Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro: what does a two-year upgrade get you? iPhone 17 Pro is a bold update that goes even more ‘pro,’ but if you’re considering an upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro, here are the key differences to know.
Displays: Bigger, brighter, and more scratch resistant
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max come with four display upgrades over the 15 Pro:
Larger screens: 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch for 17 Pro and Pro Max vs. 6.1-inch, 6.7-inch on iPhone 15 Pro Brighter screens: 3000 nits peak brightness outdoors vs. 2000 on the 15 Pro Minimum brightness: 17 Pro’s display can get as dark as 1 nit, perfect for when you’re in the dark and don’t want to disturb others Scratch resistance: Ceramic Shield 2 provides up to 3x better scratch resistance
Cameras: Major upgrades on iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 Pro and 15 Pro include fairly comparable 48MP Main cameras. Apple says the 17 Pro is a ‘Fusion’ system, but you probably won’t notice much of a difference.
With every other camera, however, iPhone 17 Pro has big upgrades.
Both the Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras are now 48MP Fusion too, up from 12MP.
With iPhone 17 Pro you get 4x and 8x optical zoom options. On iPhone 15 Pro, optical zoom tops out at 3x, while the 15 Pro Max goes to 5x.
The selfie camera on iPhone 17 Pro also brings huge change. Here are the details straight from Apple:
The Center Stage front camera features the first square front camera sensor on iPhone, offering a wider field of view and higher resolution — up to 18MP for photos — to capture more detail. Users no longer have to rotate their iPhone to take a landscape selfie — they can now take photos and videos in portrait or landscape while holding their iPhone vertically, enabling a more comfortable, secure grip and centered gaze. For group shots, Center Stage for photos uses AI to automatically expand the field of view and can rotate from portrait to landscape to include everyone in the frame. The Center Stage front camera enables ultra-stabilized video in 4K HDR, and users can now record on the front and rear cameras simultaneously with Dual Capture — perfect for capturing themselves and the world around them.
Camera Control is included in iPhone 17 Pro as a physical button that’s great for launching the Camera app and snapping photos.
Additionally, if you upgrade to iPhone 17 Pro you’ll gain access to the next-generation Photographic Styles that debuted last year, and a variety of video recording improvements like a four-mic array, wind noise reduction, ProRes RAW, and more.
Performance: More power, more RAM, less heat
iPhone 17 Pro comes with Apple’s new A19 Pro chip, which features 12GB of RAM, and the best ever sustained performance thanks to a new vapor chamber cooling system.
iPhone 15 Pro packs the A17 Pro chip with 8GB of RAM, and famously struggles with thermal capacity when performing intensive tasks. If you use iPhone 15 Pro outdoors much, use the cameras a lot, or Apple Intelligence features, you’ve likely experienced this problem.
Getting 50% more RAM and a chip that’s two generations better should bring plenty of performance gains, but the new vapor chamber in iPhone 17 Pro will likely prove a powerful advantage too.
Battery: Better than ever, by a lot
It’s an unusually great year for battery upgrades, with iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max offering significant advantages over last year’s 16 Pro—and even more when compared to the 15 Pro.
Here’s Apple’s estimated video playback time:
iPhone 17 Pro: up to 33 hours
iPhone 15 Pro: up to 23 hours
iPhone 17 Pro Max: up to 39 hours
iPhone 15 Pro Max: up to 29 hours
These gains will likely feel even more amplified when upgrading from a two-year-old iPhone 15 battery.
In addition to better battery life, iPhone 17 Pro charges faster than the 15 Pro: at 25W vs. 15W.
Fast charging is upgraded too. Apple estimates up to 50% charge in 20 minutes for both 17 Pro models. iPhone 15 Pro, meanwhile, takes 30 minutes for 50% and the 15 Pro Max takes 35 minutes.
Design materials: More durable, but not for everyone
iPhone 17 Pro has the most distinct new identity for a Pro model in years. But it’s not for everyone.
The aluminum unibody design comes in Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, and Silver. It’s defined by the large full-width camera plateau and two-tone back.
iPhone 15 Pro offers a more ‘classic’ look, with Apple’s now-iconic corner camera bump and uniform back. There’s also a titanium frame and the standard colors like black, white, and more.
Design includes durability, and thanks to a Ceramic Shield that now covers not just the front, but also the back of the device, iPhone 17 Pro should prove more durable than ever.
iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro: wrap-up
There’s no denying that the longer you wait between iPhone upgrades, the more improvement you’ll see.
But even after just two years, iPhone 17 Pro is a pretty sizable upgrade vs iPhone 15 Pro in areas that users care about most: cameras, battery life, and performance.
Thanks to its new design, iPhone 17 Pro also offers users a fresh look that’s more distinct than prior iterative updates. Is that a reason to upgrade? No, but paired with all the other feature improvements this year, it can be a nice added benefit.
Will you upgrade from an iPhone 15 Pro to iPhone 17 Pro? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
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