Hosted by site sponsor WebMate.
iPhone Q&A
Update Published September 25, 2024
All Apple Q&As >> iPhone Q&A (Home) | iPhone Repair Q&A (Home)
To be notified of new Q&As, sign up for EveryMac.com's bimonthly email list.
What are the major differences between the iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro/iPhone 15 Pro Max? Which is best for my needs?
Please note that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have been discontinued. Apple continues to sell the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus as new. This Q&A has been updated with new info and can be quite useful to anyone considering one of these models whether new or used.
There are sixteen different iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max models (four of each), but this Everyi.com Q&A generally covers the collective differences to make it a bit easier to choose which is best for you.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Left to Right: iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max)
These four different iPhone models released in 2023 have quite a bit in common. However, there are some major differences, as well, and these differences are not all obvious -- or even reported -- and can be particularly worthwhile to evaluate accordingly.
Unusually, there is one especially major difference introduced by a later version of the operating system than the one that originally shipped with these models, too.
External Design & Functionality Differences
The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max models look very similar upon casual inspection -- rounded rectangles with flat sides, a glass front and back, and nearly edge-to-edge displays. All of these models use the clever "Dynamic Island" toward the top of the display, as well.
The two entry-level iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models use a case that is primarily aluminum whereas the higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max use a titanium frame over an aluminum substructure. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max also introduce a new "Action" button than can be configured by the user.
All of these models have a "Ceramic shield" on the front side for durability and are waterproof to the IP68 standard (IEC standard 60529) for up to 30 minutes of water exposure to a depth of six meters.
Each of these devices also have stereo speakers, a USB-C port, magnetic "MagSafe" charging capability, and support for "wireless" charging. Models sold outside of the United States also have a side-mounted access panel for physical SIM access (US models only support eSIM).
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are smaller than the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The "Pro" models are slightly heavier, as well:
 15 |
15 Plus |
 15 Pro |
15 Pro Max |
|
| Material: | Aluminum/Glass | Aluminum/Glass | Titanium/Glass | Titanium/Glass |
| Action: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Height (In.): | 5.81 | 6.33 | 5.77 | 6.29 |
| Width (In.): | 2.82 | 3.06 | 2.78 | 3.02 |
| Depth (In.): | 0.31 | 0.31 | 0.32 | 0.32 |
| Weight (Oz.): | 6.02 | 7.09 | 6.60 | 7.81 |
Display Differences
The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all use quality displays. All support "Dynamic Island" functionality, too.
However, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have displays that are even better quality than the two entry-level models; "Super Retina XDR with ProMotion" displays with "Always On" capability, and an adaptive refresh rate from 1 Hz to 120 Hz for faster frame rates that are easier on the eyes when scrolling:
15 |
15 Plus |
15 Pro |
15 Pro Max |
|
| Display Type: | XDR | XDR | ProMotion | ProMotion |
| Dimensions: | 6.1" | 6.7" | 6.1" | 6.7" |
| Resolution: | 2556x1179 | 2796x1290 | 2556x1179 | 2796x1290 |
| PPI: | 460 | 460 | 460 | 460 |
| Brightness: | 1000 nits | 1000 nits | 1000 nits | 1000 nits |
| HDR Max: | 1600 nits | 1600 nits | 1600 nits | 1600 nits |
| Outdoor Max: | 2000 nits | 2000 nits | 2000 nits | 2000 nits |
| Contrast: | 2 million:1 | 2 million:1 | 2 million:1 | 2 million:1 |
| Always On: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Housing Color Differences
In addition to material differences, there are color differences between the entry-level iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus and the higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Plus Colors)
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus (above) were offered in five color options -- pale shades of Blue, Green, Yellow, and Pink as well as Black.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (below) shipped in four "Titanium" color options (left to right): Black, White, Blue, and "Natural" (Gray).
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPhone 15 Pro/iPhone 15 Pro Max Colors)
Along with material and weight, Apple uses color to make the "Pro" models feel more premium than the entry-level iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, as well.
