iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Upgrade or wait?
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The iPhone 17 Pro is finally official and boy oh boy does it bring some new stuff to the table. The highlights include a new two-tone unibody aluminum look, reworked telephoto and front cameras, and a big boost in sustained performance with vapor chamber cooling.
Naturally, owners of the two years older iPhone 15 Pro are wondering how the old phone stacks up to the new one. After all, the iPhone 15 Pro is still holding up well. Back when it launched, Apple made a big deal about its titanium body, USB-C port, and first 3nm chip.
So, it's time to answer the big question: is it time to upgrade? To find out, we ran both phones through our own lab tests for battery life, display accuracy, performance benchmarks, and camera quality. And beyond the data, we used both of them in daily life.
iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro differences:
| iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro |
|---|---|
| Design | |
| Slightly heavier at 206 grams | Lighter at 187 grams |
| Slightly thicker at 8.75 mm | Slimmer at 8.25 mm |
| Two-tone back with aluminum unibody and glass insert | Single-tone back, all glass; titanium frame |
| Ceramic shield front and back | Ceramic shield front |
| Display | |
| 6.3-inch OLED screen | 6.1-inch OLED screen |
| 3,000 nits peak brightness | 2,000 nits peak brightness |
| 1 nit minimum brightness | 2 nits min brightness |
| Anti-reflective coating | - |
| Performance | |
| A19 Pro chip | A17 Pro chip |
| 6-core GPU | 6-core GPU |
| Vapor chamber cooling | - |
| 12 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Cameras | |
| Triple rear cameras | Triple rear cameras |
| 48MP wide | Same-ish 48MP wide |
| Same 48MP ultrawide | 12MP ultrawide |
| 4X telephoto camera with 48MP sensor | 3X telephoto camera with 12MP sensor |
| Same 18MP front cam | 12MP front cam |
| Dual Capture video | - |
| ProRAW + ProRES | ProRAW + ProRES |
| 4K120 | 4K60 |
| Battery | |
| 4,252 mAh | 3,274 mAh |
| Up to 33 h video playback (30 h streamed) | Up to 23 h video playback (20 h streamed) |
| Wired charging: 50% in ~20 min (40W adapter) | Wired charging: 50% in 30 min (20W adapter) |
| 25W MagSafe | 15W MagSafe |
| Models | |
| $1,100 (256 GB base) | $1,000 (128GB base) |
| 1 TB max storage | 1 TB max storage |
| Other | |
| Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| USB 3.2 port | Same speed USB 3.2 port |
| Studio quality 4-mic setup + Audio Mix | Regular mics, No Audio Mix |
Table of Contents:
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Design and Size
A radical change, welcome extended plateau
When it comes to design, Apple is normally pretty conservative with the changes. Not this time. The company brought the biggest design change in years—the back of the iPhone 17 Pro looks rather different from the iPhone 15 Pro.
The main difference is the new camera housing on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro, which stretches from side to side and looks reminiscent of the Pixel's latest design. Apple calls this huge bump "extended plateau." The iPhone 15 Pro relies on the old square camera bump design.
The main difference is the new camera housing on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro, which stretches from side to side and looks reminiscent of the Pixel's latest design. Apple calls this huge bump "extended plateau." The iPhone 15 Pro relies on the old square camera bump design.
| iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro |
|---|---|
| Thickness 8.8 mm | Thickness 8.3 mm |
| Weight 206 grams | Weight 187 grams |
When it comes to size and weight, the iPhone 17 Pro brings some additional thickness and also weighs more. You should be able to feel the 20 grams or so, and the size difference is also not that small, so you probably will be able to notice it while holding both phones in hand.
