Review: Six Months With the iPhone 15 Pro

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.


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.

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Two of Apple's Oldest Products Are Finally Getting Updated This Year

Friday February 14, 2025 6:03 am PST by
Apple released the HomePod mini in November 2020, followed by the AirTag in May 2021, and both still remain first-generation products. Fortunately, rumors suggest that both the HomePod mini and the AirTag will finally be updated at some point this year. Below, we recap rumors about the HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2. HomePod mini 2 In January 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is ...

Top Rated Comments

vegetassj4 Avatar
11 months ago
Going without a case?!??



Attachment Image
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrat93 Avatar
11 months ago
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.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mike_Trivisonno Avatar
11 months ago
Mine has been pretty cool. I can go all day on a single charge most of the time.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny907 Avatar
11 months ago
Spoiler: you should wait to upgrade.
It's been 7 months since this launched. The 16 will be out in 5.
If you've gone this long without upgrading, you can wait a little longer for a better phone.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dadiy Avatar
11 months ago
Battery is 98% after 269 cycles. I’m looking forward to a battery that can last all day on one charge.

I wish the action button was just a press and not a hold.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anakinfan8 Avatar
11 months ago
Long time lurker, first time poster ?
My 15 Pro Max's battery is also at 98% after 178 cycles. It's been fluxing most days for me as well, but just recently (literally yesterday and today) for some unknown reason, the battery has been really excellent and more on par with battery life I'd expect from a Max series iPhone. I can't recall changing any of my usage habits or anything, I usually use it as my virtual key to get into where I work, photo taking, web browsing/video, calls/FaceTime and reading (as well as a disgusting amount of Youtube shorts) and have LTE turned on instead of 5G. infact the only thing I turned on was battery percentage haha. I came from a 13 Pro so I did want the bigger screen and battery of the Max lineup. Overall I've been really happy with the 15 Pro Max, but for a while I was getting battery life that was only slightly better than my old phone. Thermals can be a pain even after the 17.0.3 update. Sometimes it'll just heat up completely out of nowhere on the left side below the volume buttons. I haven't really pinpointed the cause.

Action button is pretty neat. Since launch I've been using Action Button 2.0, which starts the camera, video or triggers silent mode depending on orientation.

Natural Titanium is the best color hands-down!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)