SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · Apple

iPhone 15 review: Dynamic Island, USB-C and a 48 MP camera reach the standard iPhone.

SpecEagle Editorial·Sep 2023·$799
Overall
79/100
Class rank
#4 of 5
Tier
Premium
Buy?
At the right price
The verdict, up front

A solid standard iPhone held back by one stubborn spec.

The iPhone 15 brought Dynamic Island, USB-C and a 48 MP sensor to the base model. The 60 Hz screen and lack of Apple Intelligence are the reasons to consider a newer iPhone 16 instead.

01Display

77/100

77/100 trails the 79-point cohort average for premium phones of 2023.

TypeSuper Retina XDR OLED, 60 Hz
Size6.1 inches
Resolution2,556 × 1,179 px (460 ppi)
Peak brightness2,000 nits HBM
NotchDynamic Island

02Camera

82/100

82/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2023.

Main48 MP, f/1.6, sensor-shift OIS
Ultrawide12 MP, f/2.4
Selfie12 MP, f/1.9
Video4K @ 60 fps · Dolby Vision

03Performance

86/100

86/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2023.

ChipsetApple A16 Bionic (4 nm)
CPU6-core
GPUApple 5-core GPU
RAM6 GB
Storage128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB

04Battery

78/100

78/100 trails the 84-point cohort average for premium phones of 2023.

Capacity3,349 mAh
Wired~20 W USB-C PD
Wireless15 W MagSafe

05Build

85/100

85/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2023.

06Value

83/100

83/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2023.

What works
  • Dynamic Island and a 48 MP camera at the standard price.
  • USB-C finally replaces Lightning.
  • Light and compact at 171 g.
  • A16 Bionic is still plenty fast for daily use.
What doesn't
  • 60 Hz display is the big sticking point.
  • No Apple Intelligence support.
  • No telephoto.
  • USB-C limited to USB 2.0 speeds.

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 5-phone cohort of premium devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .