Other (Un)popular opinion: iPhone 14 Pros felt much more premium than 15 Pros

[jclardy]

Disagree completely - so far the 15 Pro Max is my favorite iPhone since the 11 Pro. The phone feels noticeably lighter, but also way more balanced. The 12-14 Pro's always felt noticeably heavier at the top, like they wanted to fall out of your hand constantly. And the smoothed corners feel so much better, along with the slight mm drop in width and height.

IMO iPhone lost it's way for the past few years of design, the "non-pros" were much better tools, the pro's were just given false quality by the unnecessary weight increase. Now the Pro is truly the best in the lineup.

 

[C. Robert]

My last iOS device was the iPhone 11 Pro (I bought 1 in gray and another in green, super beautiful). I've been on Pixel since then (Pixel 6 and until now Pixel 7 Pro) because I've been waiting for USB-C. Last week, right after the iPhone 15 announcement, I went to the Apple store and bought a 14 Pro Max in Space Black just in case I didn't like the new design. It's gorgeous. It's heft gives it a premium feel. The only downside is the Lightning port.

I just got back from the Apple Store and I'm quite disappointed with what I saw. The fit and finish of the 15 Pro phones didn't feel as nice as the 14 Pros. The 14 Pro Max feels more substantial in the hand. The 15 Pro Max almost felt cheap. It is incredibly light but it doesn't feel premium. And the titanium is very difficult to discern from aluminum. I couldn't see a big difference between the regular 15s and the 15 Pros.

Edit: Given the responses below, I feel the need to point out that I'm not suggesting at the 15 Pro isn't an upgrade in technical specs over the 14 Pro. I'm just saying that I liked SS over Titanium. IMO Titanium just doesn't feel as premium as SS.

Very unpopular opinion. Extra weight doest equate quality in almost every walk of life.

 

[lionofthesouth]

Got to ask. The 15pm is 19g lighter than the 14pm. That’s the equivalent of 4.5 teaspoons of sugar over the surface of the phone. Does it really feel as light as some seem to suggest?

 

[Darren.h]

I agree. it looks cheap compared to stainless steel.

probably cause it does cost Apple less to build in titanium.

Plus they raise the price by $100 on top of it.

 

[Rockhouse]

Got to ask. The 15pm is 19g lighter than the 14pm. That’s the equivalent of 4.5 teaspoons of sugar over the surface of the phone. Does it really feel as light as some seem to suggest?

Yes.

 

[therealMasa]

My last iOS device was the iPhone 11 Pro (I bought 1 in gray and another in green, super beautiful). I've been on Pixel since then (Pixel 6 and until now Pixel 7 Pro) because I've been waiting for USB-C. Last week, right after the iPhone 15 announcement, I went to the Apple store and bought a 14 Pro Max in Space Black just in case I didn't like the new design. It's gorgeous. It's heft gives it a premium feel. The only downside is the Lightning port.

I just got back from the Apple Store and I'm quite disappointed with what I saw. The fit and finish of the 15 Pro phones didn't feel as nice as the 14 Pros. The 14 Pro Max feels more substantial in the hand. The 15 Pro Max almost felt cheap. It is incredibly light but it doesn't feel premium. And the titanium is very difficult to discern from aluminum. I couldn't see a big difference between the regular 15s and the 15 Pros.

Edit: Given the responses below, I feel the need to point out that I'm not suggesting at the 15 Pro isn't an upgrade in technical specs over the 14 Pro. I'm just saying that I liked SS over Titanium. IMO Titanium just doesn't feel as premium as SS.

Dude, the 14 Pro was 206g. That's way too heavy for a "compact" device.

The Pro Max models were also getting too cumbersome. However, the 15 Pro Max is still a good 221g, so I would hardly equate that with cheap feeling.

 

[therealMasa]

I agree. it looks cheap compared to stainless steel.

probably cause it does cost Apple less to build in titanium.

Plus they raise the price by $100 on top of it.

The stainless steel looked nice for about five seconds, then the moment you hold it it becomes a smudge-fest that cheapens the look. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[Mattym62]

I have had every iPhone since the original, and while I liked my 14 PM, this 15 PM is probably my favorite. It’s noticeably lighter than the 14 PM, and also feels like it’s narrower. I’m on my phone a lot during the day and welcome the change. I also got lucky with an absolutely perfect display. In the past I have had issues with yellow displays, but this one is absolutely perfect.

 

[RRC]

I agree. it looks cheap compared to stainless steel.

probably cause it does cost Apple less to build in titanium.

Plus they raise the price by $100 on top of it.

But they didn’t raise the price?! They’ve just removed the base storage size on the Pro Max.

And if it costs less to build over stainless don’t you think Apple will have made the move before now? And if so why are they still pumping out stainless Apple Watches?

I’ll echo many, titanium looks and feels better than the stainless ever did, stainless was just a mess of finger prints and felt horrible if your hands got warm.

 

[Torty]

Would love to see carbon.

 

[Nozuka]

For me it has been the opposite. Never liked the "look at me i'm so shiny! blingbling" cheap look of the SS. the aluminum of the cheaper models looked better to me. and i hated the useless weight it added.

 

[blkjedi954]

The lighter weight of the 15 does not equate to being cheap, poorly built, or inferior to the slightly heavier 14. I think your reasoning is sorely flawed and illogical.

