It’s safe to assume that there will be a new line of iPhones coming later this year. The annual upgrade cycle has held firm since 2011, and we’re not expecting it to change for 2024.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro line are undoubtedly the best iPhones you can buy right now. The regular iPhone 15 replaces the notch of the iPhone 14 with a Dynamic Island that can show notifications and change shape depending on the app. With the 15 Pro line, the A17 Pro chip allows users to take advantage of Apple Intelligence, the company’s set of AI features expected to arrive for U.S. users later this year with iOS 18. In addition, the 15 Pro Max gained an exclusive upgrade in the form of a 5x 120mm telephoto lens. 

It’s a solid baseline right across the range then for the iPhone 16 line-up to build on. With the iPhone 16 line expected to arrive in just a matter of weeks, we’re turning our attention to the regular iPhone 16, looking to highlight what to expect from this year’s entry-level model compared to last year’s standard iPhone 15 handset. Aside from screen size, you can broadly expect the same differences here for an iPhone 16 Plus vs iPhone 15 Plus match-up, too.

Chip

With the iPhone 15 line using the A16 chip from the iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro using the newest A17 Pro chip, iPhone 16 looks set to use a new A18 chip. Code discovered in Apple’s backend has seemingly leaked this new chip for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. This makes sense, as Apple would logically want to have all of its newest iPhones support Apple Intelligence — something that, for now, only works with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

For Apple to have its entire iPhone 16 line support its AI features would be a justifiable upgrade for anyone wanting to move on from their older iPhones. However, it’s not just Apple Intelligence that could make these phones an attractive upgrade. The A18 chip is also rumored to have huge performance gains that blow past what came before, including the A17 Pro, which supports games like Resident Evil 4. This improvement is apparently due to an advanced N3E manufacturing process that allows for faster clock speeds and better heat dissipation on the A18.

Design

You could argue that the design of the iPhone has mostly stayed the same since iPhone 12’s debut in 2020. The angular design with a shiny frame surrounding these phones has been a staple. iPhone 16 looks to carry on these design tropes but with slight differences.

This year, White, Black, Blue, Green, and Pink are the rumored iPhone 16 colors. The blue is reminiscent of a similar color that was offered in iPhone 12, while the pink seems to be more vibrant than what’s been previously available in this shade.

Another rumored feature is a thinner bezel of the display, which may apply to the entire iPhone 16 line. The iPhone 15 Pro line introduced a thinner bezel, so if the iPhone 16 is confirmed to have something even thinner, it could mean a slightly bigger display on both models.

Camera

The camera module for the iPhone 16 may have more changes in its appearance on the device itself, as well as a dedicated capture button being added to the phone. Some iPhone 16 and 16 Pro dummy models reportedly leaked in March, showing an extra button below the Power button. This is alleged to be a ‘Capture’ button, which is similar to what the Battery Case offered for iPhone 11 models back in 2019. If you had an iPhone 11 at the time, you could press this button and it would launch Apple’s Camera app. Once you were in the app, pressing the button again would capture a photo or video, depending on what function the app was set to. This addition makes sense, as many users upgrade for the camera capabilities of an iPhone. Although the Action button, available in iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, can be configured to open the Camera app, a capture button would allow the user to set the Action button to something else, such as a Shazam shortcut.

When examining the image that leaked the colors for iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, another noticeable difference is the vertical orientation of the two camera lenses. These hark back to how the cameras looked on the iPhone X and iPhone XS models. This may be to take advantage of the Spatial Video feature, available in the iPhone 15 Pro models. For anyone unfamiliar, this lets you record a 3D video that you can view in Apple Vision Pro, the company’s spatial computing headset. When you play a Spatial Video, it’s akin to looking through a window, as if the people in the video are there with you.

Battery

We can’t talk about an upcoming iPhone without mentioning the potential capabilities of the battery! However, rumors have been light this year on what the iPhone 16 could be packing. 

Back in February, we spotted a tweet that highlighted what the battery capacity may be. The iPhone 16 will reportedly have an increased capacity of 3561mAh. This is significantly more than the 3349mAh battery of the iPhone 15, although the iPhone 16 Plus may have a 4006mAh battery, which is less when compared to the iPhone 15 Plus’ 4383mAh battery.

If confirmed, we’re not sure why there’s a lesser amount for the 16 Plus, but we suspect it may be due to space reasons in the iPhone’s body, or that the new A18 chip could feature improved battery consumption, which is why there’s less capacity.

A potentially great upgrade if you have an iPhone 13 or lower

Although the above information is not yet confirmed, it suggests an iPhone 16 feature set that could be tantalizing to those who have an iPhone 14 and below. If you watched WWDC in June this year, Apple’s yearly developer conference, the company made sure to mention that Apple Intelligence currently supports iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, closing off these AI features to anyone who has an older iPhone.

It’s safe to assume that the entire iPhone 16 line will support Apple Intelligence, so if you want tools to help with your writing, summarize emails, and a better Siri, the next iPhone could be the one for you.

Other than that, a thinner bezel and a dedicated Capture button could also appeal, especially if you use your iPhone to take many photos and videos to share with friends and on social media.

Whatever the case, 2024 looks to be a significant year for the next iPhone. Are you tempted to upgrade? Let us know in the iMore forums.

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• iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 Pro: Every rumored difference in this year's iPhones
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One lucky iPhone owner has revealed their device survived nearly an entire day underwater and emerged completely unscathed. 

Apple’s best iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro, might only have a waterproof rating of IP68, but Redditor Gerodot01 says their model survived for 22 hours on the bed of a freshwater river. 

According to Apple’s official rating, the iPhone 15 Pro can withstand water ingress at a maximum depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes. Broadly speaking, your iPhone is splash and waterproof, so you shouldn’t have any trouble if you drop it in the bath or the sink, or even a swimming pool on holiday. Clearly, however, Apple might well be understating the water-repellant powers of the model, as this user found out recently. 

Under the sea

Taking to Reddit Tuesday, the owner of the phone in question stated that “the phone lay at a depth of 2.5 meters for 22 hours in fresh water in the river. After that I took it out, it was discharged, but after drying it turned on.” 

Naturally, the speakers “did not work well at first,” but after they dried out “the phone returned to the state it was in before being submerged in water.” 

We wouldn’t recommend trying this at home, but it’s nice to know that your iPhone 15 Pro might well be a lot hardier than Apple gives it credit for. 

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard such stories, either. Late last year, someone found an iPhone 12 at the bottom of a river in California that still worked after an astonishing three months underwater. 

Apple continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible with iPhone durability, recently opening a stress testing facility in China that will see its new devices subjected to extreme temperatures and physical testing in order to improve and hone their longevity. Apple is expected to unveil the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro at an event in early September. 

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• How to fix your water-damaged iPhone, iPad, AirPods, or Mac

Android users switching from their little green robot to iPhone is nothing new. Perhaps they want a phone that’s more secure, or they got sick and tired of their handsets being left behind for updates — either way, they’ve jumped ship. For a while now, stats around switchers have hovered around the 10-14% mark, but this year we’ve got a bumper crop of previous Android people moving to an Apple device.

CIRP puts that number at 17%, around 7% more than last year. Interestingly, however, the devices that these movers are buying are not the newest iPhone 15 models, but older ones that will, presumably, cost them less.

What about the newest ones?

It’s no great surprise that new buyers wouldn’t necessarily want to go for the more expensive newer models. After all, even the slightly older iPhone 14 will still provide a new experience to those who are used to Google’s OS. iOS will feel different, the device itself will feel different in the hand, and even the apps will be different as they move over. They don’t need to spend loads of money to get a new experience.

Even more interestingly, however, CIRP says that “the consistency and urgency of those upgrading iPhone owners is at an apparent low point.” Given that iPhone 15 sales might not have been as good as Apple might have hoped, and the fact that Android users are buying older models, it means that Apple’s core customer base isn’t upgrading like they once were. These are devices aimed at Apple customers rather than new ones, CIRP says, so the fact they aren’t selling as well means that fewer people are upgrading from their older devices.

Why? That’s anyone's best guess, although there could be some credence behind the idea that 2-year mobile contracts are becoming to blame. Perhaps users are seeing fewer reasons to upgrade to new iterations as they innovate less and less, or maybe they’re just trying to save some money. Either way, the iPhone 16 later this year could well have a tough job on its hands to persuade users to upgrade.

More from iMore

• iPhone 16 Pro: Release date rumors, news, and more
• As the iPhone 16 launch nears, a potential key component change could make or break your Apple Intelligence experience
• How much are the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max going to weigh?

Despite previous rumors that Apple may be increasing the number of iPhone 16 components it orders from suppliers, one analyst has weighed in to pour cold water on those claims.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo cites two key Apple suppliers when reporting that iPhone 16 orders may not have increased at all and, what's more, they remain slightly less than the iPhone 15 orders placed during the same period in 2023.

This would suggest that, contrary to reports, Apple does not expect the iPhone 16 to be a stronger seller than the model it will replace later this year.

All the iPhones

Writing in a Medium post, analyst Kuo cited Apple suppliers TSMC and Largan as both reporting that they have not seen a growth in orders and are expecting to supply a similar number of devices as they did last year.

"My understanding is that some suppliers have seen an increase in iPhone 16 orders for 2H24, but from the EMS/assembly perspective, the iPhone 16 orders for 2H24 have not seen much change (about 87 million units), still slightly lower than the 2H23 iPhone 15 orders (about 91 million units)," the analyst explained.

As for the reason some suppliers may have seen an increase in orders, it's thought that it "might be related to specific reasons within individual industries or components." However, the launch of Apple Intelligence is not thought to be a factor.

Apple is expected to release the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max in September around the same time that iOS 18 is made available to the public.

More from iMore

• New iPhone 16 and 16 Pro case leak highlights the rumored Capture Button and more
• How much are the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max going to weigh?
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The iPhone 15 Pro Max is one of the best iPhones I've ever owned. It's not just because of the fantastic camera, Action button, and great battery life — it's mainly down to the USB-C port. This replaced the Lightning port, something that had been in iPhones since 2012 with the iPhone 5.

The USB-C port isn't just an easier way for me to share a USB-C cable between my iPhone, MacBook Pro, and Steam Deck. Instead, the port greatly expands how I can use a bunch of USB-C accessories with my iPhone 15 Pro Max straight away.

Whether it's with an SSD drive or a microphone, the USB-C port has unlocked plenty of new ways to use the iPhone. Incidentally, there are plenty of USB-C accessory deals to take advantage of in the Amazon Prime Day sales before the event winds up for another year.

For years, I had been hoping for a USB-C port to replace the Lightning port on iPhones, and in 2023, my wish was granted. Admittedly, it's mainly why I upgraded to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

These accessories showcase how they can expand the capabilities of the iPhone 15 series. But hurry! There are only a few hours left to go for Prime Day, so these offers may vanish very soon.

If you buy a brand-new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max you can expect it to receive at least five years of security updates — and for the first time, that's official.

Apple confirmed the news as part of a submission to address a new legal requirement in the United Kingdom under the new Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) regulations. Those regulations require that companies confirm how long hardware buyers can expect to receive software updates.

In the case of Apple, it says that iPhone buyers can expect to receive new software updates for five years after their iPhone went on sale. In this case, the filing relates to Apple's best iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max which was first released on September 22, 2023. However, past history shows that buyers can likely expect security updates for much longer.

Five years (or more)

Apple's filing was first reported by Android Authority with the regulation requiring companies to submit the “minimum length of time, expressed as a period of time with an end date, for which security updates will be provided.” It also defines a security update as a  “software update that protects or enhances the security of a product, including a software update that addresses security issues which have been discovered by or reported to the manufacturer.”

Apple's five-year timeframe isn't long compared to seven years of security updates that Google promises that buyers of Pixel devices can expect. However, owners of older iPhones have historically found that they continue to receive important security updates for many more years — recent security updates have been applied to devices as old as the iPhone 6s, a phone that first went on sale way back in 2015 — a whole nine years ago.

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• My iPhone 15 Pro Max Action Button is a Shazam shortcut and nothing else

Sci-fi fans will know that May 4th is Star Wars Day, and even Apple is getting in on the festivities with a fresh new ad.

The new iPhone 15 Precision Finding ad, as seen below, shows a convention-attending Mandalorian, in full armor, doing their best to locate the rest of their clan.

"Keys, phone, thermal detonator" are all on the checklist before leaving the house, and our Mandalorian heads to get refreshments and hop on the bus before locating the rest of the Mando crew using Precision Finding.

If only bounty hunting was that easy, eh? According to The Hollywood Reporter, 172 Star Wars fans were included.

How to use Find Your Friends

Find Your Friends has been around for a while, and it's a part of Apple's larger "Find My" toolset that lets you find people, Apple devices, and anything you've attached an AirTag to, like a backpack.

It's nice and easy to use, too - you just open up the Find My app on your device of choice and switch between People, Devices, and Items on the bar at the bottom of the screen.

Once you find the person (or Droids) you're looking for, just tap to use the 'Precision Finding' option, or send your own location so they can find you too.

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There are plenty of different iPhone 15 colors for you to choose from, but the lack of any (PRODUCT)RED version took many by surprise when the phone was announced back in September of last year. It was a strange decision at the time, but it did leave some of us wondering whether a mid-season refresh was in the offing. As the months went on, hopes started to fade. But now they're back with a bang.

That's after the (RED) account on the X social network shared what appears to be a photo of a (PRODUCT) RED iPhone 15, complete with that familiar blood-red finish that makes those kinds of finishes so popular.

Apple is yet to confirm anything of course, but the company has form for releasing new iPhone colors in the middle of a cycle. With all of the talk about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro right now, it's a good way to drum up interest ... and sales.

It's coming back?

The (RED) X post doesn't give anything away other than a photo with the text "Have an Apple before your donut". It doesn't leave too much to the imagination and there's always the chance that this is just an iPhone 14 in the famous red finish. But with that iPhone now no longer the best iPhone, why bother?

Apple refreshed the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models mid-season while the yellow iPhone 14 arrived in March of last year. That makes a May release of the (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 15 seem a little late, but who are we to argue?

Apple is set to hold an event on May 7, likely to announce new OLED iPad Pro and refreshed iPad Air 6 models. That also seems like a great time to show off a new iPhone color too, right?

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Amid a backdrop of turbulent smartphone sales around the globe and Apple's iPhone struggles in China, a new report has detailed the number of new phone activations across the United States — and it doesn't make for good reading if you're an Apple shareholder.

The report looked into new phone activations for the most recent quarter and notes that over the past four quarters, Apple's share of phone activations has fallen from 40% at its peak to just 33% for the 12 months that ended March 2024. 

The news comes as Apple and other phone makers are accused of limited improvements with each new generation, and it's suggested that Apple's own success may be the reason that it's struggling to sell new handsets today. But is it really possible that iPhones are so good, that people aren't buying the devices like the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro?

iPhone down, Android up

The report came via CIRP and was posted to Stubstack. "We now have new figures on iPhone share of new smartphone activations in the US. Unfortunately for Apple, that share continues to decline," the report begins.

CIRP believes that while the iPhone's share of the installed smartphone base is higher, "the reality of sales market share is a more difficult situation for Apple."

Apple released its best iPhones yet in September 2023 and is expected to do so again this September when the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro debut. But it remains to be seen whether those new iPhones can arrest an issue that seems to have been bubbling under the surface for some time now.

The CIRP report touches on something that has been suggested before — modern phones are so good that people don't need to upgrade. To put it another way, new phones don't come with huge new features and big redesigns anymore, removing the need for people to upgrade. As an example, the iPhone X was a huge departure from the iPhone 7 that came before it. We haven't seen a similar change since.

Durability has also improved in recent years, allowing iPhones to last longer. The chips used are faster than ever, ensuring that they continue to run the latest apps, games, and iOS updates with ease. Apple's iOS updates themselves continue to support older iPhones as a result, too.

And then, there's the cost. Prices have increased to the point where it's harder to justify upgrading to a new iPhone for minimal gain. Apple's trade-in programs can help here, but it's always been known that most iPhone buyers don't upgrade every 12 months anyway, after which point trade-in values can often plummet.

Much of this may be backed up by the swing to Android. As Apple's smartphone activation share falls, Android's increases. The plethora of cheaper Android phones changes the buying decision considerably, making a quicker upgrade plan more likely.

Apple could potentially change that by launching a budget iPhone of its own. The rumored iPhone SE 4 isn't likely to be it, unfortunately, with the addition of a new display and Face ID likely to ensure a $400+ price point.

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When Apple announced the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro in 2022 it also announced a new feature that would go on to save lives. Emergency SOS via Satellite is now also available on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, and now a new report claims that a similar feature is coming to Google's next flagship phone as well.

According to the report, Google's upcoming Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 phones will add support for satellite connectivity similar to Apple's, with text messaging supported. Like Apple's implementation, the new Pixels will not support satellite calling, however.

The system, which is thought to be based on SpaceX technologies, will reportedly allow Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro owners to use satellite connectivity to summon help when they need it, potentially helping to save even more lives in the future.

Satellite safety

According to an Android Authority report, citing a source, the new Pixel phones will sport a modem that supports satellite connectivity while the same part is also expected to be included in the next-gen Pixel Fold and an unknown 5G tablet.

Android Authority was also able to report that an Emergency SOS feature will be provided by a special Satellite Gateway app which will see users asked a series of questions to ascertain their needs.

"First, you will be asked a few basic questions, to narrow down the situation," the report explains. "You will also be given a choice to notify your emergency contacts, after which you will be able to message with emergency services to get the help you need. Many of the questions will also have predefined answers to choose from to make the process quicker."

None of this is likely to be available soon, though. The new Pixel phones aren't expected to be announced until later this year, most likely in or around October — weeks after the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are expected to go on sale.

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If you bought a new iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro, or even an iPhone 14 or iPhone SE during the first quarter of 2024, you're part of a surprisingly small group of people. That's the news after the analysts at IDC released data on global smartphone shipments for the period when compared to the same quarter in 2023.

According to numbers shared by the analysts at IDC, global smartphone shipments increased by 7.8% during the first quarter of 2024, but that wasn't thanks to a barnstorming few months for Apple or the iPhone. On the contrary, the growth came despite Apple's best efforts with other companies picking up the slack instead. And while Samsung found itself returning to the number one spot in terms of global smartphone shipments and market share, it wasn't the company that really drove the growth.

