iPhone 15 Pro review: Mighty and made out of Titanium

The iPhone 15 Pro is sturdy and stunning in more ways than one

The iPhone 15 Pro is now available in stores and we’ve got our own insights on what’s great and what’s so-so. Check what we think below.

iPhone 15 Pro design

Reminiscent of the early 2000s, small phones are ‘in’ again. The iPhone 15 Pro is not just smaller, but it’s also thinner and stronger. At 6.6oz, we like how light the phone feels in one hand, especially with its new rounded edges that add to the ergonomic design. It also helps that the bezels are thinner than ever, making it possible to watch hours of TikTok before bed (yes, we’re guilty of this too) without feeling wrist pains from holding the phone for too long. The switch from stainless steel to titanium is a sophisticated and more durable choice that’s hard not to like. And what’s even better? The phone fares relatively well in its sturdiness even without a phone case.

Of course, there’s the all-new Action button to look forward to with these new models. Having the Action button means that you can customize it in multiple ways to your liking. It’s got way more functional use than the previous mute button and we find it to be pretty intuitive. For example, you can now use the button as a camera button and you’re able to bring up the camera with just one press. Press again to snap a picture or hold it down to take a video. Pretty useful, huh?

Photo from https://www.apple.com/uk/newsroom/2023/09/apple-unveils-iphone-15-pro-and-iphone-15-pro-max/

If you’re all about that USB-C life, you’ll be happy with these new models. Using whatever spare USB-C model you’ve got lying around at home should work just fine. However, we were a little disappointed to see that the USB-C cable that comes in the box doesn’t support fast data transfer. Of course, you could always purchase a 10Gbps USB-C cable from Amazon if you like, but it would've definitely been nice to have had it as part of the package especially since these phones don’t come cheap.

Colour options for the iPhone 15 Pro are black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium. Though they all make for muted, neutral shades that some may find boring, we do find them to be sleek-looking. Very much like the grownup versions of the iPhone 15.

👉 Read more about the colours available in the new iPhone 15 series here: Introducing the new iPhone 15 colours

iPhone 15 Pro display / screen

If you’re wondering how the display here differs from the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro now comes with the Dynamic Island which is handy for live alerts and notifications. Whether you’ve got an Uber on the way or want to switch up the music you’re listening to, you’re bound to find the Dynamic Island way more useful than the previous notch design. There’s also an Always On display that lets you see the battery percentage, time, and notifications without needing to unlock your phone.

The iPhone 15 Pro undoubtedly has an impressive OLED display that can give you an immersive viewing experience. With a brightness of up to 2,000 nits, you’re bound to be blown away.

iPhone 15 Pro performance

The A17 Pro chip guarantees fast performance for the iPhone 15 Pro. Expect 10% better CPU performance and 20% faster graphics speed. The chip also supports ray tracing, which means that you can game and still expect fluid performance. Apple is already famously working on getting big titles, such as the upcoming Resident Evil Village, available on the iPhone 15 Pro which is really exciting. It’s also easy to edit videos on the Pro models thanks to the fast machine learning performance.

However, we’ve got to say that battery life is just decent here. We found that we could get through 10 hours of using the phone before needing to charge again, which is a step down compared to some Samsung models that can easily last a few hours longer. There’s also no control over the refresh rate as it updates itself dynamically. 

iPhone 15 Pro camera specs

The camera setup for the iPhone 15 Pro is simply amazing. You can expect great results with the 48MP main sensor that shoots 24MP photos by default.

One of the coolest new Camera features is the ability to use ‘Portrait Mode’ even after taking a photo. This way, you can manually alter the focus in a photo by tapping the screen to capture the depth accordingly.

Since the main camera on the iPhone 15 Pro takes 24MP photos by default, these photos are combined with the 48MP image taken with the larger camera, and the 12MP image taken with the smaller camera to synthesize and ultimately come up with a new photo with better details. This means you’re able to capture consistently great photos across the board. Similar to the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro has 3x telephoto zoom, with the 5x zoom feature being exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro models. What’s for sure is that you’re able to capture a great amount of detail thanks to the way the camera is set up.

The iPhone 15 Pro is also well-built for video-taking and there’s now 3x zoom in Cinematic mode. You can also expect to record directly to an external SSD at up to 4K and 60fps.

👉 Find out more about the iPhone 15 series camera capabilities here: iPhone 15 camera: what’s changed?

iPhone 15 Pro specs

Source: https://www.apple.com/iphone-15-pro/specs/

iPhone 15 Pro price and availability

The iPhone 15 Pro is currently available in the Apple Store at £999 (128GB), £1,099 (256GB), £1,299 (512GB), £1,499 (1TB) respectively. This model is currently unavailable on Back Market site (checked on 20/10/2023). However, you can always get rival phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 or even the S23 Ultra, both of which are on sale at Back Market for the time being. Not only are these phones high-spec flagship models with comparable features but the price margin is also significant if you compare them to the brand-new iPhones in the market.

Despite being second-hand, Back Market's products deliver the same level of performance as brand-new devices, without any compromises. Opting for used products not only guarantees their functionality but also contributes to the reduction of e-waste and helps minimise environmental impact.

When you make a purchase from Back Market, you benefit from a hassle-free return policy that lasts for up to 30 days. If you encounter any defects or issues, there's no need to worry, as all purchases are accompanied by a 1-year warranty, providing the same coverage as when buying a new phone. This ensures a risk-free buying experience for customers.

Overall verdict

Overall, it’s hard not to be happy with the iPhone 15 Pro. It’s lighter, stronger, powerful, and it’s got a killer camera setup. We’d say it’s definitely an upgrade if you’ve got one of Apple’s older models (think iPhone 11 and below), though if you’ve got a fairly new model, it’s not worth the switch just yet unless you’re especially interested in the photography features.