After many celebrities and media have completed the first wave of unboxing, the author also got the actual machine before the official sale of iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro series, and analyzed the key points of this update of the four mobile phones.
Inevitably, let’s start with the appearance design.
The four models updated this time are the standard iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 with an enlarged screen design, the iPhone 15 Pro with more advanced functions, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max with a large screen and more complete functions. There was no new design model called iPhone 15 Ultra as previously rumored.
The product positioning is also easy to differentiate. The standard iPhone 15 can meet most usage needs, and the color design is also presented in a more lively form. The telephoto lens that was lacking in the Pro models in the past has been upgraded to a 4800-megapixel wide-angle lens design, combined with image superposition and deep learning processing to achieve a "2x telephoto" shooting effect. The 6.1-inch screen can meet the needs of most people who hold it in one hand.
If you need a larger 6.7-inch screen, you can choose the iPhone 15 Plus at a relatively low cost. The rest of the design is the same as the standard iPhone 15, but you don't have to spend more to choose the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
For those who require more advanced features, want a more comprehensive camera setup, and also want the all-new titanium frame design, the iPhone 15 Pro is the obvious choice. Meanwhile, those who require a larger screen and more comprehensive camera capabilities (especially those with a need for telephoto photography) should opt for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Other more obvious differences are that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus still use the A16 Bionic processor, but the GPU is more powerful than the specifications used in last year's iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, so the overall performance is still improved. In addition, the dial design corresponding to the mute control is maintained on the side of the body, and the USB-C port that has been replaced this time only corresponds to the USB 2.0 transmission specification.
Both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max use the new A3 Pro processor produced by TSMC's 17nm process, which natively integrates the USB 3.0 control chip, allowing the USB-C port to correspond to USB 3.0 connection function.
The "Action" button on the side of the body has been changed to a button design. You can choose the preset "Silent Mode", "Focus Mode", "Voice Memo", "Camera", "Flashlight", "Magnifier", or execute more customized functions through "Shortcuts".
However, the "Action" button can only execute the set action with a single press, which still feels a bit insufficient.
If firmware updates can be used later to separate different operating methods to support quick use of more than one setting action, such as pressing and holding to launch the camera, pressing and holding to turn on the flashlight, or quickly pressing twice to execute the magnifying glass, and quickly pressing three times to activate the shortcut function, it should make the "Action" button more convenient to use.
In addition, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max use titanium frames, which are about 30 grams lighter on average than the previous generation models. However, some people have reported that due to the characteristics of titanium, it is relatively easy to leave fingerprints. If you care about this problem, adding an extra protective case, or wiping the phone more diligently through the film are solutions.
As for the fact that all four iPhones are equipped with the dynamic island interface, it shows that Apple plans to make this the main design of future iPhone models and add more screen interactive functions.
All four iPhones use an OLED screen design and support True Tone display, P3 wide color gamut display, haptic feedback touch, and a maximum brightness of 1000 nits. HDR display can reach a peak brightness of 1600 nits, and the peak brightness can reach 2000 nits outdoors. However, only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have ProMotion display technology, 120Hz automatic frame refresh rate, and Always on display function.
The upgrade of camera function is greater than expected
Judging from the overall design of the iPhone 15 series camera, in addition to the improvement in image quality, what is more important is that it allows users to use "more lenses" to meet different shooting needs.
Let’s start with the iPhone 15’s wide-angle camera. Although the new 4800-megapixel wide-angle lens has the same resolution as last year’s iPhone 14 Pro, it actually has a different photosensitive element design. The iPhone 15’s wide-angle lens even uses a larger f/1.6 aperture design (iPhone 14 Pro is f/1.78), thereby corresponding to a higher amount of light entering.
Through the 4800-megapixel resolution, Apple uses image superposition and deep learning technology to allow the iPhone 15's wide-angle lens to digitally crop and use digital calculations to correspond to a 2x focal length shooting effect, and the actual corresponding image is a 1200-megapixel specification.
Although the 2x focal length shooting effect is achieved through digital cropping, Apple still considers it "optical zoom" because it is actually shot with 4800 million pixels. Subsequently, the details are processed through image superposition and deep learning. At the same time, the image quality is improved by merging four groups of pixels, so that the actual 4 million pixel image has a certain clarity and visibility. In essence, the image is still captured by the original 1200 million pixel wide-angle lens, so Apple explains this as "optical zoom."
Apple's intention in making this design is naturally to make up for the "regret" of the previous standard iPhone lacking a telephoto lens, just likeSony's recently launched Xperia 5 V design, allowing the wide-angle lens to meet the needs of telephoto shooting at the same time through high resolution, meeting the needs of two lenses at the same time through one lens, and reducing the impact of lens components occupying the internal space of the body.
As for the iPhone 15 Pro, the camera specifications are basically the same as those of the iPhone 14 Pro, but the HDR shooting effect is enhanced, and the Apple Log video format and compatibility with the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) are added to the video function. Other aspects have not changed, and it still supports Apple ProRAW shooting and Apple ProRes recording functions.
However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max further enhances the telephoto shooting function. The telephoto lens adopts a four-linked reflex prism design, which extends the distance from the lens to the photosensitive element in a simple and intuitive way, thereby achieving a longer shooting focal length effect. At the same time, it can also maintain the use of f/2.8 aperture, allowing the telephoto lens to record images with a larger amount of light. At the same time, the second-generation 3D sensor, mobile optical image stabilization and autofocus module ensure the stability of the shooting image.
Apple executives explained in a subsequent interviewReasons for choosing 5x focal length design, mainly considering factors such as the amount of light entering and the stability of handheld shooting. Therefore, it is believed that compared with other brands, extending the telephoto focal length to 10x but only being able to use a smaller aperture is obviously not the design that Apple expects.