Instead, that fell to other phone makers, some you've likely heard of and some that you probably haven't.

And the winners are...

This is all according to a new IDC report based on its tracking of smartphone shipment data for the most recent quarter, and it makes for some interesting reading.

According to that report, a total of 289.4 million units were shipped in the first quarter of 2024 with Apple accounting for a little more than 50 million of them. That was enough to get it a spot in second place, but it represents a notable fall of more than five million units compared to the same period in 2023. It also meant a drop in market share from 20.7% to just 17.3%, too.

At the top of the pile was Samsung with 20.8% of the market from 60.1 million units shipped. But it's what was happening further down the list that makes for the most interesting reading.

Nabila Popal, research director with IDC's Worldwide Tracker team, noted that while an average selling price increase has helped in terms of value growth, something more interesting is afoot.

Popal said that "there is a shift in power among the Top 5 companies, which will likely continue as market players adjust their strategies in a post-recovery world." They continued, adding that "Xiaomi is coming back strong from the large declines experienced over the past two years and Transsion is becoming a stable presence in the Top 5 with aggressive growth in international markets. In contrast, while the Top 2 players both saw negative growth in the first quarter, it seems Samsung is in a stronger position overall than they were in recent quarters."

It is in fact Xiaomi and Transsion that have been the big winners according to IDC's data. Xiaomi saw its market share grow from 11.4% to 14.1% thanks to the fact it shipped more than 10 million additional units this past quarter when compared to the year prior. Transsion managed even more, growing from a 5.7% market share to almost 10%.

For context, Transsion is a Chinese smartphone maker that owns brands including Infinix, Tecno, and Itel — companies that are sure to be less familiar than even Xiaomi to the iPhone-buying public. And with Xiaomi continuing to eat Apple's lunch in China, it's clear where the battleground will be from here on out.

More from iMore

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This deal is becoming a trend at Verizon we’ve noticed — and it remains unbeaten for getting you the ‘holy trinity’ of Apple products for less. For those that didn’t read the title (for some reason), that’s a brand new iPhone 15 Pro, an Apple Watch, and an iPad for free.

There are some caveats, but they’re more than worth it for the savings on the devices. First of all, you need to trade in your old smartphone, which will net you the $1000 necessary to get the iPhone for free. You also need to choose the Unlimited Ultimate service plan on your iPhone, which gives you all the data you could ever need for your iPhone. You’ll need separate data plans for your iPad and Apple Watch, mind you. Once those are chosen though, it’s off to new device town for you.

Free devices? Sign us up!

• iPhone deals: Verizon | AT&T | Mint Mobile

This is a super easy deal to grab. Just head over to the Verizon website, and spec out your iPhone 15 Pro. Remember that any extra storage you choose here will take you over that $1000 trade-in credit, so for anything over 128GB, you’ll be paying the difference monthly. 

Once that’s all sorted, you’re taken to the deal page, which lets you select the deal that you want to go with your iPhone. Choose the trade-in option, and then get an estimate on your old phone. Then, choose the 10.2-inch iPad and Apple Watch SE from the options below, and continue with the process.

Remember, when you choose your data plan, you need to opt for the Unlimited Ultimate plan so that you can get the iPad and Apple Watch for free. Otherwise, your savings will be less. It’s worth paying the extra because it more than outweighs how much the Apple Watch and iPad would have cost you monthly.

You can only pay for this deal monthly, as well — no option to pay all in one go here. This is easily one of the cheapest ways to get one of the best iPhones ever, as well as a new Apple Watch and iPad, and it’s especially good if you’re joining the Apple ecosystem for the first time.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models are all expected to be announced in or around the first weeks of September, and while that's still months away we're hearing plenty about what those models will have to offer — assuming all of the leaks turn out to be true, of course. Now, a new leak claims to have information on the colors of the high-end iPhone 16 Pro models as well as a change in finish for their back glass.

According to that report, Apple will offer the iPhone 16 Pro in four colors including space black, gray, white, and a new rose finish. That matches a previous report that suggested something along the same lines, but what makes this new leak more interesting is the claim that Apple will borrow an iPhone 15 feature for its new top-of-the-range handsets.

According to the report, Apple will take the iPhone 15's color-infused back glass and bring it to the best iPhones of the year. Apple made a big deal about that new back glass last year, and it seems that it's been so enamored with it that the same finish will come to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

A familiar design

This is all according to a Weibo post spotted by X leaker ShrimpApplePro, at least.

According to the original Weibo post by the anonymous "OvO Baby Sauce OvO," the "iPhone 16 Pro will adopt the same durable blended glass as the iPhone 15." The report goes on to say that the new design will "meet users' needs for durability."

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 series last year it said that they both " feature a sophisticated new look that’s built to last." The press release went on to say that "for the first time in a smartphone, color is infused throughout the back glass, creating five beautiful colors." The result is a back glass that "is strengthened with an optimized dual-ion exchange process before being polished with nanocrystalline particles and etched to create a luxurious, textured matte finish"

However, it's important to remember that this leak is far from confirmed and it's possible that some wires have been crossed and Apple intends to stick to the iPhone 15's finish when it launches the iPhone 16. However, the mention of the iPhone 16 Pro colors could make that mixup less likely.

If Apple follows its usual release pattern we can expect it to announce the new iPhones in September before making them available for preorder at the end of the same week. Then, the new handsets will go on sale the following Friday with the devices landing in Apple Stores around the world. That's also when those who preordered quickly will receive their handsets, too.

The new iPhones won't be the only additions from Apple in September. It's expected that Apple will also announce the Apple Watch X and an updated Apple Watch Ultra at the same event, making them available to buy around the same time as the new iPhones.

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With smartphone sales having slumped of late it's now thought that both Apple and an old foe, Huawei, will be the driving force behind a rebound of fortunes across the premium segment.

Amid Apple's struggles to sell iPhones in China of late, it's Huawei that has found itself the biggest winner, taking marketshare from multiple companies including Apple. But it's the two companies that are set to rescue premium smartphone sales as a whole according to a new report.

That report claims that global smartphone shipments in 2024 are expected to increase by 3% to reach 1.2 billion units, with the market thought to have bottomed out.

No way, Huawei?

Sure to be driven by iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro sales ahead of the launch of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, Apple is tipped by Counterpoint Research to be one of only two companies leading the charge this year.

"Apple and Huawei are likely to lead the premium segment’s growth," the report explains. "The steady demand for iPhones, particularly in emerging markets such as India and MEA, will drive Apple’s growth."

As for Huawei, it's "expected to retain its strong presence in China’s smartphone market in 2024," the report adds. "With the release of its 5G Kirin chipset, the brand will continue to see a sturdy demand in China."

There's further good news for phone makers, with Counterpoint believing that things can only get better from here on out. "For the longer term, we expect low-single-digit YoY increases for global smartphone shipments as the market seems to have bottomed out," the research firm says.

More from iMore

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What’s better than a cheap iPhone? A free iPhone, that’s what! This iPhone deal at Verizon grabs you an iPhone 15 Plus for free when you take out a new line with the carrier for an almost $900 saving.

There are a couple of caveats that you’ll have to remember (you can only get the deal on a paid monthly device, it needs to be on a new line, and you have to choose one of the Unlimited data plans), but this is one of the best deals around on the larger iPhone.

iPhone 15 Plus for free

• iPhone deals: Verizon | AT&T | Mint Mobile

The iPhone 15 Plus is the bigger brother of the iPhone 15, sporting a larger 6.7-inch Retina display. Otherwise, it remains much the same as the smaller best iPhone, with an A16 Bionic chip running iOS 17, a double camera array, and a USB-C port on the bottom.

The best iPhone 15 deals are always tricky to come by, but this one is currently the cheapest way to get an iPhone 15 Plus in your pocket. The deal ends on Sunday, mind you, so you don’t have long to grab yourself a new phone for nothing (well, for the price of the data plan at least.)

Don’t forget to pick up one of the best iPhone 15 Plus cases when it arrives, so that you can keep that big slab of glass and aluminum in one piece for longer.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is in China currently as the company gets ready to open its latest flagship store in Shanghai. The new store arrives as the country appears to be turning its back on the iPhone 15 lineup amid a downturn in sales that Cook will no doubt hope to arrest.

Following the news that Apple's iPhone sales in China declined 24% in the first six weeks of 2024 Cook's visit comes not only at a time when a new store is on the horizon but Apple is in the midst of a battle with Chinese brands like Huawei. And while the new store won't singlehandedly turn things around, it's an impressive spectacle. The store, located next to the landmark Jing’an Temple from which it gets its Apple Jing’an name, looks every bit the flagship store. And Apple says it has its best-ever lineup of products just waiting for new homes.

Cook regularly visits China for a variety of reasons and was there last October amid reports that the iPhone 15 wasn't selling as well as expected.

Slowing sales, new stores

CNBC detailed Cook's visit to China, noting that a post to the CEO's official Weibo account showed him " taking a stroll along one of the city’s popular tourist districts and having breakfast with Chinese actor and television personality Zheng Kai."

Cook will no doubt also take in the new Apple Store during his visit, with a press release claiming that it will become "a must-see destination in Shanghai."

“We’re thrilled to open Apple Jing’an — a store that seamlessly blends the traditional with the modern and perfectly complements this historic neighborhood in Shanghai,” Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail, said via the press release. “From our phenomenal iPhone lineup to the new 13- and 15- inch MacBook Air, Apple Jing’an brings all of our products and services together with an amazing team to create a truly magical shopping experience for our customers.”

The store employs more than 150 people and is "ready to offer excellent service to customers," Apple adds, but whether that will be enough to convince those customers not to buy homegrown brands remains to be seen.

The anti-iPhone sentiment isn't new, however. The Chinese government banned the use of iPhones in its buildings in September last year, just a month before it welcomed Cook for a meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.

If Apple cannot kickstart iPhone 15 sales soon, it'll find itself getting closer and closer to the arrival of its replacement. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro handsets are expected to arrive this September and iPhone sales tend to slow as buyers ready themselves for a newer model and choose to wait for it to arrive before making a purchase.

It isn't expected that either will offer any particularly big reasons to upgrade for existing iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro owners, however. Rather, the biggest news of the year is likely to be the iOS 18 update and an anticipated focus on AI technologies. It's likely most, if not all of those features will be available for current models which could give buyers a reason to stick with their current handset rather than upgrade to the next best iPhone.

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 18 at the WWDC 2024 event that's likely to take place in June. It'll then be made available for public download in the fall if previous release patterns are any indication.

More from iMore

• iPhone 15 best new features: Seven reasons to upgrade to Apple's latest model 
• This iPhone 15 Pro Action Button Shortcut will change your life
• iPhone 15 Pro Max vs a DSLR camera

The iPhone 15 FineWoven case has to go down as one of the least-well-received Apple products of all time. FineWoven was the only mistake in an otherwise spotless iPhone 15 line-up launch. Apple's best iPhones, the shiniest, fastest, most powerful mobile devices it had ever made, were paired with the all-new protective case that, while better for the environment than previous options thanks to its use of natural fibers, was an absolute grime magnet.

Expensive and poorly conceived, the FineWoven case’s natural fabric makeup meant that you’d be taking a glorious piece of luxury tech, and, after a few weeks of even gentle, careful use, would be like wrapping it in a grubby blanket. It was even prone to scratches with the lightest of scrapes. I look after my gadgetry as if they’re newborn babies, and even mine is starting to look worse for wear after a few month’s use.

But does it have to be this way? Is there a way to clean a FineWoven iPhone 15 case that will get rid of the dirty marks without damaging the case itself, and restore it to as-good-as-new status?

Perhaps almost — but it’ll mean actively doing a few things that even Apple’s own recommended cleaning method tells you to avoid.

Faruk of iPhone-focussed YouTube channel iPhonedo set about finding the crummiest iPhone 15 Pro Max FineWoven case he could on eBay, and set to work cleaning it up. You can see how he gets on in the video below — and the results are surprisingly good!

How to clean an Apple FineWoven case

With a bit of effort, Faruk is able to get the burgundy version of the case looking pretty good again. But to do so, he does a few things that Apple actively discourages, including putting loads of liquid detergent directly on the case, running the case directly under water, scrubbing the case and then using a hairdryer to dry it all out.

While we can’t say what gunk covered Faruk’s case in the first place, and as a result how effective his method would be against your own home-grown grime or other case colors, it’s a million times better than where he started off.

But if you want to do it by the book and follow Apple’s guidance, there are some very specific steps to follow. Apple suggests the following:

1. In a clean container, mix 1 tsp. (5 mL) of liquid laundry detergent into 1 cup (250 mL) of water
2. Dip a lint-free cloth into the soapy water solution, wring it out slightly, and rub the cloth on the case surfaces gently for 1 minute
3. Wipe the case clean with a separate cloth that's slightly dampened with fresh water
4. Dry the case with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth, making sure to remove any excess moisture
5. The material may look different and show wear over time as the fibers get compressed with normal use. Some scratches may diminish over time

What may never be restored however is the case’s susceptibility to dings and scratches (though they’re better suffered on the case than inflicted on your iPhone itself), nor the discoloration that seems to occur when you’re using a MagSafe charging stand, which seems to be an irreversible side-effect of the heat generated by the charging connection. 

But if your iPhone FineWoven case has fallen victim to a tomato sauce spillage, a chocolate disaster, or a coffee tsunami, there may be hope yet.  If not? There are always our top picks of the best iPhone cases to try out instead.

More from iMore

• How to clean the iPhone charging port
• How to clean AirPods and AirPods Pro — and keep them clean
• Meet the AirPods from hell — and the poor Genius bar staff that had to clean them

iOS 17.4 is now available, and the new software update brings some welcome additions to iPhone. One neat change to the Battery Health section on iPhone 15 models gives you deeper insight into your power consumption, although owners of older iPhones have been left behind.

On 17.4, owners of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max will find additional information in Settings > Battery > Battery Health. Previously, you could only see the battery’s maximum capacity, but now there’s information on its cycle count, and the date it was manufactured is visible.

This is a great addition to the best iPhones, giving you added detail into your battery’s lifespan. Owners of older iPhones, however, are left in the dark, even if they own last year’s iPhone 14 Pro. There’s no confirmation as to why previous generations have not been given this information in the latest iOS update, but hopefully, we’ll see these changes reflected across the iPhone lineup at a later date. 

Just last month, Apple confirmed the latest models would retain 80% capacity at 1,000 charges instead of the 500 charges found on older models. Combined with the easily accessible cycle count information, it’s clear that Apple is taking battery longevity in newer iPhone models very seriously.

The battery champ

After a terrible year of battery life with my iPhone 14 Pro, which led to my smartphone needing a charge nearly three times every 24 hours, I was not best pleased with the battery performance of the top-of-the-line iPhones. My iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, has been incredibly reliable and continues to hold its charge throughout the day, even when I spend far too much time on YouTube.

This time last year, my iPhone 14 Pro had less than 90% of its battery capacity, while my 15 Pro Max still has 100%. I’m not sure what exactly Apple is doing under the hood, but despite early overheating issues, the battery in the latest models is quite possibly the best new feature from this generation of iPhones — and iOS 17.4 makes it even better.

More from iMore

• Apple opens the floodgates in Europe: Alternative app stores, browser engines, and game options coming to European customers
• Here's what's new in iOS 17.4
• Transcripts for Apple Podcasts is now available

For the first time ever, Apple has dominated the top seven spots of the bestselling smartphone list, with the iPhone 14 leading the charge over the course of the year. Even more impressively, Apple's best iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, led global smartphone sales over the latter quarter of the year, presumably as early adopters grab their big-screened smartphone experience.

Independent research company Counterpoint Research has released a fascinating report detailing the bestsellers, and some of the devices that made the list might raise an eyebrow. Every year the firm releases the top-selling phones list, and while not official, they’re usually pretty close to total accuracy.

Give the iPhone 15 a chance

In 2023, the iPhone 14 was the best-selling phone of the year, accounting for 3.9% of global smartphone sales. It was followed by the iPhone 14 Pro Max, then the iPhone 14 Pro, followed by the iPhone 13, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the iPhone 15 Pro, and finally the iPhone 15.

It’s those latter iPhones that paint a picture of the kind of iPhones out of the new range that are selling — the Pro Max and the Pro. There are a couple of reasons that this could be happening. The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s improved camera module and bigger screen could be persuading users to upgrade to the more expensive model, or it could be the early adopters that are leading the charge on Apple’s latest top-end devices.

The bestseller is an interesting one. The iPhone 14 sold best over the year, outselling its Pro brethren by quite some margin — a full 1.1%. Counterpoint points out that this is not the same phenomenon that we’ve seen with the iPhone 15 series, where customers are buying more of the iPhone 15 Pro Max than anything else in the final quarter of 2023, making it the best-selling smartphone over that period.

Previous years had more iPhone entries

While this is the first year that Apple has dominated the first half of the list, it’s fewer iPhones than were on the list previously. Last year, iPhones accounted for 8 of the 10 best-sellers, broken up in the middle by the Galaxy A13 from Samsung. The iPhone 13 accounted for a greater percentage as the bestseller as well, making up 5% of global sales.

Android also accounts for more sales this time around, with the Galaxy A series making up 4% overall of global sales — more than 2022’s 2.7%. Those are cheaper handsets, so it could be due to the global downward trend in the amount of money that people have to spend.

Are iPhones becoming less popular? Well, obviously not — but there is a greater spread of customers among the different iPhone models. Whatever you take from the statistics at hand, the iPhone continues to outsell Android, and while Android’s market share is actually growing, Apple will likely be happy to take the top spot again.

More from iMore

• Poor iPhone 14 Plus sales mean the iPhone mini should make a comeback
• Imminent iPhone 15 Pro launch could be behind iPhone 14 sales drop
• Apple's UK sales surge to a record £1.5 billion

I’ve owned an iPhone since 2011, and its iconic onboard camera has become a staple of everyday life. These days, without thinking, I pull out my iPhone camera at every opportunity to take snaps of food, memories, scenery, and anything else you can imagine. A few years ago, however, I got my hands on a DSLR camera, and since then my iPhone camera experience has left a bit to be desired. 

