Comparison of iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Cameras
Many of the differences between the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro come down to the new camera systems. As the name implies, the Pro devices offer the most advanced cameras but 15 and 15 Plus still have very capable systems. However, new this year, iPhone 15 Pro Max stands on its own as the only model with 5x optical zoom. Let’s dig into everything that’s different between the iPhone 15 camera vs 15 Pro camera.
iPhone 15 camera vs 15 Pro camera
Rear cameras
All the iPhone 15 devices come with a new 48MP main rear camera, next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control, Smart HDR 5, and more. However, the 15 Pro and Pro Max stand apart with the most powerful camera systems. Plus, a new change this year sees the 15 Pro Max get the most capable camera with the telephoto lens getting a 5x optical zoom. That lens is limited to 3x for 15 Pro like the 14 Pro and the 15 and 15 Plus get 2x optical zoom.
The 15 Pro and Pro Max main cameras also have more powerful sensors even though all iPhone 15 devices now feature 48MP sensors. Precisely, that’s 2.44 µm quad pixel sensors for the Pro devices and 2 µm quad pixel sensors for the 15 and 15 Plus.
This year, all the iPhone 15 models support shooting 24 and 48MP “super-high-resolution photos” and there’s a new 48MP HEIF Max that allows users to shoot detailed images without the large file sizes of ProRAW (iPhone 14 Pro also gets HEIF Max).
| Device | Main lens | Ultra Wide lens | Telephoto lens | Stabilization | Optical zoom | Digital zoom | Flash | Photonic Engine | Deep Fusion | Smart HDR 5 | Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control | Portrait Lighting with six effects | Night mode | Night mode portraits | Photographic Styles | Macro photography | Apple ProRAW | Sapphire crystal lens cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 15 | 48MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture | ❌ | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization | 0.5x, 1x, and 2x | Up to 10x | True Tone flash | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| iPhone 15 Plus | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | ❌ | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | ❌ | Same as iPhone 15 | ❌ | ❌ | Same as iPhone 15 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture | 12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture | 2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization | 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x | Up to 15x | Adaptive True Tone Flash | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | ✅ | Same as iPhone 15 | ✅ | ✅ | Same as iPhone 15 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x | Up to 25x | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro |
Another standout new feature for the Pro models is the option to quickly change (and set a default) for different focal lengths for the main camera – 24, 28, and 35 mm. And for the 15 Pro Max, you’ve got a 10x zoom range from 0.5x to 5x – with focal lengths from 13 mm to 120 mm.
And capabilities like macro photography and Apple ProRAW support remain exclusive for the Pro models.
TruDepth selfie camera
Apple’s TrueDepth front camera on the iPhone 15 devices gets a range of upgrades found on the main rear camera. The only feature missing from the iPhone 15 vs 15 Pro models is ProRes support.
| Device | TrueDepth front camera | Retina Flash | Photonic Engine | Deep Fusion | Smart HDR 5 for photos | Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control | Portrait Lighting with six effects | Animoji and Memoji | Night mode | Photographic Styles | 4K recording | Cinematic mode | HDR/Dolby Vision recording | ProRes recording | Slo-mo recording | Cinematic video stabilization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 15 | 12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps | ❌ | ✅ –1080p at 120 fps | ✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p |
| iPhone 15 Plus | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | ❌ | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro |
Video recording
For the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, ProRes video recording jumps from 4K30 to 4K60. And USB-C 3 support with 10Gbps speeds on the Pro models means the ability to shoot ProRes directly to external drives. Log encoding is also new for video recording on the iPhone 15 Pro devices which offers more flexibility and range for color grading and visual effects.
| Device | 4K recording | 1080p recording | Cinematic mode | Action mode | HDR/Dolby Vision recording | ProRes recording | Log video recording | Academy Color Encoding System | Macro video recording | Spatial video recording | Slo-mo recording | Time-lapse with stabilization | Night mode Time-lapse | QuickTake video | Stabilization | Audio zoom | Stereo recording |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 15 | ✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps | ✅ | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video | ✅ | ✅ |
| iPhone 15 Plus | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | ✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 | 2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video | Same as iPhone 15 | Same as iPhone 15 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro | Same as iPhone 15 Pro |
Another new feature for pro users is support for the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES). Apple says the 15 Pro devices are the first smartphones in the world to support the standard.
Finally, the ability to capture Spatial video arrives with the 15 Pro and Pro Max which can be viewed on Apple Vision Pro.
iPhone 15 vs 15 Pro I/O
USB 3 on the Pro models enables some neat new capabilities like shooting video straight to an external SSD and more quickly exporting large files. Keep in mind you will need a USB 3.1 gen 2 certified cable for that.
All of the iPhone 15 devices just come with the iPhone and a USB-C charge cable in the box. If you need a power adapter, go with at least a 20W so you get fast charging for your iPhone.
iPhone 15 camera vs 15 Pro: Which is best for you?
All of the iPhone 15 models have powerful cameras, but which one is best for you will come down to how you want to use your camera and which features are most important.
Camera features unique to iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
- Three rear lenses: main, ultrawide, and telephoto
- 5x optical zoom with 15 Pro Max and 3x with 15 Pro
- Macro photography
- Night mode portraits
- ProRAW and ProRes support
- Macro video recording, slo-mo, and time-lapse
- Log video encoding and ACES support
- Recording to external storage
iPhone 15 or 15 Plus Pro cameras
If the features above aren’t a big deal for you, save your money and get the iPhone 15, which includes two great rear cameras with the main lens upgraded to 48MP this year and many of the other capabilities like next-gen portraits, Night mode, Smart HDR 5, and more.