There's a difference in building materials—the iPhone 15 Pro was the first iPhone to feature grade 5 titanium, and Apple has reverted to aluminum with the iPhone 17 Pro. Granted, it's a new aluminum unibody with Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and back, but still, titanium is titanium.
| iPhone 17 Pro colors | iPhone 15 Pro colors |
|---|---|
| Cosmic Orange | Black Titanium |
| Deep Blue | White Titanium |
| Silver | Natural Titanium |
| - | Blue Titanium |
Display Differences
Bigger but more efficient
The display of the iPhone 17 Pro follows in the footsteps of the previous model, which means that it has the same 6.3-inch diagonal and the same ProMotion technology as the one on the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, was the last "Pro" with a 6.1-inch display, featuring a slightly different resolution but landing at the same pixel density at around 460 PPI.
| iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro |
|---|---|
| Size 6.3" | Size 6.1" |
| Brightness 1600 nits (typ) 3000 nits (peak) | Brightness 1000 nits (typ) 2000 nits (peak) |
The iPhone 17 Pro bumps up the brightness, Apple cites 3,000 nits peak which might be due to the new M14 material being used on the iPhone 17 Pro's display. Let's see how these two perform on the benchmark table.
The iPhone 17 Pro is indeed brighter than the iPhone 15 Pro (by about 500 nits in our test), and it can also go lower in minimum brightness (under 1 nit). The new model also has better color accuracy and the color temperature is better calibrated from the factory.
Performance and Software
A19 Pro for the win
Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 17 Pro comes equipped with the new Apple A19 Pro chip. It's the best silicon in a smartphone, according to Apple, and we tend to agree, although we will test this with some benchmarks soon. The company cites 40% more performance compared to the previous generation, and the gap to the two-year old iPhone 15 Pro should be even bigger.
The iPhone 15 Pro comes with the A17 Pro, which is made on a 3nm node, and still offers plenty of raw power to tackle all day-to-day tasks, and even the most power-intense applications. The iPhone 17 Pro also features a vapor chamber cooling system, so sustained performance should be better as well.
There's an upgrade in the RAM department- the iPhone 17 Pro features 12GB of RAM, and this upgrade might have something to do with Apple Intelligence and on-device AI computations. In comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro comes with 8GB of RAM.
| iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro |
|---|---|
| Chip Apple A19 Pro | Chip Apple A17 Pro |
| Process 3nm | Process 3nm |
| RAM 12GB | RAM 8GB |
The performance difference you see about is absolutely expected, but what's not expected is that the iPhone 15 Pro has better stability under load, despite the lack of vapor chamber. The lowest score of the 17 Pro almost equals the best run the iPhone 15 Pro was able to do in 3DMark. Let's move to the software.
Just as my thumbs have finally learned the muscle memory for the last set of changes, Apple has announced iOS 26.
The big feature is a visual overhaul called "Liquid Glass." The main event is an optional "Clear Look" that makes the whole screen transparent. I'd say it's very reminiscent of Windows Vista, but just typing this immediately makes my back ache. I suspect all that transparency might be a bit too much for some, it occasionally looks like trying to read a newspaper through a frosted bathroom window.
On the bright side, some changes come for those of us who yearn for simplicity. The Camera app is being decluttered, hiding all the fancy modes by default. This is a blessed relief for anyone who grew up with cameras that had precisely one button.
Apple also re-organize the Photos app, bringing order into the chaos it itself created last year. Great, search is now within easier reach and I can finally find my albums.
The best news, however, is the new Call Screening feature to fend off telemarketers. A magnificent invention, even if Pixel phones have had this for a few years. Far more sophisticated than my old method, which was to simply not answer any calls.
The best news, however, is the new Call Screening feature to fend off telemarketers. A magnificent invention, even if Pixel phones have had this for a few years. Far more sophisticated than my old method, which was to simply not answer any calls.
There’s also Live Translate for calls, which sounds great in demos, but I have serious doubts might create a lot more confusion than help. Let's see.
There are other new tricks, like adding polls to group chats, which seems a very complex way to achieve what used to be accomplished by one person just making a decision. Snark aside, these are all cool and useful features that many people will appreciate. Just don't go overboard with the glass look.
There are other new tricks, like adding polls to group chats, which seems a very complex way to achieve what used to be accomplished by one person just making a decision. Snark aside, these are all cool and useful features that many people will appreciate. Just don't go overboard with the glass look.
