The Apple iPhone 17 Pro is the company’s most powerful compact smartphone at the moment. It launched not long ago, and in this article, we’ll compare it to one of its predecessors. In other words, we’ll be comparing the Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro. There’s a two-year gap between the two phones, and some of you are probably thinking of upgrading to the new model. Well, this article will hopefully help make a decision.
We’ll kick things off by listing the specifications of both smartphones. There are some similarities between the two phones in general, but also some differences worth noting. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, camera performance, and audio output. There’s plenty to talk about here, so, let’s get to it, shall we?
Specs
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Dimensions
150 x 71.9 x 8.8 mm
146.6 x 70.6 x 8.3 mm
Weight
206 grams
187 grams
Display
6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED
6.1-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED
Refresh rate
1-120Hz
1-120Hz
Resolution
2622 x 1206
2556 x 1179
Chipset
Apple A19 Pro
Apple A17 Pro
RAM
12GB
8GB
Storage
256GB/512GB/1TB
128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
Main camera
48MP (1/1.28 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS, dual pixel PDAF)
48MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.28-inch sensor size, 1.22um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS)
Ultra-wide camera
48MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF)
12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 1.4um pixel size, PDAF)
Telephoto camera
N/A
12MP (f/2.8 aperture, 1/3.5-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom, OIS)
Periscope camera
48MP (f/2.8 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, PDAF, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 4x optical zoom)
N/A
Selfie camera(s)
18MP (f/1.9 aperture, OIS)
12MP (f/1.9 aperture, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF, OIS)
Battery size
3,988mAh (nano SIM) / 4,252mAh (eSIM only)
3,274mAh
Charging
Wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
23W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
Colors
Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue
Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium
Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Design
Design-wise, the two phones are quite similar. The main difference between can be seen on the back, so that’s what we’ll talk about first. The iPhone 17 Pro has a camera bar on the back, a rather large one. The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, does not, it includes a camera island in the top-left corner. The point is, the design of the camera layout is very similar and very recognizable for ‘Pro’ iPhones these days. Both phones include three cameras on the back.
If you look at them from the front, you’ll notice very few differences. They both have rounded corners and a centered pill-shaped camera hole. That hole is known as the Dynamic Island. The display is flat on both phones, and the bezels are both thin and uniform. Both of them have flat frames, which curve a bit towards the very edges. You’ll find the power/lock button on the right side, along with the Camera control key. That goes for both phones. The same goes for the left side, as the volume up and down buttons sit there, along with the Action key.
In addition to a different camera area on the iPhone 17 Pro, there’s also that separate piece of glass on the backplate, which is another difference compared to the iPhone 15 Pro. Apple also used different materials here. The iPhone 17 Pro is made out of aluminum and glass, while the iPhone 15 Pro is made out of titanium and glass. Aluminum does better with heat dissipation. The new iPhone is a bit heavier, though, at 206 grams, compared to 187 grams. It’s also a bit taller, wider, and thicker, as it does have a larger display. Both phones are quite slippery, and both are IP68 certified.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Display
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro features a 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is flat, and it supports an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). HDR10 is also supported, as is Dolby Vision. The peak brightness here is 3,000 nits, while the screen-to-body ratio is at aroun 89%. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. This display has a resolution of 2622 x 1206, while the Ceramic Shield 2 protects that panel. The display also has an anti-reflective coating on it.
The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, has a 6.1-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is also flat, and it supports an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). HDR10 is also supported, as is Dolby Vision. The peak brightness here is 2,000 nits, while the screen-to-body ratio is at around 88%. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while the resolution is 2556 x 1179 pixels. The Ceramic Shield glass protects this display.
While both of these displays are very, very good, the newer one has some advantages. They’re both vivid, bright, sharp, and have good viewing angles. However, the iPhone 17 Pro’s display does get brighter when you need it to. On top of that, it does come with the anti-reflective coating, which does make a difference. It’s not as huge of a difference as the Gorilla Armor or Armor 2, but still, it’s noticeable.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Performance
The Apple A19 Pro fuels the iPhone 17 Pro. That is Apple’s 3nm processor, the company’s latest offering. That chip is backed by 12GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, is fueled by the Apple A17 Pro processor, which is also a 3nm processor. That chip is paired with 8GB of RAM inside this phone, and NVMe flash storage. Neither phone supports storage expansion, by the way.
Both phones offer outstanding performance, actually. They’re very smooth in day-to-day situations, regardless of what you’re doing on your phone. In fact, there’s really not much difference in their performance, which is not surprising. The iPhone 17 Pro does open apps a hair faster sometimes, though, but that’s not something that you’ll exactly notice unless you’re comparing them side-by-side.
The iPhone 17 Pro does do better with games. Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone 15 Pro is great for gaming too, but the iPhone 17 Pro does remain cooler. The change in the cooling system plus that aluminum frame definitely have something to do with that. You’ll be able to play basically any game on either one of these two phones, though, so… no worries.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Battery
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro comes in two different models when it comes to the battery. The eSIM only variant has a larger 4,252mAh battery on the inside. The nano SIM variant includes a 3,998mAh battery. The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, includes a 3,274mAh battery on the inside. You can see a considerable difference here. Yes, the iPhone 15 Pro has a slightly smaller display, but this is quite a considerable difference battery-wise.
Do note that we’ve used the eSIM variant of the iPhone 17 Pro, the one with a larger battery pack. The battery life on that phone is outstanding. The iPhone 15 Pro also has good battery life, but it cannot compete with the iPhone 17 Pro. You can easily get over 7 hours of screen-on-time with plenty of juice left in the tank. Well, at least that’s what we were able to do, your mileage may vary.
When it comes to charging, the iPhone 17 Pro peaked at 35W, though it did not keep that speed at all times. It takes around an hour and 20 minutes to fully charge that device. The iPhone 15 Pro can be fully charged in around an hour and 30 minutes, a bit longer than that. So its charging is a bit slower in comparison. Neither phone ships with a charger in the box, though. Keep that in mind. When it comes to wireless charging, the iPhone 17 Pro supports 25W MagSafe wireless charging, while the iPhone 15 Pro supports 15W MagSafe wireless charging. Both of them also support 4.5W reverse wired charging.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Cameras
Both of these smartphones have three cameras on the back. In fact, the main camera on the two phones is the same. They both use a 48-megapixel unit (1/1.28-inch sensor size). The other two cameras are different, however. The iPhone 17 Pro features a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV), and a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 4x optical zoom).
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, in addition to the 48-megapixel main camera, has a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV). The third camera on the back of this smartphone is a 12-megapixel telephoto camera (1/3.5-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom). So, yes, the two secondary cameras are technically inferior on the iPhone 15 Pro, on paper.
Yes, that does translate to actual use as well. The iPhone 17 Pro does a better job with telephoto and ultrawide shots, though the difference is not huge. It also does a better job with its main camera. The colors are better, and the photos offer a better balance overall. Once again, the difference is not that big. You’ll see the most difference in low light. The video recording is also a bit better, but it’s not a huge leap.
Audio
Both of these smartphones have stereo speakers. The ones on the iPhone 15 Pro are notably louder, though, which is interesting. The iPhone 17 Pro speakers are alright, but they’re quieter than most flagship smartphone speakers these days. The sound quality is still good, though.
You will not find an audio jack on either of these two smartphones. You can always utilize the Type-C ports to connect your headphones via a wire, however. Alternatively, the iPhone 17 Pro supports Bluetooth 6.0, while the iPhone 15 Pro supports Bluetooth 5.3.
