iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Review: Is Apple’s Most Expensive Phone Worth It?

After years of resisting the biggest size, I’ve fallen into the company’s titanium trap. Tim Cook is a Pro at Max-ing out our credit cards.

The company really wants us to buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max (in case you didn’t get my joke). In a year of dismal smartphone sales, Apple’s strategy is to get those of us who are spending to spend more. Its starting price is $100 higher than that of the iPhone 14 Pro Max last year, but it does have more storage and a more powerful zoom lens. It’s also more than half an ounce lighter, and boy does that make a difference.

You don’t have to be a top-tier sucker like me. After a week of testing all the new iPhones, I can say the more affordable—well, less expensive—models are great choices, too. As I remind readers every year, prioritize the features you need and ignore the marketing hype. For me, it’s battery and cameras.

Here are the four new phones on the menu:

• iPhone 15 ($799 and up) and iPhone 15 Plus ($899 and up): The “Regulars," as I call them, have been updated with a softer color-infused glass back and the Dynamic Island software trick. They have two cameras and A16 Bionic processors. The smaller 15 has a 6.1-inch screen, and the Plus has a 6.7-inch screen—otherwise they are twins. All the new iPhones have USB-C ports so you can now charge all your gadgets with the same cord.

• iPhone 15 Pro ($999 and up) and iPhone 15 Pro Max ($1,199 and up): These have new lighter titanium edges. They have smoother-looking, always-on displays, A17 Pro processors and new “action buttons" on the side. You get a trio of cameras, with the Pro Max having a 5X zoom. The iPhone 15 Pro has the same size 6.1-inch screen as the iPhone 15. The Pro Max has a 6.7-inch screen.

• iPhone 15 Mini: Just kidding! Apple axed the smaller, more affordable Mini after the iPhone 13.

Pick up one of the new Pro models and you can feel the $200 difference. And if you really like your carrier, you could save hundreds on one by trading in your old phone.

Most of us don’t change our phones as often as our Brita filters. (You’re welcome for the reminder!) Will iPhone 14 owners notice a big difference if they upgrade? Heck no. But when I went back to the iPhone 12 and 13 models, the improvements were more noticeable. And even for a big-screen hater like me, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has become a contender.

Screens and Size

Ah, titanium. You’ve given us stronger medical implants, airplane frames and now, easier-to-hold iPhones. The new Pro models are meaningfully lighter than their stainless-steel predecessors—something you feel instantly in your hand. I can hold this Pro Max in bed without fear of it breaking my nose when I doze off.

Weight loss aside, the new Pro Max is about the same dimensions as last year and still isn’t pocket friendly. Where’s your folding phone, Apple?

These phones are tougher, though you still see your entire life flash before your eyes when one falls. Yes, my review unit slipped from my pocket right onto the cement and now there’s a small dent in the side of the frame. Get a case. Not leather, of course. Apple says it created a more ethical and environmentally friendly FineWoven material. I found it to be both fine and woven.

With the iPhone 15 Regulars, I appreciated the new softer frosted glass. It’s nice, but you’ll get a case anyway.

Cameras

As usual, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have two cameras—a main and an ultrawide—but the new 48-megapixel main camera finally gives the Regulars a better zoom. The new 2X zoom, which is really a crop in on the higher-resolution wide shot, doesn’t get you as close as you’ll get with the dedicated telephoto lens on the Pros. But it will give you more flexibility at a Beyoncé—or in my case, Blippi—concert.

The Pro and Pro Max have three cameras—an ultrawide, main and telephoto. Photographers can tap the 1X button to choose specific focal lengths—35mm, 28mm and 24mm—but the variation between them isn’t going to be noticeable to most humans.

What I do see myself using is the 5X telephoto lens on the Pro Max. The smaller 15 Pro only has a 3X zoom. With the big phone, I snapped a shot of my son 30 yards away in a splash park, and didn’t get a drop of water on me! (And the Parent of the Year award goes to…!) My biggest gripe? The 5X shot isn’t as crisp as I’d like.

On all of these phones, you no longer have to fiddle with the Portrait settings when framing your shot of a person or pet. Just take the picture in regular Photo mode then go back later and apply the blurry background effect. Tap parts of the photo to adjust what is and isn’t blurred.

Batteries and Charging

Am I very excited about the USB-C charging port? Yes. Am I struggling with the transition? Also yes. In the car, for my wife and I to both use CarPlay, we need to switch between a USB-C cord and a Lightning cord. (I even had to order a USB-A to USB-C cord.) Same goes in our kitchen. But hey, short-term pain, long-term gain.

As far as battery life goes, none of the iPhone 15 models I tried lasted significantly longer than their predecessors. Yet one of the main reasons I am getting the 15 Pro Max this year is that it’s lasted at least two to three hours longer than the 15 Pro. Besides, I’ve been disappointed in my 14 Pro’s battery life and how it has degraded over the last year. Both the Plus and Pro Max models have bigger batteries, so they outlast the smaller models.

My bigger concern? These phones get toasty when charging, something I’ve noticed with the 14 models too. The back of the new Pro Max hit 106 degrees when charging—not as high as my heat-lamp tests, sure, but still any heat is bad for batteries.

Action Button and More

No big changes, you say? Well, Apple did turn a switch into a…button. The mute switch on the side of the Pro and Pro Max is now a customizable “action button." It still mutes by default, but you can program it in the Settings menu to launch the camera, voice memos, Do Not Disturb, specific apps and more. I guess it’s cool. You know, it’s a button.

And all four of the phones now have the Dynamic Island—the little space around the phone’s Face ID sensor that retracts and expands (hence “dynamic") to display certain app information. I still find it to be a great trick, especially with travel apps like United’s that show my gate and seat when I’m at the airport.

No, this story isn’t new. Apple’s incremental upgrade is best for people with older iPhones. But I am buying the new lighter Pro Max. And pants with deeper pockets.

—Sign up here for Tech Things With Joanna Stern, a new weekly newsletter. Everything is now a tech thing. Columnist Joanna Stern is your guide, giving analysis and answering your questions about our always-connected world.

Write to Joanna Stern at joanna.stern@wsj.com