In my two years using various iPhones and my $500-ish Canon EOS 1300D DSLR (aka the REBEL T6), I’ve always preferred the images I could take on my actual camera compared to my iPhone shots. Most notably, I’ve stopped using an iPhone altogether to take pictures of products and hardware for work. For pleasure, the DSLR is a staple for trips that might involve the chance to take some good photos.

The problem is, I know so little about photography  (or rather the jargon behind it all) that I can’t explain why I prefer one to the other. It’s a bit like faces, art, or music. It’s quite obvious which ones you enjoy more, but explaining the difference between the two is often difficult, if not impossible. So, for iPhone Photography Week on iMore, I brought in an expert. I took some comparative shots on my iPhone 15 Pro Max and my Canon DSLR to see what exactly is the difference between an iPhone and a DSLR camera. Are there obvious differences? Is one noticeably better than the other? I’ve assembled seven comparison shots and hired N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine’s Deputy Editor, Mike Harris, to give me his blind thoughts on each set of images. Mike knows his exposure from his contrast, and his POV from his FOV, so what can we glean from these images? If anything at all?

A caveat: It’s impossible to do a like-for-like shoot with an iPhone and a DSLR for a number of reasons. Naturally, any bonkers professional camera that costs $1,000+ is going to obliterate the iPhone in most scenarios. Our much more modest DSLR certainly (in my view) gave the iPhone a run for its money during this test, and in the studio, I’d still prefer it. But this has still turned out to be an extremely interesting test with some very intriguing results, including some you might not expect. 

All of the DSLR shots were taken with a 50mm f/1.8 lens, which is one of the most popular lenses in the Canon arsenal and also one of the cheapest. It’s perfect for portraits and lowlight, but probably not the lens you’d want for landscapes or wide shots. Our iPhone shots were all taken on an iPhone 15 Pro Max in either 12MP or 24MP format. Using the 48MP ProRAW format seemed like it would put the 18MP DSLR at too much of a disadvantage to make the test worthwhile. However, take it from Mike, megapixels aren’t everything when it comes to photography.

So, to business. We presented Mike with seven pairs of images taken on iPhone and DSLR. As noted, it's very hard to do a like for like test between iPhone and a dedicated camera, but we've done enough that Mike has drawn out a wealth of information for us to peruse. Who knows, this might even convince you to upgrade to Apple's best iPhone, or grab a DSLR camera for yourself. 

Circus lane

iPhone - 24mm f.178 (x2, 12MP)

DSLR 18MP RAW

Mike's opinion

Get past the obvious difference in focal length, and our first pairing looks very similar. The iPhone’s computational photography has been hard at work. Instantly, you’re hit by more contrast and saturation. It also displays a much warmer color temperature, but to my eye, this is too warm. The iPhone image is sharper across the frame, too. This is likely a combination of the inherently large depth of field and AI sharpening. 

However, when you zoom into the center of the image, where the DSLR is focused, it’s noticeably sharper. The DSLR image also holds up to scrutiny better when zoomed right in, but it’s worth pointing out that the iPhone image is only 12MP here. The DSLR does exhibit chromatic aberration (a simple fix in editing software). This is notably absent in the iPhone photo, which exhibits a very thin white line in its stead, suggesting it’s been removed via AI. Overall, the DSLR is the clear winner when it comes to quality, but you can’t argue with the iPhone’s instant results.

Clock Tower

iPhone - 24mm f.178 (x2, 12MP)

DSLR 18MP RAW

Mike's opinion

The gulf in saturation and contrast in these images isn’t nearly as prominent as the last pairing, and I’m pleased to see that the iPhone has produced a more balanced-looking color temperature this time. What really stands out is the difference between skies. The iPhone has captured much more detail in the sky, while still exposing the clock tower correctly. 

I opened the DSLR image in a Raw image editor and tried to reduce the highlights to bring back detail in the sky, but couldn’t. The only way the detail could have been retained would have been to photograph an HDR image, which is what the iPhone has done automatically. Based on these results, I’ve got to give it to the iPhone. 

Stockbridge market arch

iPhone - 24mm f.178 (x1, 24MP)

DSLR 18MP RAW

Mike's opinion

The tables have turned in regards to megapixels here, with a 24-MP iPhone image and an 18-MP DSLR image. It’s difficult to judge image quality when the field of view of each image is so different, but zooming right in, I still think I’d give it to the DSLR. Once again, the iPhone has retained more detail in the sky, but that overly warm color temperature is back again. As expected, the iPhone image displays more saturation and contrast, but the DSLR’s Raw file is supposed to look flat. All in all, I consider this one to be a draw.

Flowers

iPhone - 24mm f.178 (x1, 24MP)

DSLR 18MP RAW

Mike's opinion

The framing of these two images is nearly identical, so this is a great chance to analyze image quality. Having zoomed into each image at 800%, my opinion is that the Canon DSLR has captured the better-quality photo. This is a great example of why megapixels aren’t everything and sensor size matters. But it’s worth noting that the iPhone image has been edited (by AI)  and the DSLR image hasn’t. Editing can reduce image fidelity, which is why I’d be interested to compare an Apple ProRAW image in the future. 

Aside from the unusual boost in contrast and overall sharpness, I’m pleased with the iPhone’s color saturation here. It’s more vivid than the DSLR Raw file, but it isn’t over the top. Many have called out Apple for its overzealous AI editing, but I think the colors look punchy, yet pleasantly natural. Finally, you can see the iPhone’s larger depth of field at work, with the step in the background and the texture of the concrete in the bottom-left corner much more in focus than the DSLR image. The DSLR wins thanks to its superior image quality, but I’m still impressed with the iPhone here.

Geese

iPhone - 24mm f.178 (Portrait Mode, 12MP)

DSLR 18MP RAW

Mike's opinion

Portrait Mode was used for the iPhone image and although both photos look similar, I do think the shallow depth of field in the DSLR photo is more realistic. The drop-off between in-focus and out-of-focus areas is more subtle and natural, whereas the transition from sharp to soft is more sudden in the iPhone photo. That said, I’m impressed with Portrait Mode’s AI-generated blur in this instance. It doesn’t look obviously fabricated. 

You may have noticed that the goose in the foreground of the iPhone photo looks sharper than the goose in the DSLR photo. In the latter’s case, this is because the point of focus is mistakenly on the bird’s rear, with the inherently shallower depth of field blurring the bird’s head slightly. The iPhone naturally has a larger depth of field so focusing on subjects is easier, while computational photography sharpens images, making it easier to capture sharper subjects. 

What I do find very interesting about this image is that the contrast and saturation is comparable in both images, with the iPhone eking out just a bit more contrast. A DSLR will beat Portrait Mode every time, and because of that the iPhone’s competence has really impressed me here. The DSLR wins, but only just… 

Trees

iPhone - 24mm f.178 (x1, 24MP)

DSLR 18MP RAW

Mike's opinion

These images are another example of how Apple’s computational photography is a huge boon if you’re not interested in image editing and just want decent-looking photos straight from the camera. You’ve got more detail in the sky, more contrast, and punchier colors. Sure, the DSLR image is better quality and with a little TLC in an editing suite, you’ll end up with a comparable or better image. But in a situation like this, when you’re capturing a snapshot, the iPhone will save you a lot of hassle. Another draw.

Characters

iPhone - 24mm f.178 (Portrait Mode, 12MP)

DSLR 18MP RAW

Mike's opinion

The iPhone’s Portrait Mode was used to capture this 12-MP close-up of two figures. Unlike the geese image, earlier, this exposes Portrait Mode’s limitations. At first glance, the images compare well enough, but on closer inspection, things begin to unravel. Notice how in both images the robot’s front is sharp, but on the iPhone photo the left and top edges are noticeably blurry. Blurry edges are a common problem in Portrait Mode, where the sharp subject ends and the artificial blur begins. 

Another problem is drop-off. Notice how the figure on the left is sharper in the DSLR photo. This is because it’s positioned only just behind the robot. It’s not close enough to be totally sharp, but it’s not far enough away to be very blurry. In the iPhone photo, it’s considerably more blurry. This is even more apparent at the bottom of the iPhone image. The tabletop is initially sharp – you can see the wood grain – but as it recedes into the background it very suddenly becomes blurry. 

The change from being in focus to out of focus should be much more gradual. This iPhone image is the best example of the gulf between Apple’s flagship iPhone and even an aging entry-level DSLR. But this isn’t Apple’s fault. No smartphone has managed to match DSLR cameras when it comes to shallow depths of field. As it stands, the technology simply doesn’t exist.

Expert's verdict

This test has offered up no great surprises. The iPhone 15 Pro Max beat the Canon EOS 1300D (REBEL T6) when it came to visual appeal straight from the camera, and the DSLR beat the iPhone when it came to overall image quality and its ability to capture shallow depths of field. Next, I’d like to compare some big 48-MP Apple ProRAW files to this same DSLR to see how it fares, but to put things into perspective, stack Apple’s flagship iPhone against a pro full-frame (which has an even bigger sensor) 48-MP DSLR or mirrorless camera and it’s goodnight. Or is it? 

You see, this comparison has highlighted three things: DSLR and mirrorless cameras aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s downright incredible just how much performance iPhones can squeeze out of their tiny sensors and optics. And for the casual photographer, computational photography makes the hobby more accessible than ever. While the DSLR’s Raw files looked intentionally flat – because they are designed to be edited – almost all of the iPhone images looked Instagram-ready. Yes, DSLR JPEGs would look better than the unedited Raws, but I’m certain they still wouldn’t look as attractive as the AI-edited iPhone images.

It is worth pointing out that this test didn’t really tax the cameras’ low-light capabilities or dynamic range. Again, the DSLR’s physically larger sensor should perform better in both instances, but since iPhones use – you guessed it – computational photography to overcome low-light and high-contrast conditions, I’d be very interested to see how they compare. Autofocus is another factor to consider. I’m pretty certain the iPhone’s ability to automatically focus on faces will trump the REBEL T6’s (although it will pale in comparison to modern mirrorless cameras), but I’d still opt for this old DSLR when photographing fast-moving subjects.

Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max hasn’t disappointed, and neither has the Canon EOS 1300D (REBEL T6). If you’re looking to delve deep into the hobby of photography then a DSLR or mirrorless camera is a great step up. But if you’re interested in taking excellent snapshots while engaging in as little image editing as possible, then the iPhone 15 Pro Max might just be the best camera on the market for you. 

iPhone vs DSLR: Jargon buster

Sensor size

The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s Main camera system boasts more megapixels than the aging Canon EOS 1300D (REBEL T6), but that doesn’t necessarily mean it produces better-quality images. You see, the DSLR has an APS-C sensor, which is much bigger than the iPhone’s image sensor. To put this into perspective, the Canon DSLR’s sensor measures 22.2 x 14.8mm, while the iPhone’s main sensor is just 9.8 x 7.3mm. 

While megapixels affect the resolution and indeed size of an image, larger sensors can allow for increased light gathering, higher resolutions, higher dynamic range, and better low-light capabilities. So, I never expected the iPhone to beat the DSLR outright on image quality.

Depth of field

Depth of field is a way of describing the sharpness of an image beyond the point of focus. We typically explain this by referring to a depth of field as shallow or large. A very shallow depth of field is when a sharp subject is surrounded by lots of blur (think close-up portrait with a blurred background). A very large depth of field is when the entire image looks in focus (think landscape that’s sharp from foreground to background). 

Exactly how shallow or large the depth of field is relies on a variety of factors. How far away the background is in relation to the subject, how wide the aperture is set, how long the focal length is and how large the camera’s sensor is. iPhone Camera Modules have fixed apertures and although they are very wide, iPhone sensors are very small, much smaller than DSLR sensors, and the smaller the sensor, the harder it is to create a shallow depth of field. This is why Portrait Mode exists, to get around this technological shortcoming. 

RAW files 

RAW files are designed to hold as much image data as possible. Unlike HEIC and JPEG files they are virtually unprocessed, making them extremely pliable when edited. Stack an unedited RAW file up against a HEIC or JPEG file and it will look flat, less sharp and it may exhibit optical distortions that haven’t been corrected. 

Computational photography

At its most basic, computational photography is a form of automatic image edit. Capture JPEG images on a DSLR and they will look sharper and punchier than RAW files, due to some automatic processing. However, iPhones take this a step further (and then some). Quite how Apple’s magic AI-infused computational magic sauce transforms your photos is anyone’s guess, but it removes optical distortions, improves the quality of low-light images, adds contrast, boosts colors, makes images sharper and much, much more. 

Color temperature

The color temperature scale is used to describe the color of light within an image and is measured in kelvins. Roughly around 6,000K is daylight, which is more or less white. Below this the light gets warmer and above this the light gets cooler, that’s to say it takes on an increasingly yellow or blue hue, respectively.

Saturation

This refers to the intensity of the colors within a photograph. Desaturate an image and the colors will become increasingly muted and eventually monochrome. Increase the saturation and colors will become more intense, pushed too far this will eventually result in garish, fabricated-looking results. 

Contrast

Contrast is the relationship between light and dark areas within an image. An image with more contrast will display brighter whites and richer blacks. Reduce the contrast and blacks and whites will become increasingly muted.  

Dynamic range

This refers to a camera’s ability to capture detail between extremes of very dark shadows and very bright highlights. Typically, a larger image sensor will result in a higher dynamic range. But the latest iPhones cleverly work around their small-sensor shortcomings via computational photography. In short, they can create what’s called a high-dynamic-range (HDR) image by blending together multiple shots of the same image at different exposures, so the very bright and very dark portions of the image can be exposed for separately. 

The concept isn’t new. Many DSLRs can create HDR images in-camera, too, and depending on what DSLR you’re using and how proficient you are at imaging editing, you will end up with better results. But where the iPhone wins – as always – is its ease of use. The results are virtually instant and require no specialist knowledge. 

Chromatic aberration 

When you zoom into an image you may find that the edges of some objects are outlined in vibrant purple, green, red and yellow colors called chromatic aberration or color fringing. Some lenses are more prone to exhibiting this optical anomaly than others, but thankfully, it’s very easy to remove with software.

This feature is part of iPhone Photography Week 2024. Expect new posts to appear daily, focused on making your photos shot with iPhone better than ever before.

Share your photos with iMore on X (Twitter) using #iMorePhotographyWeek

In some fantastic news for iPhone 15 owners, Apple just announced that the battery could last twice as long as previous models — and double what the company initially expected. Now, instead of 80% capacity at 500 charges, you’ll retain that 80% at 1000 charges — which is a big change.

Battery health has been a long-contentious topic when it comes to the iPhone — after all, there was an entire court case that debated whether iPhones were being throttled to protect the capacity of their batteries. Things since then have gotten better, and you can even see the battery health of your battery by hopping into the settings menu and having a check — if you’re not sure how, we have a useful guide.

Battery health and iPhones

Apple apparently discovered the increased battery health thanks to some intensive testing, says 9to5Mac. That testing saw draining the battery and then recharging 1000 times “under specific circumstances” to find out what the battery health of the unit is, and it looks like it paid off.

Of course, this is only exciting for owners of the best iPhones, the iPhone 15 lineup — anyone with an older iPhone is still stuck with a battery that will last half as long.

The battery health question

Of course, it’s not always as simple as Apple’s testing might suggest. Even anecdotally on team at iMore, we’ve had some interesting battery health statistics arise among similarly used and differently charged devices.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max, for example — two team members with essentially the same phone got vastly different numbers by the time it came to switching out their iPhones. One charged on MagSafe at their desk and bedside, and noticed that their battery health and battery life tanked only a few months into ownership. Another team member only charged the phone at night, plugged into a MacBook Pro — and in the same time period, still saw 100% battery health.

It’s good news that Apple has discovered that its new batteries are longer lasting than its old ones — but as always, it will depend on your use, charging habits, and other factors that are often out of your control.

More from iMore

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Apple’s iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus denote a remarkable return to form for Apple’s mainstream iPhone lineup after a couple of uninspired years in the doldrums. Fresh off a fantastic review of the iPhone 15 Plus, we’re ringing in 2024 with a look at Apple’s latest 6.1-inch iPhone 15. 

Like its big sibling, the iPhone 15 delivers a series of really enticing upgrades, making it one of the best iPhones in recent years. It boasts all of the same excellent upgrades as the iPhone 15 Plus, including the new 48MP camera, USB-C, a new design, and the Dynamic Island from the iPhone 14 Pro. 

So, has Apple finally cracked the winning formula that makes its mainstream, cheaper flagship option a viable upgrade for users? Or will one lacking feature derail the whole operation? Let’s find out. 

iPhone 15: Price and Availability

Released in September 2023, the iPhone 15 is available from Apple.com and all over the world at the usual array of carriers and retailers. The iPhone 15 starts at $799 for the 128GB version. The 256GB model is $899 and the 512GB version is $1099, making it $100 cheaper than each corresponding version of the iPhone 15 Plus. The only difference is storage, and each phone comes boxed with a USB-C to USB-C cable, no charger. 

You can also get the iPhone 15 at Amazon, Best Buy, Verizon, Target, AT&T, and more.  

iPhone 15: At a glance

• 48MP camera - the big sensor from the iPhone 14 Pro is here to deliver larger and more detailed photos than ever before. 
• USB-C - the iPhone 15 now charges with a USB-C port and cable
• Updated design - this update brings a lovely frosted glass upgrade to the rear and rounder edges
• Brighter display - the iPhone 15 is good for 1000 nits max brightness, 1600 nits peak (HDR), and 2000 nits peak outdoors
• Dynamic Island - The Dynamic Island from the iPhone 14 Pro arrives, replacing the notch

iPhone 15: Specs

iPhone 15: Design

The iPhone 15 wows with a stunning new design that is vastly improved over the previous two iterations. As I noted in our iPhone 15 Plus review, the previous “regular” has had a really underwhelming design for a couple of years. The edges were much too sharp, and its awful glossy back was a fingerprint magnet. 

This year, Apple has transformed the iPhone 15 with a new “color-infused” glass back that offers you a delightful frosted finish. It’s soft to the touch, easy to grip, and shows absolutely none of the marks or blemishes that the old one used to. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this change alone should be enough to convince iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 users to make the leap to 2024’s best offering. 

