Other 15 Plus or 15 Pro?

[anqelic]

I'm planning on getting a phone. Specifically from the 15 series. However, this is my very first phone EVER and I'm torn between whether to go for the 15 plus or the 15 pro. I'm a high school student so daily usage is going to be average. Battery shouldn't be too much of a problem- 4 to almost 6 hours of usage depending on the time of day, at least from being on my iPad which is not functioning anymore because it won't turn on. Even the Pro battery seems sufficient for my needs but a larger battery is also fine by me. I have small hands, but I don't mind the larger or smaller size for the MOST part. I'm not much of a camera person, but a video gamer (Roblox mostly so I would say it's considered light gaming). Besides performance, aesthetics is something I value too- the blue color appeals to me for the Plus, and the white titanium of the Pro appeals to me as well. Price isn't much of an issue. I want to make the most out of the features of whichever phone I end up going for and I need help with considering/choosing because I'm indecisive. Planning on going to the Apple Store for an inspection of my iPad while also getting the chosen phone on the 26th of December. Your input is appreciated and valued!

 

[I7guy]

Go to the Apple Store, play with the phones and find out the difference. If knee me I would get the pro, but YMMV.

 

[Lyric]

What phone are you upgrading from?

I have a 15 Plus and 15 Pro.

I use the Pro more than the Plus because for me 60 hertz is just so slow (yes you can tell the difference). However, the battery life on the Plus is fantastic.

I also have small hands and prefer the smaller Pro, but the 15 Plus has a nice in hand feel this year (especially when caseless). It is also the slimmer of the two phones.

If you are going to play a lot of games on your phone I would recommend the Pro, but definitely keep a battery pack or charger close by. I’m able to sometimes make it 2 days without charging my Pro, but I’m a light user so YMMV.

Good luck with your decision. I would recommend going to the  store and playing with both before making your decision.

 

[anqelic]

What phone are you upgrading from?

I have a 15 Plus and 15 Pro.

I use the Pro more than the Plus because for me 60 hertz is just so slow (yes you can tell the difference). However, the battery life on the Plus is fantastic.

I also have small hands and prefer the smaller Pro, but the 15 Plus has a nice in hand feel this year (especially when caseless). It is also the slimmer of the two phones.

If you are going to play a lot of games on your phone I would recommend the Pro, but definitely keep a battery pack or charger close by. I’m able to sometimes make it 2 days without charging my Pro, but I’m a light user so YMMV.

Good luck with your decision. I would recommend going to the  store and playing with both before making your decision.

I am not upgrading from any phone. This is going to be my first phone ever, so pretty deal-breaking to me. I only play Roblox, but might go back to Genshin every once in a while so I think the battery should be fine even if I pick the Pro? Also, thank you for the advice, will consider it when making my decision!

 

[janeauburn]

What phone are you upgrading from?

I have a 15 Plus and 15 Pro.

I use the Pro more than the Plus because for me 60 hertz is just so slow (yes you can tell the difference). However, the battery life on the Plus is fantastic.

I also have small hands and prefer the smaller Pro, but the 15 Plus has a nice in hand feel this year (especially when caseless). It is also the slimmer of the two phones.

If you are going to play a lot of games on your phone I would recommend the Pro, but definitely keep a battery pack or charger close by. I’m able to sometimes make it 2 days without charging my Pro, but I’m a light user so YMMV.

Good luck with your decision. I would recommend going to the  store and playing with both before making your decision.

I also have both phones (sitting right here) and disagree that the 60 hertz is slow or that the pro's Promotion is a big deal. Usually I can't tell the difference, and when I can, it simply doesn't matter. The Plus easily wins in carry-ability (weight and heft), and its battery life seems better. They both have great speakers, with the Plus's being maybe somewhat better.

I agree you should go to the store and try both. I always prefer holding the Plus. In fact, I'll probably return the Pro--just don't see enough advantages to it, and I do see the obvious disadvantage of weight and heft (it's thicker).

Apple improved the weight of the Pro (made it lighter) this year, but not enough.

 

[Lyric]

I also have both phones (sitting right here) and disagree that the 60 hertz is slow or that the pro's Promotion is a big deal. Usually I can't tell the difference, and when I can, it simply doesn't matter. The Plus easily wins in carry-ability (weight and heft), and its battery life seems better.

I agree you should go to the store and try both. I always prefer holding the Plus. In fact, I'll probably return the Pro--just don't see enough advantages to it, and I do see the obvious disadvantage of weight and heft (it's thicker).

The OP asked for opinions and I gave mine.

For some people 60 hertz is fine and for others it isn’t. I didn’t say it was horrible, I said it was slow; which for me, it is. Everyone experiences things differently. Glad we are given choices and that 60 hertz works well for you. Maybe it will also work well for OP.

 

[janeauburn]

The OP asked for opinions and I gave mine.

For some people 60 hertz is fine and for others it isn’t. I didn’t say it was horrible, I said it was slow; which for me, it is. Everyone experiences things differently. Glad we are given choices and that 60 hertz works well for you. Maybe it will also work well for OP.

