iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro have landed as Apple’s latest and greatest devices. While the iPhone 15 Pro is naturally more feature-rich and powerful, it may be overkill for many. And the iPhone 15 has gained pro features of its own this year like the Dynamic Island, 48MP main camera, and more. Follow along for a deep dive into the iPhone 15 vs 15 Pro and advice on which to buy.
Table of contents
iPhone 15 vs 15 Pro
Screen sizes and design
The iPhone 14 lineup was the first time Apple launched the exact same display sizes across the standard Pro devices. That continues for the iPhone 15 lineup with 6.1 inches for the 15 and 15 Pro displays and 6.7-inches for the 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max.
A big change for the more affordable 15 and 15 Plus this time around is getting the Dynamic Island which was a Pro exclusive. And the screen brightness is now the same across all iPhone 15 models.
However, the 15 Pro and Pro Max still keep exclusivity for Always-On and ProMotion. Here’s the full look at the display specs for iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro:
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
| Size | 6.1-inches | 6.7-inches | 6.1-inches | 6.7-inches |
| Resolution | 2556 x 1179 pixels | 2796 x 1290 pixels | 2556 x 1179 pixels | 2796 x 1290 pixels |
| PPI | 460 ppi | 460 ppi | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Super Retina XDR OLED | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dynamic Island | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| ProMotion – adaptive refresh up to 120Hz | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Always-On display | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Typical brightness | 1000 nits max | 1000 nits max | 1000 nits max | 1000 nits max |
| HDR brightness | 1600 nits max | 1600 nits max | 1600 nits max | 1600 nits max |
| Outdoor brightness | 2000 nits max | 2000 nits max | 2000 nits max | 2000 nits max |
| True Tone | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Haptic Touch | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Wide color (P3) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
While the displays have reached parity for the iPhone 15 lineup when it comes to specs like resolution and brightness, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max do have slimmer bezels.
Size, weight, design
Overall, the design of iPhone 15 and 15 Pro remains very similar to the 14 and 14 Pro, but Apple has given the 15 lineup more rounded edges for a more comfortable feel.
And for the first time, Apple has used titanium for iPhone with the 15 Pro and Pro Max. That means new brushed finishes, high strength and durability, and lighter devices too.
The other major update for the 15 Pro and Pro Max is the change of the side switch to the new Action Button that offers customization.
- Here’s what you can do with the iPhone 15 Pro Action button
- Hands-on: iPhone 15 Pro’s new design, Action button, and more [Video]
For size, weight, and materials, here’s iPhone 15 vs 15 Pro:
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
| Height | 5.81-inches (147.6 mm) | 6.33-inches (160.9 mm) |
5.77-inches (146.6 mm) | 6.29-inches (159.9 mm) |
| Width | 2.82-inches (71.6 mm) |
3.06-inches (77.8 mm) | 2.78-inches (70.6 mm) | 3.02-inches (76.7 mm) |
| Thickness | 0.31-inches (7.80 mm) | 0.31-inches (7.80 mm) |
0.32-inches (8.25 mm) |
0.32-inches (8.25 mm) |
| Weight | 6.02-ounces (171 grams) |
7.09-ounces (201 grams) |
6.60-ounces (187 grams) |
7.81-ounces (221 grams) |
| Durability | IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes | IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes | IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes | IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes |
| Ceramic Shield front | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Back material | Color-infused glass | Color-infused glass | Textured matte glass | Textured matte glass |
| Edges | Aerospace-grade Aluminum | Aerospace-grade Aluminum | Aerospace-grade Titanium | Aerospace-grade Titanium |
Because the 15 Pro and Pro Max have slimmer bezels than the 15 and 15 Plus, the Pro models are ever-so-slightly more compact.
Of course, the new iPhones also come in new colors, we’ll get into that in detail below. Here are some great case options for the iPhone 15 devices:
- Apple’s new FineWoven cases
- Nomad leather and sport cases
- Mujjo leather cases
- Speck clear and hardshell cases
- ZAGG clear and hardshell cases
- OtterBox clear and hardshell cases
Performance – A17 Pro vs A16 Bionic
This marks the second year that Apple is putting the latest A-series chip in the Pro models and giving last year’s chip to the standard models.
Year-over-year performance improvements are becoming more minor but Apple says the A17 Pro is the “fastest mobile CPU.”
