Comparing iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro: Is the Switch Justified

Let's compare the specifications of the two flagship models, iPhone 14 Pro vs 15 Pro, to see all the similarities and differences between the models.

Key difference

In the face-off between the iPhone 14 Pro vs 15 Pro, the new flagship has received the latest chip, camera improvements, a titanium body, and a USB-C port instead of Lightning. Is this enough to justify an upgrade? Let's compare the two premium models in detail to delve into this question.

Table of content:

Technical specifications

Design and Size comparison

Despite both smartphones having the same screen diagonal, they differ in appearance. The new model, featuring a titanium body instead of stainless steel, has rounded edges. Additionally, aerospace-grade titanium has made the smartphone slightly lighter— the iPhone 15 Pro weighs 187g compared to 206g in the 14 Pro.

The back panel of both smartphones is made of matte glass, and the front is covered with the reliable and durable Ceramic Shield—glass with particles of silver and titanium.

One of the main design differences is the fundamental change in the action button, which replaced the standard silent mode switch. By default, the new mechanical button works the same way, but now it can be customized for various actions. For example, activate a specific focusing mode, capture photos with a specific camera, enable the translator, and much more. In one of the iOS 17 updates, the company refined the button and eliminated accidental presses.

The new model has also received a universal and faster USB-C charging port. It uses the USB 3.2 version, providing higher bandwidth and enabling faster transfer of large files to external storage, such as 4K video. The base iPhone 15 is not as fortunate— it supports USB 2.0, which is quite strange. And, attention, a sensation— the new smartphone comes with a braided USB cable, something that iPhone owners of recent years have long forgotten. This detail might not be crucial for everyone, but it's a nice touch.

As for the color palette, the 14 Pro was available in four colors— dark purple, gold, silver, and black. The 15 Pro is introduced in the following colors:

• natural titanium;
• blue titanium;
• white titanium;
• black titanium.

Overall, the colors have become even softer and more subdued, and Cupertino seems to have forgotten about bright hues. Nevertheless, these tones add even more premium and sleekness to the smartphones.

Display comparison

In this comparison between iPhone 15 Pro vs 14 Pro in this section, there is no clear winner. The reason is that there are practically no improvements. Both smartphones are equipped with top-tier OLED screens produced by Samsung, with a 6.1-inch diagonal, a resolution of 2556x1179 pixels, and brightness reaching up to 2000 nits.

The adaptive refresh rate in both models is 120 Hz. It adjusts automatically depending on the displayed content. It can be as low as 1 Hz when showing a static lock screen or up to 120 Hz in dynamic games. In any case, you will experience smooth scrolling without any lag.

Both models also feature an always-on display that continuously shows the information you need in the background – date, calendar, weather, and more.

On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro has thinner bezels around the screen, now measuring only 1.55 mm. However, this is not a very obvious advantage to justify upgrading to the new smartphone.

Performance 

In the performance section, the differences between the gadgets are much more significant. Firstly, the iPhone 15 Pro is equipped with the latest A17 Pro Bionic chip, manufactured using a 3nm process. Thanks to this, it managed to fit 19 billion transistors instead of the 16 billion in the A16 Bionic. The processor still has 6 cores, but they are enhanced, and an additional core is added to the graphics processor—now totaling 6 cores, positively impacting the device's gaming performance.

The neural engine remains 16-core, but its performance has doubled. It can now execute up to 35 trillion operations per second. So yes, officially: A17 Pro is the most powerful processor in the world.

In addition to the powerful processor, the iPhone 15 Pro has more RAM—8 GB compared to the predecessor's 6 GB. Thanks to the RAM, the device can simultaneously hold more applications in memory and instantly switch between them without lag. Undoubtedly, this is a plus.

As for storage options 14 Pro vs 15 Pro, there is a parity between smartphones. Both devices offer configurations of 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB.

Both devices run on iOS 17. Considering that Apple supports updates for its devices for an extended period, it can be confidently stated that both models will remain relevant for a long time. However, the iPhone 15 Pro will undoubtedly receive updates for an additional year.

Camera comparison

The arrangement, quantity, and resolution of the cameras in these two smartphones are the same. However, this does not mean that their characteristics and capabilities are identical.