The design changes don’t stop there, either. The edges of the iPhone 15 are decidedly more rounded and much softer than in previous years, and the camera bump is now transparent. All in all, Apple has transformed the iPhone 15 with its design this year. Other aspects remain familiar, however. There are still two volume buttons, a Lock Button, and the Mute Switch. No Action button here, you’ll need to go Pro if you want the customizable alternative that lets you choose several different actions beyond simple mute. 

Otherwise, the iPhone 15 sports its familiar aluminum chassis and the hardy Ceramic Shield on the front. This glass panel is designed to be tougher to shatter while being more prone to scratches as a compromise. However, after several weeks of use, I’ve yet to notice any of the scratches that plagued my iPhone 14 experience last year, so this is another big improvement. 

Other design specs include IP68 water resistance, which means you can submerge it in up to 6 meters of water for 30 minutes. Weight and dimensions are also broadly the same as in previous years, and Apple has made some tweaks under the hood to make some repairs cheaper and easier. 

The only big letdown in the design department is the color. There are five: black, blue, green, yellow, and pink. I’ve now been hands-on with both blue and green, but honestly, both might as well be grey/off-white. The hue around the frame is more noticeable, but the rear is so muted it might as well not be any color at all. Pink, yellow, and black remain the more vibrant color options.

iPhone 15: Display

Apple has not really changed the display in the iPhone 15 this year, so if you have an iPhone 13 or iPhone 14, you’re not going to notice a difference in day-to-day use. It’s the same Super Retina XDR display measuring 6.1-inch, and offering a resolution of 2556x1179-pixel resolution at 460 ppi. It offers all the usual HDR, True Tone, and Wide Color (PR) support, but the big news this year is brightness. The typical max brightness has been uprated to 1,000 nits, and the outdoor brightness peak is now 2,000 nits. This means your iPhone’s display is going to be much easier to see in direct sunlight or well-lit areas, and this rings true. You can still, of course, control the brightness in your iOS settings, but cranked all the way up, it is noticeably brighter than previous models. 

While resolution and color quality haven’t changed, the biggest visual improvement in iPhone 15 is the Dynamic Island, which replaces the outgoing notch, now completely eschewed from the iPhone line. I’ve used the Dynamic Island for over a year on my iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 Pro models, and on the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 more recently. There’s no doubt that it’s a genius piece of technology that really transforms the iPhone experience. Adding animated functionality to the Dynamic Island means you forget the pill-shaped whole is even there while using it. We’re still not seeing a ton of third-party Dynamic Island apps, but Apple has done enough to make it useful. Even seeing your calls and timers on the island is enough to make me giddy sometimes. 

So those are the improvements, but there is one significant drawback to the iPhone 15’s display. It still features a 60Hz refresh rate. If you’ve never used an iPhone, iPad, or Mac with a 120Hz ProMotion display, this isn’t an issue, and you won’t notice the difference. If you have, however, the 60Hz iPhone 15 will feel like a PowerPoint presentation by comparison. Using most apps and playing games, you won’t really notice the 60Hz refresh rate, but I find it to be most irksome using menus and unlocking the phone. While I understand that 120Hz remains reserved for the high-end iPhone 15 Pro range, I don’t see why we can’t get a beefier 90Hz without Always-On or variable refresh rate, just to make the iPhone 15 a bit smoother in day-to-day use. It’s a big letdown in what’s otherwise a very impressive package. 

iPhone 15: Performance

Just like the iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 15 excels in performance thanks to its blazing-fast A16 Bionic chip. Adopted from the iPhone 14 Pro, it can run any app or game that you throw at it with ease. Specifically, it features two high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, and a 5-core GPU with 50 percent more bandwidth than the iPhone 14. This means you can enjoy every game on the App Store with no hiccups, lag, or framerate drops. It’s also very important for the powerful new camera we’ll be talking about soon. With a 16-core neural engine, computational photography is more powerful than ever on the regular iPhone. With slightly better thermals, the iPhone 15 Plus will benchmark slightly ahead of the iPhone 15, but this means very little when it comes to real-world performance. Essentially, there is nothing the iPhone 15 can’t do, and you’re going to be set for several years of iOS software updates, futureproofing your device if you’re not a serial upgrader. 

Just like the iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 15’s A16 Bionic Chip actually betrays that 60Hz refresh rate and amplifies how annoying it is, it’s clear the screen can’t keep up with the phone at certain times, leading to a shaky experience in menus and on the Home Screen. 

Slight Wi-Fi improvements seen in the iPhone 15 Plus continue here, too, but it’s the iPhone 15 Pro that gets Wi-Fi 6E for a significant boost. 

The biggest connectivity boost is a new second-generation Ultra Wideband chip that powers close-range interactions. This is used for finding things like AirPods and AirTags, but can also be used with an Apple Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2 to locate your iPhone with Precision Finding. This also works between iPhone 15 models and can be used to locate lost friends or relatives in crowds at festivals, concerts, and beyond. 

iPhone 15: Camera

The iPhone 15’s headline upgrade is a new 48MP main camera that spits out 24MP super-high-resolution images by default. The main camera features a quad-pixel sensor and 100 percent Focus Pixels and also offers 2x Telephoto shooting to give the illusion of three optical levels of zoom alongside 0.5x and 1x. If you like portrait photography, the iPhone 15 is the best mainstream iPhone yet, with better details, colors, and low-light performance. The fanciest new feature is a mode that can turn any photo of a person, dog, or cat into a portrait photo even if you didn’t shoot it in portrait mode. Night mode also gets a boost alongside the introduction of Smart HDR 5. This is the best camera ever put in a regular iPhone, so here are some of the shots we were able to take with the iPhone 15’s camera. 

Here are some of our shots in the "out of the box" mode: 24 MP 26mm f.16. This is the default setting on the iPhone 15, and I remain very impressed with the 24MP format.

The new portrait mode also wows with crispy edges and excellent detail:

Finally, the 48MP camera shoots massive photos with expansive range and great detail:

iPhone 15: Battery, charging, and USB-C

With a 3,349 mAh battery, Apple says the iPhone 15 is good for 20 hours of video playback or 16 hours of video streaming. As always, the iPhone 15 Plus is the battery life king, boasting the largest battery and fewer power-hungry features. According to our friends at Tom’s Guide, the iPhone 15 scores 11 hours and five minutes in their bog-standard battery life test. By contrast, the iPhone 15 Plus scores 14 hours and 14 minutes, and the iPhone 14 scores nine hours and 28 minutes. As you can see, the latter shows the iPhone 15’s battery has markedly improved from last year’s iPhone 14 model, and an aging battery is always a great excuse to buy a new phone. The iPhone 15 range also seems less susceptible to the quite high battery wear that impacted the iPhone 14 range. 

Another headline upgrade this year is USB-C, and having gotten over the initial shock of finding all my Lightning cables were now useless, I’m enjoying having USB-C around the house a bit more than I used to. I continue to charge my iPhones exclusively on a MagSafe charging stand in iOS 17’s StandBy mode, but when you do need some juice, it’s nice to know that whatever USB-C cable you have lying around will fit your iPhone. My main gripe from the iPhone 15 Plus review stands, however. Eliminating Lightning has reduced, rather than increased, the number of ways I can charge my iPhone. As per our friend Neil Cybart on Twitter, USB-C cables are used for Macs, iPads, and every other device in the house. The Lightning cable was always reserved for the iPhone, and as such always available. This novelty has now gone, but now I’m more used to it, plugging in my iPhone and iPad to the same wall outlet is a more convenient experience. 

USB-C doesn’t bring any upgrades to file or data transfers, however. It’s still USB-C 2 just like the iPhone 14. If you want USB 3 speeds you’ll want Apple’s best iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro. This is a tad annoying given the iPhone 15 shoots 48MP photos, but in reality, when was the last time you plugged your iPhone into a computer to do any type of data transfer?

iPhone 15: iOS 17

The iPhone 15 ships with iOS 17 out of the box, and will continue to do so until iOS 18 drops later this year. This time around, Apple has updated the Phone app, Messages, and FaceTime. Some big new features include Contact Posters, StandBy, and interactive widgets. I love the latter as it lets you interact with apps directly from your iPhone’s Home Screen, so you can do things like turn off a HomeKit light without opening the Home app. I noted in our iPhone 15 Plus review that Autocorrect seems to have taken a step back this year, and I remain convinced of this five months on. 

Like Mac and iPad, iPhone excels in part because of the harmony between hardware and software, and because of the synergy with Apple’s wider ecosystem. You’ll benefit most from the iPhone 15 and iOS 17 if you also use an iPad, Mac, AirPods, AirTags, or even an Apple TV.

Since its initial launch Apple has added some cool new features to iOS 17 including a new feature that makes it harder for thieves to access your iPhone using your passcode. It’s also possible Apple could be planning to add third-party app stores and sideloading before WWDC 2024. 

iPhone 15: The competition: iPhone 14 Pro and beyond

It may be a cliche, but if you’re considering the iPhone 15 then it’s likely that the main competition for your vote is other iPhones. The main Android-powered rivals to the iPhone 15 are the Google Pixel 8, and the larger Pixel 8 Pro, and the Samsung Galaxy S23 range. 

If you want a larger iPhone without the bells and whistles of the Pro, I’d recommend the iPhone 15 Plus as a valiant competitor. It has a much better battery life and a much larger screen, and this year’s design changes make its larger chassis much easier on the hands. If you do want bells and whistles then the iPhone 15 Pro is the one for you. However, as I noted in my iPhone 15 Plus review, the most viable alternative to the iPhone 15 is the iPhone 14 Pro. It has the same chip, 48MP camera, Dynamic Island, but offers an extra lens for photography and most importantly, a 120Hz ProMotion display. 

Should you buy the iPhone 15?

iPhone 15: Verdict

The iPhone 15 is a triumphant upgrade over the iPhone 14 and a massive, much-needed improvement for the regular iPhone lineup. Upgrades will love USB-C, the Dynamic Island, and taking 48MP photos. However, if you want the very best Apple has to offer, the iPhone 15 Pro offers a more feature-rich experience with a better refresh rate and better cameras.

One of the biggest changes to this year’s iPhone 15 lineup compared to every iPhone before it is the addition of USB-C. Not only does USB-C make charging far easier than ever before, allowing you to charge most of your devices seamlessly, but it also makes connecting peripherals to your iPhone hassle-free.

However, one of my favorite uses of the USB-C port on my iPhone 15 Pro Max is using my iPhone to charge my other tech products. Using reverse charging from the USB-C port allows me to easily top up my AirPods Pro 2 or even charge my partner’s iPhone when out and about.

While it will never compete with some of the best battery packs out there, my iPhone 15 Pro Max has become a great external battery pack for the times when I’m desperate for power, and that’s why everyone should know how to reverse charge their accessories and other tech products from an iPhone.

How to reverse charge using an iPhone 15

Reverse charging using your iPhone 15 is incredibly easy, but you’ll need one of the newest iPhones like the iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro, or the best iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max to do it.

If you own one of the models above, all you need to do is connect a USB-C cable to your iPhone and then plug the other end of your cable into the device you want to charge. Bear in mind that the iPhone’s reverse charging is limited to 4.5W, so you won’t get fast charging here. From testing, the iPhone with the lowest battery percentage will receive power, while the iPhone with the most power will give battery.

One more thing… Why not use the battery pack in your pocket?

I’ve tested reverse charging on several devices to see whether there is actually any benefit to using your iPhone 15 as a power bank. Some products, like my Analogue Pocket, show as charging but never gain any power as the output is just far too low. 

When charging my partner’s iPhone 15, I noticed the battery gain to be minimal but decent enough to help fuel up your smartphone in desperate measures. Where I think reverse charging really excels, however, is when you want to give your AirPods a quick top-up if you’ve forgotten to charge them before leaving the house. You won’t charge your AirPods fully, but you’ll get just enough power to listen to your favorite tunes or podcasts.

USB-C on iPhone has been a great addition to Apple’s smartphone, and reverse charging is just one of many small improvements that make your life that little bit easier.

If you've ever found yourself unable to place a call, access data, or even send a text message with your iPhone and wished that true global coverage was a thing, you're going to love the work that Starlink is doing. CEO Elon Musk shared details of six new satellites that are now in orbit and are designed to make cellular dead zones a thing of the past.

As great as cellular coverage has gotten in recent years there are still plenty of places where you simply can't get a signal. That's something Apple is all to aware of and it's launched features to help keep people safe when they're out of range. But Starlink's work could help ensure that those features become obsolete thanks to Direct to Cell technology that will "further global connectivity and help to eliminate dead zones."

With six new satellites now circling the planet Starlink has taken another step forward, but Musk points out that while its current technology "is a great solution for locations with no cellular connectivity," it's still some way off being "meaningfully competitive" with more traditional options due to the relatively slow speeds.

Emergency connectivity

The news comes after SpaceX Shared a post on the X social network detailing its latest launch.

Musk quoted the post to add additional context, saying that the current offering "only supports ~7Mb per beam and the beams are very big," leading to the note that existing terrestrial cellular networks will continue to have the edge in terms of performance — but in terms of coverage, it's a different story.

Starlink first announced the Direct to Cell service back in 2022, and SpaceX is getting ready to test its service with 4G phones on T-Mobile across the United States before expanding to other countries later this year, The Verge notes. Text messaging will be enabled initially, but voice and data connections are expected to come online in 2025 as more satellites are put into orbit.

With more connectivity options available it will allow people to get the help they need in an emergency more easily, no matter which phone they happen to have on them

Apple's answer

Apple's answer to a lack of cellular connectivity has so far been via Globalstar's own satellites. Emergency SOS via Satellite has been around since the 2022 launch of the iPhone 14 and is also available on the iPhone 15 family of devices. It's a feature that has already proven capable of saving lives and it's one that Apple currently offers for free.

In the future, it's possible that Emergency SOS via Satellite won't be required if Starlink and SpaceX are able to replace its functionality with Direct to Cell technology.

Apple recently announced an additional feature called Roadside Assistance via Satellite that is designed to help people get help when their car breaks down even when they are outside of cellular service range. The feature is an iOS 17 addition and is available on all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models — you don't need to rush out and buy the best iPhone to get it, thankfully.

Whether or not Starlink eventually makes Apple's features obsolete ultimately doesn't matter — anything that can help people get the help they need it, when they need it most, is a feature everyone should be able to use no matter what iPhone — or Android phone — they own.

More from iMore

• How to use Apple's Emergency SOS with satellite on iPhone 14
• iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via satellite feature saves man stranded in Alaska
• The iPhone's Emergency SOS via Satellite feature is free for another year

The iPhone, as predictable as it is, remains a product worth getting excited about year after year. It’s not that we necessarily expect huge headline updates, but with many of us on a regular upgrade program, we can’t wait to see what we’ll be carrying in our pocket for the next year.

In terms of both the iPhone and iOS, 2023 has been a very, very big year. While many of the headline features of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lineups are essentially incremental improvements to last year’s cameras and processor, they’re such big jumps that it’s hard not to look back and be impressed.

Equally, iOS 17 is a grab bag of small updates that coalesce to touch just about every aspect of the experience.

With this in mind, here's our rundown of the iPhone in 2023 and how it fared.

Hardware

Last year’s surprises mainly arrived in the form of the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models, and this year the island saw a new influx of users as it rolled out to iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models, too.

It remains a surprisingly whimsical addition that also helps relegate the notch to, well, just the MacBook.

Aside from the Dynamic Island, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus camera systems are similar to last year’s Pro models, meaning there’s now that much bigger 48MP sensor and the ability to adjust portrait focus after a photo has been taken.

We also saw the long, long-awaited arrival of USB-C on iPhone, meaning it’s finally time to retire the Lightning cables we’ve amassed over the years.

Much of the same applies to the 15 Pro lineup, which shifted over to a Titanium design that’s not a great deal lighter, but it’s noticeable nonetheless.

The cameras are also phenomenal, but the really big upgrade is in the performance which brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing to iPhone for incredible visuals in games. The A17 Pro is just a monster for pretty much anything.

All in all, it’s possibly the biggest iPhone year since the iPhone X changed the game back in 2017, and while it’s not quite as drastic an overhaul as that, it’s a great year to upgrade your device.

Software

iOS is such a mature platform that it’s tricky to think of ‘big ticket’ upgrades Apple can introduce. As a result, this year was a year of refinement, but one that we find ourselves at iMore, very happy with.

Even the Phone app received upgrades with iOS 17. Adding FaceTime voicemail messages has been long-awaited, but having voicemail transcribed on the fly still feels a little like magic a few months on.

Standby Mode remains something the team uses almost every day, either to show photos as a slideshow or to glance at the to-do list in Things 3.

Interactive widgets are great in iOS 17, but sometimes you feel like you want to tap it to open the app in question instead — not to accidentally tick something off a to-do list for instance.

One of the best updates, although relatively minor, was the general tidying up of iMessage. With stickers, iMessage apps, and more, it had started to get more than a little full. It’s still got all of those features, but it’s vastly slicker now.

Finally, Apple promised a new Journal app, and it arrived in iOS 17.2, released in December. It's a great way of logging your thoughts and feelings — but the app still feels like early days. We're going to have to spend more time with Journal to see how it helps us in the coming days and weeks.

In conclusion

This year was a big one for the iPhone, both in terms of hardware and software. Aside from the hardware potential offered by the A17 Pro on the 15 Pro and Pro Max, the base iPhone 15 saw big improvements that have it rivaling last year’s iPhone 14 Pro.

Combine that with a bunch of small improvements in iOS 17, and it’s a great time to have an iPhone.

When I got my iPhone 15 Pro Max with my phone contract, it was the most expensive and impressive phone I had ever owned. For this reason, it felt important to put a case on it that matched the device's greatness. When Karen, a regular iMore contributor, and Gerald, our Editor-in-chief, told me they’d send out some spare cases, II thought I'd get a few choices to pick from. But I didn’t expect a full box would show up with dozens of different designs inside.

Luckily, with the fiasco that is spending hours trying on and opening new cases comes quite a lot of knowledge about what makes one good. If you have just bought an iPhone, here’s what you should look out for if you want to buy the best iPhone case for you.

• Best iPhone 15 case
• Best iPhone 15 Pro case
• Best iPhone 15 Pro Max case

Straight to the Action

The Action button is one of the biggest changes for the iPhone 15 Pro line, and many cases that appear to have started production before officially knowing about it opt for an Action button cutout, as opposed to a specifically designed button in the case. This means that unless you have small fingers or longer nails, it can be a bit tough to click that button. 

