They release a new iPhone every year, and every year we ask ourselves — is it worth the upgrade? But this year, the dialogue has a slightly different feel. There is more to the newest iPhone than faster chips and shinier cameras. For a change, it’s seriously targeted at something we all pursue every day: doing more, with less effort.
For most people who are busy balancing work, life, emails, calls, and the rest, this iPhone could very well be your new secret weapon. In this post, I’m going to walk you through how, exactly, it increases productivity.
Two cool accessories to make productivity easier and more fun.
And 3 practical ideas for making sure this tiny computer is your favourite productivity tool yet.
A Phone That’s Really Built for Work
Let’s face it: most of us are past the point of buying an iPhone solely for its camera or flashy new colours. Instead, we need something that can keep pace with our lives and work as they actually are: juggling Slack messages, calendar invites, Zoom calls, perfunctory notes, grocery lists and the errant free moment.
The greatest strength of the new iPhone? Its brain.
Apple’s new A17 Pro chip hums under the hood, and really, it’s a beast. Apps open instantly. Alternating between a spreadsheet and an email draft is instantaneous. Even heavier apps — video editors, cloud-based project tools, complex design apps — the quality is buttery smooth.
What’s more, Apple has done something intelligent with multitasking. Split View, Slide Over and picture-in-picture are actually useful now. You can read a document while on a video call, or easily browse a set of files while writing an email — no jumping back and forth between apps as if they were a game of digital ping-pong.
It’s the sort of thing that might not sound like a big deal, until you give it a shot. And then you wonder how you ever managed life without it.
Little Touches, Large Effect
Some of the most impressive productivity gains are not achieved through flashy features, but through dozens of small touches that save you seconds — seconds that actually accumulate throughout the day.
Take Live Text for example. Take a photo of a handwritten note, a page in a book, or even restaurant menus while abroad and copy that text into another app, paste that text directly into another app, or keep it in thes photo to translate it. It’s absurdly useful.
And then there is Focus Mode — Apple’s ingenious method to help you keep distractions at bay. You can set up custom profiles for work, meetings or just for your own personal time. No more getting interrupted with Instagram notifications while you’re trying to read a contract.
And Visual Lookup? It’s a little bit like having a personal mini research assistant in your pocket. Take a photo of a product, plant, pet or document and get instant information or links without having to search by hand.
The Battery That Keeps Up
If your phone is going to function as your mobile office, it had better make it through the day. The new iPhone’s stamina is noticeably better. Apple says it gets up to 20 hours of video playback, but between real-world email, calls, doc editing, calendar apps, notes, you can easily stay out for the full workday without some kind of workday charged without having to frantically search for a charger at around 3 p.m.
And if you want to go full road warrior? Combine it with the it with the MagSafe Battery Pack, and it’s a configuration that will power through a cross-country flight or a full day of back-to-back meetings without a problem.
Accessories That Elevate Your Productiveness
Let’s face it: Most iPhones are only as good as the things you pair them with. Here are some key add-ons that turn the iPhone from a high-end phone into a full productivity center:
Apple Vision Pro (Smart Glasses)
According to some rumors, we may soon see a new head-worn device from Apple like the glasses, resembling Google Glass.
Not inexpensive — not by a long shot — but nothing says futuristic productivity quite like being able to pull up multiple screens, apps and data directly in your field of view while you work hands-free.
Belkin 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Dock
Power up your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch in one spot. It helps you keep your desk neat and clean, your devices charged and everything ready for tomorrow.
👉 Belkin BoostCharge Pro — £149
Satechi Multi-Port Adapter V2
Great for those times when you turn your iPhone into a mini workstation, external monitors or file transfers. This small dock is giving you HDMI, USB-C, Ethernet, SD card slots — the works.
Nomad Universal Cable
One cable to rule them all. Featuring swappable connectors for Lightning, USB-C and USB-A, this burly cable spares you from always searching for the right wire for your phone.
👉 Nomad Universal Cable — £39 nomad
Forget about buying a charger and a cable: the Nomad Universal Cable delivers fast, efficient charging across a wide range of devices.
Example: A Day in the Life
OK, let’s paint a picture that’s not pure make-believe.
You wake up to — thanks to Focus Mode, you don’t even need an alarm clock, just the ambient lighting of your HomeKit system as Focus Mode rouses you. You check your widgets for a brief overview of today’s schedule and emails.
Hop on a video call with Continuity Camera, which provides your iPhone as a high-quality webcam for your Mac. Postcall, you dictate meeting notes, via a Voice Memos recording with instant transcription, in the same project-management app using Shortcuts.
Throughout the day, you pull up files, scan business cards with Live Text, chat with your international clients on WhatsApp using crystal-clear Spatial Audio, and edit Google Docs side by side while responding to Slack.
You get to the end of the day never once feeling as if your phone got in your way — because, for the most part, it didn’t.
Compared To Last Year? It’s Actually Worth It
| Feature | iPhone 14 Pro Max | New iPhone 15 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | A16 Bionic | A17 Pro |
| RAM | 6GB | 8GB |
| Display | 1,000 nits | 1,600 nits HDR |
| Battery Life | 18 hours of video | 20 hours of video |
| USB | Lightning | USB‑C finally! |
| Features | Productivity Limited | full multitasking |
Yes, for once, it isn’t just marketing fluff.
Conclusion
If you’re actually working from your phone, this is the iPhone to have. It is more than just a phone — it’s an assistant, a work station, a notepad, a translator, a camera crew.
When properly accessorized and turbocharged with a few nifty workflows, it can truly substitute for half the gadgets you used to schlep and make it easier to work fast, efficiently and with less stress.
Quick FAQs
Is the iPhone good for work?
Totally — designed for multi-tasking, real work apps, dealing with documents and open ecosystem to Mac/iPad.
Do you want all those accessories?
Not at all, but it’s even better with a pair or two.
Is this truly all-day battery life?
In normal mixed use: yes. Some power users may still want to use a Magsafe pack for really heavy days.
Key Takeaways
- Multitasking on the A17 chip is actually smooth.
- Focus Modes and Live Text save astonishing amounts of time.
- It has the battery life and USB‑C that finally make sense for work purposes.
- The setup is rounded out by accessories such as Satechi hubs or MagSafe chargers.
- It’s one of the few iPhones that is something more than just a camera refresh.
Already working from the new iPhone? I want to know your own hacks! And if you liked this guide, pass it along to anyone in your life you think is mulling the upgrade!
Click Here to read: Strange Ways Your Monitor Can Impact Focus, Health and Productivity