Yup. You gave yours and I gave mine. No worries. IMO the 120 Hz thing is something that most people would never notice. I can have the two phones side-by-side on a screen of text, scroll them both, and notice absolutely no difference. (In fact the Plus seems easier to read.) I suppose there are use cases where 120 makes a difference, but from what I can tell they're insignificant.

If I were to prefer the Pro over the Plus, the 120 Hz would be last on my list of why.

 

[jntdroid]

I'm in a similar situation - but deciding on the regular sized 15 vs 15 Pro. Personally I just don't like anything larger than this form factor.

The 60hz vs 120hz situation is definitely an "...in the eye of the beholder" situation. I notice it immediately and it's something I like a lot. I know a couple of people who either can't tell the difference at all, or will reply with something like, "I mean, I guess it's a little smoother, not seeing much of a difference." But there's almost zero pragmatic benefit to it - so on that reason alone I wouldn't go with the Pro over the regular 15 because once I'm off 120hz for a few days I forget about it.

Cameras on both are great. And with the new 48mp size, you can get 2x optical zoom, and improved digital zoom, on the standard 15 - something that's been left out of the "standard" models for years now. So IMO, for the every day user, the gap between cameras has closed quite a bit.

IMO it really comes down to how much you need the "Pro" differences, vs the better battery / larger size on the 15 Plus. If those "Pro" differences don't mean much to you, and you're ok with the larger form factor, I think the 15 Plus will serve you well for a long time.

 

[Flash1420]

If you don't care about 120Hz and the cameras on the back, then go with the Plus for sure. In fact, battery is slightly better on the Plus than the Pro. I would have gladly went with the Plus if it had a 120Hz display and I do not care about camera quality.

 

[Al Rukh]

Honestly, if money and battery life aren’t an issue, the 15 Pro is the way to go. Other members have already mentioned the pros and the cons of both models.

 

[jwolf6589]

I'm planning on getting a phone. Specifically from the 15 series. However, this is my very first phone EVER and I'm torn between whether to go for the 15 plus or the 15 pro. I'm a high school student so daily usage is going to be average. Battery shouldn't be too much of a problem- 4 to almost 6 hours of usage depending on the time of day, at least from being on my iPad which is not functioning anymore because it won't turn on. Even the Pro battery seems sufficient for my needs but a larger battery is also fine by me. I have small hands, but I don't mind the larger or smaller size for the most part. I'm not much of a camera person, but a video gamer. Besides performance, aesthetics is something I value too- the blue or black color appeals to me for the Plus, and the white titanium of the Pro appeals to me as well. Price isn't an issue. I want to make the most out of the features of whichever phone I end up going for and I need help with considering/choosing because I'm indecisive. Planning on going to the Apple Store for an inspection of my iPad while also getting the chosen phone on the 26th of December. Your input is appreciated and valued!

High School student? When I was in High School we had numeric pagers, floppy disks, 80MB hard drives, 4MB of RAM, etc.. Be happy to get any phone. Get the SE.

 

[kp98077]

The main factor most forget IMO is what type of work will you do on the phone? IF you do any schoolwork, videos, etc always go larger! the Pro is just too small in my opinion. The 15 PM is amazing just a little heavy, but you get that amazing screen too... always plus and minus'

 

[schnitzel-pretzel]

The OP asked for opinions and I gave mine.

For some people 60 hertz is fine and for others it isn’t. I didn’t say it was horrible, I said it was slow; which for me, it is. Everyone experiences things differently. Glad we are given choices and that 60 hertz works well for you. Maybe it will also work well for OP.

eh I mean kinda -- you did say "yes you can tell" not "yes I can tell" which definitely makes it sound like you're telling the OP they can tell the difference. Some people really don't notice.

For OP... The main differences are the extra camera lens, ProRAW photos (which I think truly are remarkably better than the standard photos), ProRes Log video which is cool but if you're not a video editor you probably won't use it, and then ProMotion which you may or may not notice.

If the money doesn't really matter I'd personally go with the Pro just because it has a newer chip that will likely be supported for longer, but I personally do not like to upgrade phones often so that's just me.

 

[snipr125]

I also have both phones (sitting right here) and disagree that the 60 hertz is slow or that the pro's Promotion is a big deal. Usually I can't tell the difference, and when I can, it simply doesn't matter. The Plus easily wins in carry-ability (weight and heft), and its battery life seems better. They both have great speakers, with the Plus's being maybe somewhat better.

I agree you should go to the store and try both. I always prefer holding the Plus. In fact, I'll probably return the Pro--just don't see enough advantages to it, and I do see the obvious disadvantage of weight and heft (it's thicker).

Apple improved the weight of the Pro (made it lighter) this year, but not enough.

How does the 15 Plus win in carry-ability when it is heavier and larger than the more compact and lighter 15 Pro?

