Inside the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro: Here's How They Compare and Which to Buy - CNET

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Apple gives us a lot to consider when buying an iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro beyond just the cameras. And don't think you need to pay $1,000 or more to get a great iPhone.

On the surface, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro have a lot of similarities, but there are several significant differences that make choosing between the two a bit of a challenge. Both phones were released last September at Apple's "Wonderlust" event alongside updates to the Apple Watch. And we are now at a time where it might be best to hold off on buying a new iPhone. That's because the rumored iPhone 16 and 16 Pro will likely to be released on Monday Sept. 9 at Apple's Glowtime event.

Of course, you might just need a new phone now and the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro are still outstanding options even 11 months after their release. The iPhone 15 is basically a repackaged iPhone 14 Pro without the telephoto camera or one-grand price tag. The iPhone 15 Pro comes with Apple's latest processor, cameras and a new titanium design but it also costs $200 more than the regular iPhone 15.

Ultimately you should focus on which iPhone suits your needs better. Not everyone needs an iPhone 15 Pro, in fact most people will be more than happy with an iPhone 15. Save that extra money for a case and a nice steak dinner.

The iPhone 15 Pro's display has a variable refresh rate that tops out at 120Hz and helps makes system animations, scrolling and video games look smooth.

Both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro feature the same size screen -- a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with a 2,556x1,179-pixel resolution. The Pro's display, however, features ProMotion technology, which is Apple's way of saying it has a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. It results in smoother motion in videos, games and just scrolling through web pages compared with the the iPhone 15's fixed 60Hz refresh rate. When you aren't watching YouTube or gaming on your phone, the Pro will lower the refresh rate to conserve battery life.

The iPhone 15 Pro also has an always-on display that keeps it on and dimmed when charging so you can use StandBy mode. Unfortunately the iPhone 15 lacks an always-on display.

The iPhone 15 Pro in Standby mode on a MagSafe charging stand.

The 15 and 15 Pro are made from different materials. The iPhone 15 has an aluminum enclosure with a color-infused glass back, and the iPhone 15 Pro is made from titanium with a textured matte glass back.

The iPhone 15 comes in more colorful options. You can get it in pink, soft yellow, light green, pale blue or black. The iPhone 15 Pro is available in more staid hues: black, white, dark blue and natural titanium that looks beige.

The new iPhone 15 Pro titanium colors, from left to right: black, white, blue and natural.

In terms of overall size, the iPhone 15 is ever-so-slightly larger but lighter than the iPhone 15 Pro. Titanium is lighter than aluminum, but the iPhone 15 Pro weighs more than the iPhone 15, in large part because it has a third camera. The iPhone 15 weighs 6.02 ounces (171 grams), and the iPhone 15 Pro weighs 6.6 ounces (187 grams). The iPhone 15 Pro has ultrathin bezels and shaves a millimeter off the width and height of the iPhone 15's dimensions while also being a fraction of a millimeter thinner.

The Action button (small one on the far right) on the iPhone 15 Pro.

One last difference between the two enclosures is the introduction of the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro. It replaces the mute switch that's still on the side of the iPhone 15. By default, a long press on the Action button will mute and unmute the phone. But you can customize it to trigger a number of shortcuts like turning on the flashlight, recording a voice memo or opening the camera app and snapping a photo.

The iPhone 15 Pro nets you a third camera.

As with previous iPhone lines, the iPhone 15 features two cameras on the back, and the iPhone 15 Pro has three. You get a 48-megapixel wide lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens with either model, and the iPhone 15 Pro adds a 12-megapixel telephoto lens that has a 3x optical zoom that lets you get closer to your subject. We should note that the Pro phone's main camera has a larger 48-megapixel sensor, which helps improve performance in low light.

Both models support night mode, but only the iPhone 15 Pro lets you take night mode shots in portrait mode.

Inside, the iPhone 15 has an A16 Bionic chip, while the iPhone 15 Pro has an A17 Pro chip. Both models ought to be plenty fast; each processor is a six-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores. The iPhone 15 Pro is better suited for graphics and gaming; the A17 Pro Bionic processor has a six-core GPU to the A16 Bionic's five-core GPU.

Both models are available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities, and the iPhone 15 Pro offers a 1TB option.

All iPhone 15 series models have USB-C charging, but only the iPhone 15 Pro supports the faster 10Gbps speeds of USB 3. You'll need to supply your own USB-C 3 cable for a 15 Pro since Apple ships a USB 2 cable with both phones, but the iPhone 15 supports only USB 2 speeds of 480Mbps.

Here's the iPhone 15 Pro's USB-C port.

Finally, we arrive at the difference in price. No surprises here: As in past years, Apple charges an extra $200 for the iPhone 15 Pro compared with the iPhone 15. The iPhone 15 starts at $799 (£799, AU$1,499), while the iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 (£999, AU$1,849).