Camera
Telephoto changes
PhoneArena Camera Score:
Apple went through some changes in the telephoto department of the iPhone Pro models in the past couple of generations. The iPhone 15 Pro comes with a 3x telephoto camera. Then last year Apple upgraded that to the same tetraprism optics found on the Pro Max model, featuring 5x zoom.
| iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro |
|---|---|
| Main 48 MP f/1.8 24mm (wide) 1/1.28" | Main 48 MP f/1.8 24mm (wide) 1/1.28" |
| Ultrawide 48 MP f/2.2 13mm (ultrawide) 1/2.55" | Ultrawide 12 MP f/2.2 13mm (ultrawide) 1/2.55" |
| Telephoto 48 MP 100mm 4x optical zoom | Telephoto 12 MP f/2.8, 77mm 3x optical zoom |
With the iPhone 17 Pro, however, we are in for another change—the telephoto camera has received a boost in megapixel count—to 48MP. The same tetraprism system, but the optical zoom is down to 4x. The ultrawide camera was upgraded to a 48MP sensor last year, and the iPhone 17 Pro carries this one over, meaning it has an advantage over the old 12MP ultrawide on the iPhone 15 Pro.
Our camera rating widget shows a clear advantage for the iPhone 17 Pro with slight upgrades and better scores across all tests. But let's check out some real-life samples as well.
Main
Ultrawide
Zoom
Selfie
Video Quality
You can check out the video recording capabilities above. We've used the Pro Max version of each generation but since the cameras are the same, the comparison is relevant to the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro comparison as well.
Apple is also adding Dual Capture video, offering simultaneous feeds from the front and rear camera. This feature is not entirely new, though. We've seen similar functionalities on Android phones from the 2015s (such as the Xperia Z5 and XZ), as well as some Chinese phones as well. Still, it's a nice addition.
Battery Life and Charging
Bigger batteries?
Thanks to the inevitable teardowns, we now know the exact battery capacity (or should we say capacities) of the iPhone 17 Pro. The phone comes in two flavors - the US model skips the physical SIM slot and opens up more space for a bigger battery (4252 mAh), while the EU version comes with a SIM slot and a smaller (3988 mAh) battery. According to the specs the new phone can do 33 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 15 Pro is rated at 23 hours. Let's run some tests.
| iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity 3988 mAh (physical SIM) 4252 mAh (eSIM only) | Battery capacity 3274 mAh |
Charging speeds 40W wired 25W wireless (MagSafe) | Charging speeds 25W wired 15W wireless (MagSafe) |
PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results:
The iPhone 17 Pro gets one full hour over its distant predecessor, and there are gains in all departments. You can browse much longer on the new phone, watch videos and play games as well.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick specs comparison between the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro (follow the link for a more detailed one):
| iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.8 mm 206 grams | Size, weight 146.6 x 70.6 x 8.3 mm 187 g |
| Screen 6.3" OLED 120Hz ProMotion | Screen 6.1" OLED 120Hz ProMotion |
| Processor Apple A19 Pro 3nm | Processor A17 Pro 3nm |
| Versions: --- 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB LPDDR5 | Versions: 8/128GB 8/256GB 8/512GB 8/1TB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 48MP main 48MP ultra 48MP telephoto, 4x zoom 18MP front | Cameras: 48MP main 12MP ultra 12MP telephoto, 3x zoom 12MP front |
| Battery: 3988 mAh (physical SIM) 4252 mAh (eSIM only) | Battery: 3274 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 40W wired 25W MagSafe | Charging: USB-C 25W wired MagSafe |
Also read:
Summary
If you're looking to upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro might offer enough upgrades to justify this decision. It has new camera tech—the telephoto has 48MP sensor underneath the lens, and the ultrawide is also better compared to the one on the iPhone 15 Pro.
The battery is bigger and the phone can last longer, and there's a change in design as well. Couple this with the latest A19 Pro silicon and the faster charging, and there are more than enough reasons to upgrade. The only problem is the starting price, as this year the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099, but on the other hand, the base model now has 256GB of storage.
The battery is bigger and the phone can last longer, and there's a change in design as well. Couple this with the latest A19 Pro silicon and the faster charging, and there are more than enough reasons to upgrade. The only problem is the starting price, as this year the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099, but on the other hand, the base model now has 256GB of storage.
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