Camera Differences
The cameras in the entry-level iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus and the higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are one of the most significant differences.
The front cameras have the same capabilities, but the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max support ProRAW photography and ProRes video recording. The rear cameras in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are notably more capable, as well.
Front Cameras
The front-facing camera on all four of these models -- which Apple has dubbed "TrueDepth" -- support "Face ID" authentication, augmented reality (AR), still photos, and 4K video recording:
15 |
15 Plus |
15 Pro |
15 Pro Max |
|
| Megapixels: | 12 MP | 12 MP | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Aperture: | f/1.9 | f/1.9 | f/1.9 | f/1.9 |
| Video: | 4K | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| ProRAW: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| ProRes: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Rear Cameras
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus rear cameras have "advanced dual camera systems" with a 48 megapixel "Main" and 12 megapixel "Ultra Wide" lenses that shoot still photos and 4K video with a variety of filters and processing options.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are even more advanced and have rear "Pro camera systems" that combine three lenses -- a 48 megapixel "Main", 12 megapixel "Ultra Wide", and 12 megapixel "Telephoto." These models also support the Apple ProRAW photo format and ProRes video codec for more flexible and professional editing options:
15 |
15 Plus |
15 Pro |
15 Pro Max |
|
| Megapixels: | 48/12 MP | 48/12 MP | 48/12/12 MP | 48/12/12 MP |
| Main: | f/1.6 | f/1.6 | f/1.78 | f/1.78 |
| Ultrawide: | f/2.4 | f/2.4 | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Telephoto: | No | No | f/2.8 | f/2.8 |
| Macro Support: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Digital Zoom: | 2x-10x* | 2x-10x* | 2x-15x† | 2x-25x† |
| Apple ProRAW: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Apple ProRes: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
* By combining an image from both cameras, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus emulate a 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 4x optical zoom range, and a digital zoom up to 10x.
† By combining an image from two or three cameras, the iPhone 15 Pro emulates a 3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 6x optical zoom range, and digital zoom up to 15x. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is even more capable with a 5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 10x optical zoom range, and digital zoom up to 25x.
Identification Differences
The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max models all are easy to mix up with earlier or later iPhone models.
It is not possible to identify specific models within each line by appearance alone, either.
Accordingly, one relatively easy way to uniquely identify these models is by the Model Number listed on the cardboard shipping box, inside the USB-C port, and within the iOS "Settings" app.
Consequently, for the purpose of this Q&A, it is sufficient to note that the following model numbers refer to these iPhone devices:
iPhone Model |
Model Number |
EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iLookup feature also can precisely identify these iPhone models by Order Number (referred to as "Model" within the iOS "Settings" app under General > About), and other identifiers, as well.
Battery Life Differences
The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all have excellent battery life:
15 |
15 Plus |
15 Pro |
15 Pro Max |
|
| Local Video: | 20 Hours | 26 Hours | 23 Hours | 29 Hours |
| Streaming: | 16 Hours | 20 Hours | 20 Hours | 25 Hours |
| Audio: | 80 Hours | 100 Hours | 75 Hours | 95 Hours |
The high-end iPhone 15 Pro Max provides the longest runtime in video tasks, but the lower-end iPhone 15 Plus actually provides the longest runtime for audio.
All of these devices are "fast-charge capable" of charging to 50% capacity in 30 minutes, as well.
Wireless Connectivity & Data Differences
Collectively, the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max models each provide much of the same connectivity. For example, all provide 5G support, Gigabit LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, Ultra Wideband "for spatial awareness," NFC capability, and more. However, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus only support Wi-Fi 6 whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max support Wi-Fi 6E as well as Thread networking.
There also are a few 5G and 4G LTE bands that are supported by some models and not others. Specifically, for 5G, models sold in the United States support 5G mmWave bands n258 (26 GHz), n260 (39 GHz), n261 (28 GHz), but others do not. Models sold in Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Saudi Arabia support the 5G bands n14 (700 PS), n29 (700d MHz), n53 (TD 2500), and n71 (600 MHz). Models sold in other countries do not support these bands.