Here’s a breakdown of the iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro chip specs:
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
| SoC | A16 Bionic | A16 Bionic | A17 Pro | A17 Pro |
| CPU | 6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency | 6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency | 6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency | 6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency |
| GPU | 5-core | 5-core | 6-core | 6-core |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 16-core | 16-core | 16-core |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB | 8GB | 8GB |
In real-world use, both the A16 Bionic and A17 Pro are more than powerful enough for almost everyone. But here are a couple more A17 Pro stats:
- Up to 20% faster GPU than A16 Bionic (with AV1 decoding, Pro Display engine, ProRes codec, hardware-accelerated ray tracing)
- Up to 10% faster high-performance CPU cores than A16 Bionic
- Up to 2x faster neural engine
- Capable of 35 trillion operations per second
And game developers like CAPCOM say the new A17 Pro GPU has made it possible for console-exclusive games like Resident Evil 4 to come to iPhone.
Battery life
When it comes to battery life, the iPhone 15 lineup has the same ratings as the iPhone 14 devices. We’ll have to wait and see how real-world results compare but here are Apple’s ratings for video and audio playback:
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
| Video playback | 20 hours | 26 hours | 23 hours | 29 hours |
| Audio playback | 80 hours | 100 hours | 75 hours | 95 hours |
For how that compares to iPhone 13 and 12 and more details, check out our full post on iPhone 15 battery life:
Cameras
Rear cameras
Some of the main new features Apple highlighted for the iPhone 15, and specifically the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the new camera system capabilities.
All the iPhone 15 devices come with a 48MP main rear camera, next-gen portrait with Focus and Depth Control, Smart HDR 5, and more.
But the 15 Pro and Pro Max stand out with the most powerful camera systems. And in a change this year, the 15 Pro Max gets the most capable camera with the telephoto lens getting a 5x optical zoom (3x for 15 Pro like the 14 Pro).
The 15 Pro and Pro Max main cameras also have more powerful sensors even though all iPhone 15 devices have 48MP sensors. And all the new models support shooting 24 and 48MP “super-high-resolution photos.”
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
| Main lens | 48MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture | 48MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture | 48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture | 48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture |
| Main lens sensor | 2 µm quad pixel | 2 µm quad pixel | 2.44 µm quad pixel | 2.44 µm quad pixel |
| Main lens focal length | 26 mm | 26 mm | 24, 28, 35 mm | 24, 28, 35 mm |
| Ultra Wide lens | 12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture |
| Telephoto lens | ❌ | ❌ | 12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture |
| Stabilization | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization | 2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization | 2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization |
| Optical zoom | 0.5x, 1x, and 2x | 0.5x, 1x, and 2x | 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x | 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x |
| Up to 10x | Up to 10x | Up to 15x | Up to 25x | |
| Flash | True Tone flash | True Tone flash | Adaptive True Tone Flash | Adaptive True Tone Flash |
| Photonic Engine | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Deep Fusion | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Smart HDR 5 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Portrait Lighting with six effects | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Night mode | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Night mode portraits | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Photographic Styles | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Macro photography | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Apple ProRAW | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
More new features for the Pro models include the option to quickly change (and set a default) for different focal lengths for the main camera – 24, 28, and 35 mm.
And capabilities like macro photography and Apple ProRAW support remain exclusive for the Pro models.
Video recording
While improvements in still photography are more plentiful, there are some improvements in videography for the iPhone 15 Pro devices.
USB-C 3 support on the Pro models means the ability to shoot ProRes directly to external drives – now at 4K60.
And there’s now support for the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) plus the ability to capture Spatial video that can be viewed on Apple Vision Pro.
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
| 4K recording | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps |
| 1080p recording | ✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps |
| Cinematic mode | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps |
| Action mode | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| HDR/Dolby Vision recording | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps |
| ProRes recording | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording |
| Log video recording | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Academy Color Encoding System | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Macro video recording | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Spatial video recording | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Slo-mo recording | ✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps | ✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps | ✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps | ✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps |
| Time-lapse with stabilization | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Night mode Time-lapse | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| QuickTake video | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Stabilization | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video | 2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video | 2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video |
| Audio zoom | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Stereo recording | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Selfie camera
Apple’s TrueDepth front camera on the iPhone 15 devices gets a range of upgrades found on the main rear camera. Really the only feature missing from the iPhone 15 is ProRes support.
