1-minute news: Apple iPhone 15 Plus gets USB-C, 48MP camera and more

(Image credit: Apple)

What's the story?

The iPhone 15 Plus, which Apple announced at today's Apple September event, is the big-but-not-too-expensive model in Apple's lineup, offering a 6.7-inch OLED screen, but without some of the extra treats enjoyed by the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Like the base iPhone 15, however, it does get some really nice upgrades over the iPhone 14 Plus, including a new 48MP main camera, and the Dynamic Island to replace the notch on the screen.

The iPhone 15 Plus price starts at $899 / £899 / AU$1,649, for 128GB, and rises to $999 / £999 / AU$1,849 for 256GB, and $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,199 for 512GB.

What do I need to know about it?

As with the base iPhone, there are three main upgrades for the iPhone 15 Plus. The first is the move to USB-C charging – which arguably isn't an upgrade as such, but many people will welcome it. The second is the addition of the Dynamic Island on the display, replacing the unsightly notch. And the third is an improved main camera on the rear, which has a 48MP sensor compared to the previous 12MP effort. The wide-angle and selfie cameras both remain at 12MP.

Inside, there's a new A16 Bionic chipset replacing the previous A15 Bionic (the Pro models jump up to A17 Bionic) while the battery has been expanded too; Apple now calls it an "all-day battery". Screen brightness now goes up to 2000 nits, and it's available in five colors including – yes – pink.

What do we think of it?

There's no doubt that the jump in camera resolution to 48MP makes the iPhone 15 Plus a far more enticing product than the iPhone 14 Plus, which we described as "a bit last-generation". The Dynamic Island and more curved look also help it feel fresh; this is a bigger upgrade than last year's model got, for sure.

It remains to be seen whether we'd strongly recommend it over the base iPhone 15 model, which is $100 cheaper, or the iPhone 15 Pro and its Action button. But if you can't afford the iPhone 15 Pro Max (and who can?) then the Plus is now a compelling alternative.

Marc is TechRadar’s Global Editor in Chief, the latest in a long line of senior editorial roles he’s held in a career that started the week that Google launched (nice of them to mark the occasion). Prior to joining TR, he was UK Editor in Chief on Tom’s Guide, where he oversaw all gaming, streaming, audio, TV, entertainment, how-to and cameras coverage. He's also a former editor of the tech website Stuff and spent five years at the music magazine NME, where his duties mainly involved spoiling other people’s fun. He’s based in London, and has tested and written about phones, tablets, wearables, streaming boxes, smart home devices, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, games, TVs, cameras and pretty much every other type of gadget you can think of. An avid photographer, Marc likes nothing better than taking pictures of very small things (bugs, his daughters) or very big things (distant galaxies). He also enjoys live music, gaming, cycling, and beating Wordle (he authors the daily Wordle today page).