加入5倍長焦鏡頭，蘋果表示在iPhone 15 Pro Max等同「具備7顆鏡頭」的拍攝能力，分別對應微距、13mm、24mm、28mm、35mm、48mm與120mm焦段，相機預設放大倍率則涵蓋0.5倍、1倍、2倍、3倍與5倍變焦選項。
However, in actual use, macro and 13mm shooting focal lengths are both supported by ultra-wide-angle lenses, while the 5x telephoto lens supports the 120mm focal length and digital zoom beyond this focal length. In addition to supporting the native 1mm focal length, the 24x wide-angle lens also uses digital zoom, image superposition, and deep learning algorithms to meet shooting needs for focal lengths between 24mm and 120mm.
In addition, in order to maintain stable focus for longer-range shooting, Apple will add a small auxiliary screen in the upper left corner of the operating interface when the shooting magnification of iPhone 15 Pro is higher than 15x, allowing users to more easily confirm the shooting position of the picture.
As for the spatial video shooting function that Apple has added to iPhone 15 Pro and above models, it will be launched at the end of this year. It will use wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses to capture spatial videos that can be presented in Apple Vision Pro stereo images.
Processor upgrades for larger market development plans
Unsurprisingly, the processors used in these newly launched models still clearly differentiate the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Among them, the A15 Bionic processor used in the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 Plus has the same specifications as the design used in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, but the GPU operating clock has been improved, so it will help with gaming or image processing performance, but generally there is no obvious difference.
The A15 Pro processor in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, while using the same 16-core CPU as the A6 Bionic processor, has a significantly different architecture design. Furthermore, the number of GPU cores and architecture design are also different, resulting in performance differences. Furthermore, the A17 Pro processor natively integrates a USB 3.0 controller, allowing the USB-C ports on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to support USB 3.0 connectivity specifications and transmit data at 10Gbps.
The A17 Pro processor also adds hardware-level real-time ray tracing, which not only enables higher image rendering performance, but also boasts approximately four times the computing efficiency of the A16 Bionic combined with software processing. This also means realistic light and shadow interactions can be presented in games. Even renowned gaming companies including Kojima Productions, Capcom, and Ubisoft have stated that they will be porting their AAA games from their original home console and PC platforms to iPhone 4 Pro and above.
As for when iPhone 15 Pro and above models begin to be able to run 3A-level games that were originally only available on game consoles and PCs, and Apple is preparing to use the Game Porting Tool to help more developers quickly bring games originally on the Windows platform to Mac models, it may also be easier to bring games to iPhone 15 Pro and above models to play, and then connect to the larger game market through the iPhone user base, which will enable Apple devices to become a larger market-scale gaming platform.
Therefore, Apple's hopes for the A17 Pro processor, in addition to higher performance corresponding to smoother computing performance and increasing the memory capacity to 8GB, are obviously also to prepare for more games.
The application of USB-C port may not only make charging more convenient
The iPhone 15 series has switched to a USB-C connection port, which not only meets the requirements of the new EU law and makes charging of future iPhone models more convenient, but also expands the possibilities of iPhone applications.
For example, you can take advantage of the maximum 4.5W reverse output power supply feature and use a USB-C to Lightning cable to connect the iPhone 15 series and an older iPhone that uses a Lightning port. This will turn the iPhone 15 series into a "power bank" to charge the older iPhone.
However, if two iPhone 15 series models are connected using a USB-C to USB-C cable, the iPhone 15 series model with higher battery power will become a "power bank" to charge the iPhone 15 series model with lower battery power.
As for the USB-C port and corresponding cable of the iPhone 15 series models, in addition to being able to charge the newer AirPods Pro 2, which is also designed with a USB-C port, you can also use the USB-C to Lightning cable to charge the AirPod Pro 2, which uses a Lightning port design, or charge the AirPods launched earlier. Naturally, by combining Apple Watch charging accessories with iPhone 15 series models, you can also charge the Apple Watch.
It should be noted that if the connected device requires a higher power supply, it will not be able to be reverse powered by the iPhone 15 series. Therefore, it is mainly necessary to use card readers, USB flash drives, or low-power consumption mice, keyboards and other peripheral accessories.
For the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, it is equipped with a USB-C port and even supports USB 3.0 connection specifications. It can directly connect to high-capacity storage devices such as external SSDs to shoot Apple ProRAW or Apple ProRes image content that requires higher storage capacity. After shooting, you can even directly hand over the external SSD to the subsequent editing team for use without spending extra time waiting for image files to be copied.
Although Lightning interface peripherals can no longer be used, switching to a USB-C port will obviously give the iPhone 15 series models more application possibilities.
What makes many users feel more touched is that they no longer need to distinguish charging cables from Android phones. It is also easier to find charging cables to replenish power. Even USB-C cables commonly used for small appliances can be used to charge iPhone 15 series models.
If you want to charge the iPhone 15 series, basically as long as it meets the USB-C connection specifications and is a safe and reliable cable, there will not be any major problems in using it.
However, if you do not have specific usage requirements, there is actually no need to purchase a USB-C cable that is compatible with Thunderbolt connection specifications. After all, it is significantly more expensive than ordinary USB-C cables.
Simultaneously launched, fine textured protective cases and card holders replace traditional leather accessories
In response to environmental issues, Apple has discontinued its previous leather protective cases and card holder accessories, replacing them with accessories that claim to be made from over 68% recycled materials, and emphasizes that they can significantly reduce carbon emissions compared to leather.
In terms of overall texture, although the fine texture material is not as bright as leather, it still has a very textured feel overall and is not as easily scratched as leather.
Currently, Apple will replace the existing leather styles with fine textured protective cases and card holders, but will still retain the silicone style protective cases and continue to sell them on the market.
