After 1 month: is the iPhone 15 pro worth it?

I've now been using my iPhone 15 pro for about one month. Before this I used an iPhone 12 mini. 

In short: I'm happy with the upgrade, but is so big.

The size

If you are a small guy with small hands like me the iPhone 15 pro (I'm not even talking about the "Max" or "Ultra" models here) is quite big. 

Not so big that it looks like an iPad mini, but big nonetheless. Is it too big? Well, no. It still fits in my pants and jackets pockets so it's doable. 

Also the weight is quite noticeable. My 12 mini was basically invisible and I would regularly lose the phone when it slid out of my pockets. The 15 pro is so noticeably present that when it isn't there, I notice it. 

The camera

When I described the M1 SOC I called it alien technology. I would say that the camera on the iPhone 15 pro is similarly so very good that it looks like a thing out of a sci-fi movie. 

The zoom lens is only 2x (or 77mm in full frame jargon)  but then it zooms further and allows me to get something 15x closer in my view by using the new 48 megapixel CCD. 

This combination makes the camera useful for filming and photographing birds up close from a non disturbing distance. I love it.  

The stabilizer is also very good so when I do zoom in the videos and photos are not blurry. 

On a recent trip up the Ardenne mountains, a friend and I both made photos of some friends who stayed behind in the valley below. Of course his 200mm lens on a Panasonic APS-C body made a better quality photo. But not much better. 

The best camera is the one you have with you. And your iPhone is usually in reach. 

The battery 

The only real reason my iPhone 12 mini was no longer good enough for me was the fact that from day one the battery life wasn't good enough. 

So what changed after 3 years? Well, the 12 mini's lightning port stopped working, which means I can't use a power bank to charge it on the go anymore. 

Since I was in the market for a replacement (getting the lightning port fixed would not solve the too small battery) I looked for a pro model. 

My mum was unhappy about empty batteries too and has been a happy 11 pro user for a while now. I wanted the pro model for the battery life. 

So, how good is it? Well, I've not charged my phone since this morning 06:15 am. It's now 23:03 pm and my battery is at 24%. 

In other words: it was a long day and after reading, navigating and downloading and listening to podcasts, my battery is still full enough. I'm happy with the iPhone 15 pro's battery as it is. 

Conclusion 

I've not even talked about the new A17 chip. It's fast. But, really, my iPhone 12 mini was still fast too, so really I don't notice it being faster at all.

But the camera with optic zoom is a big upgrade and the battery that actually lasts longer than I do is a big plus for me as well. 

But truth be told: possibly the normal iPhone 15 would get me a similar battery life? I don't know and now that I own this model, I don't want to know.