Once every couple of years, Apple brings some big, meaningful changes to its hardware products. And in the years that it doesn’t, we get some hilarious memes. 2023 is not a meme year for the iPhone though as the standard iPhone models are once again exciting. We’ve seen this shift before with some older models too like the
iPhone 15 main camera sample
iPhone 15 ultra-wide camera sample
iPhone 15 close-up samples from main camera
By default, the iPhone 15 captures 24-megapixel pixel-binned photos. You can change this to 12-megapixels too from Settings, similar to how most Android phones with 48-megapixel cameras operate. In order to shoot at the full 48 megapixels, you’ll need to enable a toggle in Settings, after which you’ll see a ‘JPEG Max’ option in the viewfinder. Keep in mind that shooting at the native resolution does introduce shutter lag, so you won’t be able to do rapid shooting as effectively.
Image quality in daylight is very good. You get plenty of details and colours are balanced out well, even when shooting under harsh sunlight. The ultra-wide camera is quite competent too under good lighting. Details are decent and barrel distortion is minimal. The camera app can now also recognise animals like dogs and cats, and will automatically suggest the option to enable background blur within the camera app. The Photos app will also detect images of pets you might have previously taken and give you the option to convert it to a portrait shot.
iPhone 15 zoom samples
iPhone 15 low-light camera samples
iPhone 15 selfie camera sample
Images taken in low light with the main camera look very good. Noise is handled well, details are ample, and colours look natural. Magnifying the image more than 2X sees a big drop in image quality though. The ultra-wide is decent too, but details are weaker compared to the main camera. The selfie camera does a good job in daylight and in low light.
iPhones have long been the gold standard when it comes to video recording. The iPhone 15 captures rock-steady footage in good light, with no visible jitter and excellent details. Slight jitter is visible when shooting under artificial lighting at night, but only when you walk while recording.
Verdict
The biggest drawback for the iPhone 15 is its pricing in India. At nearly Rs. 80,000 for the base model, it’s quite expensive. Even if you factor in bank offers, we’re still looking at a price upwards of Rs. 70,000, considering most people would opt for the 256GB variant. But, if you are someone who’s willing to put down this sort of money, then you certainly won’t be disappointed. Unlike the iPhone 14, which wasn’t too different from the 13, the iPhone 15 takes a bigger leap forward by incorporating many of the advanced features from the 14 Pro models. A high refresh rate and a telephoto camera are two things I’m personally still waiting to see on the standard models, and we’ll no doubt get there eventually after a few more generations.
Right now, you should buy the iPhone 15 if you want some of the ‘Pro’ features from the iPhone 14 Pro but don’t want to spend a premium. Even though Apple has officially discontinued last year’s Pro models, it’s still ridiculously priced in India. If you you were waiting to trade in your iPhone 12 (or older) for something worthwhile, I would recommend getting the 15. On the other hand, if you just want an iPhone and don’t care about the new features of the 15, this is a great time to buy the iPhone 13 or even the 13 Plus at a heavily discounted price during festive sales.
