Review: Six Months With the iPhone 15 Pro

[ignatius345]

I'm already down to 99% after only 65 cycles and 80% max charge setting.

1. The % are just estimates. If you're only 65 cycles in, I doubt "99%" means anything at all.

2. Batteries are consumable parts. If you don't mind hobbling your daily battery run time by charging to 80%, I guess go for it, but I'm just charging my battery fully and will have it replaced when it wears out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[MNWildFan]

A pretty badly degraded battery has 80% of its original capacity left. Like heavy duty use or lottery unlucky.

You've enabled a setting that simulates the experience of having an old worn battery from day one.

I get it, in theory, if you sometimes disable it for like must-have long-days. Question is.. do you?

Yeah, while it sounds like a cool feature in practice, in practicality, it doesn't seem all that useful because like you just said you're getting the experience of a worn battery from the get-go

What I like to do instead for all my devices is instead use the optimized battery charging feature; it's a quite smart feature that I like since with routine charging, it'll learn from your habits, charge the battery to only 80% initially and then only recharge the rest of the way past a certain time

 

[LightProtector]

My 15 Pro is at 118 charge cycles, 100% capacity. I have it set to the 80% limit to preserve health, but this means I usually have to do a mid-day charge for a little bit. Overall I really wish Apple would get serious about iPhone battery life rather than focusing on making the phone as razor thin as humanly possible, only to put a comically ridiculous-looking camera bump on the back.

Just make this phone/camera flush and use all additional space for battery. The solution is plainly obvious and now that Ive is gone I'm not sure who is still advocating for skinny phone over all usability.

If they make the phone that much thicker, then they have to fill the space somehow and alongside the bigger battery, it will become much heavier. I agree with you, but maybe that's not the best decision.

 

[LightProtector]

1. The % are just estimates. If you're only 65 cycles in, I doubt "99%" means anything at all.

2. Batteries are consumable parts. If you don't mind hobbling your daily battery run time by charging to 80%, I guess go for it, but I'm just charging my battery fully and will have it replaced when it wears out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

True, but I don't want to have to pay for a $100 replacement if I can.

 

[CoMoMacUser]

I don't know how many charge cycles my 11 Pro Max has, but the capacity is 91%, which is pretty good after 34 months. I would keep it but something buggy has suddenly rendered it unable to activate a SIM or eSIM on any carrier and after deleting all of the eSIMs and network settings and a full factory reset. The 15 Pro Max arrives today.

 

[surfzen21]

1. The % are just estimates. If you're only 65 cycles in, I doubt "99%" means anything at all.

2. Batteries are consumable parts. If you don't mind hobbling your daily battery run time by charging to 80%, I guess go for it, but I'm just charging my battery fully and will have it replaced when it wears out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

All the above is true and reasonable. I am probably more concerned about my AWU which is still 100% after 16 months, yaay!, than I am about my phone.

I will say that since I got the AWU I use my phone a lot less, and I am happy about that, so charging it to 80% max is not really an issue since I only use about 30% of my battery in a 24 hour period.

4 years seems to be the longest I use it as a primary phone before I switch it to my work phone. Right now my iPhone 11 is being used as a work phone and It still has 84% battery life and I never thought twice about how and when I charged it.

I did hear the more recent iPhones have had worse battery life than the older ones. I decided to baby it and see what would happen. I guess time will tell and TBH 2-3% loss a year seems reasonable since it will still be above 80% after 4 years.

Since Apple upped the charge cycle from 500 to 1000 cycles before it would go below 80% that means if you still have Apple Care they will replace the battery under Apple Care so extending AC might be worth it.

Everyone I know who has kids puts AC+ on all their Apple products and it seems to have paid off in dividends. Phones thrown across the room and dropped MBP's 🙃

 

[Sportpoz]

Since iOS 16, battery life has been a failure. Maybe it's slightly better than on the iPhone 14 pro max, but not much...

 

[Prom8theus]

It's been a bit over six months since the iPhone 15 lineup came out in September, and MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been using an iPhone 15 Pro Max sans case since launch. Over on our YouTube channel, Dan did a long term review to demo how his phone has held up and his thoughts on the Action button, battery life, and camera features.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are Apple's first iPhones with a titanium shell instead of a stainless steel or aluminum shell, and titanium is supposed to be more durable. After suffering from several drops without a case, Dan's iPhone is scuffed and chipped, but there are no scratches. As for the screen, it has a minor scratch or two.

Battery health is at 98 percent and 174 cycles, and there have been some fluctuations in battery life with software updates. It's a little hard to get a solid read on battery because of day-to-day differences in usage.

Some people have had trouble finding a use for the Action button, but assigning it to the camera is one way to ensure that it gets used. With the camera setting, a quick press on the button launches the camera so there's no need to press on the Home Screen or open up the Camera app. Apple is rumored to be adding a dedicated Capture button for the camera with the iPhone 16 models, so the Action button might get less useful at that point for those who use it for the camera.

