Jake from Mozillion compared the bigger iPhone 15 Plus with the smaller screen iPhone 15, here’s how he got on:
I’ve already reviewed the iPhone 15 and obviously it’s an incredible phone but now I have my hands on the bigger iPhone 15 Plus, so I want to find out what’s so ‘Plus’ about it. The iPhone 15 Plus is essentially a larger version of the iPhone 15 but there are some other major differences too worth noting.
iPhone 15 Plus vs iPhone 15: Screen Size
Let’s start with the most obvious one which is the significantly bigger screen size. We are used to seeing bigger screens on the iPhone Pro models and while there’s no difference in resolution with the 15 Plus, the screen does come in at 6.7 inches which is a fair bit bigger than the iPhone 15’s 6.1 inch display.
Screen size all comes down to personal preference but you should also take note that the iPhone 15 Plus is also heavier than the iPhone 15. There’s another very good reason that the iPhone 15 Plus weighs more than the standard 15 which we’ll explore shortly.
iPhone 15 Plus vs iPhone 15: Dynamic Island
One of the major upgrades that the iPhone 15 and the 15 Plus both got this year was the addition of the Dynamic Island which is an impressive feature that so far has only been available on iPhone Pro models.
A lot of apps have been updated over the last year so they can support Dynamic Island and favourites like Uber, Apple Music, Spotify all utilise it pretty well now. Dynamic Island offers a welcome versatility to your smartphone and is continuing to improve as developers find new ways to make use of it.
iPhone 15 Plus vs iPhone 15: Battery Life
Returning to the increased weight of the iPhone 15 Plus, one of the main reasons it is heavier is that it has a much bigger battery which is a significant advantage to the iPhone 15 Plus over the iPhone 15 when it comes to battery life.
That is not to say that the battery on the iPhone 15 isn’t impressive too because it totally is but after doing some testing in our last review, it is still very much a one-day phone at the most. Apple claims you can get up to 6 hours extra power with the 15 Plus and when I tested it for this comparison piece, I can really see a difference. After spending a day using the usual intensive apps – YouTube, Google Maps, Netflix etc – I hardly saw a drop in battery life, maybe 10% to 15% max. After a full day of testing, I can quite easily say the iPhone 15 Plus will get you through the whole day and probably most of the next day too, as long as you’re not going too crazy with gaming.
iPhone 15 Plus vs iPhone 15: Cameras
This isn’t an iPhone review unless we talk about the cameras. For the 15 series, there’s actually not any difference in hardware or software between the 15 and the 15 Plus. From my iPhone 15 review, we know that the iPhone 15 can take some pretty good shots. However, I wanted to test the 15 Plus camera too so I focused on the Night Mode and HDR this time. With both the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus, you get a 48 megapixel main camera, 12 MP Ultrawide and 4K 60 fps video capture. Once again, the content captured is stunning, as you’ll see in the full video above.
iPhone 15 Plus vs iPhone 15: Verdict
So the question remains – which iPhone is right for you? If you favour phones on the smaller side (by today’s standards) and you want all of the features that the iPhone 15 brings then the standard 15 is definitely the one for you. However, if you’re looking for a phone that has a bigger screen for watching Netflix, gaming and the such and also has increased battery life then the 15 Plus is the one to go for.
Lastly, do remember that the 15 Plus costs a bit more than what the 15 does. However, at Mozillion, you don’t really need to worry about that as much. In fact, you can pick up a refurbished iPhone 15 Plus and the standard iPhone 15 on Mozillion now. Every phone has a 90-point check and you get a full 2-year warranty. You can also sell your current phone there, usually for far more than you’d get trading it in. Win/win.
