Pro models offer a range of features, but they’re not for everyone. Is the iPhone 15 Pro worth it for you, or should you settle for the standard iPhone 15? Let’s see the differences between the two.
Differences at a glance
IPhone 15
Price: £699.99 for sale or £21.28 to lease
- Thin, light design
- Apple A16 bionic chip
- Cameras for FaceTime video calling
- 6.1″ super retina XDR OLED multi-touch display
- Ceramic shield front (x4 better drop performance)
- Face ID
- 48MP dual camera system: telephoto, wide, ultra wide
- MagSafe compatible
- USB C
- 60Hz refresh rate
- Over 65,000 available apps from the App Store
iPhone 15 Pro
Price: Starting at £949.99 for sale or £29.46 to lease
- Thin, light design
- Apple A17 Pro chip for faster graphics
- Cameras for FaceTime video calling
- 6.1″ super retina XDR OLED multi-touch display
- Ceramic Shield Front (x4 better drop performance)
- Face ID
- 48MP triple camera system: telephoto, wide, ultra wide
- MagSafe Compatible
- USB C; slightly faster charging and x20 faster USB transfer speed (needs a separately-bought cable)
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Action button
- Over 65,000 available apps from the App Store
Camera
The camera is one of the main reasons you might want to upgrade to a Pro model. The standard model just doesn’t match the Pro’s 3x zoom camera and higher quality shots. The Pro also has a portrait version of Night Mode, macro photography, and Apple ProRAW (giving you more editing options).
So whether you’re an aspiring photographer, or just like to capture memories on the go, the Pro’s camera is a big plus. However, let’s be honest: for an average user, the standard iPhone 15 might be just fine. In fact, most people won’t tell the difference between some Pro and non-Pro shots. It’s also worth saying that video capturing quality of the two phones is almost the same. The Pro can basically just zoom in better.
Display and design
Both the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro have a 6.1-inch display. However, the Pro has slimmer bezels, making it just a little more narrow. Otherwise, the phones’ resolutions and colors are almost the same. Their displays are bright, and FaceID is available.
But there’s one big difference: the iPhone 15’s screen has a 60 Hz refresh rate, while the Pro’s refresh rate is as high as 120 Hz. This makes using the phone a smoother, more seamless experience. It also has ProMotion. This feature automatically adjusts the display refresh rate as needed. Thus, it provides a more efficient and optimised experience.
Additionally, the Pro has an AlwaysOn display. This feature allows it to show notifications and information without having to wake the screen. This feature can be convenient for quickly checking the time or messages without unlocking the phone.
The next selling point of the new Pro is its material. The iPhone 15 is made of aluminum and comes in a variety of pretty colours. Although it’s lighter than the Pro, it’s more prone to damage.
The new Pro is mostly made of titanium, making it lighter than previous Pro models, and only a little heavier than the iPhone 15. The titanium also makes it easier to keep the phone in tact, without dents and with fewer fingerprints. However, the Pro’s colors are more muted because of the material. This may be worth it for you if you want quality over flashiness.
Additionally, it should be noted that the Pro’s speakers sound slightly better.
USB-C port
Taking a step towards a more user-friendly future, both the iPhone 15 and the Pro now have a USB-C port. This makes things easier, as USB-C ports are most common.
The Pro’s port makes transferring speeds a lot faster. Instead of 0.5 GBPS, they go up to as much as 10 GBPS. but there’s a catch: you need to buy a better cable separately. The cable that comes with the phone doesn’t allow for these fast speeds.
The action button
Instead of iPhone 15’s mute button, the Pro has a versatile action button, which you can use for a number of things. The Pro’s action button can be set to:
- Mute
- Camera
- An app
You can only pick one function for the action button, however. So if you change it from the default mute function to something else, you can no longer use a button to mute the phone. But you can still easily mute the phone by swiping down and accessing the Control Centre.
Performance
While the iPhone 15 has the A16 bionic chip, the Pro comes with the cutting-edge A17 chip and with hardware-accelerated ray tracing. This makes it a “game changer” for gamers (pun intended), as popular games will be available on the Pro. It’s also suitable for a variety of other demanding tasks. But don’t get us wrong, the iPhone 15 is still a fast phone that won’t disappoint the average user. The Pro is just even better.
The Pro is also higher in RAM. While the iPhone 15 offer 6GB of RAM, the Pro offers 8 GB. This won’t make much difference in your day to day life, but is a perk nevertheless, and could make a difference in the future.
Go Pro or No?
Ultimately, whether you decide to go pro or not depends on whether it’s worth it for you to pay up for extra features. Those include a better camera, performance, and display. You can also transfer data faster on the Pro (with a separately-bought cable), and use the action button for a more seamless experience.
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