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Apple iPhone 15

The iPhone 15 is the most sensible pick in Apple's lineup, delivering good everyday performance and all of the features you expect for a reasonable price. A few new features make for a more compelling iPhone

Rating: 4

reddit.com › r/iphone15 › my iphone 15 review

r/iphone15 on Reddit: My iPhone 15 review

July 17, 2024 -

Introduction:

Hello, my name is Elie, and I have had an iPhone 15 for about a week now. This is my experience and here is my review. Over the past week, I have seen posts asking about what phone one should get, as they need an upgrade. I also know that for most people (as well as the mods) on the subreddit, it must get annoying to hear that same question over and over. I also understand that other reviews, albeit on YouTube, TikTok, blogs, and Reddit, may not give you the answers you are seeking, and only pointing out the little differences, catering to an audience that may upgrade from a 13 or a 14. If you have an iPhone 12 or older, this is the review for you. Having upgraded from an iPhone Xr, I want to highlight the noticeable improvements that have made my life tangibly easier.

Part 1: My reason for upgrading

My iPhone Xr was a good phone. It was good enough for college (in Quebec, we have 2 years of college in between university (3 years) and high school (grades 7-11)), as I was able to check my schedule, message teachers, and other academic stuff. However there were some issues: it was chronically laggy, basic multitasking was a struggle, apps crashed, load times were abysmal, the battery was significantly degraded, and storage was full, and most of it was iOS, documents for school, and apps that I use for school. So, with this in mind, I decided to buy a new phone.

Part 2: iPhone 15, and my first impressions

I was able to get a “preloved” iPhone 15 (black) from my carrier at a good price. It turns out that this phone is only 3 months old, and was used for a day (2 charging cycles when I first checked) before being returned by the previous owner. It had a tiny scratch that is barely noticeable on the frame, which is easily covered by my case. Holding the phone, it feels like a premium product. I can really see, and appreciate, the 17 years of history, and innovation behind the device.

Part 3: the changes, and improvements, on the iPhone 15

This part will have sub-parts touching on each noticeable change that I have experienced, and how it has improved my life.

Part 3.1: Dynamic Island

What the iPhone Xr, and iPhone X by extension, started, feels almost perfected on this phone. There’s a saying that is usually said sarcastically that goes “it’s not a flaw, it’s a feature”. While the notch does get in the way of your screen, it is also definitively Apple’s design. Whenever you see a phone with a notch, most people assume it’s an iPhone. For me, the Dynamic Island is incredibly useful evolution of the notch. Whenever I’m listening to music, I can change songs, pause, play, replay, rewind, etc, while I am scrolling through instagram, or trying to navigate on google maps or transit. When I’m calling my pharmacy, I can turn on speaker/mute while I’m looking for my prescription information, or add an appointment to my calendar while I’m on the phone with my doctor. When I’m navigating, I can see the route and ETA on the island while I’m letting my friends know when I will arrive to see them. Being in Quebec, Canada, whenever I’m asking for directions, but it’s difficult to understand, we can talk to the translate app on Dynamic Island, while I’m looking up the information the person is giving me. These little things have made my life tangibly easier. Sure, the Face ID may be distracting while watching content, and it does take up a lot of real estate on my screen, yet without sacrificing the seamless faceID unlock system, or camera quality, it uses that space effectively.

Part 3.2: MagSafe

MagSafe is to the iPhone as the picatinny rail is to modern firearms. Just like gun attachments, you can find many accessories that fits your phone. You can wirelessly charge, use portable batteries, wallets, phone stands, and mounts to the back of your phone, and use what you need. For me, I use MagSafe on phone mounts for photoshoots, as well as in my car for navigation and entertainment. Since my car is from 2004, it cannot use Apple carplay. The mount I had before was absolute shit. It would pinch my fingers, my phone would fall off whenever I went over uneven/unpaved roads, I would have to plug my phone in to charge, and I have to place it on a certain spot so it doesn’t press any buttons. The way I had to mount it wasn’t secure, and I would either have to block an AC vent or risk my phone moving one of my mirrors by pressing the buttons. However, with MagSafe, I can simply place my phone on the mount, fasten my seatbelt, start the car, and go. I don’t have to worry about it dying, falling off, hindering any functionality of the vents or mirrors. I once even drove over a speed bump at-speed accidentally, and the phone stayed on. Whenever I need to take photos, I can mount my phone on my ring light, and it’s ready. These are just 2 uses I have for MagSafe. The modularity of this system is excellent, and you can find an attachment that fits your needs and lifestyle.

