Apple is all but certain to debut its iPhone 15 line in September this year, with three devices – the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra – waiting in the wings for the 2023 edition of the company’s annual iPhone reveal event.
These three successors to Apple’s iPhone 14 line will inevitably prove some of the best iPhones ever made, each offering features that trump their respective predecessors and maintaining Apple’s status as mobile manufacturer supreme.
Since the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra (which may yet be called the iPhone 15 Pro Max) haven’t been officially revealed yet, we can only speculate as to the specs and features boasted by each model – but in this article, we compare everything we’ve heard about the iPhone 15 Pro so far with what we already know about the excellent iPhone 14 Pro.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro: Specs comparison
Again, it’s worth clarifying that none of the below iPhone 15 Pro specs have been confirmed by Apple, but we think we’ve heard enough rumors in each category to speculate (with confidence) about the 15 Pro’s camera, display and processor credentials.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro: Price and availability
Based on Apple’s previous iPhone release strategies, we can make an educated guess as to when the iPhone 15 Pro will land – and how much it’ll cost versus the iPhone 14 Pro. The latter was officially unveiled on September 7, 2022 before going on sale – alongside the vanilla iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro Max – over a week later on September 16. Incidentally, the iPhone 14 Plus hit shelves the following month, on October 7.
Apple generally picks the first or second week of September for its annual iPhone launches, with the company typically opting for a Tuesday or Wednesday. We therefore expect the iPhone 15 Pro to be revealed on September 5, 6, 12 or 13 this year, before going on sale around a week later.
In terms of price, we expect the iPhone 15 Pro to match the iPhone 14 Pro, which starts at $999 / £1,099 / AU$1,749 for 128GB of storage (i.e. the lowest storage option). The 256GB 14 Pro costs $1099 / £1,209 / AU$1,899, and those figures are probably a more likely starting point for the 15 Pro, in light of other manufacturers’ decisions to forgo 128GB options with their respective 2023 flagships (looking at you, Samsung and Oppo).
Given the expected advent of an iPhone 15 Ultra in 2023, we could see the iPhone 15 Pro priced slightly lower than its 2022 counterpart – but the more likely situation is that the iPhone 15 Ultra is instead priced higher than the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro: Design and display
On the display front, the iPhone 14 Pro sports an excellent 6.1-inch OLED screen, and the iPhone 15 Pro will likely stick with the same panel setup.
Both the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max boast adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate technology (dubbed ProMotion) that automatically adjusts the smoothness of their displays to suit whatever’s happening on-screen. Apple’s always-on display functionality relies on ProMotion to function, and it looks like both of those high-end features will again be reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro and much-rumored iPhone 15 Ultra.
The Dynamic Island – Apple’s fancy screen cutout – is expected to transition across from the iPhone 14 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro, too, though the latter’s version of the technology may not be identical to that of the former. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 15 Pro’s proximity sensor will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island itself, rather than positioned below it (as on the iPhone 14 Pro).
As Kuo notes, this new sensor arrangement is unlikely to result in any material difference to the appearance or functionality of the iPhone 15 Pro versus the iPhone 14 Pro, but the former's Dynamic Island will technically be more advanced than the latter's given the inclusion of a previously isolated sensor.
Rumors surrounding the iPhone 15 Pro’s design are a little more interesting. For instance, some leakers have suggested that the iPhone 15 Pro will be getting titanium sides and more rounded rear edges, in contrast to the iPhone 14 Pro’s sharp-angled sides.
Apple was reportedly unsure about implementing this design change for the iPhone 15 Pro, but leaked photos showing off these curved sides have since emerged, adding credence to the rumor.
We’ve also heard that the iPhone 15 Pro will be getting thinner bezels than the iPhone 14 Pro – which would be an impressive feat on Apple’s part, given that the latter’s bezels are already 1.81mm, 1.95mm and 2.17mm thin.
Also on the design front, the iPhone 15 Pro was widely rumored to get solid-state volume and power buttons. Leaks had suggested that these buttons would use haptic vibrations to simulate the sensation of being touched, despite not actually moving (think the iPhone 7’s haptic Home button), but Apple analysts recently poured water on those claims. We’re therefore expecting the iPhone 15 Pro to have the same physical button setup as the iPhone 14 Pro.