 

[kp98077]

How does the 15 Plus win in carry-ability when it is heavier and larger than the more compact and lighter 15 Pro?

its actually lighter I believe than the 15 pro..... of course a bit larger but to me no real difference... max, different story

 

[Hot Apple Cider]

Play with them yourself and decide.

I was choosing between the Pro Max and the Plus and went with Plus. For large screen and good battery life with lighter chassis.

I can tell the screen difference but it doesn't matter to me. I have had phones with 120hz so it's not like I don't know what I don't know. But then I have never been picky about screens. Don't care between laminated or unlaminated iPad screens either like some do.

Both cameras are more than enough for me. But if it comes down to it I will say I actually prefer the Pro camera to the Pro Max. 3x is far more useful than 5x for most people need but ymmv.

 

[snipr125]

its actually lighter I believe than the 15 pro..... of course a bit larger but to me no real difference... max, different story

No the 15 Plus is heavier at 201 grams compared to the 15 Pro at 187 grams, but i get that its still very light considering the Plus has a 6.7” display and larger body.

 

[Ameer_1]

I usually sell my iPhone yearly on eBay for $800-900 for the Pro 128GB. I realize that the Pro model 6.1" holds the value more than the base or plus models. If you are keeping a phone for a while and don't care about resale value but want a bigger screen then look into the Plus since it has a better battery and the camera on the 15 Plus is the same as the 14 Pro from what I remember.

 

[kp98077]

I usually sell my iPhone yearly on eBay for $800-900 for the Pro 128GB. I realize that the Pro model 6.1" holds the value more than the base or plus models. If you are keeping a phone for a while and don't care about resale value but want a bigger screen then look into the Plus since it has a better battery and the camera on the 15 Plus is the same as the 14 Pro from what I remember.

Well, you’re still going to get a good trade in value at apple even at year 1

 

[Ameer_1]

Well, you’re still going to get a good trade in value at apple even at year 1

It's still better to trade in your iPhone each year at Apple than the iPhone upgrade program. I rather pay $459 each year after trade-in than lease the pro-base model for $50 per month which is $684 with tax for a $999 phone.

 

[MisterMillz]

The one thing you said, OP, that sticks out to me is gaming. If you're going to do it on your phone, the Plus will be better for its bigger screen and battery life. Ultimately, that's what it comes down to. Do you want the device that's offering more screen and juice or smaller with some quality of life improvements at the expense of juice. You don't really care about cameras, so the telephoto is nil. Depending just how small your hands are, both could potentially be two-handed phones, and while the Plus weighs more, it's negligible (to me) based on its distribution.

You also said price isn't much of a factor. May I ask if you considered the Max? Best of both worlds. I chose the Pro because its battery is fine for me and I appreciate the 120hz/AOD. If I need a bigger screen I reach for my iPad. If I had no iPad, I would definitely have the Plus or Max.

 

[anqelic]

The one thing you said, OP, that sticks out to me is gaming. If you're going to do it on your phone, the Plus will be better for its bigger screen and battery life. Ultimately, that's what it comes down to. Do you want the device that's offering more screen and juice or smaller with some quality of life improvements at the expense of juice. You don't really care about cameras, so the telephoto is nil. Depending just how small your hands are, both could potentially be two-handed phones, and while the plus weighs more, it's negligible based on its distribution.

You also said price isn't much of a factor. May I ask if you considered the Max? Best of both worlds.

I have considered the Max before. However, in my situation, I don't think it's worth the money for me as the 5x zoom will not be used, and I think that (5x zoom and battery) make up the majority of the base price of $1,199 and it would be a waste if I didn't use a key feature that the Max holds.

 

[kp98077]

It's still better to trade in your iPhone each year at Apple than the iPhone upgrade program. I rather pay $459 each year after trade-in than lease the pro-base model for $50 per month which is $684 with tax for a $999 phone.

yeah agree, I always buy my phones outright

 

[thatJohann]

The 15 Pro has abysmal battery life. For that alone, get the 15 Plus if those are your only two options. I personally went for the regular 15 and love it. Way better battery life than the 15 Pro and easier to hold and lighter.

 

[snipr125]

The one thing you said, OP, that sticks out to me is gaming. If you're going to do it on your phone, the Plus will be better for its bigger screen and battery life. Ultimately, that's what it comes down to. Do you want the device that's offering more screen and juice or smaller with some quality of life improvements at the expense of juice. You don't really care about cameras, so the telephoto is nil. Depending just how small your hands are, both could potentially be two-handed phones, and while the Plus weighs more, it's negligible (to me) based on its distribution.

You also said price isn't much of a factor. May I ask if you considered the Max? Best of both worlds. I chose the Pro because its battery is fine for me and I appreciate the 120hz/AOD. If I need a bigger screen I reach for my iPad. If I had no iPad, I would definitely have the Plus or Max.

Well the A17 Pro chip in the 15 Pro is specifically designed for gaming with its ray tracing etc and so the OP would technically have an inferior gaming experience on the 15 Plus. Maybe the Pro Max is the best option as OP said cost is not an issue.