Unfortunately, given that the Action button is supposed to be used quickly to do away with searching around and unlocking the phone, a case without a dedicated button defeats that purpose. Thinner cases can get away with a cutout as they don’t obstruct the Action button too much, but it’s still a consideration in your case purchase. 

Making it clear

Clear cases have a tendency to turn a little yellow over time. There are companies like dbrand that promise its cases won’t yellow but many third-party or generic cases will turn that ugly shade of brown-yellow in just a few short months. When you pick up a clear case, make sure to check what’s being promised and if the brand behind it is reputable. 

While you are there, you can also check for frayed edges or any parts of the design that you anticipate rubbing off your clothes or pockets in ways that may damage the case in question. Cases are designed to protect your phone but don’t always do a good job of protecting themselves. Generally, these clear cases will be made of plastic so keep that in mind, in regard to both feel and durability. If you want something smoother feeling, you could go for something with leather or Apple's new FineWoven, which we weren't huge fans of. 

Durability first 

I have fallen into the trap of picking up a case just because it looks nice, only to discover it doesn’t quite do its job in regard to tough falls and scrapes. Though it can be easy to pick up what you think is pretty, it is better to have an ugly iPhone than a broken one. 

Luckily, you don’t have to choose between one or the other here, and there are plenty of excellent, nice-looking cases out there. It's also worth noting the material your case comes from can impact durability and feel. If you pick a case that is shockproof, it can sustain those high-height hits that might break other cases so it is worth looking out for. 

MagSafe and sound

With so many chargers coming with a wireless charging section, it is important to not limit yourself with your case. If you can afford to go up to a MagSafe case, you won’t regret it. Before upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the best iPhone right now, I had an iPhone 12 with one of the cheapest cases I could find, which I always had to take off just to use wireless charging. 

It’s not worth the effort and time of missing out on one of the most convenient charging solutions out there. 

Remember, not all iPhones are the same size, even if their screens are!

Though this may seem obvious, it is important to note that different models of iPhone need different cases. Apart from the obvious physical changes from the iPhone 14 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro, like the Action button and the move to USB-C, their dimensions are ever so slightly different. 

Make sure that, if you have an iPhone 15 Pro Max, like I do, you exclusively pick up and try iPhone 15 Pro Max cases. Some physical shops will even let you test cases out, so make sure to avail of that service where you can. 

Apple has today announced it is expanding its Self Service Repair to include the iPhone 15 and a series of M2 Macs. 

In a press release the copmany confirmed that Self Service Repair is now available for its best iPhone, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, as well as the M2 Mac lineup. That includes the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, the 15-inch MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac Pro, and Mac Studio.

Along with this welcome update, Apple is also rolling out its Self Service Repair to 24 additional European countries including Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland, bringing the total to 33. 

Diagnostics gets some love

Apple has also rolled out a new diagnostic tool "that gives users more transparency and autonomy to troubleshoot issues". The company says its designed for "users with the knowledge and expertise to repair Apple devices," giving them the same ability as Apple Authorized Service Providers and Independent Repair Providers to test devices for "optimal part functionality and performance." 

Apple's Self Service Repair scheme is the company's response to calls for more autonomy and accessibility when it comes to users repairing devices that they own. However, the company still faces criticism from companies like iFixit, which says Apple devices remain too difficult for most people to repair. Last year the group even said the program made MacBooks seem less repairable than they actually are. It's also quite a cumbersome process, with Apple shipping users a 79-pound repair kit (that they must pay to rent) in order to fix small iPhone items like the battery. 

Despite its efforts with repair program, Apple maintains that for those "who don’t have experience repairing electronic devices," the best way to get a repair done is by visiting an Apple Store or an Authorized Service Provider. 

More from iMore

• iFixit rips apart Apple's $2,000 iPhone repair kit so you don't have to
• Apple's Self Service Repair program is finally here
• Apple's iPhone repair change is putting repair professionals out of business

Stealing things is bad and the vast majority of us can all agree on that. But stealing iPhones from an Apple Store isn't just a bad idea, it's a downright stupid one as three people now know. British Police report that they stole a total of 17 iPhones worth around £17,000 (around $21,400) from the Meadowhall Apple Store in Sheffield at around 5 pm on Monday, December 4. A matter of hours later, they'd been caught.

While it hasn't been confirmed which iPhones were taken, the high value for just 19 phones suggests that these were iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro models, likely ripped from demonstration tables at the front of the Apple Store. I bought my iPhone 15 Pro Max from this very store and, like so many Apple Stores, the high-value items are so close to the front doors that it's a constant surprise that things like this don't happen more often.

But the reason it might not happen so often is that most crooks know that stealing iPhones from an Apple Store is a fool's errand because all you're really doing is painting a large target on your back, just asking to be caught.

The heist

South Yorkshire Police report that "a group of six offenders entered the store and grabbed the phones, before fleeing the shopping centre." At the time of writing only three have been apprehended, although I'm sure investigations are now centered on those remaining three.

The Meadowhall Apple Store is located next to a fire escape which may well have aided their escape, although it isn't clear if they went that route or made their way through the shopping center. The Apple Store is located equidistant from two of the main entrances to Meadowhall, neither of which is particularly far away.

Don't steal iPhones (or anything, for that matter)

But the theft is only half of the story — how these people were caught is the interesting part. According to the police, its "officers attended, and working alongside Apple staff, were able to track two of the stolen phones to near to Sheffield train station." That's a few miles away, although Meadowhall does have a smaller train station attached to it so it's possible they made their way to Sheffield station via train. "Colleagues at British Transport Police came to assist and three people were arrested at a nearby McDonalds on Farm Road."

The way in which the iPhones were tracked is the key aspect here because it's a system that is employed by Apple Stores all around the globe. These hapless thieves aren't the first to discover that stealing from an Apple Store is pointless, and they likely won't be the last.

Apple's iPhones — and indeed other high-value items — can be tracked once stolen with a system automatically phoning home to tell employees where those devices are. Think of it like Find My, but for stolen products. Those stolen products are also instantly locked down so that they are rendered useless, too.

Considering these iPhones were most likely stolen to be sold on, the fact they're locked down makes them almost useless which makes the entire process of stealing them a complete waste of time. And the sooner thieves get that into their heads, the better.

Amazingly, it seems that these thefts weren't an isolated incident, either. "The three were also connected to an earlier incident in Exeter on 3 December, in which items were also stolen from an Apple store to the value of around £10,000," the police say. That's a store hundreds of miles away from Sheffield, with multiple Apple Stores between the two. It's currently unclear why the thieves targeted Meadowhall and not one of those stores, however.

More from iMore

• 18 greatest Apple Stores
• Apple security guard stabbed
• Looting Apple Stores is pointless

iPhone 15 is the best non-Pro iPhone in years. The camera is great, taking much of last year's Pro lineup's tech and bringing it to a lower price point, and performance is, as you'd expect from Apple, fantastic. There's even USB-C, finally!

The iPhone 15 (and its larger brother, the iPhone 15 Plus) launched on September 22, and just two months later, the standard size version is already discounted, SIM-free, at Best Buy.

The retailer is offering a $70 discount on the iPhone 15 with 128GB of storage in all colors, meaning it's now $759.99. Given iPhones are lasting longer and longer in recent years, that's an investment that could carry you for, well, years.

Best Buy has certainly left it late to sneak out the discount before the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales bonanza draws to a close, but if you've been holding out, this is a great chance to buy Apple's latest phone.

Save $70 on the iPhone 15

• Smart home deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Amazon

If you're not looking for the performance and undoubtedly superlative cameras of the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, we'd argue there's no iPhone better than the iPhone 15.

Compared to last year's iPhone 14, you'll find a faster chip for running apps and games better than ever, as well as a big jump up to a 48MP sensor. There's even Dynamic Island, Apple's nifty way of making use of the space where the 'notch' used to be, showcasing your currently playing music or even how far away your food delivery is.

Then there's excellent battery life, USB-C charging, and a design that doesn't look drastically different but just feels better in the hand.

By saving on the phone itself, you can spend the $70 left over by picking up a nice case, or treating yourself to a bunch of new apps, too.

Since buying an iPhone 15 Pro Max on release day in September, followed by an iPad Air recently, thanks to a fantastic deal, it's only recently I've realized that the majority of Apple devices I own are now powered by a USB-C port.

If you are, or about to be, in the same boat as me, and you're looking for an excuse to get USB-C cables at a reduced price, here are some of the best Cyber Monday deals we could find so far.

Where to find the best Cyber Monday USB-C deals

• Amazon – Heavily discounted USB-C cables
• Best Buy – Incredible savings on USB-C cables
• Target – Big reductions on USB-C cables

When looking for a USB-C cable, it's worth thinking about what you'll be using them for. Perhaps you want them to connect to a device that has a USB-A port, or you want to buy a bunch for lots of USB-C devices. With this in mind, here are a selection of great deals that should help you make that decision. 

• MacBook deals: Amazon | B&H Photo | Best Buy
• iPhone deals: Verizon | AT&T | Mint Mobile
• AirPods deals: Amazon | B&H Photo | Best Buy | Walmart

This may seem strange to imagine, but there was a time when you could only take photos with the iPhone's camera and nothing more. You couldn't take video, you couldn't use filters or Portrait Mode — it was a simple point-and-shoot affair. Nowadays, you can do so much on an iPhone, that accessory makers have come to the aid, to enhance how you take photos and videos.

Moment is a great example of this, where they offer a bunch of cases and lenses that attach to an iPhone. When you combine this with the Camera app, you can take some photos and videos in ways you wouldn't be able to without these lenses.

if you have an interest in Photography, or you want to start up a hobby for the new year, we've rounded up some discounted accessories for Cyber Monday to help give you the push.

Cyber Monday iPhone deals 

• iPhone 15 Pro Max free at Amazon
• iPhone 15 Pro, Apple Watch SE, and iPad free Verizon
• iPhone 14 from $0 per month at Verizon
• iPhone 14 Pro from $0 per month at Verizon

Best Photography Accessories

It's important to mention that in order to use the lenses with the case, you have to buy a Moment mount. This one on Amazon, for example, is for the iPhone 15 Pro Max that you can buy for $3.49.

Best Apple and Adobe deals

It's important to mention that Apple and Adobe both offer some great products to help edit these photos and videos once you've taken a bunch. From Macs to Adobe Photoshop, there's plenty of offers to take advantage of in the Cyber Monday sale.

• Save up to 100% on iPhone 15, discounts on iPhone 14 and beyond
• iPhones from $0 per month at Verizon
• iPhones from $1.99 per month at AT&T

• iPhone deals: Verizon | AT&T | Mint Mobile
• MacBook deals: Amazon | B&H Photo | Best Buy
• iPad deals: Amazon | B&H Photo | Best Buy | Walmart

One of the best things about events like Cyber Monday is how it can inspire you to start up hobbies or to create a personal project. When it comes to podcasting, there are some fantastic deals that can help you create your own.

As a co-host of The iMore Show, it's important to me to have certain accessories to record with — a microphone is a must to record my voice in the best quality for example. Yet some headphones can also help, so you can focus in on the show's topics and what the guests are talking about.

With this in mind, I've rounded up some essential accessories that I recommend to help record a podcast.

Where to find the best Mac Cyber Monday deals

• Amazon — Save on MacBook Air and Pro models
• Best Buy — $250 off multiple Macs and more
• Walmart — New and refurbished Macs reduced

• MacBook deals: Amazon | B&H Photo | Best Buy

Worried that you've missed out on some great Black Friday deals? No need to be. Even though the event has officially wrapped up for another year, a bunch of discounts on Apple products are still live, ready to be taken advantage of.

As Cyber Monday ramps up on November 27, plenty of deals on MacBooks, iPads, iPhones and Apple accessories are still available. For instance, you can still save $100 on an iPad mini, which is a fantastic bargain on one Apple's best tablets.

The two days between Black Friday and Cyber Monday are always an interesting time — there's a sense of being in limbo, where some may think that new deals may arrive after the weekend. But that couldn't be further from the truth.

That's why we've listed a bunch of deals below that are still live, still discounted, and could still benefit you in a bunch of different ways.

Best Apple Black Friday deals at a glance

• iPhone 15 $829 $638 at Best Buy
• iPhone 13 $729 $629 at Best Buy
• Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS) $399 $374 at Amazon
• iPad Air $599 $499 at Amazon
• iPad mini $499 $399 at Amazon
• MacBook Air M1 $999 $749 at Amazon
• Airpods 2nd Generation $129 $79 at Amazon
• Airpods 3rd Generation $169 $139 at Amazon

Best Black Friday deals still live

Best Apple Accessories

Best UK Apple deals

• iPhone deals: Verizon | AT&T | Mint Mobile
• MacBook deals: Amazon | B&H Photo | Best Buy
• iPad deals: Amazon | B&H Photo | Best Buy | Walmart

Ever since I’ve owned an iPhone the methods I’ve used for certain tasks have changed. This is thanks to the tireless efforts of the third-party developers and the many apps they’ve been bringing out ever since the App Store debuted in 2008. 

Before owning an iPhone, I would grab a flyer to check the coming week’s train times or check my paper calendar, covered with Marvel characters, to see what I needed to do for the day. These solutions all became irrelevant once iPhone apps came along and changed the computing game. 

Fast-forward to 2023, and the App Store is full of even more amazing, innovative apps that serve almost every need out there, with Mac computers, iPad tablets, and iPhone handsets all having their own curated storefronts to browse.

So whether you’ve already got your Apple device of choice, or are looking for new apps to fill up your new Cyber Monday purchase, these are the best applications and software suites I’d recommend that are currently on sale.

Best App deals

Best Apple deals

• Save up to 100% on iPhone 15, discounts on iPhone 14 and beyond
• iPhones from $0 per month at Verizon
• iPhones from $1.99 per month at AT&T

• iPhone deals: Verizon | AT&T | Mint Mobile
• MacBook deals: Amazon | B&H Photo | Best Buy
• iPad deals: Amazon | B&H Photo | Best Buy | Walmart

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 families of devices, including the Pro models, can call for roadside assistance when you need it, even if you don't have a traditional cellular connection. It's a feature that has the very real potential to help save lives, and now we know exactly how it works.

Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite is a similar feature that's been around since November 2022 and has already very much helped to save lives on many occasions, giving people a way to summon emergency services when in parts of the world where they would otherwise be left with no help at all. However, the roadside assistance component has only been around for a little while and requires iOS 17 or later to be installed in order to work.

Now, a YouTube video has been shared in which Roadside Assistance via SMS has been put through its paces to show just what it can do and, more importantly, what iPhone users should expect the first time that they have to use it.

AAA to the rescue

In a YouTube video put together by Brian Tong we see the exactly what's required in order to use one of Apple's best iPhones to contact the AAA when a phone call just isn't possible. It's worth noting that the AAA is the partner Apple chose in the United States and that the U.S. is the only country where this feature is available right now. However, Apple is expected to bring the same feature to other countries in due course.

Don't worry if you aren't a AAA member, though. Those who are yet to sign up will be given the option to do so when using the Roadside Assistance via Satellite feature, ensuring that they still have the chance to be rescued.

In the video, we see the steps required to get assistance when it's required and they're far from complicated. In fact, I'd wager that anyone who has sent an iMessage before will be able to do it.

The steps are simple so long as you can get a solid satellite fix, of course, but Apple does guide users through making that happen which should ensure a solid success rate. Once a connection is established everything is handled via the Messages app with Apple's compression algorithm allowing the iPhone to send and receive text messages in a relatively speedy fashion considering there's a direct connection to a satellite in Earth's orbit.

Emergency SOS via Satellite and Roadside Assistance via Satellite are both free for two years after buying a new iPhone with Apple recently extending the timeframe by an extra year for those who already own an iPhone 14. Why it did that isn't yet clear, but I do wonder whether Apple is concerned about charging a fee for a feature that could potentially cost someone their life if they miss a payment.

More lifesaving features to come

Whatever the reason for Apple not charging yet, it's good news for people who could one day rely on their iPhone to help save their lives. Other features like Crash Detection and Fall Detection (on the Apple Watch) have already helped countless people get help when they are unable to summon it for themselves. And the more features that Apple can offer that help keep safe, the better.

As for what's next, Apple is routinely rumored to be working on blood pressure monitoring technology for an upcoming Apple Watch, something that could well make a huge difference for hypertension sufferers around the globe.

More from iMore

• How to trigger Emergency SOS on your iPhone (and shut it off)
• How to use Apple's Emergency SOS with satellite on iPhone 14
• How to call for help with the Apple Watch using the SOS feature

When Apple announced the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models back in September of 2022 it also announced Emergency SOS via Satellite, a feature that would go on to very much save lives. But it wouldn't be available until November with iPhone buyers getting two years of access. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro both come with the same two-year offer, too.

With Apple offering the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature free for a limited time it was always assumed that it would start to charge money for it in the future. That could either be via a new subscription offering or as part of Apple One, but it was surely going to come one way or another.

But fast-forward a year and we get to November 2023 when, earlier this week, Apple announced that it is extending the feature's free two-year period for an extra 12 months for existing iPhone 14 owners to take them to November 2025. But why?

How cool is Emergency SOS via Satellite anyway?

First, we need to back up a bit and discuss what Emergency SOS via Satellite actually does, because it's pretty incredible. In its most simple form, the feature allows people to summon help from emergency services when they would otherwise not be able to due to a lack of cellular service. Think people at the top of a mountain or out in the wilderness where there just isn't hope of a connection to a carrier, let alone full bars. Using satellites in low orbit, iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 devices can send and receive short text-based messages. And it's those messages that help emergency services get help to those who need it.

When Apple announced that it was extending the lifesaving feature it was keen to point out that's very much what it is — a lifesaver.

“Emergency SOS via satellite has helped save lives around the world. From a man who was rescued after his car plummeted over a 400-foot cliff in Los Angeles, to lost hikers found in the Apennine Mountains in Italy, we continue to hear stories of our customers being able to connect with emergency responders when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to,” Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing, said via that press release. And they're right. There have been plenty of heartwarming stories of people's iPhones helping them get help.

That's great, right? It sure is. But it might also be the reason Apple can't bring itself to charge for the service, too.

