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iPhone 15 Plus preview: Plus one Dynamic Island, please!

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iPhone 15 Plus Intro


The iPhone 15 series was one of the most anticipated releases this year, and after the Wonderlust 2023 event on September 12, the four new models are now finally unveiled. Today, we'll be focusing on the iPhone 15 Plus, the second iteration of the resurrected "Plus" lineup, and Apple's attempt to give people a big-screen iPhone that's not crazy expensive.

The iPhone 15 Plus clearly follows the evolution philosophy and adds new features and hardware here and there to further polish and perfect the "Plus" idea. Even though the upgrades aren't groundbreaking, some of them are pretty interesting, needed and could make this model an even better deal for people searching for screen real estate in an iPhone for not a lot of money. Let's begin!

Verizon-locked iPhone 15 at Walmart: preorder and save $100

The iPhone 15 is also available for preorder with a Verizon subscription. Walmart allows you to save $100 on this device over 36 months. Preorder today for just $21.64/mo.
$100 off (11%)
$779 04
$879
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(AT&T) iPhone 15 at Walmart: now $21.64/mo

The iPhone 15 is available for preorder with a carrier subscription for AT&T at Walmart. The device goes for $21.64/mo, saving you a total of $100. Currently, all colors and storage variants are available.
$100 off (11%)
$779 04
$879
Pre-order at Walmart

The iPhone 15 Plus can be yours for just $24.42/mo with a Verizon subscription

Walmart allows you to preorder the iPhone 15 Plus with a subscription to Verizon as well. The device goes for just $24.42 a month over 36 months. In total, your savings amount to $100. This is the 128GB configuration.
$100 off (10%)
$879 14
$979
Pre-order at Walmart

iPhone 15 Plus: preorder at Walmart and save with a subscription to AT&T

The iPhone 15 Plus is also available for preorder at Walmart, too. This is a locked version of the device. It comes with 128GB of internal storage space. Walmart sells the Apple device for $24.42/mo over 36 installments.
$100 off (10%)
$879 12
$979
Pre-order at Walmart


What's new about the iPhone 15 Plus?

  • 48MP main camera
  • Dynamic Island
  • A16 Bionic chipset
  • USB-C
  • 2000 nits peak outdoor brightness
  • Optical-quality 2x telephoto
  • Five new colors

Table of contents:

iPhone 15 Plus Unboxing


The iPhone 15 Plus arrives in the same slim retail box as its predecessor. Apple ditched the charging brick a couple generations ago, so at this point we're not surprised by the lack of a charging brick inside the retail box. However, there's another surprise inside. This year, all iPhone 15 series models sports a USB-C port, so the cable included in the box features USB-C connectors on both ends.

iPhone 15 Plus Specs


Check out the iPhone 15 Plus specs in the table below.
iPhone 15 Plus
Size, weight
6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches (160.8 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm), 7.09 ounces (201 grams)
Screen6.7" OLED
60Hz
ProcessorA16 Bionic
4nm
RAM, Storage6/128GB
6/256GB
6/512GB
-

LPDDR5
Cameras48MP Main: 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor‑shift
12MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view
-

12MP front 
Battery4325 mAh
ChargingUSB-C
20W wired
MagSafe
 

iPhone 15 Plus Design and Colors


Last year, Apple decided to go big or go home and ditch the iPhone mini for a plus-sized model. This absolutely intentional pun brought us the iPhone 14 Plus, a 6.7-inch slab of metal and glass. We didn't expect huge changes in the design of the iPhone 15 Plus and we weren't surprised when the phone finally broke cover. Apart from the slightly thinner bezels, the design remains largely the same.

One big change that could be viewed as a design upgrade is the transformation of the notch into a pill-shaped cutout. With the Dynamic Island onboard, the iPhone 15 Plus now looks different and much more similar to the Pro models of last year, sporting the aforementioned cutout in its display.

The same flat display design from last year is still present, along with the same aluminum frame. Of course, a USB-C port now takes the place of the Lightning port on the phone's bottom. This time around the back glass uses a textured matte finish, which looks and feels different from last year's glossy finish.

As far as colors are concerned, two new hues made their way onto the iPhone 15 Plus. You can check out the iPhone 15 Plus colors below.

iPhone 15 Plus colors:
  • Black
  • Green
  • Pink
  • Blue
  • Yellow

iPhone 15 Plus Display


There's some bad news and some good news, as the proverbial story begins. The good news is that we now have the Dynamic Island cutout with its full functionality and glory. The bad news? The display of the iPhone 15 Plus is more or less the same panel used on its predecessor. Which means no ProMotion and no always on mode.