For iPhone 15 Pro owners, how's your battery life, and do you use the Action button? Let us know in the comments below.

Article Link: Review: Six Months With the iPhone 15 Pro

This is one of the worse iPhone I ever owned. Too hot every time I charge. Camera lens are not stable. sometimes difficult to focus. sometime frozen in some of the apps. Perhaps it is apps problem though. The funny thing is, my wife's phone has completely different issues than mine although I have to admit she uses the phone differently than mine. for example, her phone settings are keep changing, not sure why. while mine has difficulty of focusing. Here color are way off. mine is ok. for the same picture under same light condition. strange. PLEASE DON'T BUY THIS PHONE. I have a feeling that apple is iOS has grown too big and has too many version for many different countries, and causing too many bugs, that they cannot control. Or, too many different part suppliers, and different factories that causing different issues. DON'T BUY IT MAN.

 

[Star Brood]

This is one of the worse iPhone I ever owned. Too hot every time I charge. Camera lens are not stable. sometimes difficult to focus. sometime frozen in some of the apps. Perhaps it is apps problem though. The funny thing is, my wife's phone has completely different issues than mine although I have to admit she uses the phone differently than mine. for example, her phone settings are keep changing, not sure why. while mine has difficulty of focusing. Here color are way off. mine is ok. for the same picture under same light condition. strange. PLEASE DON'T BUY THIS PHONE. I have a feeling that apple is iOS has grown too big and has too many version for many different countries, and causing too many bugs, that they cannot control. Or, too many different part suppliers, and different factories that causing different issues. DON'T BUY IT MAN.

the part about different countries is an interesting one. I have a US account, but live in Germany now, and I often can't place app ordere for McDonald's because "this app is not available in your country or region" even though it TECHNICALLY is. The idea of region locking apps is ridiculous. If Apple doesn't have a good enough AI for me to want to get their new phone, I think I will go back to Android where APK downloads are not restricted to regions.

 

[juice3250]

The 15PM is my first iPhone since the 5c. I enjoy it, though holding the phone does cause some discomfort in my wrists sometimes - but that's on me for getting a massive phone. In a way, its a nice feeling using such a 'simple' device now. I can't remember the last time I've read up on Android news, which I used to spend excessive amounts of time doing. I'm not sure I would be willing to switch back at this point.

This is one of the reasons I am considering switching to iOS. To simplify my life by removing the constant flow of android news and obsessing over getting the best Android phone. I have enough hobbies and activities that take up my time and distract me from my family and real life.

Yes I am a lurker on these forums and not an actual user of iOS. The last time I had an iPhone was the 12 Pro and I had it for only 6 months before I wanted to switch back. I'm just afraid that I'll want to switch back to Android again. I can't afford to have both.

 

[klspahr]

Is Battery Heath based on just a count of charge/discharge cycles (and maybe heat exposure) or is it based on an actual “test” of the battery capacity?

On my old 11 Pro Max the battery was good until it went to 80% and then it seemed like it plummeted even with power saving settings turned on. But it still said 80% but it didn’t feel like 80% more like 40%, had to get to a cord two or three times a day! I had broke the screen about a month before the battery went. A new screen is real nice but only when it’s lit up.

That pushed me to get the 15 Pro Max, maxed out. I love the 5x zoom, use it all the time.

(Rambling on…)
I keep my equipment as long as I can. I still dig out my early 2011 MacBook Pro 17” and use some old software I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars upgrading to run on a current machine. (I just recently replaced the battery in this laptop, can’t complain.)

I had Apple replace the battery on the 11PM, and I use it for other stuff. So I’m keeping that old boy too!

 

[Akinom]

This is one of the reasons I am considering switching to iOS. To simplify my life by removing the constant flow of android news and obsessing over getting the best Android phone. I have enough hobbies and activities that take up my time and distract me from my family and real life.

Yes I am a lurker on these forums and not an actual user of iOS. The last time I had an iPhone was the 12 Pro and I had it for only 6 months before I wanted to switch back. I'm just afraid that I'll want to switch back to Android again. I can't afford to have both.

The deciding factor for me was the switch to USB C and the upcoming RCS support. I won't try to sell you on it - nor do I really want to.. both of us seem to be painfully aware of how much of a money pit it is to keep up with the latest phones Perhaps iOS18 will shake things up a little bit this year, but I'm not keeping up with tech news much these days and I'm probably better for it.

 

[ric22]

This is one of the worse iPhone I ever owned. Too hot every time I charge. Camera lens are not stable. sometimes difficult to focus. sometime frozen in some of the apps. Perhaps it is apps problem though. The funny thing is, my wife's phone has completely different issues than mine although I have to admit she uses the phone differently than mine. for example, her phone settings are keep changing, not sure why. while mine has difficulty of focusing. Here color are way off. mine is ok. for the same picture under same light condition. strange. PLEASE DON'T BUY THIS PHONE. I have a feeling that apple is iOS has grown too big and has too many version for many different countries, and causing too many bugs, that they cannot control. Or, too many different part suppliers, and different factories that causing different issues. DON'T BUY IT MAN.

