Design and Built

Apple iPhone 15 Plus is built with a Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), and aluminum frame. The Aluminum design, Ceramic Shield front, and Color-infused glass back make it stand out as a premium smartphone in 2023. It measures 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 in) and weighs 201g.  notably, the 7.8mm thickness makes it one of the slimmest smartphones in 2023. However, it is slightly heavier than the iPhone 15, which weighs 171g. The phone is available in Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Pink.

SIM Card

The iPhone 15 Plus supports Nano-SIM and eSIM (International markets like Kenya). Depending on your network provider, these options are great for connectivity and communications, depending on the 3G, 4G, and 5G network strength.

Water and Dust Resistance

The handset is rated IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529.

Display

It features a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (HBM), and 2000 nits (peak) brightness. The 6.7‑inch (diagonal) all-screen OLED display has a 2796‑by‑1290-pixel resolution at 460 ppi, which is impressive, going by smartphone standards on high-end handsets. Assuredly, you will have memorable, uncompromised, enjoyable moments as you immerse yourself in games such as Assassin’s Creed and stream your favorite videos.

A large, 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen with 2796 by 1290-pixel resolution and 2000 nits (peak) brightness is a dream come true to many Apple enthusiasts, and this could be your chance to seize the moment to have your lifetime experience.  However, the default 60Hz refresh rate is a setback to an otherwise great display and unmatchable user experience.

The iPhone 15 Plus display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design, and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 6.69 inches diagonally (the actual viewable area is less). The 460ppi screen display is protected by Ceramic Shield glass, making it scratch and break-resistant. Thus, worrying less about minor falls and pressure on your premium iPhone 15 Plus would serve you best.

Key Display Features on iPhone 15 Plus

Similar to the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus display features:

• Dynamic Island
• HDR display
• True Tone
• Wide color (P3)
• Haptic Touch
• 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)
• 1000 nits max brightness (typical); 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR); 2000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Support for the display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously.

Apple iPhone 15 Plus Camera Set-up

Selfie Camera

The front-facing camera consists of:

• A single, 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6″, PDAF lens
• SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)

Features that support the selfie camera include HDR and Cinematic mode (4K@30fps). For video recording, the front-facing camera records 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps videos,  supported gyro-EIS for image stabilization.

Face ID

• Enabled by TrueDepth camera for facial recognition
• It helps identify you as the owner and reduce unauthorized access to your phone.

Advanced Dual-Camera System

It features a dual-camera system consisting of:

• 48MP Main: 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP)
• 12MP Ultra-Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view
• 12MP 2x Telephoto (enabled by quad-pixel sensor): 52 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels
• 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range
• Digital zoom up to 10x
• Sapphire crystal lens cover
• True Tone flash
• Photonic Engine
• Deep Fusion
• Smart HDR 5
• Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control
• Portrait Lighting with six effects
• Night mode
• Panorama (up to 63MP)
• Photographic Styles
• Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos
• Lens correction (Ultra Wide)
• Advanced red‑eye correction
• Auto image stabilization
• Burst mode
• Photo geotagging
• Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG

Main Camera Video Recording

• 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
• 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
• 720p HD video recording at 30 fps
• Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
• Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps
• HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps
• Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
• Time‑lapse video with stabilization
• Night mode Time-lapse
• QuickTake video
• Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video (Main)
• Digital zoom up to 6x
• Audio zoom
• True Tone flash
• Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
• Continuous autofocus video
• Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
• Playback zoom
• Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264
• Stereo recording

True-Depth Camera

• 12MP camera
• ƒ/1.9 aperture
• Autofocus with Focus Pixels
• Retina Flash
• Photonic Engine
• Deep Fusion
• Smart HDR 5
• Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control
• Portrait Lighting with six effects
• Animoji and Memoji
• Night mode
• Photographic Styles
• Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos
• Lens correction
• Auto image stabilization
• Burst mode
• 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
• 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
• Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
• HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps
• Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps
• Time‑lapse video with stabilization
• Night mode Time-lapse
• QuickTake video
• iPhone 15 Plus supports cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)

Undoubtedly High-Performance Smartphone

iPhone 15 Plus is indeed built for high performance.

