Introduction

Not long ago, we did a charging review for the brand-new iPhone 15 Pro Max. Many of you requested a similar review for the iPhone 15 Pro, which has a battery capacity of 3274mAh. So, without further delay, let's dive into it!

Product Appearance

Charging Review of Apple iPhone 15 Pro-Chargerlab

The packaging box follows the classic design of iPhones.

What we got is the white version with a storage capacity of 256GB.

The USB-C port on the iPhone 15 Pro differs from the base model, supporting USB3 transfer speeds of up to 10Gb/s.

This is the included USB-C cable.

And the connector adopts a special pin design.

ChargerLAB POWER-Z KM003C shows it doesn't have an E-marker chip.

The length of this cable is exactly 1m (3' 3.37'').

Compared to the previous two generations, the buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro are closer to the bottom.

Additionally, while the iPhone 15 Pro shares the same screen size as the 14 Pro, it is slightly smaller overall, potentially affecting the compatibility of phone cases.

80% Limit Charging Optimization

In the charging optimization settings of the iPhone 15 series, Apple has introduced the "80% Limit" option, which effectively safeguards battery health.

However, in our current charging tests of the iPhone 15 Pro, it still goes beyond the "80% limit," with the battery level reaching 81% or more. Therefore, this option likely refers to keeping the battery at 80% while charging and using simultaneously, similar to power management settings in laptops—a measure to prevent the battery from reaching at full capacity.

Charging Compatibility Test

Next, let's get to the test, starting with the compatibility part. Firstly, let's take a look at Apple's own chargers.

We tested all the Apple fast chargers we have. Compiling all the data into a bar graph, we can see that the iPhone 15 Pro's maximum charging power is around 20W, a slight step back from the previous generation's 23W.

As for third-party chargers, there are a few that can exceed 20W, but they are generally on par with Apple's chargers.

Power banks are also limited to 20W.

As well as portable power stations. Overall, they are all at the 20W level, and there are no issues with compatibility.

Wireless Charging Test

It's worth noting that the iPhone 15 series, in addition to supporting the existing MagSafe charging, also supports the Qi2 wireless charging standard.

When charging the iPhone 15 Pro with the Apple MagSafe Charger, the power at the phone end is about 15W.

However, when using chargers that only support the Qi standard, the charging power is limited to 7.5W. When Qi2 wireless chargers hit the market, we'll be able to enjoy the same 15W fast charging experience as MagSafe at a lower price. Stay tuned for that!

Reverse Charging Test

The iPhone 15 series has introduced reverse charging feature, allowing it to charge several devices.

As you can see, using the Apple Watch's own cable, it can provide Apple Watch Ultra with power at 5.17V 0.4A or 2.06W. And it can also charge your wireless earbuds.

Furthermore, it can even provide power of nearly 5W to your friends' iPhones or Android phones, which is pretty impressive. In fact, we've made a dedicated video for this exciting new feature, and you can watch it by clicking here.

Full Charging Test

Next, we'll use the Apple 35W dual USB-C traditional power adapter to fully charge the iPhone 15 Pro.

The voltage is around 9V at first, and the charging curve can be divided into five parts. In the first part, the peak power stayed at 20.5W for the first 20 mins. Then, the power gradually drops to 16W, 11W, and 6.5W in turn. Meanwhile, the voltage dropped to 5V at 48 mins. The final part begins at one hour and 5 mins, the power slowly drops to almost zero. It takes one hour and 36 mins to be fully charged.

We also turn it into another curve. The charger can charge the iPhone 15 Pro to 50% in 22 mins. And it can reach 80% in 48 mins, 100% in one hour and 36 mins. It is 19 mins faster than the iPhone 15 Pro Max due to battery capacity.

Temperature Test

We also put the iPhone 15 Pro into a 25°C (77℉) thermotank throughout the test, and recorded the highest temperatures on the front and back at three different time points.

After 10 minutes of charging, the thermal imaging camera shows the highest temperature on the front is 33.3°C (91.94°F).

The back is a little bit higher at 34.5°C (94.1°F).

After 30 minutes, the highest temperature on the front increased slightly to 34.2°C (93.56°F).

The back is 35.5°C (102.02°F).

Just like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, after 60 minutes, the highest temperature on the front dropped to 29.8°C (85.64°F).

The back is 29.4°C (84.92°F).

From this bar graph, the highest temperature is about 35.5°C (102.02°F) on the back at 30 mins. According to the full charging test, the phone was in fast charging mode at that time. After charging for 60 minutes and switching to trickle charging mode, as the voltage and power decrease, so does the temperature.

Summary of ChargerLAB

In summary, the iPhone 15 Pro has reduced its full charging time by a few mins compared to the previous generation, and its compatibility remains excellent as always. But its maximum charging power has decreased by a few watts. However, the new USB-C port makes charging and data transfer more convenient. It also enhances the compatibility of third-party chargers, cables, and docks, extending their lifespan.

Charging Review of Apple iPhone 15 Pro