Every iPhone 15 model has a 48MP Main Camera and USB-C, but that’s where their similarities stop. The premium pro models take things further with the powerful A16 Bionic and titanium frame.
There have been two tiers of iPhone since the iPhone 11 lineup with a separation between standard and pro models. How these tiers are separated has changed over time, but Apple tends to reserve its latest and most premium features for the pros.
For the 2023 lineup, Apple released three different feature sets across iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 15 Plus is virtually identical to the smaller standard model except for its size.
iPhone 15 Pro Features and Design
The bezels have shrunk even further in the iPhone 15 Pro, enabling Apple to shave a few millimeters from the now curved sides. The Dynamic Island is still present, covering the sensor housing for Face ID components and the selfie camera.
(iPhone 15 Pro in a range of gray and blue colors)
Pro models have a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port that enables up to 10Gbps data transfer. That’s why users recording in ProRes can capture 4K 60Hz video directly onto an external SSD.
The Main Camera now defaults to a 24MP HEIF image, which is a higher resolution than 12MP while offering more dynamic range than 48MP. Users can choose to shoot in ProRAW via the camera app and get massive image files. The A17 Pro is the first Apple Silicon processor built with the 3nm process. It is more powerful, more efficient, and can perform hardware ray tracing for games running on the iPhone 15 Pro. It has a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU.
Action button
The Ring/Silent Switch has been replaced by the Action button. The user can press and hold the button to perform a task that was assigned from the Settings app.
The Action button has several basic tasks it can perform, but there are two functions that open up a near infinite combination of actions. These are accessibility and Shortcuts.
Select from the following options for the Action button:
- Silent mode
- Focus
- Camera
- Flashlight
- Voice Memo
- Translate
- Magnifier
- Shortcut
- Accessibility
Users that can develop advanced Shortcuts have also taken to programming an Action button Shortcut that will perform different tasks based on different variables. When pressed, the executed Shortcut could run one action based on device orientation or the open app, for example.
Apple is expected to bring the Action button to all iPhone models in 2024.
Spatial Video
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max allows for spatial video recording that is viewable on the Apple Vision Pro. It uses the wide and ultra wide cameras to capture 3D video, though with very little separation.