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
| TrueDepth front camera | 12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture |
| Retina Flash | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Photonic Engine | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Deep Fusion | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Smart HDR 5 for photos | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Portrait Lighting with six effects | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Animoji and Memoji | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Night mode | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Photographic Styles | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| 4K recording | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps |
| Cinematic mode | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps |
| HDR/Dolby Vision recording | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps |
| ProRes recording | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording |
| Slo-mo recording | ✅ –1080p at 120 fps | ✅ –1080p at 120 fps | ✅ –1080p at 120 fps | ✅ –1080p at 120 fps |
| QuickTake video | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cinematic video stabilization | ✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p | ✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p | ✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p | ✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p |
iPhone 15 vs 15 Pro I/O
The major change for iPhone 15 I/O is the switch from Lightning to USB-C. All four models feature the universal connector, but the Pro and Pro Max offer much faster transfer speeds with USB 3 support at up to 10Gbps.
USB 3 on the Pro models enables some neat new capabilities like shooting video straight to an external SSD and more.
More differences with the iPhone 15 vs 15 Pro include WiFi and Thread.
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
| USB-C | ✅ – USB 2 up to 480Mbps | ✅ – USB 2 up to 480Mbps | ✅ – USB 3 up to 10Gbps | ✅ – USB 3 up to 10Gbps |
| WiFi | 6 | 6 | 6E | 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| UWB Gen 2 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| NFC with reader mode | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Thread | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cellular | GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA | GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA | GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA | GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA |
| 5G | Sub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO | Sub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO | Sub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO | Sub-6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou | Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC) | Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC) |
| Audio playback | Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos | Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos | Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos | Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos |
| Video playback | HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG | HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG | HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG | HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG |
| SIM | Dual eSIM in US – physical included for most other countries | Dual eSIM in US – physical included for most other countries | Dual eSIM in US – physical included for most other countries | Dual eSIM in US – physical included for most other countries |
| MagSafe | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Qi and Qi2 | Yes and yes? | Yes and yes? | Yes and yes? | Yes and yes? |
On the question of whether the new iPhone 15 devices will support Qi2, Apple is saying yes but it’s a bit confusing:
iPhone 15 vs 15 Pro colors
iPhone 15 and 15 Plus come in these five colors:
- Black
- Blue
- Green
- Yellow
- Pink
And iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are available in:
- Natural titanium
- Blue titanium
- White titanium
- Black titanium
Storage and pricing
iPhone 15/15 Plus comes in these storage options:
- 128GB – $799 / $899
- 256GB – $899 / $999
- 512GB – $1,099 / $1,199
iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max comes in:
- 128GB – $999 (only 15 Pro available in 128GB)
- 256GB – $1,099 / $1,199
- 512GB – $1,299 / $1,399
- 1TB – $1,499 / $1,599
What’s in the box?
All of the iPhone 15 devices just come with the iPhone and a USB-C cable in the box.
If you need a power adapter, go with at least a 20W so you get fast charging for your iPhone. Good options include:
- Anker 20W Nano Pro (super compact)
- Nomad 20W power adapter (black finish and compact)
- Apple’s official 20W adapter
iPhone 15 vs 15 Pro: Which should you buy?
All of the new iPhones are powerful and capable devices, but which one is best for you will come down to how you want to use your iPhone and what features you see as meaningful.
Reasons to buy iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max
- Most powerful and capable cameras for photos and video
- Titanium build with very slim bezels
- USB-C with 10Gbps speeds, WiFi 6E support
- Fastest chip, most powerful GPU for mobile gaming
- Always-On display and ProMotion refresh rates up to 120Hz
- Storage up to 1TB
Reasons to buy iPhone 15 or 15 Plus Pro
- If the six features above aren’t compelling for you, save some money and grab the iPhone 15, which includes great new cameras, USB-C, the Dynamic Island, A16 chip, and more
- And if USB-C isn’t that important to you, you could also consider grabbing an iPhone 14 Pro or 14 if you currently have an iPhone 13 or older (14 Pro is no longer available at Apple, but can be found elsewhere)
Pre-orders for the iPhone 15 lineup start at Apple, carriers, and other retailers on September 15 at 5 am PT / 8 am ET.
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