What are the differences between iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max?

Apple, which introduced the new iPhone 15 family with Pro models on September 12, 2023, brought the Plus model again, as it did last year. In this context, the new iPhone family appeared with 4 members. Although the differences between them are obvious, most of them are left in the air for the casual user.

In this context, we will take a detailed look at the features that distinguish the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max from each other. Devices that do not bring any innovation in terms of design, if we look superficially, differ from each other in terms of both materials and hardware. Let’s look at the details together.

What are the differences between iPhone 15 models?

Let’s start with the design:

In terms of materials, we see that Apple puts the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus on one side, and the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max on the other side. iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models use glossy glass on the back and aluminum material on the edges. We see that a matte glass is used on the back of the Pro models, while stainless steel is used on the edges.

While Pro models have four color options that indicate the upper segment, basic iPhone 15 and Plus models have five color options. While aluminum is used in the base models, Pro models come with a titanium body.

Both base models and Pros have the Dynamic Island feature. When we move to the back, glossy glass on the base model and matte glass on the Pro models are evident. On the back, we see the Apple design we are used to on all four devices.

In this context, we are greeted by 2 cameras and 1 LIDAR sensor in the 15 and 15 Plus models, and 3 cameras and 1 LIDAR sensor in the Pro models.

All four of the devices have IP68 certification. This means that the devices are resistant to dust and water.

A little information at this point:

Apple ads show waterproof devices like the Watch floating on models’ wrists. However, Apple does not cover damage caused by this situation under warranty. The same goes for the phone.

We move on to the dimensions:

As you can see from the table here, we see that the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro are close to each other, but there is a noticeable difference between them in terms of weight. The same goes for 15 Plus and Pro Max. We can say that they do not differ much from previous models in terms of size.

The case dimensions were as follows. So what are the differences on the screen?

iPhone 15 and Pro models are 6.1 inches; Plus and Pro Max models have a 6.7 inch screen. Apart from this, both base and Pro models can reach up to 2000 nits of brightness outdoors. Apart from that, pixel densities and screen resolutions are close.

More importantly, the ProMotion feature, which was previously only available on Pro models, could increase the screen refresh rate up to 120Hz. Now, all 4 models have this technology. This means a smoother phone experience. Additionally, there is no Always-on-Display feature in the base model and the Plus model.

Let’s come to where the difference is widest: Performance.

Apple continues its tradition of using the processor in the previous Pro model in the new base model. In this context, it continues with the A16 Bionic processor used in the base model of the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 14 family in the Plus model. We saw the new A17 PRO processor for the Pro models. In other words, there are two separate processors in the family. It will not make any difference in daily use.

When we look at the storage options, we see that Pro models offer up to 1 TB. In addition, a maximum of 512 GB can be selected for base models. In addition, while the base models offer 6 GB of RAM, the Pro models come with 8 GB of RAM.

What do they have in common?

• All devices support 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3

Surprisingly, the Pro Max model is at the top when it comes to battery.

With an estimated battery capacity of 4852 mAh, the Pro Max model offers up to 29 hours of video playback. Although the Plus model has an estimated battery capacity of 4912 mAh, it can play videos for up to 26 hours. But in general, we can say that the series will have a solid battery life.

What’s the situation with the cameras that Apple raves about?

Let’s go from the general to the specific. The additional camera that you see in the Pro models but not in the base models is the telephoto lens. Below it is the LIDAR sensor. Basically, the iPhone 15 has one main camera and one ultra wide-angle camera, both of which are 12 MP.

In Pro models, the main camera goes up to 48 MP. In addition, 12 MP telephoto and ultra wide angle lenses welcome us. The main camera of all 4 devices has an optical image stabilizer, which allows you to take stable videos/photos.

Base models offer 2x optical zoom, 2x optical zoom and up to 10x digital zoom. Pro models have a 6x optical zoom range, including 3x optical zoom and 2x optical zoom in the plain Pro model. In addition, the camera also supports 15 times digital zoom. In the Pro Max model, the optical zoom value goes up to 5 times. In addition, there is 2 times optical zoom and up to 25 times digital zoom. You can see the aperture values ​​in the table above.

What are the differences on the video side?

If we start with the zoom issue, in the base models (15 and 15 Plus), digital zoom can be made up to 6 times. While you can zoom 9 times digitally in the Pro model, this value increases up to 15 times in the Pro Max model.

All devices can shoot 720p quality 30 FPS videos. When you want to shoot Full HD, that is, 1080p videos, you can go up to 25, 30 and 60 FPS. 24 FPS is added to the top of the options for 4K video shooting. In slow motion, you can choose 120 or 240 FPS on all devices.

Is there any difference in motion mode and cinematic mode?

If you want to shoot in motion mode that minimizes shakes, base models offer 60 FPS shooting at up to 2.8K resolution. In cinematic mode, you can capture 4K HDR scenes at 30 FPS. The situation is the same with Pro models. Additionally, all models have an audio zoom feature. This means, for example, when you zoom in on the fountain while video recording a park, the device focuses on the sound of the water; When you zoom in on children, it allows them to focus on your voice.

Additionally, the ProRes recording feature in Pro models is not available in base models.