Putting a price on a life

We already know that Apple is sensitive to any kind of negative publicity, so with that in mind let me paint you a picture with words.

Imagine you're a hiker, and you're off on a trail that takes you well beyond anything that Verizon, AT&T, or any of your chosen carriers can reach. It's beautiful because it's so remote. And you're having a whale of a time.

With me so far?

Except, you stumble. You fall down a cliff, hitting branch after rock after seemingly anything else you can find on your way down. You come to rest and, thankfully, you're alive. But you've broken your leg and your breathing isn't as easy as it should be. You've no signal, obviously. But not to worry — you have the latest iPhone so you set about using Emergency SOS via Satellite to call for help.

Except, you got a new card last week and your Apple One subscription payment didn't go through. Your iPhone thinks you don't have the lifesaving feature and you're stuck. What now?

Now, yes, there are ways around this. The iPhone could make the call regardless and charge later — but if it does that, why pay for it in the first place? It'd become a pay-as-you-go service that nobody would pay a subscription for. And maybe that's the route Apple takes if and when it finally starts to charge people for this thing.

But I do know what it won't want to do — risk a headline that says someone unfortunately died because their iPhone wouldn't let them call for help when they needed it. And until Apple can be sure of how to get around that problem, I can see this particular feature being free forever. As it probably should be.

More from iMore

• iPhone 14's emergency satellite feature helps save hiker with no cell
• Apple's life-saving iPhone 14 satellite feature goes free for another year
• Apple has Qualcomm to thank for the iPhone 14's satellite features

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro families of devices both support wireless charging, but reports suggest that the recent iOS 17.1 update broke that particular feature — specifically, when owners of specific cars try to charge their iPhones on the go.

Reports claim that wireless charging is no longer possible in GM cars after installing iOS 17.1, making this the second in-car charging-related issue to befall Apple's best iPhones. The iOS 17.1.1 update is thought to have fixed an issue that caused some BMW wireless chargers to break the iPhone's NFC features and now a new issue has come to light.

Unfortunately, it appears that the iOS 17.1.1 update didn't fix the issue for GM drivers, leaving them to charge using a cable if they need to top their battery off while on the road.

No power to you

The wireless charging issue has been popping up online for a little while now with 9to5Mac collating reports from across various sources including GM and Apple's own support forums, not to mention Reddit.

Notably, it's claimed that wireless charging worked just fine before these affected users installed iOS 17.1 which suggests that this is a software-related problem rather than faulty hardware. However, it's reported that those who contacted Apple about the problem have so far been told to reach out to GM to find a fix.

It's interesting that these wireless charging issues have started to come to light in the latest iPhones after years of the same feature working flawlessly across multiple iPhones and countless cars. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro devices are the first to support the Qi2 standard, one that's loosely based on MagSafe, but it isn't clear how or even if that could be related to this issue.

Apple is already testing iOS 17.2 with developer and public beta testers and it isn't yet clear whether that update will help alleviate the issue for those who can't currently wirelessly charge their iPhones in their GM-made vehicles.

More from iMore

• iOS 17.1: Better AirDrop, new Music features, and everything else ...
• Odd iOS 17.1 code raises questions about the future for Apple ...
• iOS 17.1 probably won't stop your iPhone randomly turning off ...

Since playing Resident Evil Village on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, I’ve been in awe at what Apple's newest smartphone can already achieve. Realistic textures, great sounds, and speedy storage give the iPhone a fighting chance at being just as good, or better than many consoles, such as a PS4 or Nintendo Switch from a technical standpoint.

However, part of what consoles get right is how easy they are to use, especially with their controllers. This is why clunky touch controls can stop the iPhone from feeling quite as good when playing a game. 

With Black Friday coming up on November 24, I plan on picking up some great upgrades to make it the best possible gaming machine it can be. With some smart purchases, you can get a truly excellent experience on the go, beating out anything available on Xbox Game Pass streaming and Amazon Luna. With this in mind, here are some of the best choices to make that possible. Haven't got an iPhone to game on? Check out our roundup of the best Black Friday iPhone deals first!

Controller Grip

Having a controller that connects to your iPhone 15 Pro Max through its USB-C port can be fantastic, as it gives you the ability to hold the screen in your hands and curl up with some of the best Apple Arcade games. For price, comfort, and versatility, our choice is the BackBone One.

Controller deals: Best Buy | Dell | Amazon | Razer | Walmart

Bluetooth Controller

Though a wired controller can be great if you want to hold it close like a Nintendo Switch Lite, a Bluetooth controller can work a little better in some situations, depending on your setup. If you have a desk you’re sitting at or plan on mirroring your iPhone’s display to a Monitor, a detached controller is an excellent choice.

Xbox controller deals: Amazon | Razer | Dell | Best Buy | Walmart 

Power Bank

You could opt to keep your iPhone plugged in as you play but a nice chunky power bank means you can play on the go without worry of losing your progress to your phone suddenly shutting off. 

Audio 

The entire iPhone 15 line features impressive speakers but there’s nothing quite as immersive as a nice set of earbuds – plus it has the added benefit of not annoying the person sitting next to you on the bus. Don't forget to check out some of the best AirPods Black Friday deals as well.

Earbuds deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Amazon | Samsung | Dell

If you can combine all of the above, you will get an excellent gaming handheld capable of console-level experiences like Resident Evil Village that does them justice without having to use touch controls.

Given that Resident Evil 4 Remake now has a release date of December, now is the perfect time to invest in a great gaming setup for your iPhone, just like me.

The power on board the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max makes them some of the most powerful gaming devices that you can buy — beyond, perhaps, a full-blown gaming PC. There’s just one thing holding them back from ultimate gaming bliss, and that’s the lack of physical controls. Is there anything much worse than controlling Ethan Winters in Resident Evil Village with an on-screen joystick? Not according to our very own Daryl Baxter.

Where to find Black Friday Bluetooth controller deals

• Amazon — loads of big savings
• Best Buy — save on a Bluetooth controller
• Target — Game on with Bluetooth controller deals

Thankfully, there are loads of ways of fixing that problem. A controller grip, for example, or, perhaps even better, a fully independent wireless games controller. There aren't much better than those made by 8BitDo, which started out making retro throwback controllers, but now has one of the best controller lineups out there. They connect with Bluetooth, work with game streaming apps like Xbox GamePass, and look pretty cool too.

They’re not even that badly priced — although finding a good deal on one is always a nice bonus. To find some big deals, we've gone through the best 8BitDo controllers for iPhone. These three controllers are some of the best that 8Bitdo offers, and they’re reduced, just before the Black Friday sale begins next week. If you’re looking for a better way to game on your iPhone and you don’t want to pay full price for a controller, then these are your best bet.

Big savings on 8BitDo controllers

After being announced and shown off at Apple’s iPhone 15 event back in September, the Resident Evil 4 remake is coming to iPhones, iPads, and Macs with Apple silicon on December 20.

For those unaware, the original game was released back in 2004 for the Nintendo Gamecube and was released on PC and other consoles in subsequent years to critical acclaim. The game revolves around Leon Kennedy, the protagonist who is sent to a village in Spain to rescue the President’s daughter from a cult called the Los Iluminados.

After remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 were released in 2019 and 2020 respectively, fans had been hoping for a remake of the fourth entry. Their prayers were answered in June 2022 with a reveal trailer. Released on March 24 earlier this year, it again received critical acclaim for its gameplay, its narrative, and how it was a faithful remake of the original all these years later.

The Apple silicon port has some notable differences from Resident Evil Village, released last month. It’s a universal purchase, which means if you buy it once on your iPhone, you can download it on your Mac and iPad at no extra charge. The remake also takes advantage of hardware-accelerated ray-tracing that was shown off at both the iPhone 15 event and Apple’s ‘Scary Fast’ event on October 30. If you have an M3 Mac or an iPhone 15 Pro model, you’ll be able to switch this on for the game as these models support this feature.

The port also comes with new DLC (Downloadable Content), released for console and PC back in September, called ‘Separate Ways’. Here, you control a new character in the story, called Ada Wong, a US agent, and there’s a new mode to play called ‘The Mercenaries’. This is a score-attack mode where you face hordes of enemies, and you simply have to survive as long as you can.

The port will be available to buy for $59.99 / £59.99 once it’s made available on December 20. However, if Resident Evil 4 plays like Resident Evil Village, we’d recommend playing it with a controller, to save your hands from major cramps.

The price you pay for Survival Horror - iMore’s take

In my hands-on with Resident Evil Village back in October, I mentioned how busy my iPhone 15 Pro Max’s screen looked with the touchscreen buttons. Trying to move, aim, and fire in quick succession was very difficult, and it was nowhere near the great experience had with the game on my Steam Deck back in 2022.

It wasn’t until I used the RIOT PWR USB-C Controller, that everything felt natural again. Using its analog sticks and shoulder buttons to quickly aim at the hordes of enemies felt great, and I could even see the vast landscape of the snowy village, instead of touchscreen buttons. I can’t help but feel that the same scenario will occur once I play Resident Evil 4 next month on my iPhone. 

The other concern is its price, which may spook some users. At $59.99 / £59.99, it’s a big ask for those who may have already played the game just six months ago. When you combine this with the cost of a controller too, you may be looking at spending almost $100 for the privilege of playing a console-quality game on your iPhone.

However, the devil, or the zombie, is in the detail here. Once you buy the game, you can play it on your other Apple devices, free of charge. If you have an Xbox and a PC at home, you have to buy the game twice to play the game on both devices. It’s the ease of use here that will appeal to many.

There’s also the ‘Separate Ways’ DLC, which costs an extra $9.99/£9.99 on consoles and PC but is included in the Apple silicon port.

For me, this is where Resident Evil 4 on iPhone wins out. You get the convenience of playing it on more than one Apple device, and the recent DLC, for just $59.99 / £59.99 in total. Also, if you have a spare DualShock or Xbox controller, you don’t even need to buy a new pad, you can pair these to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac and get the full experience, as I did with the RIOT Controller playing Village.

It’s a great deal, and for a game that came out in the same year on console and PC, I’m looking forward to going back to Los Iluminados once again during the Christmas holidays on my iPhone.

Read more from iMore

• Apple's M3 Max puts the M2 Ultra in its place
• Best iPhone games of 2023 that you can play right now
• New Backbone One gaming controller for iPhone fixes one big problem

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 Pro Max in September 2023 it brought the first tetraprism telephoto lens to the lineup. It means Apple's best iPhone can manage a 5x optical zoom, beating out the 3x of the iPhone 15 Pro. But the iPhone 16 Pro might be about to change things up all over again.

That's according to a new report that claims Apple is already working with suppliers to produce a new molded glass lens design that will improve the zoom performance of the iPhone 16 Pro's telephoto lens.

The result could mean for more accurate zoom capabilities that result in better photos for users. But like so many things in life, there's a tradeoff to be made. And buyers might not like it.

An all-new lens

News of the improved telephoto lens comes via an Economic Daily News report that claims Apple is already talking to lens supplier Hoya about using its technology. The company is unlikely to be the sole supplier of the lenses, the report adds, but Apple already sent people to discuss the matter with Hoya.

However, better optical zoom capabilities might come at a cost. The same report claims that Apple's new lens will cost more than the one currently used in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. By the report's estimation, Apple should expect to pay up to 20% more than before. That of course begs the question of whether the iPhone 16 Pro could see a price increase with the Economic Daily News report warning of price pressures for the coming year's model. However, it's worth remembering that price hikes are often rumored for new iPhones — and they don't always materialize.

The report also suggests that Apple's entry into the world of molded glass could see Android phone makers start to get involved as well. Apple is "expected to lead to a new trend of mobile phone specifications next year," as has been the case before.

Focal length gains for days

If the new molded glass lens is going to cost more — due to complications involved with producing it — it is to be expected that there will be benefits related to that cost.

It isn't immediately clear what those benefits will be, especially for users. However, MacRumors notes that a previous post by Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station claimed that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will both benefit from "super" zoom capabilities. That doesn't necessarily mean all that much, but that label is normally given to cameras that have a focal length of more than 300mm. If that's the case here, the figure would be much higher than that of the current iPhone 15 Pro Max's zoom lens which sits at 120mm.

All of this is little more than guesswork at this point, but it's clear Apple wants to bring even better photography features to its flagship iPhones in 2024. Those features don't appear to be destined for the iPhone 15 Pro Max only, either, giving iPhone 16 Pro buyers some of that camera love they might otherwise miss out on.

Apple isn't expected to announce the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro lineups until September of 2024 of course, and it's important to remember that the company's plans can change between now and then.

September 2024 might be almost a year away, but this isn't the only iPhone 16 series rumor doing the rounds right now. There's also talk of the new models gaining an extra button to go with the Action button, although information on what that button will do is hard to come by right now.

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max it brought the Action button into the mix. But it doesn't seem to be ready to stop there.

We've already heard plenty of rumors that claim the iPhone 16 will see the Action button move down the lineup and no longer be a Pro-level feature. But even that isn't enough for Apple. It's going to go one step further, we're told.

What do you do when you add one button and people seem to like it? Well, you add another of course. Which means the iPhone 20 might be more button than phone at this rate.

More buttons the better

This isn't the first time that we've heard of Apple potentially adding an extra button to the 2024 iPhones, of course. MacRumors reported that Apple was working on Project Nova shortly after the iPhone 15 lineup went on sale in September. Now, a similar report by the Weibo tipster Instant Digital, picked up by MacRumors once more, hints that there might be more to this than one project inside Apple Park.

According to the leaker, there is a "great chance" that Apple will add another button to the iPhone 16 beyond the Action button that it will already gain. That button will sit flush with the edge of the iPhone and be capacitive, as will the Action button. The power and volume buttons will remain clicky, we're told. But as ever, it's important to remember that Apple's plans can and do often change. Nothing is set in stone right now.

As for where the button will live, that seems to be where the mmWave antenna is right now — at least in the United States. For everyone else. that's below the power button with the mmWave antenna expected to move to below the volume button for those buying in the States.

Capturing ... something

The first extra button leak claimed that Project Nova would ultimately give us the Capture button, or at least that's what Apple is calling it internally. But it isn't yet clear exactly what that button will do or what Apple intends for people to capture.

At this point, it could do just about anything, as can the Action button. Having one Action button is cool but having two of them would surely be better. But I have to imagine that there's more to this than just replicating functionality already offered. Apple surely has something up its sleeve, we just don't quite know what it will be yet.

As for the iPhone 16, that's likely to be joined by the iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. But we're still a long way off any of those being announced officially, and as mentioned, Apple could change its plans at will. But as time goes on those plans will need to be locked in, and it's then that the leaks will get most interesting. Whatever happens, there's no doubting that Apple's best iPhones will get even better, extra button or not.

For now, we wait. And with September 2024 a long way away that wait is going to have to go on for a little while yet. There's plenty to look forward to beyond those new iPhones and extra buttons of course — the Apple Watch is expected to get a big revamp next year with the so-called Apple Watch X likely to celebrate ten years of Apple wearables with new features and a potential new design.

Apple's 'Scary Fast' Mac unveiling brought with it new laptops and a whole range of M3 chips. And as ever, it was a tour de force of filmmaking thanks to some sweeping pans and glorious framing. And the whole thing was filmed on something many of you might be reading this on.

When Apple's stream ended yesterday there was a line of text that shared the news the whole video was filmed on an iPhone and edited on a Mac. That iPhone was an iPhone 15 Pro Max, and that's incredibly impressive, of which there's no doubt. But is it really the whole story?

Well, no, not really. As is so often the case, Apple's factually correct in what it's saying. But as a behind-the-scenes video that it posted to YouTube before removing and then reuploading it shows, there was a whole lot more that went into creating what we all saw on our screens yesterday. And you probably won't be recreating it at home any time soon.

Using an iPhone ... and much, much more

It's obviously good for business if Apple can say that it used its best iPhone to create an entire, professional-looking video. But it's important to remember that there's a whole lot more to what is going on here.

Apple's reuploaded video is embedded below for you to take a look at. And it makes it abundantly clear that Apple didn't just get someone from the local Apple Store and sent them on their way.

Now, I'm no videographer and I don't know the name for the vast majority of the bits and pieces shown in that video. But it's obvious to even me that saying this video was filmed on an iPhone leaves a lot out. Because while it might be the case, the production quality and finished video wouldn't be possible without the equipment Apple brought to bear.

Now, I get it. Not everyone is going to try and create something like this in the first place. Even fewer of those people are going to try and do it on an iPhone. But if Apple's going to say that you can do it, I feel like it should at least mention the elephant in the room — the likely thousands of dollars of extra equipment you need to make it happen.

I mean, just look at the rig the iPhone was attached to in this capture below.

All of that being said, Apple does deserve some credit here. The iPhone 15 Pro's high-speed USB-C port for external storage and the capturing of Apple Log video is a big deal, especially when working on projects as big as this. There's a reason that an iPhone 15 Pro was used instead of a standard iPhone 15, for example.

Is Apple bending the truth when it says that the event was shot on an iPhone? Of course not. Is it leaving out some important bits of information about how it did it? Absolutely. Does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Probably not. But it just feels icky.

In a new video on Apple’s YouTube channel, it was revealed that the ‘Scary Fast’ event on October 30 was recorded on an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

While the end of the event appeared with a disclaimer that said it had been recorded entirely on the device, the video goes into more detail. For two minutes, it showcases the iPhone on several clamps, including recording Apple CEO Tim Cook as he runs through what’s new on the M3 MacBook Pros.

Apple’s event was short at 30 minutes but made a point of explaining why the new M3 chips were a big deal for Mac. From features that give games an opportunity to shine on the devices, such as hardware-enabled ray-tracing, to giving the iMac an overdue chip upgrade, it was an event that was short and sweet.

But perhaps it was also an example of how the camera system in the iPhone has evolved so much in recent years.

We’ve come a long way

Back in September, Apple put out a video showing how Olivia Rodrigo’s “Get Him Back”  music video was also shot entirely on an iPhone 15 Pro Max. Other creatives have done this before, with an iPhone 14 Pro being used to record Fursat, a 30-minute short film earlier this year. To go even further back, Tangerine, a film created in 2012, was filmed on three iPhone 5s devices.