Regarding the size, we have the same 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate, a 2796x1290 pixel resolution, and a pixel density of 460 PPI (pixels per inch). It's not all bad - the brightness has been amped up: 1600 nits peak HDR brightness and up to 2000 nits peak outdoor brightness. The iPhone 14 Plus display received excellent scores in our tests, so we're expecting the same from the iPhone 15 Plus but we'll have to run our display tests first.

iPhone 15 Plus Camera


The iPhone 15 Plus sports a dual camera setup on the back, with one main, wide lens and a secondary, ultrawide camera. The big difference everyone is talking about is the new 48MP main camera, transferred from the Pro models of last year.

This new main camera produces 12MP shots through pixel binning, which leads to improved performance, especially in low-light conditions. Sadly, the iPhone 15 Plus is not able to shoot in 48MP ProRaw, as this feature is reserved for the Pro models. The good news is that you can get 2x sensor crop zoom on the main camera (Apple calls it Optical-quality 2x telephoto) which translates in some pretty nice portraits.

The ultrawide camera is the same as the one found on the iPhone 14 Plus, no big surprises here. The selfie camera is again the same as the one in the previous model, а 12-megapixel snapper that supports Portrait mode, Night mode and 4K, 60FPS video recording.

iPhone 15 Plus Performance


Apple decided to segregate the vanilla and Plus models from the Pros by giving the former a one-generation old chipset. This strategy remains in place for the iPhone 15 Plus, maintaining the status quo with the Pro models.

The iPhone 15 Plus is therefore equipped with the A16 Bionic chipset from last year's Pro models, and that's nothing to worry about, that silicon is plenty powerful and is on top of the latest Qualcomm, Exynos, and MediaTek offerings (although the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 outperforms the A16 in some gaming benchmarks).

There are no changes in RAM or storage capacity. The new iPhone 15 Plus sports the same 6GB of RAM and three storage options - 128, 256, and 512GB.

iPhone 15 Plus Software


Apple recently announced iOS 17 during the annual WWDC developer's forum, and there are some really cool new features coming to the iPhone. Of course, the new mobile OS just flies on the wings of the iPhone 15 series, the iPhone 15 Plus included. The phone will ship with iOS 17 right out of the box. 

You can check out our full coverage of the event and learn more about the expected iOS 17 features here. If you're feeling adventurous, you can download the iOS 17 developer beta and try all the new features. Also, check out our iOS 17 preview for a deep dive. Here's a list of all the phones that will get the next big update this fall:
Which iPhones will get the iOS 17 update?


iPhone 15 Plus Battery and Charging


The iPhone 14 Plus is one of the battery champions in Apple's camp. We expect the same from the iPhone 15 Plus, as it sports the same 4,325mAh battery as its predecessor (Apple doesn't list battery capacities but judging from the listed hours, it should be the same battery), coupled with the more powerful but also more efficient 4nm A16 bionic chipset. All in all, we expect great stamina from the iPhone 15 Plus, but we'll have to wait and see how the device performs in our battery benchmarks.

As far as charging is concerned, the USB-C switch hasn't brought any change to charging (or transfer) speeds. Apple lists 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W wired fast charger, so the only thing that's changed is the end of the connector cable. The iPhone 15 Plus also uses slower USB 2.0 speeds (the USB 3.0 standard is reserved for the Pro models).
The MagSafe and wireless charging are still present on the iPhone 15 Plus, and they are backward compatible with all accessories released since the introduction of the system back with iPhone 12 series.

Audio Quality


We were pleasantly surprised by the audio quality of the iPhone 14 Plus and its stereo setup, but that's not surprising, most iPhones fare quite well in that category, and the bigger size of the iPhone 15 Plus surely contributes to the deeper bass and resonance.

The same quality seems to be retained in the iPhone 15 Plus model, and this goes for haptics as well.

Summary


Should you buy the iPhone 15 Plus? Well, like most things in life, the answer is: it depends. If you already own an iPhone 14 Plus, then there's little to no reason to upgrade. If you're coming from an older generation, things get a bit more complex and will depend on your inclination toward bigger screens.

If you're an Android user and looking for a gateway into Apple's ecosystem, the iPhone 15 Plus could be a great choice, given the USB-C transition, which will most likely save you some cables and chargers. The iPhone 15 Plus will hit the stores on September 22 starting at $999 just like the previous model.
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