Phones · 2023 · Apple

Apple iPhone 15 Plus

The iPhone 15 Plus is Apple’s 6.7-inch phone from 2023. It offers the same A16 Bionic, 48 MP main camera, Dynamic Island and USB-C port as the iPhone 15 in a larger display and battery body. Independent tests found very good battery life, while charging is slow and the display is limited to 60 Hz.

iPhone 15 Plus; 128, 256 and 512 GB. Apple’s spec page lists model numbers A3090 and A3094; models sold outside the US have a SIM tray. The iPhone 15, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are separate models.

Apple iPhone 15 Plus — Apple image of the iPhone 15 Plus: five colours (Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink) from the back and Pink from the front.
Apple image of the iPhone 15 Plus: five colours (Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink) from the back and Pink from the front.

Specifications

SpecificationValue
Display6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2796 × 1290, 460 ppi; Dynamic Island, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)

Dynamic Island uses the front camera cut-out as an area for notifications and Live Activities. Apple does not list ProMotion for this model; the display is not 120 Hz. Because the corners are rounded, the actual viewable area is slightly smaller than the 6.69-inch rectangle.

Brightness and contrast1,000 nits typical; 1,600 nits peak (HDR); 2,000 nits peak (outdoor); 2,000,000:1 contrast

The outdoor peak is used briefly in strong sunlight; the HDR peak applies to HDR video and photos.

ProcessorA16 Bionic; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB
Rear cameras48MP Main (26 mm, ƒ/1.6, sensor-shift OIS); 12MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.4, 120°); 12MP 2x Telephoto (52 mm, ƒ/1.6)

The 2x telephoto is not a separate lens; it uses the centre of the 48 MP main sensor (Apple says it is “enabled by quad-pixel sensor”). Photos can be 24 MP or 48 MP; digital zoom goes up to 10x.

Video4K at 24/25/30/60 fps; HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps

Action mode crops the image to apply strong digital stabilisation when running or in a vehicle, which is why it tops out at 2.8K.

Front camera and Face ID12MP TrueDepth (ƒ/1.9, autofocus); Face ID
Wireless5G (sub-6 GHz, 4x4 MIMO); Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband; NFC with reader mode

Ultra Wideband shows the direction and distance of a nearby item or friend in Find My; availability varies by region. This UK page does not list mmWave 5G.

Safety featuresEmergency SOS via satellite and Roadside Assistance via satellite; Crash Detection

Satellite features work only in certain countries and in open areas without mobile or Wi-Fi coverage.

BatteryUp to 26 hours video playback, 20 hours streamed, 100 hours audio; built-in lithium-ion

Apple quotes 6 hours more video playback than the iPhone 15.

USB-C and chargingUSB-C, USB 2 (up to 480 Mb/s), DisplayPort; up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20W adapter; MagSafe up to 15W, Qi up to 7.5W

Although the port is USB-C, data speed is USB 2. Native DisplayPort output over USB-C mirrors video up to 4K HDR. No power adapter is included; a USB-C charge cable that supports fast charging is in the box.

SIMDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); Dual eSIM support

The SIM tray is on models sold outside the US; eSIM use depends on carrier support.

Durability and materialsIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes, IEC 60529); aluminium design, Ceramic Shield front, colour-infused glass back
Size and weight160.9 × 77.8 × 7.80 mm; 201 g
ColoursBlack, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink

From the manufacturer

Apple presents the iPhone 15 Plus with a large display, a 48 MP main camera, Dynamic Island and long battery life. Apple Support

Strengths and limitations

  • In Tom’s Guide’s continuous web-surfing battery test the iPhone 15 Plus lasted 14 hours 14 minutes, longer than the iPhone 14 Plus (11 hours 57 minutes) and the iPhone 15 Pro Max (14 hours 2 minutes). However, it reached only 39% after 30 minutes on a 20W adapter (the 14 Plus reached 46%). A light meter recorded 1,310 nits peak with HDR on. The review called the 60 Hz refresh rate the biggest drawback: games run smoothly but lack the fluidity of higher-refresh phones.

    Tom’s Guide review, 19 September 2023; pre-release test unit.

    Tom’s Guide: Apple iPhone 15 Plus review

  • In DXOMARK’s robot-run typical usage scenario (4 hours of active use over 16 hours) the battery lasted about 2.5 days in moderate use and lost less than 1% per night; video playback was above average, gaming and the outdoor test were weak. Charging is slower than average: a full charge took 2 hours with a 30W adapter and 2 hours 52 minutes wirelessly. A five-minute boost gave only 3 hours 42 minutes of extra use, and wired charge efficiency was low at 68%.

    DXOMARK, iPhone 15 Plus battery test, 17 January 2024; lab scenarios, 30W charger (not included).

    DXOMARK: Apple iPhone 15 Plus battery test

Tags

2023APPLEIOSOLEDUSB-C5GMAGSAFE

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Sources

  1. Apple Support: iPhone 15 Plus tech specs
  2. Tom’s Guide: Apple iPhone 15 Plus review
  3. DXOMARK: Apple iPhone 15 Plus battery test