The next wave of iPhones is fast approaching, with the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Ultra (or iPhone 15 Pro Max, as it might be called) all likely to land in September.
It’s never too soon to decide which one you might want to buy either, as these handsets have all been extensively leaked, so we have a partial picture of what to expect.
With that in mind, we’ve compared the two smaller phones below, namely the standard iPhone 15 and the more premium iPhone 15 Pro. You’ll know without even reading this article that the latter is going to be a higher-end handset, but for a more in-depth look at how these phones might differ – and what’s set to be the same – read on.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro: specs comparison
Before we dive in deep to the rumored iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro specs, here’s a handy table giving you an at-a-glance comparison of what we’ve heard and suspect so far. Remember, all of these details are just rumored for now, so any of the details here could be wrong come the phones' official release, but based on the sources involved, we expect they’re largely accurate.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro: price and availability
There aren’t any very specific price rumors about the iPhone 15 or the iPhone 15 Pro, but it seems a safe bet that these phones will cost at least as much as their predecessors. That would mean a starting price of $799 / £849 / AU$1,339 for the iPhone 15, and a starting price of $999 / £1,099 / AU$1,749 for the iPhone 15 Pro.
In other words, the iPhone 15 Pro will likely be at least $200 / £250 / AU$410 more expensive than the iPhone 15.
If anything though, the price difference might be even larger, as according to both Apple analyst Jeff Pu and a source on Chinese site Weibo, Apple might charge more for the iPhone 15 Pro than it did for the iPhone 14 Pro. This will apparently be an attempt to make the iPhone 15 more popular than its predecessor.
They don’t say what the iPhone 15 Pro’s price might be, but it could mean we’re paying around what the iPhone 14 Pro Max costs – namely $1,099 / £1,199 / AU$1,899, with the iPhone 15 Ultra costing even more.
As for the availability, we expect Apple to announce both phones together at an event held in the first half of September. More specifically – based on the days and dates of past announcements – we’d guess September 5, 6, 12 or 13, as Apple usually goes for a Tuesday or Wednesday in the first or second week of September.
The two phones will probably also go on sale at the same time as each other, likely around a week after that announcement date.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro: design and display
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro could both look quite different to their predecessors. As for how they compare to each other, well, that will probably be a mix of similarities and differences.
Both phones will reportedly have a Dynamic Island instead of a notch. That’s not a new thing for the Pro model, but it would be for the standard iPhone 15. They’re also both said to have slightly rounded edges, in place of the flat ones seen on current models, and to have a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port.
So, in a lot of ways they might look quite similar, but the iPhone 15 Pro will probably have a more premium finish, as this reportedly has thinner bezels, an Apple Watch Ultra-style Action Button in place of a mute switch, and titanium sides.
The dimensions of these phones are unknown, but they’re expected to have the same screen sizes as last year, so they could be around 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm – in the case of the iPhone 15 and 147.5 x 71.5 x 7.9mm – in the case of the iPhone 15 Pro, as that’s what size the current models are. We wouldn’t expect exactly those sizes though, given the rumored changes to their designs.
As for the screens, both phones will probably have a 6.1-inch display, as that’s in line with the current models and has been specifically rumored. However, while the iPhone 15 Pro will almost certainly have a 120Hz screen, the iPhone 15 will reportedly remain stuck at 60Hz. The latter phone may also lack an always-on display.
It’s likely, though, that the two phones will have similar resolutions to each other – and to their predecessors. In fact, they might be identical to each other in this regard, with a 1179 x 2556 resolution (resulting in 460 pixels per inch).
That’s the exact resolution of the iPhone 14 Pro, and with the iPhone 15 reportedly getting a Dynamic Island, it would make sense if its resolution was the same too, as the slight differences between the 14 and 14 Pro’s resolution are down to one having a notch.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro: cameras
Leaks suggest that the iPhone 15 will get upgraded to a 48MP main camera, as seen on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. However, it will probably still be just a dual-lens phone; likely with the same 12MP ultra-wide and 12MP selfie cameras as last year.
As for the iPhone 15 Pro, that will probably have a triple-lens setup like its predecessor. For reference, the iPhone 14 Pro has a 48MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 12MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom.
The cameras on the 15 Pro might be similar then, but one leak points to this phone using a new, state-of-the-art Sony sensor, which would allow for much more light to be captured, thereby improving low light performance.
Beyond that, the main likely camera difference between the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro is just that the Pro is sure to have a telephoto lens, while the standard iPhone 15 probably won’t have one.
It’s worth noting that some leaks have also mentioned a periscope camera, offering longer-range magnification than the 3x zoom of the iPhone 14 Pro, but it’s currently thought that this feature will be reserved for the iPhone 15 Ultra.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro: performance
Until recently you could expect the same chipset in a standard iPhone as a Pro model, with the only potential power difference coming from the amount of RAM. But Apple didn’t do that with the iPhone 14 series.
Instead, the company gave the Pro models its latest and greatest A16 Bionic chipset, while the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus adopted the A15 Bionic from the previous generation of Pro iPhones.
Leaks suggest that the same thing will happen this year, with the iPhone 15 getting the A16 Bionic, and the iPhone 15 Pro getting a new A17 Bionic chipset.
The A17 Bionic will reportedly have a 20% more powerful CPU than its predecessor, so this could make the iPhone 15 Pro a far more powerful phone. That said, the A16 Bionic is no slouch, so it’s unlikely that the standard iPhone 15 will feel underpowered.
Beyond that, the iPhone 15 Pro might also have more RAM, with 8GB, compared possibly to 6GB in the iPhone 15. It might also support far higher data transfer speeds than the iPhone 15, at up to 40Gbps, compared to 20Gbps for the standard iPhone 15.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro: battery
We haven’t heard anything about the battery capacity of either phone yet, but for reference the iPhone 14 has a 3,279mAh battery and the iPhone 14 Pro has a 3,200mAh power pack. There’s every chance they’ll be similar sizes this year – and they’ll almost certainly be similar to each other, given that the two phones will probably have the same-sized screens.
We have heard some things when it comes to charging, though. For one thing, both phones will probably charge via USB-C, which is a big change for Apple, as currently the company uses Lightning on its phones.
It’s also possible that both phones will get reverse wireless charging, meaning you could use them to charge other devices, such as an Apple Watch or your AirPods.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro: verdict
From what we’ve heard so far, the iPhone 15 Pro will probably have more premium build along with slimmer bezels than the iPhone 15. It will likely also have a higher refresh rate display, a more powerful chipset, more RAM, an extra camera for telephoto shots, and higher data transfer speeds.
There’s also talk of a better sensor for at least one of the camera lenses, though we’re less sure of that.
On the other hand, the screen size and resolution, the general overall look of the phone, the battery size, and at least some of the cameras will probably be the same on both phones. And, of course, the iPhone 15 Pro will be more expensive; with a potential price premium of at least $200 / £250 / AU$410, but it may reach even higher.
There are still things that we’re yet to learn about, and none of the above is certain just yet, but it’s looking likely that both of these will be excellent smartphones, with the iPhone 15 Pro looking to be a significant upgrade in a number of areas.