• The main module in the new flagship is the same as in the iPhone 14 Pro, but now it can also capture images at 24 MP, meaning a twofold increase in detail. Additionally, a new anti-glare coating has been added to the sensor. The sensor's resolution is 48 MP, with an aperture of f/1.78, pixel size of 1.22 μm, and support for second-generation optical image stabilization (OIS). The focal length of this lens is 24 mm, and the number of lenses used is 7.
• The wide-angle lens has a resolution of 12 MP, an aperture of f/2.2, and provides a 120-degree field of view. The focal length of this lens is 13 mm, and its design uses 6 lenses. The same module is installed in the iPhone 14 Pro, with no surprises here.
• The telephoto camera, with a resolution of 12 MP and an aperture of f/2.8, offers 3x optical zoom and digital zoom up to 15x. This lens also features optical image stabilization (OIS) and has a focal length of 77 mm, with the number of lenses used being 6. A similar module is installed in the iPhone 14 Pro, but the long-awaited 5x zoom is only available in the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
• On paper, the front camera of both smartphones looks absolutely the same. It features 12 MP, portrait lighting, night mode, and recording up to 4K at a frequency of up to 60 frames per second. Nevertheless, despite identical specifications, the images appear more detailed with better exposure in low light conditions.

Comparing to the iPhone 14 Pro, the 15 series stands out with Smart HDR 5 and an enhanced portrait mode. In reality, there are slightly more camera improvements, but they all relate to the software.

As for video recording, the new iPhone can capture volumetric spatial videos. However, these videos can only be viewed using the Apple Vision Pro headset, expected to be released in the spring of next year. Yes, for the average user, this feature is unlikely to be useful, but enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to experience the full immersion effect.

Speaker test

Every year, Apple makes incremental improvements to the quality of iPhone speakers, with the last significant step taken with the release of the iPhone 13 Pro. This year, there were no sound updates, so in the iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro round, it's a draw.

However, some users have reported extraneous noises and crackling in the operation of the iPhone 15 Pro speakers when using them on loud calls at maximum volume. A similar issue has arisen for some purchasers of the base iPhone 15. Cupertino has not yet commented on this situation. Let's hope it's some software glitch that will be addressed with a new operating system update.

Battery life

The iPhone 15 Pro is equipped with a slightly larger battery, but in terms of real autonomy, it did not have a positive impact; quite the opposite. The capacity of the new flagship's battery is 3274 mAh, whereas in the iPhone 15 Pro, it was 3200 mAh.

According to the manufacturer's claims, both devices have comparable battery life in the following tests:

• Video playback: 23 hours
• Online video playback: 20 hours
• Music playback: 75 hours

Apple smartphones still need to be charged every day, and users have already come to terms with this.

However, independent battery tests showed a slight advantage for the 14th model over the new Pro. For example, in browser surfing, last year's flagship lasted almost 16.5 hours, while the battery of the new smartphone lasted only 15 hours.

Interestingly, in the comparison of iPhone 14 Pro vs iPhone 15, the base model of this year has an even larger battery than the Pro – 3349 mAh, but it falls short of both the new flagship (which is expected) and the previous year's model.

Charging speed

Both devices feature fast charging at 27W, and the battery replenishment speed is also comparable. Both devices can be charged halfway in just 30 minutes.

Additionally, the smartphones support wireless charging and MagSafe up to 15W. Moreover, the iPhone 15 Pro is equipped with reverse charging functionality, allowing it to charge AirPods, Apple Watch, or even another smartphone if needed.

Certainly, with the transition to USB-C instead of Lightning, many hoped for faster charging speeds, but that's not the case. However, at least the USB 3.2 protocol is used here, not USB 2.0, as in the base model of the iPhone 15.

Price comparison & availability

The cost of the new smartphone at the start of sales was identical to last year's price for the iPhone 14 Pro. It was:

• $999 for the 128GB version;
• $1099 for 256GB;
• $1299 for 512GB;
• $1499 for 1TB.

This is good news for those who don't own last year's premium flagship, as you can get a better smartphone for the same price. The new model has been available for sale since September 22 of this year, along with the entire smartphone lineup.

At the same time, Apple has suspended the production of the iPhone 14 Pro, although there was no real reason for it. Since the prices are the same, and the new model is still better, albeit not as dramatically as one might hope.

Conclusions

If you are a happy owner of the iPhone 14 Pro, there are likely not too compelling reasons to immediately switch to the 15 Pro model. On the other hand, if you were considering the Pro models and comparing iPhone 14 Pro or 15 Pro, you can opt for the top version of the Apple smartphone with the latest chip, a universal USB-C port, and a durable titanium body.