In 2022, iPhone14 brought some significant new features from the security of Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite service for backcountry skiers and boarders, to “Action Mode” videos that smooth out a bumpy ride so well you’d think they were shot with a gimbal.
But the fall launch of the 48MP camera iPhone15, Pro and ProMax, brought plenty more notable improvements and updates. We like the much brighter display (simply easier to see and shoot on a sunny day on snow), Dynamic Island and Action Button (to personalize how you use your phone), Background Isolation (to audibly hide the fact you’re on a chairlift during work calls), more accurate Location Tracking (for finding lost friends, family or an Air Tag in your ski bag still with the airline…), plus a faster A16 or A17Pro chip, longer battery life, almost 10 per cent lighter weight, a smoother cornered design with new colours and finish, a universal USB-C charger and up to a TeraByte of memory. We also found far less battery drop in cold weather.
And for those who consider their pocket computer’s top priority photography, iPhone15 has a much better (48MP) rear camera for selfies, greater optical zoom quality and capabilities and automatic switching to Portrait Mode (to soften backgrounds like a pro). The finer details (with a small automatic file-size increase, you get twice the resolution) are instantly noticeable as is a better High Dynamic Range (HDR) for light to dark tone saturation details.
