iPhone 15 Pro Review with USB-C and Periscope zoom camera: The ideal iPhone to do Android clients switch?

iPhone 15 Pro Review

What we are familiar Apple's premium 2022 iPhones so far is that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max (which, as per the most recent bits of gossip, are precisely two months from discharge currently), is that they'll be giving us:

A fresh out of the box new front plan, with a double poke hole show, which is supposed to have the option to invigorate at 1-120Hz (up from 10-120Hz) to save battery yet additionally stay generally on (indeed, similar to a Samsung)

Another A16 Bionic chip, which isn't supposed to be a tremendous improvement over the A15 however will surely work on Apple's as of now existing lead over the Snapdragons and MediaTek's of the world

A pristine essential 48MP camera with 8K video support

To a great extent unaltered battery sizes (as indicated by a baseless break)

A $100 cost increment contrasted with the iPhone 13 Series ($1,099 for iPhone 14 Pro and $1,199 for iPhone 14 Pro Max)

Indeed, this story is for those Android clients (and those with more seasoned iPhones, as well) who think the above-expressed rundown of overhauls essentially isn't sufficient to legitimize changing from Android or paying no less than $1,100 for an iPhone 14 Pro. I'm one of you (I some way or another have a place with the two gatherings).

iPhone 15 Pro: Will USB-C, a periscope zoom camera, and the most customizable version of iOS (16) ever attract Android users and those with older iPhones?

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USB-C is coming to iPhone 15, Android fans

Starting with the big one, reportedly, USB-C must be coming to the entire iPhone 15 lineup in 2023! The reason is that new European legislation will demand all phones (amongst other devices) to ship with a common USB-C port, starting in 2024.

Technically, the mandate doesn't affect the iPhone 15 (expected in 2023), but if the rumors are true, Apple will be rushing to future-proof the iPhone 15. This looks pretty likely now that we know AirPods Pro 2 (coming this fall) are supposed to feature a USB-C port - a first for Cupertino's wireless earbuds, which would mark the beginning of Apple's total USB-C transition.

5-6x periscope zoom camera reportedly coming to iPhone 15 Pro Max

Yes! Rumor has it that the long-awaited modern periscope zoom lens, which we saw first on the Huawei P30 Pro in 2019, is finally about to get into the Apple universe. But not as a fictional character. This time it's supposed to be for real! After tons of "confirmations" and callbacks from leaksters, top analyst Ming-Chi Kuo now says the long-range zoom camera will be one of iPhone 15 Pro's main selling points, and that's exciting!

For the record, Kuo outlines that as of now, only the bigger iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to get a new 5-6x periscope zoom lens. That being said, I’d take this with a good grain of salt, since Apple’s current approach when it comes to hardware upgrades is to equip the small and bigger iPhones with the same set of features.

Leaks aside, another hint that the iPhone 15 Pro series might be bringing a periscope zoom camera are Apple's patents, but also the fact that iPhone 14 Pro is expected to have only one new rear camera in the face of the 48MP primary snapper. In case you've been in a coma in the past 15 years, Apple's the kind of company that likes to… spread the upgrades around. A lot.

Android users, iOS 16 is now as customizable as ever

I'm aware that the concept of an iPhone with USB-C sounds shocking enough - for example, our chief editor still doesn't think it'll happen. However, there's something equally as shocking that's making its way on to iPhone 15, but also iPhone 14 (and all iPhones down to iPhone 8), and that's the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system - iOS 16!

A revamped lock screen with Lock Screen gallery, iCloud Shared Photo Library, Edit a message, Shared Safari Tab Groups, Passkeys (like a password but safer), and Live Text in photos and videos - those are just a tiny part of all new and exciting features coming to iOS 16.

Many call iOS 16 "one of the biggest software updates in iPhone history", and while this might be debatable, I think we can all come together around and say that iOS 16 is the biggest customization-focused upgrade we've seen come to Apple's iPhone.