Supported 4G and 5G bands vary accordingly:
iPhone Model |
Model No |
Additional 4G/5G |
iPhone 15 (US) |
14 (700 PS) n14 (700 PS) n258 (26 GHz) |
|
iPhone 15 (CA/MX/JP/SA) |
11 (1500 MHz) n14 (700 PS) |
|
iPhone 15 (Global) |
No Differences |
|
iPhone 15 (China) |
No Differences |
All models support at least dual SIMs, but specifics vary. Models sold in the United States support dual eSIMs and models sold in China support dual physical Nano SIM. Models sold just about everywhere else have dual eSIMs and a single physical Nano SIM.
Internal Differences
The entry-level iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus use an earlier architecture than the higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Although it is not advertised, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models also have more RAM in addition to LiDAR support, faster USB-C charging, and the option of more storage:
15 |
15 Plus |
15 Pro |
15 Pro Max |
|
| Clockspeed: | 3.5 GHz | 3.5 GHz | 3.78 GHz | 3.78 GHz |
| Processor: | A16 | A16 | A17 Pro | A17 Pro |
| CPU: | 6 Cores | 6 Cores | 6 Cores | 6 Cores |
| GPU: | 5 Cores | 5 Cores | 6 Cores | 6 Cores |
| RAM: | 6 GB | 6 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage: | 128/256/512 | 128/256/512 | 128/256/512/1 | 256/512/1 |
| LiDAR: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| USB-C: | USB 2 | USB 2 | USB 3 | USB 3 |
In terms of performance, the higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are around 15% to 17% faster than the entry-level models.
iOS Support Similarities
The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all originally shipped with iOS 17.
They also all support iOS 18, the current version of the iOS, but the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus do not support the Apple Intelligence (AI) feature, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max do support Apple Intelligence.
iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro & 15 Pro Max Comparison Chart
These differences as well as other details and pricing information is summarized below:
15 |
15 Plus |
15 Pro |
15 Pro Max |
|
| Introduced: | Sep 2023 | Sep 2023 | Sep 2023 | Sep 2023 |
| Discontinued: | Current | Current | Sep 2024 | Sep 2024 |
| Processor: | A16 | A16 | A17 Pro | A17 Pro |
| RAM: | 6 GB | 6 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage: | 128/256/512 | 128/256/512 | 128/256/512/1 | 256/512/1 |
| Battery Life: | 16-80 Hours | 20-100 Hours | 20-75 Hours | 25-95 Hours |
| Display Size: | 6.1" | 6.7" | 6.1" | 6.7" |
| Display Type: | XDR | XDR | ProMotion | ProMotion |
| Resolution: | 2556x1179 | 2796x1290 | 2556x1179 | 2796x1290 |
| Always On: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Front Camera: | 12 MP | 12 MP | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Rear Camera: | 48/12 MP | 48/12 MP | 48/12/12 MP | 48/12/12 MP |
| ProRes: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Material: | Al/Glass | Al/Glass | Ti/Glass | Ti/Glass |
| LiDAR: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi: | 6 | 6 | 6E | 6E |
| Thread: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| USB-C: | USB 2 | USB 2 | USB 3 | USB 3 |
| Colors: | 5 Colors | 5 Colors | 4 Subdued | 4 Subdued |
| SIM Card: | Nano/eSIM | Nano/eSIM | Nano/eSIM | Nano/eSIM |
| Orig. iOS: | iOS 17 | iOS 17 | iOS 17 | iOS 17 |
| Max. iOS: | iOS 18 | iOS 18 | iOS 18 | iOS 18 |
| Apple AI: | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Orig. USD: | US$799 US$899 US$1099 |
US$899 US$999 US$1199 |
US$999 US$1099 US$1299 US$1499 |
US$1199 US$1399 US$1599 |
| Orig. GBP: | £799 £899 £1099 |
£899 £999 £1199 |
£999 £1099 £1299 £1499 |
£1199 £1399 £1599 |
| Orig. CAD: | C$1129 C$1279 C$1579 |
C$1279 C$1429 C$1729 |
C$1449 C$1599 C$1899 C$2199 |
C$1749 C$2049 C$2349 |
| Orig. AUD: | A$1499 A$1699 A$2049 |
A$1649 A$1849 A$2199 |
A$1849 A$2049 A$2399 A$2749 |
A$2199 A$2549 A$2899 |
| Orig. JPY: | ¥124,800 ¥139,800 ¥169,800 |
¥139,800 ¥154,800 ¥184,800 |
¥159,800 ¥174,800 ¥204,800 ¥234,800 |
¥189,800 ¥219,800 ¥249,800 |
| Orig. CNY: | RMB 5,999 RMB 6,999 RMB 8,999 |
