iPhone 15 Pro’s new design, Action button, and more

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are now official, and I had the chance to go hands-on with them inside Steve Jobs Theater. The flagship iPhone 15 Pro models pack a new titanium design, upgraded camera hardware, and more. Here are some quick first impressions…

Right off the bat, I was struck by how light the iPhone 15 Pro Max feels due to its new titanium chassis. Here’s how the numbers breakdown on paper:

• iPhone 15 Pro – 187 grams (down from 206 grams)
• iPhone 15 Pro Max – 221 grams (down from 240 grams)

 

 

 

 

 

That’s a pretty big difference on paper, and it’s an even bigger difference in real life. I’ve been using the iPhone 14 Pro Max for the last year, so I’ve grown pretty familiar with its weight. I found the iPhone 15 Pro Max to be significantly lighter and more comfortable to hold. I think this is due to both the reduction in weight as well as the new contoured edges.

The titanium design also means that the iPhone 15 Pro models have a texturized matte finish rather than the previous glossy stainless steel finish. I only spent around 15 minutes with the iPhone 15 Pro today, but I have a feeling this is going to be a very nice change in terms of durability.

 

 

 

 

The Action button is another standout feature of the iPhone 15 Pro. The interface to customize what the Action button is linked to is in the Settings app, and it’s beautifully designed. The button can be assigned to the following things:

• Silent Mode
• Focus Mode
• Camera
• Flashlight
• Voice Memos
• Accessibility features like Magnifier
• Shortcuts

 

 

 

 

One thing that I didn’t realize until I tried the Action button is that a press and hold is required to trigger the action. You can’t just quickly press the button. This is likely an effort to prevent false triggers, so it makes sense, but it does mean there’s an added step required each time.

I think my primary use of the Action button will be for the camera. You can press and hold to open the Camera app, then press the Action Button again to use it as a shutter in the Camera app. You can see that demoed in my video above.

 

 

 

 

Speaking of the camera, the iPhone 15 Pro Max also features an upgraded Telephoto lens with up to 5x optical zoom. I’ll have to reserve full judgment on this until I get my hands on an iPhone 15 Pro Max for an extended period of time, but the quick demos I got at Steve Jobs Theater today align with my expectations. The new telephoto lens also enables 25x digital zoom as well.

 

 

 

 

Other tidbits:

• Yes, there’s a USB-C port. Apple wasn’t lying.
• The colors look much better than I expected, but they are still pretty boring and there’s not a whole lot of variety.
• The smaller bezels are noticeable, but not as noticeable as I thought they would be. At a certain point I suppose you just get used to the black border being there, regardless of its size.
• I only got a brief minute with the new FineWoven cases for the iPhone 15 Pro, but I really liked the material and how it felt in my hands. I’m 100% in support of Apple’s move away from leather.

 

 

 

 

I’ll have much more to say about the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max once I get to spend some more time with them. My first impressions are pretty positive, especially when it comes to the new titanium design and the benefits provided by that change.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus in every color

 

 

 

 

In addition to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple also unveiled the entry-level iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus during its “Wonderlust” event today. I got to check them out at Steve Jobs Theater after the keynote today, and I honestly wish I had more to say…

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are great phones. They take the iPhone 14 and do exactly what Apple does: gradually trickle down what were once Pro-exclusive features to the non-Pro phones. The other big change here, of course, is the USB-C port.

The camera changes shouldn’t be overlooked, particularly the new 48MP Main camera that’s moved downstream to the non-Pro phones after first being introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro last year. What’s most notable about this, in my opinion, is that it enables a 2x zoom option in the Camera app. This is done by Apple cropping the 48MP camera down to 24MP, enabling a 2x zoom without having a dedicated Telephoto lens.

The Dynamic Island also now finds itself on the non-Pro models of the iPhone 15 this year. It’s the same Dynamic Island we’ve come to know, just inside a more affordable product.

Otherwise, there’s not a whole lot to say about the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. The design is about the same as before, aside from the slightly contoured edges. The backs of the phones now feature a matte finish instead of glossy. They are available in five new colors: pink, yellow, blue, green, and black.

I think the pink iPhone 15 is going to sell like hotcakes. And it looks fantastic in real life. It stands out among what are otherwise relatively mundane colors.