Apple iPhone 15 Plus

At Rs. 365,499, the Apple iPhone 15 Plus costs more than the regular iPhone 15 but far less than the Pro Max models, and its value rests on two things: a big screen and long battery life.

Main advantages: a 6.7-inch bright OLED screen with the Dynamic Island, excellent battery life, a slim and light aluminium body, USB-C, and a 48MP main camera that takes detailed 24MP photos.

Main compromises: a 60Hz display with no always-on mode, no telephoto lens, slow USB 2 transfers, slow charging with no charger in the box, and no Apple Intelligence support.

The main alternative, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (Rs. 564,999), has the same A16 chip but adds a 120Hz always-on screen and a 3x telephoto, at a much higher price, with a heavier body and a Lightning port.

Verdict: strong value for buyers who want a big iPhone that lasts all day and more. Gamers and heavy scrollers who want 120Hz, or anyone who needs zoom, should look at a Pro model.

Its 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen comes with a 1290 x 2796 resolution, HDR10 and Dolby Vision. It is rated at 1000 nits in high brightness mode and 2000 nits peak, so with auto brightness on it stays clearly visible even in harsh sunlight.

• Size: it offers over 20% more screen area than the iPhone 15, making it much better for videos, reading and games.
• Dynamic Island: replaces the notch and shows live activity such as timers.
• Durability: the Ceramic Shield front is very crack resistant, even when the body picks up scratches.

Limitations: the 60Hz refresh rate can feel laggy for the first few days if you are used to 120Hz, most of all when changing lenses in the camera app, although many people never notice it. There is no always-on display, so StandBy mode turns the screen off after a while instead of staying on.

The Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm), the same chip as the iPhone 14 Pro models, has a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, paired with 6GB of RAM. It is about 20% faster than the iPhone 14's chip.

• Everyday use: smooth and quick; it never feels short of power in normal apps.
• Gaming: it runs the games most people play without trouble, and the large screen makes gaming more comfortable.
• Compared with Android: it is slightly less powerful than similarly priced current Android flagships.

Limitations: it misses the console-level games made specifically for the Pro iPhones, and it does not support Apple Intelligence. Long-session heat and throttling were not measured for this model, so heavy gamers should treat sustained performance as unconfirmed.

The iPhone 15 Plus has a 48MP main camera (f/1.6, sensor-shift OIS), a 12MP ultrawide and a 12MP front camera with autofocus. The main sensor is smaller than the Pro's, but processing makes up for much of the difference.

• Daylight: photos are saved at 24MP by default, with more detail than the iPhone 14 Pro Max in good light.
• Night: extra processing in night mode keeps detail high, and the gap over older iPhones grows as light falls.
• 2x zoom: a 12MP crop from the centre of the 48MP sensor gives good 2x shots, though it is not a true telephoto.
• Portraits: depth is captured automatically when a person or pet is in the frame, so you can add the portrait effect and refocus later.
• Video: 4K at up to 60fps with Dolby Vision HDR, plus Cinematic mode and Action mode.

Limitation: with no telephoto lens, zoom quality drops quickly past 2x, which the Pro models handle far better.

The iPhone 15 Plus has a 4383mAh battery, and battery life is its biggest strength. It lasts longer day to day than almost any phone, and in a direct battery run it clearly outlasted the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Not every report agrees, though: others find its endurance close to the previous Plus model.

Charging:

• Wired: about 50% in 30 minutes with a fast USB-C adapter, and roughly 2 hours for a full charge. No charger is included, only a USB-C cable.
• Wireless: 15W with MagSafe or Qi2.
• Reverse wired: 4.5W through USB-C, useful for charging earbuds, a watch or a game controller.

The slow charging is easy to accept because the phone rarely needs topping up during the day.

The iPhone 15 Plus launched with iOS 17 and is upgradable to iOS 26.

• Dynamic Island: shows live activities such as timers while you use other apps.
• USB-C features: connect the phone to a monitor, play games on it with a Bluetooth controller, or charge small gadgets from the phone.
• Portrait editing: add or adjust the portrait effect on photos after taking them.
• StandBy: available, but the screen turns off after a while because there is no always-on display.

Apple Intelligence: not supported; Apple lists it only for the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 models onwards.

Updates: Apple does not publish a fixed number of iOS upgrades per model. More updates are expected, but any exact number of years is an estimate rather than a promise.