Apple has unveiled its all new flagship iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. With a big focus on performance, Apple talked a big game when it comes to mobile gaming as well as many features mobile pros, particularly those in the creative world, will look forward to.
New and improved iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max features
| USB-C | Apple listened to the EU and introduced USB-C. It means one cable will be able to charge pretty much every current generation Apple device. As a bonus you’ll be be able to use your iPhone to give your Apple Watch or AirPods Pro (a new version with USB-C charing was also announced) a top up as USB-C enables two-way charging. The iPhone 15 Pro can get faster performance with different USB-C cables. For example, an iPhone 15 Pro can be directly connected to a Mac with 48MP images instantly available on the computer for image processing and editing. Apple says this enables the iPhone to be used as part of a true photography pro studio and for video to be recorded straight to an external storage drive. |
| Processor | No surprises here. The iPhone 15 Pro gets the all new A17 Pro processor. This is Apple’s first 3-nanometer chip with 19 billion transistors and features a GPU redesign. Apple says it is up to 10% faster and that the Neural Engine is now up to twice as fast as the A16 Bionic. The A17 Pro chips has a 6 core CPU (two performance and four efficiency cores) a 16 core Neural Engine that supports on-device machine learning dedicated engines for ProRes, Prodisplay and AV1 decoding USB controller for faster workflows using a special cable a new 6 core ‘pro class’ GPU |
| Action button | The ring/silent switch is gone, replaced by a button. It will default to the same ring/silent actions we’re familiar with but it will now also support launching the camera, voice recorder, Shortcuts and a number of other apps and options when it it is pressed and held. It has haptic feedback so you’ll know when the button is activated. |
| Display | While display sizes remain the same, the borders around the display are smaller than ever before. This makes the overall dimensions smaller than the previous model while retaining the same display size and resolution. ILike the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Max, the pro models get the Ceramic Shield that Apple says makes its displays more durable than ever before. There’s also a new standby display that’s activated when the iPhone 5 Pro is on its side while charging. The display can be customised. |
| Gaming | Apple has been slowly building momentum with its Apple Arcade service. With the iPhone 5 Pro, significant time was given to its gaming credentials, suggesting Apple is looking at serious gamers as a target audience. Popular games such as Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4, Death Stranding, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage were all given shoutouts during the keynote and in Apple media releases. |
| Build | The big shift here is the use of titanium for the enclosure. It’s stronger and lighter than previous Pro models. Apple says it’s using Grade 5 titanium – an allow that is stronger than pure titanium. And it’s used on the Mars Rover (I remembered a lot of ads from the 80s that talked about using “materials used on the space shuttle when that was mentioned in the keynote). Last year, the iPhone 14 featured an all new build that was more repairable. Unfortunately, the iPhone 14 Pro didn’t get the same love. But the iPhone 15 Pro now boasts the same sort of internal deign that will maker it more repairable than previous models. |
| Shape | The hard edges of the iPhone 14 are gone. The iPhone 15 Pro has contoured edges which look much smoother and comfortable to hold. The downside is that you’ll need new cases as last year’s won’t fit the iPhone 15. |
| Colours | iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Max will be available in black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium |
| Camera | It’s hard to tell if the iPhone is a phone that can take photos or a camera that can make phone calls. There are number of new features such as saving camera settings as defaults for shooting, better lowlight performance using Photonic Engine, the LiDAR Scanner and what Apple called “computational photography”. Zoom range is enhanced with a 3x telephoto camera with a much larger sensor and better autofocus. There’s enhanced image stabilisation as well as abumhc of her enhancements that camera nerds will want to look into. |
| Communications | Emergency SOS, using satellite comms is available along with 5G (actual bands supported will vary between countries as there are two different versions), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC (near field communications). |
| Recycled materials | The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max use a lot of recycled material. Apple says: 100% recycled cobalt in the battery 100% recycled copper in the main logic board, copper wire in the Taptic Engine, and copper foil in the inductive charger in MagSafe 75% recycled aluminium in the enclosure 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets 100% recycled gold in the USB‑C connector as well as the gold plating and tin soldering in multiple printed circuit boards Over 99% of the packaging is fibre-based Free of mercury, PVC, and beryllium |
Pricing
As expected, prices are up, especially when you look at the entry level iPhone 15 Pro Max. But that’s because the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn’t come with 128GB storage option. So, part of that price hike is covered by increased storage capacity.
| iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 14 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen (inches) | 6.1 | 6.7 | 6.1 | 6.7 |
| Processor | A16 Bionic | A16 Bionic | A17 Pro | A7 Pro |
| Capacities (GB/TB) | 128/256/512 | 128/256/512/1 | 128/256/512/1 | 256/512/1 |
| Priced from (AUD) | $1749 | $1899 | $1849 | $2199 |
A fully maxed out iPhone 15 Pro max will set you back $2899 – enough to buy two MacBook Air laptops!
iPhone 15 Pro Availability
Australian customers can pre-order iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max from 10:00PM on Friday, 15 September. Availability will start on Friday, 22 September.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.