RMB 6,999 RMB 7,999 RMB 9,999 |
RMB 7,999 RMB 8,999 RMB 10,999 RMB 12,999 |
RMB
9,999 RMB 11,999 RMB 13,999 |
These original prices are for devices unlocked and paid in full upfront. Carrier subsidized options, leases, and trade-in discounts also are available. On September 9, 2024, Apple cut the price of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models by US$100 each.
For pricing in dozens of countries, see the "Global Prices" on the specs page for each iPhone as well as the "By Global Original Prices" section of EveryiPhone.com.
So, which is for me? Should I buy an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max?
Compared only to one another, and ignoring earlier and later models, the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, all are high quality, capable devices.
However, there essentially are two size options to consider and then two quality options to consider. None of these models are especially small, but the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are smaller (6.1") and the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max are larger (6.7").
The quality decision comes down to whether or not the "Pro" model of either size is worth the extra money to you (originally an extra US$200 for each). The extra money gets you (1) a significantly better quality display, (2) a much more advanced rear camera with support for a more professional file format and video codec, (3) modestly faster performance (15%-17% faster), (4) more RAM (which likely means a longer usuable lifespan in terms of software support), (5) a bit better battery life for video tasks, (6) the potentially useful "Action" button, (7) faster USB 3 charging over USB-C, (8) faster Wi-Fi, and (9) LiDAR support. At additional cost, you also have (10) the option of more storage. Starting with iOS 18, (11) the "Pro" models also support Apple Intelligence (AI) features, whereas the entry-level models do not.
For many users, the "Pro" camera alone is worth the extra money. Others may find some combination of the better display, faster performance, additional RAM, or other speed boosts to be worth it. Running iOS 18, others may find support for Apple Intelligence (AI) to be a huge plus, too. However, for those on a budget, the entry-level iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus should be more than enough. Of course, any number of other used iPhone models are well worth considering to save even more money, too.
In the US, site sponsor Other World Computing sell used and refurbished iPhone models also with free shipping. On the other hand, if you need to sell an iPhone, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older iPhone with an instant quote and prompt payment.
In Australia, site sponsor Mac City likewise has a variety of used iPhone models sold at low prices and available with a free warranty and fast shipping across Australia.
Please also see EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iComparison feature to dynamically compare any iPhone model to any other iPod, iPhone, or iPad.
Permalink | Report an Error/Typo | Sign Up for Site Update Notices
<< iPhone Q&A (Main) | All Apple Q&As
Established in 1996, EveryMac.com has been created by experts with decades of experience with Apple hardware. EveryMac.com includes, and always has included, original research incorporating detailed, hands-on inspection of packaging, computers, and devices as well as extensive real-world use. All information is provided in good faith, but no website or person is perfect. Accordingly, EveryMac.com is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind whatsoever. EveryMac.com, and the authors thereof, shall not be held responsible or liable, under any circumstances, for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use the information within. For complete disclaimer and copyright information please read and understand the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy before using EveryMac.com. Copying, scraping, or use of any content without expressed permission is not allowed, although links to any page are welcomed and appreciated.