APPLE EVENT RECAP PT.1: Everything you need to know about the iPhone 15 and 15 Pros!
Posted by Tehillah Mwakalombe on 14th Sep 2023
On the 12th at the Apple released the latest installment of iPhones paired with updates to the Apple Watch. On last year's models, the new Dynamic Island was a main difference between the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, but this feature has now come down to the regular iPhone 15, leaving the entire iPhone 15 line notchless.
However, there are still many other important differences to consider when deciding between the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro. In this blog well look at all the differences!
Display and Body
Both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro have the same size screen, a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with a 2,556x1,179-pixel resolution and the Pro Max has 6.7 inch screen and 1290 x 2796 pixels. However, The Pro's display features ProMotion technology, which is Apple's way of saying it has a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. Which leads to smoother motion in videos, games and just scrolling through web pages compared with the standard 60Hz refresh rate of the iPhone 15. When you aren't watching YouTube or gaming on your phone, the Pro will lower the refresh rate to conserve battery life.
The iPhone 15 Pro also has an always-on display that keeps it on and dimmed when charging so you can use StandBy mode. You don't get an always-on display with the iPhone 15.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro are made from different materials. The iPhone 15 has an aluminum enclosure with a color-infused glass back, and the iPhone 15 Pro is made from titanium with a textured matte glass back. More colorful options are available for the iPhone 15, where you can get it in pink, soft yellow, light green, pale blue or black. The iPhone 15 Pro is available in more standard colors: black, white, dark blue and natural titanium that looks beige.
One last difference between the two is the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro. It replaces the mute switch that's still on the side of the iPhone 15. By default, a long press on the Action button will mute and unmute, but you can customize it to do a number of shortcuts like turning on the flashlight, recording a voice memo or opening the camera app and snapping a photo.
Cameras
As with previous iPhone lines, the iPhone 15 has two cameras on the back, and the iPhone 15 Pro has three. You get a 48-megapixel wide lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens with either model, and the iPhone 15 Pro adds a 12-megapixel telephoto lens that has a 3x optical zoom that lets you get closer to your subject.
Both models have night mode, but only the iPhone 15 Pro lets you take night mode shots in portrait mode.
Processors
The iPhone 15 has an A16 Bionic chip, while the iPhone 15 Pro has an A17 Pro chip. each processor is a six-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores. The iPhone 15 Pro is for graphics and gaming because the A17 Pro Bionic processor has a six-core GPU to the A16 Bionic's five-core GPU.
Both models are available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities, and the iPhone 15 Pro offers a 1TB option.
USB-C charging speeds
The new models have introduced the ISB C Charging, but only the iPhone 15 Pro supports the faster 10Gbps speeds of USB 3. You'll need to supply your own USB-C 3 cable for a 15 Pro since Apple ships a USB 2 cable with both phones, but the iPhone 15 supports only USB 2 speeds of 480Mbps.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Pro/ Pro Max | |
| Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness | 6.1-inch OLED; 2,556x1,179 pixels, 60Hz refresh rate, 1,000 nits | 6.1-inch OLED; 2,556x1,179 pixels, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 1,000 nits : 6.7 inch screen with 1290 x 2796 pixels |
| Enclosure material | Aluminum with color-infused glass back | Titanium with textured matte glass back |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 71.6 x 147.6 x 7.8 mm | 70.6 x 146.6 x 8.25 mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 171 g (6.02 oz.) | 187 g (6.6 oz.) |
| Mobile software | iOS 17 | iOS 17 |
| Back Camera | 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) | 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel telephoto (3x optical) |
| Front camera | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Video | 4K | 4K |
| Processor | A16 Bionic | A17 Pro |
| RAM/storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Battery/charging speeds | Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 20 hours of video playback (16 hours streamed) | Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 23 hours of video playback (20 hours streamed) |
| Connector | USB-C (USB 2.0) | USB-C (USB 3.0) |
| Side button/switch | Mute switch | Action button |
| Special features | 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, MagSafe (up to 15W), Qi wireless charging to 7.5W, Dynamic Island | 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, MagSafe (up to 15W), Qi wireless charging to 7.5W, Dynamic Island, 3x optical zoom |
| US price off-contract | $799 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB) | $999 (128GB, $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB) |