Operating System

iOS is the world’s most personal and secure mobile operating system, with powerful features to protect your privacy. Apple iPhone 15 Plus runs on iOS 17, which brings new features to enhance your daily activities. Express yourself like never before when you call or message someone. Share content in convenient new ways. And do even more with new experiences for your iPhone.

What can the iOS 17 help you achieve on the iPhone 15 Plus? You can now:

• Personalize your calls: Customize what people see when you call.
• Live VoiceMails: Call voicemail and see a live transcript of the message.
• Better Messaging: all your iMessage apps are in one place. Tap the new plus button to view everything you send the most —photos, audio messages, and your location. Swipe up to view the rest of your iMessage apps.
• Stickers: Use your photos to create Live Stickers.
• Facetime: Record a video or audio message when someone misses your FaceTime call.
• Standby: Turn your iPhone on its side while charging to make it even more helpful when you set it down.
• Interactive Widgets: Play music, turn off the lights, and more. Right from a widget.

Other functionalities using the iOS 17 on the iPhone are:

Airdrop

Hold your iPhone near someone else’s iPhone or Apple Watch4 to use NameDrop. You’ll both be able to choose the specific phone numbers or email addresses you want to share, and you can instantly share them with your Contact Poster.

Journal

An all-new way to appreciate life’s moments and preserve memories. Using on-device machine learning, your iPhone 15 Plus creates personalized suggestions of moments for you to remember and write about based on your photos, music, workouts, and more.

Keyboard

Autocorrect delivers even better support as you type. Autocorrected words are temporarily underlined, so you know what’s been changed, and you can revert to the original word with just a tap.

Safari and Passwords

Keep your browsing separate for topics like Work and Personal with different profiles in Safari. Profiles help you separate your history, extensions, Tab Groups, cookies, and favorites. You can quickly switch between profiles as you browse.

Music and Airplay

Now, SharePlay makes it easier for everyone to control music in the car — even passengers in the back seat — so everyone can play their favorite music and contribute to what’s playing.

On-device intelligence learns your AirPlay preferences over time.

Adaptive Audio

With an entirely new listening mode for AirPods Pro (2nd generation), Adaptive Audio dynamically blends Transparency and Active Noise Cancellation to tailor the noise control experience as you move between changing environments and interactions throughout the day.

Maps

Save an area of a map to your iPhone and explore it while offline. View information like hours and ratings on place cards and get turn-by-turn directions for driving, walking, cycling, or riding transit.

Spotlight

When you search for an app, Spotlight intelligently offers app shortcuts to your following action within the Top Hit. So, if you search for Music, you can jump to your favorite albums.

Visual Look-Up

Look up what you just lifted. You can look up information from the callout menu when you lift a subject from a photo. For example, find recipes for similar dishes from a photo. Identify plants, animals, landmarks, and more with Visual Look Up. Pause a video on any frame, tap and hold on the subject, and select Look Up for more information.

Health App

New mental health and vision health features provide powerful insights.

Privacy and Security

Communication Safety: Communication Safety now includes protections for sensitive videos and photos. It extends beyond Messages to include content sent and received in AirDrop, the systemwide photo picker, FaceTime messages, Contact Posters in the Phone app, and third-party apps.

Sensitive Content Warning: You now have the option to blur sensitive photos and videos before you choose to view them. This feature will be available in Messages, AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceTime messages, and third-party apps.

Chip

• The iPhone 15 Plus comes installed with an A16 Bionic chip. The chip consists of:
• A 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores / Hexa-core (2×3.46 GHz Everest + 4×2.02 GHz Sawtooth)
• Apple GPU (5-core graphics)
• 16‑core Neural Engine

The integrated system that forms the A16 Bionic Chip makes it powerful, efficient and reliable for multi-tasking, intensive use and playing high-setting games without overheating, lagging and stuttering issues.