Part 3.3: stereo speakers and the display

I’m putting these two together since most people use them together. I’ll start with the sound, and end with the screen. When I first played music outloud to test the Dynamic Island, I immediately noticed the improvement in sound quality. So basically, rather than just having speakers on the bottom of the phone, there are also speakers on the top of the phone, where you would put your ear when you make a phone call. By doing this, the quality of music improves, as there is more depth, and you can play music at a reasonable volume since the sound waves are travelling in more directions, making it more acoustically flexible (if that is the right term). You can hear a wide range of sounds, tones, notes, etc, making that shitty TikTok you’re showing your friend a tiny bit more funny. That TikTok is then complemented with the OLED display. Looking at it, the screen feels like the warm, cozy feeling of a bedside lamp or fairy lights in someone’s bedroom. The screen feels like it has room to show you what you want to see, the way you want to see it. Colours feel more colourful, videos and photos feel more immersive, darks are darker, and the quality is better than my own eyesight (albeit, I do wear glasses). The phone is as bright as you need it to be, when you need it to be. Whenever I’m driving, and the sun is bright, I can still see the GPS on screen, and I know where to go. Whenever I am backstage at a show during a play (I’m a theatre major, specializing in script writing, directing, and producing plays and other live entertainment) as an assistant stage manager, I am able to put my phone in its theatre/show focus mode. This puts the phone on its lowest brightness, changes the background to black, and the clock is a dark blue (we use blue light backstage so it is less visible), in order to not have unnecessary light that distracts the audience. With iOS 18, I can make all of the apps blue as well. With the LCD display, the pixels are backlit by a white light, so there is still some light. With an OLED display, when the screen is black, the pixels are turned off. This means that the information I need on my phone is the only visible light coming from my phone.

Part 3.4: Bluetooth and connectivity

Again, I’m putting these two together since they go hand in hand, especially because I charge my Sony Bluetooth headphones with a USB-C charger. If I’m listening to music while writing, and I need to take the trash out, I can leave my phone in my room, go from the 3rd floor of my house, to the driveway, and drag my garbage can to the corner of my driveway, without losing connection to my phone. When I come back, and my headphones are low on battery, I can take the charger from my phone, and use it to charge my headphones, while I go off and run some errands. The fact that my phone uses USB-C while being an iPhone (let’s be honest, most people buy iPhones because they’re iPhones, no matter the spreadsheet facts) is a huge deal for me. If I’m on the bus or at school, and my phone is low on battery, I don’t have to go around looking like an idiot while asking “does anyone have an iPhone charger?”. Instead, I can ask for a charger, I can borrow almost any charger, whether it’s for headphones, a laptop, vape, Nintendo switch, game controller, cameras, or speakers, because it is USB-C. That level of convenience is what I miss about my old Samsung, and I’m happy that I have it back.

Part 3.5: the other stuff that most reviewers talk about (battery, storage, processing speed, and cameras)

Most reviews focus on these, so I’ll simply touch the surface on these battery, the storage, the processor, and the cameras. The battery lasts all day, and the charger the phone came does its job well. When I started writing this about an hour ago, my phone was at 13%, now it’s 80%. I got to 13% between yesterday afternoon and this morning, even though I was doing a photography session for a personal project. Speaking of photography, the cameras are more than sufficient for everyday use. The quality is phenomenal, each lens can capture those special moments, or that one stupidly angled picture you spam to your friends. The processor and storage is good for my needs, and I’m in fine arts. If you’re an everyday user, it will work for your everyday tasks, and even some demanding challenges. I was able to take in-depth, and complicated pictures for my project, and my phone was able to store it, and I can upload it to my hardrive (albeit, it’s slow, so I mostly use iCloud and OneDrive).

Conclusion

My iPhone 15 is a significant improvement over my iPhone Xr, and I am very happy with the upgrade. The 5 years of change is indescribable, since you need to live it to experience it. I use my phone like a Swiss Army knife. The quality of the Swiss Army knife is excellent, and if you have a problem, it probably has a solution. Do you need to sharpen a stick to roast marshmallows over the fireplace? The knife will make short work and get straight to the point. However, if a bear attacks you by the campfire, the knife will probably not help you. Just like a Swiss Army knife, the iPhone 15 will meet most of your needs, yet it has its limits. But if you need specific tools for specific tasks, there is a huge market of tools, software, and accessories that will work seamlessly with the iPhone 15 thanks to USB-C and MagSafe. The phone itself is excellent, from performance and cameras to storage and battery. The experience of using it is phenomenal, thanks to Dynamic Island, the screen, processor, Bluetooth, and speakers. As for flaws, I haven’t experienced much that I couldn’t handle.

I hope that this review helps you make an informed decision. If you want my, or someone else’s advice, feel free to comment, and most people here will probably have an answer. Good luck in your search!

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