On Tuesday at its Wonderlust event, Apple unveiled the latest batch of iPhones alongside updates to the Apple Watch. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are here, and you may soon be facing a decision of whether to shell the extra money for a Pro model.
On last year’s models, the new Dynamic Island was one differentiator between the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, but this feature has trickled down to the regular iPhone 15, leaving the entire iPhone 15 notchless. Still, there are important differences to consider when deciding between the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro. Let’s get to it.
More from the Apple event
iPhone 15 vs. 15 Pro: Display and Enclosure
Both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro feature the same sized screen — a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with a 2,556-by-1,179-pixel resolution. The Pro’s display, however, features ProMotion technology, which is Apple’s way of saying it has a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. It should result in smoother motion in videos, games and just scrolling through web pages compared with the fixed 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 new iPhone 15 Pro titanium colors, from left to right: Black, white, blue and natural.
In terms of overall size, the iPhone 15 is ever-so-slightly larger but lighter than the iPhone 15 Pro. Titanium is lighter than aluminum, but the iPhone 15 Pro weighs more than the iPhone 15 in large part because it has a third camera. The iPhone 15 weighs 6.02 ounces (171 grams), and the iPhone 15 Pro weighs 6.6 ounces (187 grams). The iPhone 15 Pro has ultra thin bezels and shaves a millimeter off the width and height of the iPhone 15’s dimensions while also being a fraction of a millimeter thinner.
One last difference between the two enclosures is the introduction of 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 trigger a number of shortcuts like turning on the flashlight, recording a voice memo or opening the camera app and snapping a photo.
The iPhone 15 Pro nets you a third camera.
iPhone 15 vs. 15 Pro: Components
Inside, the iPhone 15 has an A16 Bionic chip, and the iPhone 15 Pro has an A17 Pro chip. Both models ought to be plenty fast; each processor is a six-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores. The iPhone 15 Pro is better suited for graphics and gaming; 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 has arrived with the iPhone 15.
iPhone 15 vs. 15 Pro: Price
Finally, we arrive at the difference in price. No surprises here — as in past years, Apple charges an extra $200 for the iPhone 15 Pro compared with the iPhone 15. The iPhone 15 starts at $799, £799 and AU$1,499, while the iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, £999 and AU$1,849.
Apple iPhone 15 vs. Apple iPhone 15 Pro