The final design difference is expected to come in the form of a USB-C charging port. The EU has told Apple that it has to add USB-C charging ports to iPhones from 2024, but multiple leaks have suggested that Apple will be adopting the charging standard in 2023, with the iPhone 15 line.
As such, the iPhone 15 Pro will have a USB-C charging port, whereas the iPhone 14 Pro uses the company’s Lightning port – a change that could give the iPhone 15 Pro much faster data transfer speeds over its predecessor.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro: Cameras
The iPhone 14 Pro’s rear camera boasts the following triple sensor setup:
- 48MP wide (24mm f/2.8)
- 12MP ultrawide (13mm f/2.2)
- 12MP telephoto (77mm f/2.8)
The iPhone 15 Pro isn’t expected to stray too far from that winning formula, with a periscope camera touted as being the only real potential upgrade over the iPhone 14 Pro. If indeed that technology does arrive with the iPhone 15 Pro, then the device will offer better optical zoom capabilities than its predecessor.
In all likelihood, though, the periscope camera will be reserved for the much-rumored iPhone 15 Ultra, which is also expected to get a telephoto camera with a variable zoom lens.
The main difference between the iPhone 15 Pro’s cameras and the iPhone 14 Pro’s, then, will probably be the quality of sensors used. According to leaks, the iPhone 15 Pro is expected to sport new Sony-produced sensors that capture more light.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro: Performance
On the performance front, the iPhone 14 Pro rocks the latest version of Apple’s silicon – the A16 Bionic – which makes it one of the fastest phones (if not the fastest phone) money can buy right now.
And yet, the iPhone 15 Pro will be even faster. Apple’s next Pro-level iPhone is reportedly in line for an A17 Bionic, which is rumored to be much more efficient than the A16 Bionic. In fact, Chinese outlet DCInside reports that the A17 Bionic will boast a 20% more powerful CPU than its predecessor, meaning the iPhone 15 Pro should enjoy sizable speed gains over the iPhone 14 Pro.
Crunching the numbers, DCInside claims that the A17 Bionic earns a single-core score of 3019 and a multi-core score of 7860 on Geekbench 6, where the A16 Bionic scores 2504 and 6314, respectively. Naturally, we’d suggest taking these rumored figures with a pinch of salt, but it’s exciting to think that the Pro-grade iPhone 15s might sport benchmark scores to rival Apple’s best MacBooks.
As for other performance specs, the iPhone 15 Pro is expected to get 8GB RAM, where the current iPhone 14 Pro has 6GB RAM.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro: Battery
The iPhone 14 Pro sports a 3,200mAh battery that delivers a full day (and night) of use if the phone is used normally for everyday tasks.
We haven’t heard all that much about the iPhone 15 Pro’s battery size – and we’re unlikely to, since Apple is typically coy about such details – but rumors have suggested that Apple is working on a reverse wireless charging feature for the iPhone 15 line. If true, the iPhone 15 Pro will be able to wirelessly charge other Apple gadgets, where the iPhone 14 Pro can’t.
It’s worth reiterating here that iPhone 15 Pro is expected to get a USB-C port, so you probably won’t be able to use your iPhone 14 Pro’s Lightning cable to juice it up.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro: Verdict
So, is the iPhone 15 Pro going to be a better phone than the iPhone 14 Pro? Objectively, yes – but just how much better is a difficult question to answer, at this stage.
If we take all of those aforementioned iPhone 15 Pro rumors as gospel, the phone will be getting a more premium design (thanks to its curved titanium sides and thinner bezels), slightly better camera sensors and faster processing speeds than the iPhone 14 Pro.
None of those upgrades sound game-changing, mind, and given that we described the iPhone 14 Pro as something close to “the perfect iPhone” in our review, we’re not expecting the iPhone 15 Pro to be a must-have device if you’re already rocking one of Apple’s best iPhones. Instead, the bigger changes seem destined for the iPhone 15 Ultra, whose reported camera setup could make it the best camera phone we’ve ever seen.
Still, Apple may yet surprise us with iPhone 15 Pro features we haven’t covered in this article, so check back here once the iPhone 15 line is unveiled in September for our updated verdict.