For instance, for the first time ever, iPhone users will be able to fully customize their Lock Screen with iOS 16. Apple's added support for up to five widgets that are always there waiting for you. On top of that, despite being kept a secret, we already know that Apple's planning to introduce the long-anticipated Always-On display feature with iPhone 14 (some pretty solid-looking leaks have basically confirmed that).

Wallpapers on iPhone are now super-customizable too. There's a feature called Photo Shuffle, which allows iPhone to change its wallpaper automatically on a daily/hourly basis, or every time you wake the phone or tap on the lock screen. This one can make your iPhone feel fresh every time you unlock it. If it sounds familiar, that's because Huawei phones have been able to do this for years now.

Lock screen wallpapers on iOS 16 now also integrate a Portrait Mode-like effect, where if you have a picture with a standout subject (think: your face/pet/a building), your iPhone can automatically crop it and overlay it over the time/clock widget on your lock screen. It creates a depth effect that makes your subject and clock look somewhat more alive/3D. My early impressions are that the algorithm is surprisingly accurate (often to a point of perfection).

iPhone 15 Pro could (almost) be the perfect iPhone for me (Android and iPhone user), but it'll need a few more premium features to be "perfect"...

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Sure, iPhone 15 Pro won't convince all Android users to throw away their phones and wake up next to a 7-inch iPhone Max. I made tech sound romantic - give me some points! But that's not quite the idea behind this story.

Well, actually, it is in a way, but this concerns just me… See, I had been using an iPhone 8 for a while now, and I just recently bought an iPhone 13 mini. I love the size, and I wouldn't trade it for another iPhone… for now.

That being said, the iPhone 13 mini is still missing a bunch of fantastic features that my Google Pixel 6 Pro has, like a USB-C port and a brilliant periscope zoom camera. That’s why I know I'm not switching to an iPhone 14 model...

But if Apple’s prepping an iPhone 15 Pro with USB-C and a periscope camera… Then we can talk!

Features that would make iPhone 15 Pro the iPhone that Android users might've been waiting for...

All that being said, it’s not like USB-C and a periscope camera will make iPhone 15 Pro the most feature-rich phone ever made. I'm secretly hoping for more. Here's my Three More Things wishlist, Tim Cook:

Reverse Wireless Charging on iPhone 15

RWC could very well be coming to iPhone 15 Pro (or even iPhone 14 Pro), but we still don't have any hints that this might end up happening. Anyway, I leave the house with a dead AirPods/FreeBuds Pro case every now and then, and if I want to listen to my podcast, the only option is to go back home and plug in my earbuds. This seemingly minor annoyance can be a mood-killer.

With my Pixel (for example, at the gym), I can simply pop my wireless charging-enabled earbuds case on the back of my phone and let the Pixel do the work, so I can use my earbuds for the next few hours before I can go home and give them a full charge. Reverse Wireless Charging is the kind of feature that you don't know you need and it’d be awesome to finally see it on iPhone.

Fast charging on iPhone 15

Speaking of charging, I can't skip asking Apple for properly fast charging on iPhone 15 (but also iPhone 14, if it's not too late).

A full charge takes nearly 2h across the iPhone 13 lineup, and while the “50% in 30 min” that Apple's giving us are pretty satisfactory, I keep wish I had the extreme convenience of my Huawei P30 Pro, which would give me a full day of use after being plugged in for 30 min. Not much else to say here. You must try fast charging to appreciate it.

Apple, please give me my rounded iPhone back

This one's a pet peeve of mine, but I'd love my rounded corners back, Apple.

Thanks to the upcoming iPhone 14 Max, the average iPhone size in 2022 will hit a new peak. The thing is that the iPhone’s flat design simply doesn't go great with its increasing size. In fact, even the iPhone 13 mini digs into my hands when I use it for longer than a few minutes, and I'm not exaggerating.

I might be the minority here since everyone seems to love the new flat iPhones, but I tend to put functional design over aesthetics. Handling the iPhone 8 after having used the iPhone 13 mini for about a month, feels... amazing. That must mean something.