Upgrading an iPhone is always a little bit disappointing because not much changes on the outside. This, however, is not an issue because the benefits come over time with the newer battery, better camera and extra longevity.
I decided to upgrade from my 13 Pro because my daughter needed a new iPhone, hers included something called a home button! My wife wanted MagSafe and so my 13 Pro would deal with that, and her 11 Pro would go to my daughter.
It is not an inexpensive upgrade, but the 11 Pro has a new battery and so we can all look forward to 2 years at least before any changes are needed, until my daughter drops her phone of course…
Even more forward two generations does not provide an obvious leap, but the main changes are worth covering.
Dynamic Island
It hasn’t been long with the 15 Pro, but the Dynamic Island is baffling to me. Some live detail is offered and some of the animations are sweet, but it feels obtrusive sitting away from the top edge. The notch was invisible to me, the Island is not, but I hope that changes over time.
Action Button
I really like this new button and have instantly forgotten about the slider. I am of course using it as a mute switch, but that suits me fine and I have had no missteps at all so far.
Titanium
The case feels more grippy than previous models and warmer because that’s what titanium feels like. No scratches so far, but it would appear that Apple did a good job here, even if there’s not a lot of titanium onboard.
Camera
I love the ability to create a portrait photo from a previously taken image, but to date I have not had time to really test it out. I am expecting a noticeable improvement, however.
Other improvements
USB-C is obviously better and it does leave my AirPods as the only lightning cable device I own, but MagSafe is what I use for 100% of my charging. Still happy to see the back of the old port.
The external speaker is louder and clearer and much better than I expected. Apple has nailed this feature for years and it continues to bang away at it.
The smaller bezels, quick processor (who would notice?) and very slightly rounded edges round off what is of course an incremental improvement. I am not disappointed by the 15 Pro, I am not wowed by it, but I know it will do what I need for as long as I need it to. Bravo, again.