The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are the most powerful phones that Apple has ever made. Essentially levelled-up versions of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, the Pro and Pro Max models include more powerful cameras, better screens, and titanium chassis.
In true Apple form, all four new iPhones are similar, but the 15 Pro and Pro Max are quite different when you take a closer look. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are nothing to scoff at, but the top-range phones are what power users will want.
As Tim Cook said, the Pro is “the most Pro iPhone we’ve ever created”.
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
The two new phones include 48MP cameras, plus new periscope and telephoto lenses for greater photo range and depth. The most noticeable change is the inclusion of the USB-C port, and the removal of the mute switch in favour of the all-new Action Button. The screens remain 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch for the Pro Max, but the chassis are now made of titanium.
The 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max is an expensive investment, although, it’s still not Australia’s most expensive phone, that’s the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, at $3,149 for the 1TB model.
iPhone 15 Pro specs
- Size: 146.6 mm x 70.6 mm x 8.25 mm
- Weight: 187 grams
- Display: 6.1‑inch OLED, Super Retina XDR display
- Resolution: 2556×1179-pixel resolution at 460 ppi
- Guts: A17 Pro chip
- Camera: 48MP Main, 12MP Ultra-Wide, 12MP 2x Telephoto, 12MP selfie cam
- Battery life: Up to 23 hours of video playback (up to 20 hours streamed)
- Fast-charge–capable: Up to 50 per cent charge in 30 minutes
- Water resistance: Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres for up to 30 minutes)
- Safety: Emergency SOS & Crash Detection
- Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Colours: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium (we get it, it’s titanium).
iPhone 15 Pro Max specs
- Size: 159.9 mm x 76.7 mm x 8.25 mm
- Weight: 221 grams
- Display: 6.7‑inch OLED, Super Retina XDR display
- Resolution: 2796×1290-pixel resolution at 460 ppi
- Guts: A17 Pro chip
- Camera: 48MP Main, 12MP Ultra-Wide, 12MP 2x Telephoto, 12MP selfie cam
- Battery life: Up to 29 hours of video playback (up to 25 hours streamed)
- Fast-charge–capable: Up to 50 per cent charge in 30 minutes
- Water resistance: Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres for up to 30 minutes)
- Safety: Emergency SOS & Crash Detection
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Colours: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium.
Camera system
Just like the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, the 15 Pro and Pro Max feature 48MP main cameras, but Apple says the new handsets are like having seven cameras in your pocket. The 48MP Main camera has a 24MP super-high-resolution default, and the main camera also allows you to switch between three focal lengths (24mm, 28mm, and 35mm). The camera spits out 48MP ProRAW, but also supports 48MP HEIF images with 4x more resolution. It’s also got a 3x Telephoto camera, and on the Pro Max, the longest optical zoom we’ve seen on an iPhone – 5x at 120mm. Apple reckons the detail is sharper, colours are richer, and portrait photography will also give you better low-light performance. The handset will also auto-switch to portrait in the backend.
When it comes to video, the Pro phones will deliver 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps; 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps; 720p HD video recording at 30 fps, cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps; action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps; HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps; and ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps (with external recording).
A17 Pro chip
Out with the old, in with the new. The A17 Pro chip is, of course, the successor to the A16 Bionic chip featured in the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, with the standard and iPhone 15 Plus models now featuring the A16 – so naturally, the more powerful devices get the better chip. The A17 chip is reportedly the industry’s first 3nm chip. It boats 19 billion transistors, 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, and 10 per cent faster performance cores. Neural engine is now up to twice as fast (16-core), allowing up to 35 trillion operations per second.
That’s going to make iOS 17 all the better.
But, Apple couldn’t just adopt USB-C, it had to go and make a spot on the chip that powers the new data-transfer port, claiming that for the camera, the new USB controller will “enable USB 3 speeds on iPhone for the first time, now supporting much higher transfer speeds and video output up to 4K at 60 fps HDR”.
But wait, there’s more
Obviously, the big change everyone has been waiting for is the shift to USB-C. This has brought a Thunderbolt port to the iPhone, capable of transferring data at up to 40Gbps. Additionally, the all-new Action Button has effectively replaced the mute switch. It can do the same thing, but it can also be toggled to do different actions – you simply press and hold to confirm your action (mute, voice memo, or launch camera) and it can also be used to launch shortcuts.
Phone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max Australian pricing
iPhone 15 Pro cost:
- The 128GB iPhone 15 Pro will cost RRP $1,849
- The 256GB iPhone 15 Pro will cost RRP $2,049
- The 512GB iPhone 15 Pro will cost RRP $2,399
- The 1TB iPhone 15 Pro will cost RRP $2,749.
iPhone 15 Pro Max cost:
- The 256GB iPhone 15 Pro Max will cost RRP $2,199
- The 512GB iPhone 15 Pro Max will cost RRP $2,549
- The 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max will cost RRP $2,899.
Availability
Preorders begin on Friday, September 15 at 10pm AEST. The phones will be available on September 22. Telstra, Optus, and more will have plans available from then.
At its 2023 iPhone event, Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, USB-C for the AirPods Pro 2, Roadside Assistance via Satellite, and a bunch of environmental promises. This article has been updated since it was first published.
Image: Apple/Gizmodo Australia