get from the iPhone 15 Pro.” It was immediately able to capture photographs in extremely low-light conditions, such as a moonlit lawn.
Nonetheless, the increase to 48MP has made a considerable difference, with our iPhone 15 Plus review concluding that it “serves up great shots across the board” and our iPhone 15 review noting that there is “truly impressive computational photography.” To help you decide, here are some camera examples from both phones.
However, our Editor Max Parker observed that the iPhone 15 “still has a very reflective lens that makes itself too often known when shooting in darker situations with lots of streetlights.”
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
The most notable innovation to both of these phones is Apple’s Dynamic Island, which was launched with the iPhone 14 Pro. Say goodbye to the unattractive notch as Apple transitions to a more subtle punch-hole solution with a clever widget-like notification system.
Aside from that, the design of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus is broadly similar to that of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, with slightly rounded edges replacing the right-angled approach Apple used with the iPhone 12.
Another notable external change is Apple’s transition from its proprietary Lightning connector to the widely used USB-C. We’ll go over that further shortly.
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus measure 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8mm and 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8mm, respectively, and are roughly similar in size to their predecessors. This makes the iPhone 15 Plus much larger than the iPhone 15.
These specifications allow for a 6.1-inch OLED display for the iPhone 15 and a 6.7-inch OLED for the iPhone 15 Plus. The inclusion of the aforementioned Dynamic Island results in a minor increase in both resolutions, to 1179 x 2556 for the iPhone 15 and 1290 x 2796 for the iPhone 15 Plus. However, the two phones have nearly the same pixel density, so the only major difference in display is size.
Unfortunately, Apple has not increased the refresh rate of either of these panels, so it’s 60Hz all the way. Even Android phones, which are among the greatest cheap phones, now have 90Hz and 120Hz screens, but Apple appears to want to keep this a pro-only feature. Apple has also not added its always-on display to either phone.
Finally, these phones are quite comparable in terms of design and display, with the same color options, an IP68 water-resistant rating, and brightness levels of up to 2,000 nits.
The main difference is that the iPhone 15 Plus is larger and heavier, but it also boasts a larger screen.
HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?
The iPhone 14 line introduced a split in Apple’s CPU strategy, with the Pro models receiving new silicon while the iPhone 14 retained most of the same chip as its predecessor, and the iPhone 15 line has followed suit.
This means that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus use the same A16 Bionic chipset as the iPhone 14 Pro, but the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max employ a new A17 Pro processor. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus both contain 6GB of RAM, exactly like the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
So, while these aren’t the most powerful iPhones, they’re not exactly lacking in power. Indeed, in our iPhone 15 review, we stated that it “can handle pretty much any task you throw at it.” The two phones also have equal storage capacities, beginning at 128GB and ending at 512GB, and both run iOS 17.
GET THE IPHONE 15 for
- Smaller dimensions and less weight.
- The lesser price.
GET THE IPHONE 15 PLUS for
- The larger display.
- The charging speed is slightly faster.
- A little longer battery life
