The iPhone 15 Pro is the latest Pro iPhone you can buy. But if you already have the iPhone 14 Pro, do you really need to upgrade? Let’s find out.
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro might look like an aesthetics-heavy upgrade to the iPhone 14 Pro, given the spotlight on its titanium build, but it also makes a ton of changes inside that can sway the appeal for power users. There’s a new 3nm chip inside, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for communication with nearby devices, and a healthy bunch of software-side improvements to the camera system.
The latest Apple flagship is smaller and lighter, but surprisingly, it doesn’t demand the customary generation-over-generation price hike. If you’ve been eyeing the iPhone 15 Pro but aren’t sure if it’s really worth an upgrade over your year-old iPhone 14 Pro, here’s everything you need to know.iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro: specsiPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro: design and display
The most obvious change that Apple has to offer with the iPhone 15 Pro is a brushed titanium build that replaces the sharp stainless steel edges of its predecessor. The new phone offers subtle rounded edges that are more comfortable to hold, a welcome change, as the iPhone 14 Pro’s sharp sides really dig into the palm. Interestingly, Apple has also managed to trim the dimensions of the iPhone 15 Pro on all sides without reducing the screen size. Moreover, the weight has also been reduced to 187 grams, down from the iPhone 14 Pro’s heft of 206 grams.
But it’s the brushed titanium frame that really catches the attention. Titanium’s combination of material qualities has enabled Apple to create the borders on its new, top-of-the-line iPhone series that are thinner than ever before, all without compromising the phone’s structural integrity. Beneath the surface, there is a “substructure” crafted entirely from 100% recycled aluminum.
Apple explains that the strategic use of both titanium and aluminum allowed the team to achieve a delicate design balance. While titanium provides enhanced strength and durability at reduced weights, aluminum is employed to effectively regulate heat and facilitate the replacement of the back glass panel, if and when necessary.
The slimmer borders have enabled Apple to decrease the dimensions of the iPhone 15 Pro without the necessity of reducing the size of the display. The reimagined enclosure utilizes Grade 5 titanium, an alloy that is superior to pure titanium when it comes to raw tensile strength.
As far as the display goes, well, nothing has changed. Both the phones offer a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The resolution figures are 2556 x 1179 pixels, which translates to a pixel density of 460 ppi, while the peak outdoor brightness maxes out at 2,000 nits. Even though the display tech hasn’t seen any upgrades, it’s still one of the best panels out there and also happens to be among the sturdiest, thanks to the Ceramic Shield layer.iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro: performance and battery
The iPhone 15 Pro has a slightly larger battery than the iPhone 14 Pro, but it’s such a small increase that it doesn’t add much. You’ll get about a day out of a single charge on either phone, with heavier days likely needing a top-up to make sure it makes it to the bedside table for a recharge.
The processor is one area where the iPhone 15 Pro leapfrogs not just its predecessor but also the entire smartphone industry. The new A17 Pro silicon is the first system-on-a-chip based on the 3nm fabrication process. It packs the same number of CPU cores as the A16 (two performance and four efficiency cores), but it boosts the number of graphics cores to six. Apple says the A17 Pro offers a 10% enhancement in processing firepower, while the 16-core Neural Engine is said to be twice as fast at handling AI and Machine Learning-related tasks.