However, this is clearly another attempt to prove to viewers how capable the cameras are on the best iPhones. Granted, TechCrunch has confirmed that further equipment was used, such as audio and lighting tools. But it’s still something to marvel at, that a 6.7-inch device is now able to film an event that was broadcast to millions of people around the world.

Time will tell if the same disclaimer will appear once we get to WWDC 2024 next year, but it would be a nice touch to carry on this trend from Monday evening for future keynotes.

More from iMore

• Apple finally unveils colorful M3 iMac at October event
• Dynamic Caching and its M3 chips could be the secret to Mac gaming
• Apple's new MacBook Pro is here - and M3 is the star of the show

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users have a new, very useful way of using their Action buttons — turning it into a one-press language-translation tool.

Apple confirmed that a Translate option was coming to the Action button back at the iPhone 15 event in September, but it’s taken until the arrival of the iOS 17.2 beta on October 26 for it to finally be included.

The Translate app has been available since iOS 14 in 2020, and it’s a great way to transform phrases and words into other languages. So having the button to now act as a way to translate conversations will, could be fantastic for those who need to quickly chat with someone in another language.

Granted, you could technically launch the app itself before as a Shortcut. Yet this new option in iOS 17.2 goes even further, by making it even faster to translate some conversations.

The Action button can be customized in many ways. From launching the Camera app to triggering Accessibility options, there’s plenty to make that side button much more useful for you.

Translate from the press of a button

This new option works similarly to the Camera toggle. Hold down the Action button, and the Dynamic Island transforms into a small version of the Translate app. As the above post shows, once the result appears, you can also press the ‘play’ icon to hear how it’s said.

You can translate between 17 languages, which include:

• English
• Chinese
• Dutch
• French
• German
• Indonesian
• Italian
• Spanish
• Korean
• Japanese
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Thai
• Turkish
• Ukrainian
• Vietnamese

It’s going to be useful for those who may be going on vacation to countries that may struggle with a language barrier. Or it could be a helpful study aid.

There’s no date yet on when iOS 17.2 will arrive for everyone beyond beta testers. But it’s a safe bet to assume that it’ll arrive before the Christmas holidays in December, similar to the debut of iOS 16.2 back in December 2022.

More from iMore

• Five ways to use the Action Button on your iPhone 15 Pro
• Resident Evil Village for iPhone 15 Pro Max hands-on
• How to use the Translate app on iPhone and iPad

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro families of devices have been on sale for a few weeks now but the deals are starting to flow already. Like this one from Verizon which might just be the answer to all your streaming needs.

Right now you can order yourself a new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max from Verizon and you'll get yourself a new Apple TV 4K (64GB) thrown in absolutely gratis. But that isn't all, you'll get Apple One as well.

The Apple One deal will get you a full six months of Apple services which includes access to iCloud Plus, Apple TV Plus, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade. That's plenty to sink your teeth into when that brand-new iPhone lands on your doorstep.

Free Apple TV 4K and Apple One

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are Apple's best iPhones right now, but they get even better when you receive some free stuff. If you're planning on picking up a new iPhone and live in a Verizon area, this seems like a no-brainer.

There is, as you'd expect, some small print to consider. You'll need to take out a new line to get your freebies here and the new phone and new plan have to be taken out before November 15.

You can of course trade in your old device to save some more money, with Verizon offering up to $1,000 trade-in or promo credit that will be applied across the 36-month contract term.

More from iMore

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• iPhone 15 Pro Max review: One month with Apple's best-ever...
• iPhone 15 Pro review: One week with the iPhone you should buy ...

The Apple Watch has been available for almost a decade. And while there have since been additional models, Series 0 revisions, and regular watchOS updates, there’s one thing it hasn’t quite gained a foothold in yet - gaming.

The challenges are clear, of course - with a display so small, how do you build a game for it? Input options are somewhat limited, too, with the touch screen and the Digital Crown pretty much the only ways to interact with it.

We can also paraphrase the question Jurassic Park has long posed - if we’re so preoccupied with whether or not we could run games on the Apple Watch, did we ever stop to think about whether we should? After all, who really wants to play games on their wrist? As it happens, I believe there’s potential there.

Include the Watch as you play

Many of you reading this have likely played a game on your iPhone at some point. Whether it’s a few rounds of Marvel Snap on the commute, hunting some Pokémon in Pokémon Go, or simply enjoying the serotonin boost of a Candy Crush level, we’ve all been there.

With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, Apple made a big point to showcase console-quality games running on the latest A17 Pro chips. From Resident Evil 4 to Assassin’s Creed Mirage, there’s a lot to be excited about.

So, how does this factor into the watch? I’m thinking, of course, about companion apps. Back in 2013, at the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 generations, it felt like everyone was pushing second-screen experiences.

Some have remained popular, like the EA FC companion app on iPhone, whereas others, including Battlefield 4’s map view on an iPad that lets you boss your friends around, have fallen by the wayside. Even before that, we saw the PSP able to connect to a PS3, or a GameBoy Advance connected to the GameCube.

Apple has tried this in the past, too. Back in the early days of the Apple Watch, Pokémon Go offered a companion app that felt like a glimpse into a future where we’d spin Pokéstops on our wrists and barely need to pull out our phones again.

Sadly, the app was removed in July 2019, and nothing has really come of it since, but there’s still plenty of potential untapped in the idea.

Low health, need Apple

Even some of the best games on iPhone feel a little cluttered, visually, with touch controls everywhere you look.

It’s a little “pie in the sky”, but imagine being able to play Assassin’s Creed Mirage or Resident Evil 4 Remake and track your health or ammo on your watch. Imagine playing Genshin Impact and being able to manage your current character with a tap, freeing up a little of the screen.

It could even add to the immersion, with subtle tap backs when firing your weapon, making games feel more real than ever.

With renowned gaming auteur Hideo Kojima now promising Mac support for the likes of Death Stranding, there’s always the chance the man who had us switching memory cards to defeat Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid back in 1997 could have us glancing at our watches for some kind of metagame tomfoolery.

It’s highly unlikely for a game that came out in 2019, but imagine Death Stranding on Mac being able to talk to your Apple Watch about the kind of terrain its protagonist is walking on, or tying in with a fun minigame for when you’re away from your machine.

It’s all hypothetical, of course, and the Apple Watch will always be a fitness tracker first with little room for whimsy these days. But we can’t help but hope there’s some mad idea somewhere in Apple to make it something more.

Foxconn, Apple’s largest iPhone manufacturer, is being investigated by Chinese authorities for its tax activities.

According to the Global Times, this comes after the manufacturer’s founder, Terry Gou, launched a campaign for President in Taiwan. While Foxconn has confirmed that an investigation is ongoing, China has, at the time of writing, not confirmed that these are taking place.

In a statement to Reuters, Foxconn said, “Legal compliance, in everywhere we operate around the world is a fundamental principle of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn). We will actively cooperate with the relevant units on the related work and operations.”

Chinese experts in the article also explained that these investigations are commonplace with other companies, so they’re nothing to worry about. But the timing of this is something to raise an eyebrow at.

'Cause they’re the Taxman’

While it’s early days looking into why this investigation has begun, social media commenters wonder if this is mainly politically led.

When Gou launched his Presidential campaign in August, his main message was to unite political parties in Taiwan to keep the peace in the country. And while he’s collected enough signatures to stand as an independent next year, his poll numbers currently have him at the bottom of a four-person race.

However, it’s next to impossible that this will impact any of Apple’s manufacturing plans with Foxconn. China wants the company to keep its partnership with Foxconn going due to the economic benefits of manufacturing, and will likely leave this part of the company to its own devices.

But while this investigation is ongoing, Gou may have a bigger challenge to convince voters that he’s the right man for the role of President.

More from iMore

• iPhone supplier Foxconn records bumper Q1 profits
• Foxconn to invest $1 billion in India to move iPhone production there
• Best iPhone in 2023

At least once every time the Earth rotates around the sun, Apple and Google announce new phones. Some of those phones are better than others, but they always come. And 2023 was no different with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro joining the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8 as the latest and greatest models on the market, 

But while expectations are always high when a new phone arrives, it's the range-topping iPhone 15 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro that have the highest expectations of all. They represent the best that the two companies can do (if you take foldable out of the equation because, well, Apple still doesn't have one.) But which one is better? That's always going to be a largely subjective thing, but that isn't going to stop us from discussing the objective things — specifications and capabilities.

That's precisely what we're going to do here because we can go back and forth all day long about Apple's ecosystem and Google's AI smarts. In the end, there's only one question that matters.

Which should you buy?

iPhone 15 Pro vs Pixel 8 Pro: Specs

Specifications are perhaps the most objective thing of all, but even they don't tell the whole story. As Apple has left unsaid for years, specs are only really of any import when they're used to make features possible. Fast chips only take you so far — you have to use that horsepower somewhere.

All of that being said, you can't make features without the building blocks that are those fast chips, high-megapixel cameras, and solid display technology. We'll get into all the fuzzy stuff soon enough. But first, let's dive into the cold, hard data:

So what does that all mean? Well, that'll depend on a few things like what device you're coming from and what you're going to be doing. Let's dive in.

iPhone 15 Pro vs Pixel 8 Pro: Headline features

As is the case with every new round of phone releases, there are some headlining new features that people should know about. These aren't the be-all and end-all of the buying decision, but they're good starters — especially if you're coming from a slightly older version of these handsets.

iPhone 15 Pro — Action button

You can't really talk about the iPhone 15 Pro without also talking about the Action button. It's one of the biggest new additions this year, perhaps just ahead of the arrival of USB-C.

The Action button, much like the button of the same name on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, gives users quick access to certain things. Those things, or actions, could be opening the camera or turning on the flashlight. There are a number of predefined options available, but the real power comes from choosing a shortcut. Select a shortcut to run whenever you press the Action button and the world is your oyster. If it can be made into a shortcut, it can be activated with just the push of a button.

iPhone 15 Pro — Camera

All of the rumors were true and this year's Pro iPhones have new camera features. There are some impressive software additions including the ability to capture 24-megapixel shots from the 48-megapixel sensor rather than the 12-megapixel images we're used to. You can now also capture full-res 48-megapixel HEIF shots as well.

The real fun starts with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, however. That gains a new 5x optical zoom camera thanks to a tetraprism lens. It's like a periscope lens but it bounces the light around more, and the result is a more versatile zoom than any other iPhone. It might not be as impressive as some Android phones, but it's a step up for iPhone buyers.

iPhone 15 Pro — USB-C

The king is dead. Long live the king! After a decade, Apple's done away with Lightning and replaced it with something new. USB-C is here, and it means that you can now use your other charging cables to power your iPhone. Whether that cable came with your Nintendo Switch, iPad Pro, or MacBook Air, it'll work.

Unfortunately, the USB-C iPhone 15 Pro is still limited to USB 2.0 speeds of 480Mbps, which is less than ideal. Still, it does have a party trick — you can charge other USB-C devices with your iPhone now. It isn't the most powerful reverse charger, but it'll top up your AirPods and AirPods Pro just fine.

Pixel 8 Pro — Face Unlock

It might be something iPhone users have enjoyed for years, but proper face unlocking support is something that isn't so familiar to Android phone owners. With the Pixel 8 Pro, Google has added face unlock capabilities without adding extra sensors. The iPhone has a whole Face ID system with multiple sensors, but Google has managed to do it with just the front-facing camera.

Despite that, it's supposedly still secure enough to be used for banking and password apps, which is impressive.

Pixel 8 — Super Actua Display

The Pixel 8 Pro has gained a new Super Actua Display, which means that it has a variable refresh rate that starts at 1Hz and goes all the way to 120Hz. It also offers an incredibly impressive display brightness which reaches a retina-searing 2,400 nits.

iPhone 15 Pro vs Pixel 8 Pro: Processor

The iPhone 15 Pro changed the game when it comes to phone chips with the arrival of the A17 Pro. It's the first chip to be based on a 3nm manufacturing process, in this case, TSMC's. That theoretically allows it to run cooler and use less power. Apple also added new GPU capabilities that allow for console-quality games to be played thanks to hardware-supported ray tracing.

When it comes to the Pixel 8 Pro, Google has used the all-new Tensor G3 but details on its core count haven't yet been made public. Rumors suggest it has nine CPU cores, but that configuration would be made up of a single "big" core, four "mid" cores, and four "little cores."

iPhone 15 Pro vs Pixel 8 Pro: Colors

Buyers of an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max basically have four different shades of gray to choose from. While that might seem harsh, it's true. Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Natural Titanium are your options with the last one being many people's favorites.

Buying a Pixel 8 Pro? You won't have as many colors to choose from, but they are arguably better — Porcelain, Bay, and Obsidian are essentially white, blue, and black.

iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 8 Pro: Battery life

It's always difficult to predict battery life when you're talking about new phones. The specs don't really tell you much, and it's only when millions of people use these things that you can really get a feel for how things are working out.

Apple does give some figures that mean not a lot, including how many hours you can watch videos for. But in use, you should expect to get through the day without needing to charge — more if you're buying the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Google hasn't said much beyond promising that you'll get "24+ hour battery life."

Battery life is greatly affected by how much you use your phone and what you're using it for, but you should be fine with either of these models unless you're really going to town on Google Maps or Pokemon Go.

iPhone 15 Pro vs Pixel 8 Pro: Price and storage

The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max begins at $1,199, but those prices soon jump up when you go beyond the base storage options. Remember that the base option for the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 256GB, though, which makes the price more palatable.

The Pixel 8 Pro starts at the same $999 as the iPhone 15 Pro which means that price isn't really a factor when choosing either of these phones unless you want the bigger screen and a 5x optical zoom camera.

iPhone 15 Pro vs Pixel 8 Pro: Cameras

Buying a smartphone is often a case of choosing the one with the best camera, and both of these phones are strong options. The iPhone 15 Pro has a main 48-megapixel camera. The ultrawide camera has a 12-megapixel sensor while the 3x optical zoom is also a 12-megapixel shooter. Choose the iPhone 15 Pro Max and that increases to a 5x optical zoom but, again, it's limited by that 12-megapixel sensor.

Choosing a Pixel 8 Pro will get you more pixels with the main camera having a 50-megapixel sensor. The theme continues with the 48-megapixel sensors used in the ultrawide and zoom cameras, too. That's something to keep in mind if you're going to make a lot of use of those particular cameras. It's worth noting that Pixel 8 Pro has a 5x zoom, an important note if you're comparing it with the iPhone 15 Pro which doesn't.

Both phones have selfie cameras; the iPhone's has a 12-megapixel sensor and the Pixel 8 Pro's has a 10.5-megapixel sensor. 

iPhone 15 Pro vs Pixel 8 Pro: Which should you buy?

Choosing a new phone can be a complicated process, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

The iPHone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the best iPhones Apple has ever made, of that, there's no doubt. They have great cameras, great screens, and fast A17 Pro chips. They also have the weight of the Apple ecosystem behind them — if you own an iPad, MacBook, and an Apple Watch, it's almost a no-brainer. The iPhone will just work and you'll benefit from all those intangibles — AirPods that automatically connect, apps that you bought on your iPad automatically appearing on your iPhone, iCloud, iMessage, etc.

But that doesn't mean that the Pixel 8 Pro doesn't have plenty going for it. It has arguably better cameras with Google's fancy AI magic. It can remove things from images and tidy up audio in videos. The Home Screen customizability options are unparalleled and you can even play Fortnite on it without using cloud services.

Which you choose is ultimately up to you and you can't go wrong with either of them. But if you're already entrenched in the Apple world and are coming from an iPhone, it's hard to look beyond the iPhone 15 Pro. It really is a very good phone indeed.

For years now, the iPhone has been a two-tier affair. At the entry level, you've got the standard iPhone and the Plus for those that need the extra screen real estate. Those wanting a premium experience then have to stump up for the Pro models, with the Pro Max there for those who want more screen space.

This year, with the iPhone 15 range, Apple has introduced a third tier. Until now, screen size aside, the Pro and Pro Max models have more or less been on par. That’s not quite the case with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro. And it all comes down to the cameras; the iPhone 15 Pro Max features the most advanced camera array Apple has ever made. The iPhone 15 Pro has a good camera too, but not a match for the 15 Pro Max.

If you've been arguing which model is right for you, that may be all you need to know. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the best iPhone Apple has ever made. But there are a string of other noticeable changes that are worth knowing about before you make the plunge and splash your cash.

Rest assured, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the king of smartphones. Here’s how it has claimed that crown.

• Looking for something smaller? Read our iPhone 15 Pro review

iPhone 15 Pro Max Price and Availability

iPhone 15 Pro Max landed in stores on September 22 and is widely available now. It starts at $1,199. 

• Today’s best iPhone 15 Pro Max deals

“That’s $100 more than the entry-level iPhone 14 Pro Max, which cost $1,099 last year!” I hear you cry. You’d be half right. Yes, the iPhone 15 Pro Max now starts at $100 more, but that’s because the entry-level has been bumped up to 256GB of storage. You cannot buy a 128GB iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the 256GB option here costs the same as it did in the same-capacity iPhone 14 Pro Max last year.

You can argue that Apple’s ramping up the cost here by removing choice. But honestly, 128GB doesn’t go far in 2023 — especially that now you’re talking about phones capable of 48MP ProRAW shots and ProRes video capture.

If you need more storage, a 512GB model costs $1,399, and a 1TB version costs $1,599. That’s the same as last year’s price for the same storage amount in a Pro Max, so it’s good to see Apple keeping a lid on inflation during tough economic times.

What’s new? At a glance…

If you’re after just the headline features that make the iPhone 15 Pro Max tick, here’s what it has to offer that last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max lacked:

• 5x optical zoom camera
• Titanium build, making for the lightest Pro Max handset ever
• Better repairability
• Action Button replaces the mute switch, allowing for programmable Shortcuts from the side button
• USB-C charging and data transfer
• iOS 17 out of the box
• A17 Pro chip (3nm, with up to 20% faster GPU and 10% faster CPU, plus an extra GPU core)
• 8GB memory
• Wi-Fi 6E

Specs: iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max compared

Here's a quick look at the specs of iPhone 15 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro, for an at-a-glance look at the numbers behind Apple’s top-tier handsets:

iPhone 15 Pro Max Design

With the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple’s large-screen phone has gone on a bit of a diet. At 221g, it’s 19g lighter than last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max, and in many measurements, it’s smaller too, while still retaining a 6.7-inch screen size by shrinking down the bezels. It measures 159.9mm x 76.7mm x 8.25mm (H x W x D), compared to the 14 Pro Max’s 160.7mm x 77.6mm x 7.85mm. So it’s ever-so-slightly deeper than before, but shaving off millimeters elsewhere and adding a softer contour to the edges at the same time.