I would argue that you’re wrong. Many premium items have used the weight to convey premium materials used rather than the cheap stuff. It’s found in marketing and parroted by sales people so it’s not “illogical”.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I would argue that you’re wrong. Many premium items have used the weight to convey premium materials used rather than the cheap stuff. It’s found in marketing and parroted by sales people so it’s not “illogical”.

I didn't attack the OP or anyone else. I offered an opinion that is counter to what you like. My statement you quoted is also accurate and factual.

 

[ShadowGuardian87]

I love my 15 pro max so far, but I am a little bummed that the change to titanium has impacted the durability of the phone. I just watched Jerry Rig Every things durability test of the 15 pro max and the back glass breaks easily. This isn’t a huge deal breaker but it’s the first time I would say that apple care is necessary.

Ironically, the regular 15 pro’s glass is a bit tougher which is weird.

The weight and stainless steel of the previous models was a bit better to have after all. But then again, apple critics complained that if it broke it was too expensive to repair 🤷🏾‍♂️.

 

[PixelsMaster]

Moving from the 14PM to the 15PM, I‘ll agree that it looks a bit cheaper, but not due to weight. Personally, I think the stainless steel gave the phone a more stated look, whereas the brushed titanium is just nice (If that makes sense). That said, I much prefer the feel of the 15PM in hand; loved it as soon as I picked it up. I don’t use a case so it’s a nice improvement for me.

 

[aue123]

Got to ask. The 15pm is 19g lighter than the 14pm. That’s the equivalent of 4.5 teaspoons of sugar over the surface of the phone. Does it really feel as light as some seem to suggest?

put 4 nickels in your hand, it’s actually pretty significant. i was in the “not” group until i actually did it .

 

[chrise2]

Someone is going to come out with a magsafe steel plate to go on the back of the phone and call it the 15 Pro to 14 Pro conversion kit.

 

[ssledoux]

Completely agree!!!
Just got back from the Apple store today. Was completely disappointed with the feel and look of the Titanium, especially after all the fingerprint marks. Stainless steel is much more "pro".
The iPhone 14 Pro looks much, much better. My wife has the purple 14 Pro; none of the 15 Pros have such a nice colour.

I don’t get all the fingerprint comments I’ve seen. I find the stainless gets tons of fingerprints. Am I the only one?

And I’m not complaining about the weight change. I’m excited to go max this year (if ATT ever actually sends my phone) BECAUSE of the lighter weight. I’d be super happy with pro specs in aluminum. I mean yeah the SS looks nice, but it does make my 14 pro feel a bit like a brick.

 

[ShadowGuardian87]

But overall, this is just a matter of preference. I don’t think the 15 pro max is “ less of a premium device” because it doesn’t have weight to it. If you want a heavier iPhone then I would recommend you stay with the 13 or 14 pro max models. If you want something lighter, then get the 15 pro models end of story.

At the end of the day both the 14 and 15 are good phones.

 

[mectojic]

I don’t get all the fingerprint comments I’ve seen. I find the stainless gets tons of fingerprints. Am I the only one?

And I’m not complaining about the weight change. I’m excited to go max this year (if ATT ever actually sends my phone) BECAUSE of the lighter weight. I’d be super happy with pro specs in aluminum. I mean yeah the SS looks nice, but it does make my 14 pro feel a bit like a brick.

Yeah the 14 Pro stainless steel gets fingerprints, but they don't have this horrible oily, greasy look like they do on titanium.

If you haven't seen it yet, go to your Apple store and have a look. Those test units have only been handled for a few hours and they're filthy. Like, if I had a titanium iPhone, I'd want to be cleaning it twice a day to prevent that ugly look.

 

[ssledoux]

Yeah the 14 Pro stainless steel gets fingerprints, but they don't have this horrible oily, greasy look like they do on titanium.

If you haven't seen it yet, go to your Apple store and have a look. Those test units have only been handled for a few hours and they're filthy. Like, if I had a titanium iPhone, I'd want to be cleaning it twice a day to prevent that ugly look.

Well that stinks. Mine will be in a case, so I guess it won’t really matter much. I likely can’t get into an Apple Store until at least next weekend, and I would HOPE my phone would be here by then, but who knows. This has definitely been my worst pre-order experience ever. Maybe it’s a sign I should keep my 14 pro - lol.

 

[Ryan1524]

I think this perception of premium-ness comes from the weight, not the materials.

If next year Apple uses a better battery tech that adds weight, while keeping the titanium casing, how would you feel about it?

In fact, I think they are doing this lightening exercise to buy that margin. If not for future internals, maybe for the future 6.9” iPhone.

There was an iPhone that similarly went through this fanfare several years ago, where the hype is around how light it was, only to slowly gain weight over iterations as they expand size and features.

 

[KOTN91]

Well you would say that as you’ve got the old device. Why on earth would you buy a 14 the week before the new one is launched. Of course the 15 pro is a much better device

 

[MarkNewton2023]

Premium or not is on the eyes of the beholder. For me, iPhone 15 pro is premium with all its bells and whistles in it. I am very glad 15 pro max is lighter than the 14 pro. The 14 pro max weight had been an issue for my light material short when the phone was in the pocket. The weight always pulled down my light shorts making me having to readjust constantly to prevent from wardrobe malfunction. I do not have the light material short problem anymore when the phone in the pocket due to light weight 15 pro max. Thanks to Apple for making the phone lighter.

 

[Nathan576]

Horrible decision lol.