Maybe contact Apple? Those problems aren't normal...

 

[ric22]

the part about different countries is an interesting one. I have a US account, but live in Germany now, and I often can't place app ordere for McDonald's because "this app is not available in your country or region" even though it TECHNICALLY is. The idea of region locking apps is ridiculous. If Apple doesn't have a good enough AI for me to want to get their new phone, I think I will go back to Android where APK downloads are not restricted to regions.

Haha, the McDonalds app is the only app I've ever had this region problem with. When I lived in China I couldn't use it for the same reason (UK account). I also live in Germany now but haven't tried it here yet, as I've tried to leave my fast food addiction in the past... God I ate so much McDonalds/KFC/Burger King while living in China. I'm lucky I'm tall and broad or I'd have ended up getting a pot belly!

 

[juice3250]

The deciding factor for me was the switch to USB C and the upcoming RCS support. I won't try to sell you on it - nor do I really want to.. both of us seem to be painfully aware of how much of a money pit it is to keep up with the latest phones Perhaps iOS18 will shake things up a little bit this year, but I'm not keeping up with tech news much these days and I'm probably better for it.

Yeah, I won't share with you how many times in the past 3 years I've switched phones and added on more debt by doing so. Not every time but a couple of the times when I switched, I didn't pay off the device I was replacing.

I won't ever trade in a phone anymore. If I switch, I'm only going to sell my current phone and then finance the new one. But I know I'll have buyer's remorse if I don't buy the best phone that I can afford. With android there's a higher chance of not being satisfied because there are so many choices. At least with apple, there's one or two phone choices if you buy the latest one.

 

[tomchr9]

I should have bought a discontinued iPhone 13 mini. The size is just right. The notch makes more sense than the Dynamic Island, which is a temporary feature as the Touch Bar. Plus, it still has the toggle switch.

 

[tomchr9]

I won't ever trade in a phone anymore. If I switch, I'm only going to sell my current phone and then finance the new one.

Were you 'burned' by the trade-in value? Did the value estimation catch you off guard due to tiny scratches etc.?

 

[juice3250]

Were you 'burned' by the trade-in value? Did the value estimation catch you off guard due to tiny scratches etc.?

I have bought my last 3-4 phones unlocked and I can get 30-40% more by selling it. I don't like to be locked into one phone for 2-3 years. However, if I switch to iOS, I probably won't mind.

 

[aberdeenmeadows]

iPhone 15 Pro Max, capacity 99% with cycle count of 158

Up until a month ago, I chose not to charge above 80% and can typically get a full day of battery. It was 100% until I decided to remove any battery optimizations. I now have it on "Optimized Battery Charging"

I keep my phone off the charger as much as possible unless I travel or go on a weekend outing.

 

[Snap95]

96% battery with 217 cycles using optimized charging mode.

Love having USB C

I use the action button for the light and I use it often. I saw someone post about Action Button 2.0 so I am going to look into that.

 

[The Game 161]

Ive certainly enjoyed it more than I did the 14 pro max. The 14 pro max camera was a letdown with HDR and highlight control. in general though it has felt using it like every iPhone year on year. Still my go to and where my main sim stays in though due to the ecosystem, services and the general feel of the device

 

[klspahr]

Out of curiosity I checked my wife’s 11 Pro bought on release: she has 96% battery life! Yes, she uses it a lot and isn’t doing anything special to promote battery longevity. My 11 Pro Max battery went months ago.

 

[mrat93]

100% capacity with 293 charge cycles and 80% limit enabled. I just wish there was an easy way to disable that mode for a day or week, rather than digging through settings.

21 days and 28 cycles later, my battery health dipped down to 95% from 100%. I had a few days with 80% disabled. Wonder why it took so long for my battery health to dip?

 

[Star Brood]

Is Battery Heath based on just a count of charge/discharge cycles (and maybe heat exposure) or is it based on an actual “test” of the battery capacity?

On my old 11 Pro Max the battery was good until it went to 80% and then it seemed like it plummeted even with power saving settings turned on. But it still said 80% but it didn’t feel like 80% more like 40%, had to get to a cord two or three times a day! I had broke the screen about a month before the battery went. A new screen is real nice but only when it’s lit up.

That pushed me to get the 15 Pro Max, maxed out. I love the 5x zoom, use it all the time.

(Rambling on…)
I keep my equipment as long as I can. I still dig out my early 2011 MacBook Pro 17” and use some old software I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars upgrading to run on a current machine. (I just recently replaced the battery in this laptop, can’t complain.)

I had Apple replace the battery on the 11PM, and I use it for other stuff. So I’m keeping that old boy too!

Your 2011 Mac is an old boy. Your iPhone 11PM isn't. I rock an Xs and my wife rocks an 11. Both batteries are just fine overall. Mine is 80%. I think my battery doesn't last as long because I use it more than I used to.