Apple iPhone 15 Plus Memory

Depending on the model variant, the Apple phone has various options. You can choose from these options;

• 128GB 6GB RAM, NVMe
• 256GB 6GB RAM, NVMe
• 512GB 6GB RAM, NVMe

Like most Apple smartphones, the handset does not support additional memory via MicroSD. NVMe helps maximize cloud storage and reduce phone memory storage redundancy.

Connectivity and Communications on iPhone 15 Plus

Connectivity

For connectivity, the handset features:

• 5G (sub‑6 GHz and mmWave) with 4×4 MIMO
• Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA
• HSPA, LTE-A, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
• Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Second-generation Ultra-Wideband chip
• NFC with reader mode
• Express Cards with power reserve

Accurate Location

For location, iPhone 15 Plus features:

• GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
• Digital compass
• Wi‑Fi
• Cellular
• iBeacon micro-location

Video Calling

• FaceTime video calling over cellular or Wi‑Fi
• FaceTime HD (1080p) video calling over 5G or Wi-Fi
• Share experiences like movies, TV, music, and other apps in a FaceTime call with SharePlay
• Screen sharing
• Portrait mode in FaceTime video
• Spatial Audio
• Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes
• Zoom with rear-facing camera

Audio Calling

• FaceTime audio
• Voice over LTE (VoLTE)9
• Wi‑Fi calling9
• Share experiences like movies, TV, music, and other apps in a FaceTime call with SharePlay
• Screen sharing
• Spatial Audio
• Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes

Audio Playback

• Supported formats include AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos.
• Spatial Audio playback
• User‑configurable maximum volume limit.

Video Playback

• Supported formats include HEVC, H.264, and ProRes
• HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG
• Up to 4K HDR AirPlay for mirroring, photos, and video out to Apple TV (2nd generation or later) or AirPlay‑enabled smart TV
• Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 4K HDR through native DisplayPort output over USB-C or USB-C Digital AV Adapter (model A2119; adapter sold separately).

Siri

• Use your voice to send messages, set reminders, and more
• Activate hands‑free with only your voice using “Siri” or “Hey Siri”
• Use your voice to run shortcuts from your favourite apps

Installed Sensors on iPhone 15 Plus

• Face ID
• Barometer
• High dynamic range gyro
• High-g accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• Dual ambient light sensors

What is in the Box?

• iPhone 15 Plus
• USB-C Charge Cable that supports fast charging and is compatible with USB-C power adapters and computer ports.

Battery

Apple iPhone 14 Plus is powered by a Li-Ion 4383 mAh, non-removable battery. The battery offers

• Up to 26 hours of video playback time, compared to 20 Hours on iPhone 15.
• Up to 20 hours of video playback (streamed)
• Up to 100 hours of audio playback on iPhone 15 Plus, compared to 80- hours on iPhone 15.

The battery is rechargeable through:

• Wired, fast charging-1-50% in 30 min using 20W Adapter
• MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W15
• Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W

Pros and Cons of iPhone 15 Plus

Pros

• Slim phone
• 5G Network enabled
• The Dynamic Island finally arrives on non-Pro iPhones
• Major camera upgrades, compared to iPhone 15 and other phones
• Comes with 4K recording with gyro EIS stabilization support
• Long battery life
• USB-Type Charging
• Fast charging support, 1-50% in 30 minutes
• Supports MagSafe wireless charging
• Q wireless charging
• NFC enabled
• Installed with stereo speaker for quality audio output
• Installed with the iconic 4nm Apple A16 Bionic chipset
• Ceramic Shield glass protection
• IP68 dust/water resistance.
• FaceID
• Display Dynamic Island for Notifications

Cons

• Heavy phone
• Still no ProMotion or adaptive refresh rate
• Expensive to purchase due to high price tag
• No MicroSD for additional memory
• Charger bought separately
• No 3.5mm jack support
• No fingerprint sensor
• Default refresh rate 60 Hz

Alternative Handsets

• Samsung Galaxy Ultra S23
• Apple iPhone 15 Pro
• Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
• Google Pixel 7 Pro

Check out the latest Apple iPhones in Kenya.