iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: Upgrade or wait?
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Intro
The iPhone 17 Pro is finally official and boy oh boy does it bring some new stuff to the table. It's time to see how it stacks against its distant and not-so-distant relatives. Today we're going to pit the iPhone 17 Pro against the iPhone 15 Pro, with the latter being now two years old.
This comparison aims to answer the most important question. Is it time to upgrade, and is it worth getting the iPhone 17 Pro if you already have the iPhone 15 Pro.
Update:iOS 26 is now officially on the horizon, arriving on both these iPhones in the fall of 2025. Learn more about it in the 'performance' section of this article.
iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro differences:
| iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro |
|---|---|
| New seamless design with thinner bezels | Flat-edged design of the past couple of generations |
| Aluminum replacing titanium | Grade 5 titanium frame |
| New camera housing design reminiscent of the Pixel 9 Apple calls it extended plateau | Old square camera bump with minor tweaks |
| 120Hz OLED display, more durable and power efficient | The same ProMotion 120Hz OLED display |
| Bigger 6.3-inch display, same pixel density | 6.1-inch display with 1179 x 2556 resolution |
| New Apple A19 Pro chip | Apple A17 Pro chip (3nm) with great performance |
| 12GB of RAM | 8GB of RAM |
| A new vapor chamber cooling solution | Old cooling system |
| A new 48MP telephoto lens with a 4x optical zoom | 12MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom |
| An upgraded 18MP front camera | Old 12MP selfie camera |
| Battery capacity still unknown, longer potential battery life | 3274 mAh battery |
| MagSafe support | MagSafe support as well |
Table of Contents:
Read more:
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 8.75 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. We have to run some tests to see what the real-life brightness is, so stay tuned.
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 |
Just as my thumbs have finally learned the muscle memory for the last set of changes, Apple has announced iOS 26 is on its way.
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.
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
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.
We still need to snap some samples to see how selfie images look, but the YouTuber Tyler Stalman posted some and we can see less noise on the iPhone 17 Pro and a better end result overall.
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?
We don't know much about the battery capacity of newly launched iPhone 17 Pro, as Apple never list the exact numbers. According to the specs the new phone can do 33 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 15 Pro is rated at 23 hours. We have to wait for teardowns to learn the capacity inside the iPhone 17 Pro and also test the phone in our lab to give you some battery benchmark numbers.
| iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity 3582 mAh (not confirmed) | Battery capacity 3274 mAh |
Charging speeds 40W wired 25W wireless (MagSafe) | Charging speeds 25W wired 15W wireless (MagSafe) |
In terms of charging, an area that has long been a source of frustration for Apple fans, the iPhone 17 Pro comes with a slight upgrade, according to the official specs sheet. Apple lists 50% charge in just 20 minutes, which is faster than the 30 minutes listed for the iPhone 15 Pro.
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 8.75 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: 3582 mAh (not confirmed) | 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 most likely bigger (stay tuned for the exact capacity soon), 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.
We will update this comparison with benchmarks, tests, and camera samples once we have the iPhone 17 Pro in our hands.
The battery is most likely bigger (stay tuned for the exact capacity soon), 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.
We will update this comparison with benchmarks, tests, and camera samples once we have the iPhone 17 Pro in our hands.
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