Apple iPhone 15 Pro

At Rs. 408,999, the Apple iPhone 15 Pro is an expensive phone, and its value depends on what you are upgrading from. Compared with the previous Pro it is a small step: USB-C, a slightly faster chip, a slightly brighter screen, thinner bezels and better cameras. Owners of an iPhone 11, 12 or older will notice a much bigger difference because those small yearly changes add up.

Main advantages:

• Excellent video recording, including Log and ProRes
• A lighter titanium build that is more comfortable than the previous Pro
• USB-C with fast data transfer for large video files
• A capable 3x telephoto and smart automatic portraits

Main compromises: charging is no faster than before, early battery life and heat were inconsistent, and the 5x zoom is reserved for the Pro Max.

Verdict: worth it for video creators and long-time iPhone users coming from older models. Buyers who mainly want long battery life or more value for money can get a bigger battery for roughly half the price from Android rivals such as the Google Pixel 10 or Vivo X200 FE.

The iPhone 15 Pro has a 6.1-inch LTPO OLED display with a 1179 x 2556 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, so scrolling and animations look smooth while the panel can slow down to save power. Our database lists up to 2000 nits in high-brightness mode, and independent lab tests confirm it gets very bright outdoors.

The screen size is unchanged from the previous Pro, but the bezels are slimmer all the way around, which makes the phone feel more modern in hand and makes videos and games feel more immersive. HDR10 and Dolby Vision support mean HDR video looks rich, with strong contrast from the OLED panel.

Limitation: the glass now curves gently at the very edges, which can make fitting a screen protector slightly trickier.

The Apple A17 Pro is built on a 3 nm process and is about 10 to 20% faster than last year's chip in CPU and GPU tests. In everyday use such as social media, messaging and browsing, the gain is hard to feel because the previous Pro was already very fast.

The extra power shows in gaming. Console games such as Resident Evil Village and Assassin's Creed run as full versions rather than mobile ports, although Resident Evil Village runs at 720p. The chip also powers a faster image processor for lag-free photos, automatic portrait detection and the USB 3 controller.

Heating: early units sometimes became hot and drained battery quickly, even during light use, while staying fine in other demanding situations. Apple blamed software and app issues and released an iOS 17 update to address phones running warmer than expected. Heavy gaming will still warm the phone and use battery faster.

The 48 MP main camera now saves 24 MP photos by default, combining a detailed full-resolution shot with a brighter binned shot. Photos look sharp with strong dynamic range, and HDR in backlit scenes is clearly better than before. The extra detail mostly shows when you zoom in on a photo.

• Portraits: when a person, dog or cat is in the frame, depth is captured automatically, so you can turn a normal photo into a portrait later.
• Night shots: the larger sensor and processing that now also works in Night mode give noticeably better low-light photos.
• Macro and autofocus: close-up macro shots are very good and focus is fast, especially on faces.
• Zoom: the 1x camera offers extra framing options, and there is a 12 MP 3x telephoto. The 5x zoom is only on the Pro Max.

Video is the standout, with world-class stabilisation, autofocus and dynamic range, plus Log recording, ProRes and recording directly to an external drive. Weaknesses: bright point lights cause strong haloing and lens flare, especially in video, and the Log and 48 MP JPEG options are buried in the Settings app. The 12 MP front camera also benefits from improved HDR.

The iPhone 15 Pro has a 3274 mAh battery, slightly bigger than the previous Pro. Early impressions were mixed: some days drained faster than expected, and there were no exceptionally long days, partly blamed on early iOS 17 bugs. Over a longer period, independent long-term testing found it lasts a full busy day and up to two days with light use.

Charging: our database lists 50% in about 30 minutes with a compatible wired charger, and charging speed did not improve with the move to USB-C. It also supports 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging, and can reverse-charge AirPods or another phone over the cable at 4.5W.

Compromise: only a USB-C cable comes in the box, so you need to buy a charger separately, and charging is slow compared with many Android flagships.

The iPhone 15 Pro launched with iOS 17, and our database lists it as upgradable to iOS 26.3. Apple does not publish a fixed number of years of updates, but iPhones typically receive major iOS versions for several years.

Useful features:

• The Action Button replaces the mute switch and can open the camera, a voice recorder, a Shortcut or any app.
• Voice Isolation in calls removes most background noise.
• Automatic portrait capture and ProRAW controls give more flexibility.
• Back Tap is still available if the Action Button feels hard to reach.

iOS is more locked down than Android, with less room for customisation. Pakistani buyers should check the phone's PTA approval status before buying, especially for imported units.