Journal: first month with my iPhone 15 Pro
I upgraded from an iPhone 13 Pro to a 15 Pro about a month ago. I enjoy looking back at older first impressions pieces, such as AirPods Pro: first impressions. So herewith, first impressions of the iPhone 15 Pro.
I really like the update to the shape. Rounded rather than chamfered edges feel a lot better in my hand. I ended up using a case for the 13 Pro to round off its almost sharp edges. I’d never used a case before, and being able to go caseless once again makes me very happy.
Titanium’s slightly lower conductivity of heat also contributes to a more pleasant hand-feel. It doesn’t take the heat from your skin so quickly as aluminium or steel. A friend commented this felt a little plastic-like, and I can see why. But I like it.
The weight difference is surprisingly noticeable. It took me by surprise when I picked the phone up in store. This discussion around moment of inertia rings true for me — it feels more than 10% lighter.
The Dynamic Island has really grown on me. I love the way it anchors animations to the hardware, bringing software and hardware together in a way I’ve not felt before. Some of the animations still seem a little “look at me using this new feature!”; maybe they will be moderated over time. Anyhow, a much larger difference than I anticipated.
I found choosing a colour harder than usual. None of the colours really grabbed me, but I did feel something pulling me towards the Natural titanium colour. It’s grown on me over the month I’ve had it; I’m now rather pleased with the choice.
Like the always-on face for Apple Watch, I’ve quickly grown used to the always-on screen. One touch that I find almost endearing is the way the phone sneakily turns off the screen when no-one’s looking. When I catch the phone doing this, and it quickly re-illuminates the screen like nothing happened, I like pretending it’s a little embarrassed to be caught out.
Clearly there’s a lot of continual environment scanning going on. It’s impressive this is less power-hungry than a screen nowadays.
While the camera is improved and the screen is creeping ever closer to being completely flush with the edge, in the end it is the feel of the hardware that really pulls me to this phone. It’s one of the nicest iPhones in the hand since the iPhone 4 or even perhaps the 3GS, with its sublime curved back.
I’m really happy with this phone. To the extent I plan to keep it three years rather than my usual two. We’ll see if I can stick to that.