19g might not sound like much, but that’s roughly 10 percent off the total, and the way Apple has distributed the overall weight this year, it feels significant in the hand — as my colleague John-Anthony will happily wax lyrical over, the balance is such that it feels lighter than those 19g give credit for.

How has Apple achieved this? In part by jumping from stainless steel in the construction to a tough titanium alloy. It’s still durable — it’s the same composite used by NASA in the Mars Rover program, to give you an idea of its ruggedness — but lighter at the same time. It can however be a fingerprint magnet — Apple has admitted the sides of new iPhone Pro handsets discolor after some use, though it’s not a permanent blemish, and a buff with a soft cloth cleans things up without a trace. But the trade-off for a more comfortable phone is worth this intermittent hassle.

The new design also improves repairability, allowing repairs to come in by removing the back panel as well as the front glass. It’s still a difficult process, and only the confident should consider a DIY repair. But getting to the back panel that much easier should at least drive down the cost of repair should the back glass become damaged.

A degree of water resistance is also present here. An IP68 rating means it’ll survive a dunking in 6 meters of fresh water for 30 minutes, but I wouldn’t risk putting that to the test — water resistance is not as hardy as waterproofing.

There are two new, big features to the external design of the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year. The first is one you’ve likely already read lots about — the introduction of USB-C, replacing the long-standing Lightning port for charging and data transfer. It’s great — more on that in its own section below in a minute, so let's move on to the other significant change. Gone too now is the mute switch on the left-hand side of the phone, replaced with an ‘Action Button’ that sits above the volume buttons. It works in a similar fashion to the Action button that debuted on the Apple Watch Ultra — press or long press it to activate preset functions, accompanied by haptic feedback. 

By default, the Action Button still acts as a mute switch, but through the settings menu, you can also set it to turn on a Focus mode, switch to a specific camera mode and use it as a shutter button, fire up the Flashlight, record a Voice Memo, bring up the Magnifier app or toggle an Accessibility feature. It can also be set to do… nothing. Why you’d choose that option, who knows? But it’s there. These are selected through a strange settings menu that shows the button on the side of the phone, letting you swipe through its functions. It feels very at odds with the rest of the iOS interface, and its styling can only be explained as a potential test-run for some Vision Pro interface look. 

If you really want to take advantage of the Action Button to its full potential, you’re going to want to set it up with some Shortcuts. For the uninitiated, Shortcuts is a built-in app on iPhones, letting you automate many functions of the phone. Shortcuts can be assigned to a press of the Action Button, and with them, you can trigger almost any sequence of actions your iPhone could perform. You could switch on and off every smart bulb in your home, start a FaceTime call with a certain group of people, trigger a specific workout, and much much more — its potential is limited only by what your iPhone can do, your familiarity with the Shortcuts app, and your imagination.

The OLED screen, as ever, will be one of the big draws of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and it’s more prominent than ever thanks to the slim-line bezel the titanium build affords. The 6.7-inch display retains the super-smooth 120Hz ‘ProMotion’ refresh rate of its earlier counterparts and is a match for the 14 Pro Max at a 2796 x 1290 resolution (460 ppi). It remains a bold, bright screen, maxing out at a 2,000 nit peak brightness in direct sunlight, responsive to swipes and taps, and not too warm in its coloration. Returning from last year’s handsets is the Always On display feature (showing at a glance time and notification details even if the screen is locked), plus the Dynamic Island cutaway over the front-facing camera that intelligently shows app info, connectivity status, and more throughout the day. Dynamic Island still needs more developers to take its functionality seriously in my opinion, but it beats a static notch any day.

As for colors, the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes in four shades: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Natural Titanium. They look lovely but are quite subdued, tinges of grey rather than the pastel shades the entry-level iPhone models offer. Those wanting a bit more pizazz will have to accessories with a jazzy case — just avoid Apple’s FineWoven options, which I’ve found get grubby quickly.

Looking at under-the-hood connectivity, the iPhone 15 Pro Max again supports 5G cellular networks, with support for Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) connections. That’ll speed up downloads and ensure stability with the latest networking protocols, but also greatly increases direct transfer speeds between devices supporting the standard — including the latest MacBooks and other iPhone 15 models. That’ll allow for AirDrop transfers twice as fast as previously (handy for the new iOS 17 NameDrop function, for instance). Bluetooth 5.3 will hook up your wireless accessories, and there’s a new Ultra Wideband chip that is used to increase the accuracy of the Find My network and associated accessories like AirTags. 

Lastly, there’s now a Thread radio in the iPhone, ready for any potential explosion in the popularity of Matter smart home devices. Those in the US can also take advantage of a new Roadside Assistance service via satellite, but it wasn't available in the UK where I’m based.

iPhone 15 Pro Max Performance

As with the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is packing in Apple’s new A17 Pro chipset. It’s a doozy — using a 3nm process to increase efficiency and speed, it includes a six-core CPU and six-core GPU. Apple’s quoting gains of 10% and 20%  over the A16 Bionic chip there respectively — that’s the same chip you’d find in last year’s top-of-the-line iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, as well as the one that powers the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus this year. Apple says it has souped up Neural Engine capabilities this year so that tasks that focus on Machine Learning can be carried out twice as fast too — things like image processing and on-device dictation from speech recognition. RAM gets a bump, up from 6GB to 8GB, though it’s a feature Apple doesn’t speak about, so you won’t find it on any official spec sheet.

The reality is, for the average person jumping from last year’s top-end iPhones to this year’s, 99% of the time the difference will be imperceptible. But for anyone making the leap over a few generations of iPhone, it’s going to be significant. Again, Apple’s top-tier Pro devices are the fastest iPhones the company has ever made, and you’re going to struggle to find anything to tax them with. Apps launch instantaneously, crashes are rare to the point of irrelevance, and web pages load and scroll with silky smoothness. Jobs like pro-level image and video editing can be done with little compromise, right there on your phone.

But the best may be yet to come for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple has been courting the AAA gaming developers behind titles like Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, Resident Evil Village, and Death Stranding to squeeze these current-gen console titles onto iPhones. Making use of every trick in the graphical-fidelity book, they’ll feature the likes of Ray Tracing and MetalFX Upscaling (once the reserve of Macs) to make these ports look as close as possible to the definition presented by their console counterparts. Early reports based on demos of these titles look promising, pointing to a future where Apple’s handsets could be genuine competition for Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox, not to mention Nintendo’s portable Switch. It’s a far cry from Angry Birds, and if Apple can work to bring more high-end devs on board — and not lose the potential and momentum here to a mere sales pitch for this generation of iPhones — it might really shake up the gaming market.

iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera

The great divide between the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max really starts to show with the camera. And it’s all down to the different optical zoom capabilities of the larger phone. Where the iPhone 15 Pro tops out at a 3x optical zoom, the iPhone 15 Pro Max can manage a 5x zoom, letting you get closer to a subject from a greater distance, and creating natural blur around a subject in close-up Portrait mode shots.

Apple achieves this with a new ‘tetraprism’ to achieve a periscope effect, folding light across four phases of a glass prism. This lets the light travel for longer in a relatively small space, achieving the zoom intensity while retaining the optical quality. Achieving zooms of this length can be a pain to keep stable, but Apple counteracts this with a new 3D sensor-shift module for autofocus and image stabilization, making minute adjustments to the sensor position up to 10,000 times per second to compensate for the natural tremble of your hand. 

All put together, it allows for far more versatility in the type of shots you can achieve with an iPhone alone, and sees a gulf appear for photographers looking to pick between the two Pro models. It makes the 15 Pro Max the natural choice for those who take their photography seriously.

So let’s break it all down. By default, the 48MP camera now outputs 24MP images, double what the 14 Pro Max defaulted to. It’s still using that quad-pixel pipeline, but you’re yanking way more detail out of the sensor with each shot as a result. If you want to take advantage of the full, unadulterated 48MP, you’ve got HEIF and ProRAW formats for more editing flexibility down the road.

You can now tap your way through different focal lengths in the camera app too. It starts at the native 24mm, and then up through 28mm and 35mm length equivalents, regularly used by photographers looking to get more intimate views of their subjects. The 28mm and 35mm options are effectively a form of digital zoom, but the post-processing applied to the shots retains such detail that you’d be hard-pressed to notice the difference. You’ve then got the 2x zoom / 48mm telephoto option off the main sensor (again, it’s a digital zoom) and then up to the 120mm focal length of the fancy new 5x optical zoom lens. You’re left with a wide array of shooting options.

With the local London fauna a bit lacking (sorry for anyone hoping to see a shot of a deer or something…), here’s a look at those focal lengths in sequence, courtesy of a LEGO Jabba the Hutt photoshoot, from the 13mm wide angle right up to the new 120mm focal length afforded by the 5x optical zoom:

That 5x zoom also has great potential for accessibility uses too, benefiting the magnification capabilities of the phone for those with vision problems. Take a look at the difference in clarity of these bookshelf titles between the 1x zoom and the 5x zoom:

Digital zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro now stretches to a crazy 25x, but the results are as wobbly as you’d expect — look at the edges of this distant crane for example:

It’s great to be able to get such distant shots, but the Photonic Engine that processes these shots really has its work cut out filling in the gaps in detail. It’ll only get better with future generations though, as AI engines improve and get smarter at working out the real-world intent behind an image. 

Whatever the focal or zoom length, I’m regularly impressed by the presentation of iPhone camera photos. There’s excellent HDR toning that helps to make the images ‘pop’, but the color accuracy, while ever-so-slightly idealized, never verges into blown-out, oversaturated territory that rivals do.

Portrait mode gets some nips and tucks too. For starters, they can now include the short video clips of Live Photos as part of the Portrait package. But it’s deeper integration with the Photonic Engine that pushes Portrait mode to the next level — so long as it recognizes a human face, or a cat or dog as the subject of a frame, any image can now be re-edited into a Portrait shot at a later date. The iPhone retains the depth map, letting you edit whether it’s the foreground or the subject in focus. It’s particularly powerful if you’re using the 5x zoom, as seen in the next shot, as the blurring is happening here as a natural byproduct of the lens, rather than being digitally enhanced later down the line: 

Macro mode is as impressive as ever, with great attention to detail and finding every tiny dash of color. I’d never noticed the little yellow stars within the stigma of this plant on my balcony before taking this shot!:

Again, the 5x zoom offers up more options for close-up macro-style shooting too. It’s not as detailed in this scenario as an actual macro shot but allows you to get really close to a subject without having to physically push right up against it.

Rounding off the improvements are low-light photography enhancements. I was already impressed with what I saw in my iPhone 15 Pro camera tests at a low-light gallery exhibition, so I pushed it a step further for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. These shots of some PlayMobil Back to the Future characters were taken in a room with black-out blinds drawn — about as close to complete darkness as you can manage in a London apartment. Aside from some slight blurring (which would have been avoided had I used a stabilizing tripod), the amount of information pulled out of such little light going into the sensor is truly amazing:

If you’re looking for 4K video capture changes, there are some great additions for those with professional workflows. Cinematic mode can now push that continuous zoom up to 3x, while ProRes footage can now include Log encoding. Paired with the industry standard Academy Encoding System (ACES), footage shot on an iPhone will now be far easier to color grade to a professional standard, alongside videos captured from other device sources. The huge amounts of data these formats can generate can now easily be offloaded to a USB-C hard drive too (provided it has a minimum 220Mb/s write speed and uses no more than 4.5W of power), thanks to the inclusion of the new port, making the iPhone a more convenient tool in a filmmaker’s arsenal. 

iPhone 15 Pro Max Battery and USB-C Features

If you’re after an iPhone to give the Duracell bunny a run for its money, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the handset for you. This thing goes on, and on, and on. Apple quotes 29 hours of offline video playback, the same as it did for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. 

So there’s no leap here, but the stat remains impressive. I blew past a day without a charge for the 15 Pro Max, downloading apps, streaming music and video, browsing the web, making calls, and other general usage. Stream 4K video all day and play high-end games and you’ll run it down quicker, sure. But, as with last year’s model, you’ll quite happily, regularly, go more than an entire day without rushing for a charger. MagSafe charging, allowing for magnetically-fixed wireless power delivery up to 15W, is present again, and remains one of the best features Apple has ever added to its phones.

Long rumored, and basically a given since the European Union forced Apple's hand, the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year features a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, killing off Apple’s proprietary Lightning charging-and-data connection.

It's a long-awaited inclusion that's important for two reasons. Firstly, it's good for the Earth - with a standardized charging and data port across the majority of modern electronics, in the long term there will be less e-waste as users keep charging cables and accessories across their entire gadget collection. Sure, in the short term, there's going to be a LOT of redundant Lightning cables. But this will ultimately, eventually, be a good green move.

Secondly, and more excitingly, it opens the iPhone up to all manner of USB-C accessories that were not available to it previously. It's not just the convenience of being able to charge your iPhone, MacBook, and iPad off the same power supply. It's being able to hook up a USB-C dock for screen mirroring; it's the ability to plug in a hard drive for offloading high-resolution video files; it's being able to use audiophile headphones and DACs without the need for an adapter. You can even charge other devices, like your AirPods, from the iPhone 15 Pro.

Apple has been uncharacteristically open when it comes to letting essentially any accessory work with the iPhone USB-C port — though it has been stingy with the included USB-C cable, which isn't high-spec enough to reach the full potential transfer speeds USB-C is capable of. The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s port is a USB 3.2 variant, capable of transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps, but the USB 2 cable in the box caps out at 480Mbps. Likewise, Apple hasn't dialed up any charging speeds with the port — it still maxes out at 50 percent in 30-ish minutes with a 20W (or higher) charger. No slouch, but not breaking new ground.

iOS 17

iOS 17 is this year’s update to the iPhone operating system, and it’s ready out of the box for iPhone 15 Pro Max. It’s been a generally well-received iteration on iPhone’s touch-focussed OS, with a number of smart additions.

Most useful — and eye-catching — is the new StandBy mode function. It works particularly well on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, given its larger screen size, turning your phone into a smart display when left in a landscape orientation and plugged into a charger or placed on a MagSafe charging stand. It can show customizable widgets, such as clocks and calendars, as well as photo slideshows, making it something of a competitor to Amazon’s Echo Show devices. Smart night-time awareness means that, in use as a bedside clock, it won’t burn your retinas in the darkness.

Contact Posters let you add some personalized flair to what contacts and callers see when they ring or receive calls from your iPhone. Working in a similar fashion to iOS 16’s Homescreen customization options, you can pick a picture to represent you, as well as fonts and color filters, that appear when someone is trying to get in touch with you. These can also be shared using the new NameDrop feature, activated via NFC when tapping two iPhones together, effectively killing off the need for business cards.

Home Screen widgets are now interactive — you can input data or interact with content direct from a Home Screen, without having to open up the associated app. This is old news to Android users, but much sought after on iOS.

The last big additions come to messaging and FaceTime. Messages will now transcribe audio notes if you’re not in a position to listen to them, while you can also turn on a Check In feature to let friends know your whereabouts automatically while traveling. Keyboard autocorrect has been smartened up via a new language model. FaceTime gets new video voicemail options if you miss a call, and can now take and make calls via an Apple TV 4K by using the Continuity Camera feature from iOS 16.

• Read more: iOS 17 review: top ten features ranked

Returning iOS features, as ever, make for a great smartphone experience. Apple has a knack for making familiar and approachable interface decisions, and intuitive interaction options, and that hasn’t changed. For those invested in the wider eco-system of Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac, cross-platform integrations such as HandOff, SideCar, and the general iCloud connective tissue make interoperability between devices a breeze. 

How about the iPhone 15 Pro?

As those who have read my iPhone 15 Pro review will know, I have a soft spot for Apple’s smaller-but-still-premium handset. The iPhone 15 Pro, in most respects, is a good match for someone who wants the power of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but in a more portable frame. I personally consider its 6.1-inch size more comfortable in everyday long-term use than the Pro Max, but that’s perhaps less of a concern for you.

But there are still some core differences between the two to be aware of when making your choice.

First, to reiterate, screen size: the iPhone 15 Pro is smaller at 6.1 inches compared to the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max. But that also makes it lighter — 187g compared to 221g.

Camera and battery differences are where the biggest gaps emerge. As mentioned earlier, though the iPhone 15 Pro can take great photos, its zoom range is limited to a 3x optical option, compared to the Pro Max’s 5x optical. If you’re expecting to take lots of long-distance photography (or want the flexibility for extreme close-ups at close range), the 15 Pro Max is your best bet. And if you find yourself always reaching for a charger with a low battery warning popping off, you’ll want the Pro Max too — Apple rates its battery at up to 29 hours of video playback compared to the iPhone 15 Pro’s 23 hours. While that’s an ‘in-theory’ estimate, in practice it means even the most demanding of smartphone users are more likely to get an entire day’s worth of playtime out of the Pro Max than the Pro.

• Read more: iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max

The Pro Max is obviously more expensive too, starting at $1199 compared to the iPhone 15 Pro’s $999 starting price — but remember that the 15 Pro Max comes with more storage as standard: 256GB vs 128GB. Regardless, both are great phones. Don’t feel like you’re missing out too much if you can’t stump up the cash for the Pro Max, or prefer the smaller screen size.

Should you buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max?

Verdict

It’d be hard to separate me from my love of the iPhone 15 Pro — its smaller size will forever be more comfortable in my eyes. But even I, the Pro Max skeptic, have to admit that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is an absolute wonder-phone.

It’s not just that headlining camera spec that has won me over — though its superiority is clear to see. But the re-balancing of the weight afforded by the titanium frame, the battery boost, and the potential for luxurious gaming possibilities on that giant screen have seen the premium iPhone get its hooks in me.

It starts at a higher price point, yes, but with a higher entry storage level to match, so arguments about cost increases are essentially moot — even if it remains an expensive device. With early overheating issues seemingly stamped out, the iPhone 15 Pro Max gets a hearty recommendation, earns its five-star status, and easily sits atop the best iPhone rankings by some distance.