Review of the Apple iPhone 15 Pro smartphone

Apple's September presentation turned out to be one of the most disappointing events for fans of the company. The new iPhones were presented with minimal changes, at least that's what it looked like from the descriptions and technical specifications. However, what the real changes and improvements are, we can only determine now, having experience using the devices in practice.

• SoC Apple A17 Pro (6 processor cores: 2 high-performance with a frequency of 3.78 GHz and 4 energy-efficient, 6 graphics cores, 16 Neural Engine cores)
• Touch display 6.1″, ProMotion XDR OLED, 1179×2556, 461 ppi, capacitive, multi-touch, Always-On function
• RAM (according to Geekbench 6): 7.5 GB
• Flash memory 128/256/512 GB/1 TB
• No memory card support
• Cellular: UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), LTE Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, support Gigabit LTE, 5G (not supported in Russia)
• Wi-Fi 6E (802.11b/g/n/ac/ac/ax, 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz, support 2x2 MIMO)
• Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE
• NFC (Apple Pay only; not available in Russia)
• GPS with A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo and QZSS
• Universal USB-C connector
• Cameras: front (12 MP, video 4K 60 fps) and three rear modules: wide-angle 48 MP (24 mm), telephoto 3× 12 MP (77 mm), ultra-wide-angle 12 MP (13 mm, 120 degrees); shooting video 4K 60 fps
• Face recognition with TrueDepth camera
• Li-polymer battery 3274 mAh (unofficial information), non-removable
• Supports Qi wireless charging
• MagSafe Accessory Support
• Dimensions 147×71×8.3 mm
• Weight 187 g
• IP68 protection
• Operating system iOS 17

Let's compare the key specs of the iPhone 15 Pro with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 to see how big the difference is between them.

So, judging by the characteristics, the differences between the new items are minimal. The main thing, of course, is USB-C instead of Lightning, and increased performance (including due to the amount of RAM). But other than that, the improvements are purely cosmetic. However, let's get acquainted with the device itself.

The packaging and equipment of the iPhone 15 Pro is minimalistic and modest. Inside the compact box there is a USB-C cable, a sticker in the form of the Apple logo and a key for removing the SIM card.

Please note that the cable is now braided with fabric, like the top Apple computers. It seems like a small thing, but it’s nice.

The downside is that not all third-party cables will charge the smartphone, although it would seem that USB-C is a universal standard, unlike Lightning.

There is no charging unit, as before, so you can use any one, starting from 5 V 1 A (but two-amp is better).

Differences between the newer and older generations of iPhone in appearance may be more noticeable to power users or technology enthusiasts than to ordinary users, especially if we are talking about visual rather than functional changes.

In this case, there is a significant update in the case materials. The iPhone is now made of titanium, except for the antenna section, where aluminum is used. In addition, the edges of the device are now slightly rounded, creating a uniform harmony with the body.

By touch, of course, it is not so easy to understand that the body is not made of aluminum, but of another metal. But the smartphone has become lighter, and this is already very noticeable. And the fact that titanium is used here can warm the owner’s soul.

Please note that the camera block protrudes noticeably above the rear surface, and the lenses also protrude above this block. This is especially noticeable when the smartphone is lying on the table with the screen facing up.

Like previous models, the new device continues to have Dynamic Island — a notch for the front camera and Face ID. However, in the new interface, Face ID has been integrated in such a way that it can now perform additional functions of the control.

However, in terms of functionality, a significant improvement is the replacement of the lever previously used to put the smartphone into silent mode with an additional button. In the photo it is located next to the two volume buttons.

Apple introduced this button as an «Action Button» and allows users to customize it to perform various tasks: switch to silent mode, activate focus mode, launch the camera, flashlight, voice recorder, Notes app, activate Magnifier mode, or enable disabled mode. There are also promises to add a translation feature in the future, but the exact language pairs that will be supported remain a mystery.

Most users will probably prefer to use the Action Button to switch between silent and normal modes. However, due to the fact that this button is similar in appearance to the others, there are initially problems in distinguishing it from others. Perhaps over time, users will be able to get used to this button, but it remains unclear why the Action Button could not be made so that it also feels different from other buttons.

USB-C is a long-awaited innovation that has generated a lot of anticipation. It makes no sense to explain the convenience and correctness of this solution, since this is already obvious. However, Apple has introduced some unexpected twists in its style. One of them concerns the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus: these models use the long-outdated USB 2.0 interface, which provides low data transfer speeds. While the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max feature USB 3.1 (Gen2), which is a significant improvement in data transfer speeds. Apple has once again demonstrated the differences between its models, giving users more advanced technologies in the premium versions of the iPhone.

As mentioned earlier, there is one more nuance. If you try to charge your iPhone using a cable from another manufacturer, be prepared that charging may not start. This doesn't mean that all third-party cables won't work at all: after testing various options, we found that most do, but not all without exception.

This partly devalues the very idea of moving to a common standard. But, however, the smartphone charges without problems using MacBook chargers, so at least users of Apple laptops will benefit from the innovation.

The iPhone 15 Pro screen has basic characteristics identical to its predecessor. This is a ProMotion XDR OLED with a diagonal of 6.1″ and a resolution of 1179×2556.

The detailed screen test was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. The anti-glare properties of the screen are rated higher than that of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (simply Nexus 7). The outer surface of the screen has a special grease-repellent coating that makes fingerprints easier to remove and less likely to form than regular glass.

When manually adjusting the brightness and displaying a white field across the entire screen, the maximum constant brightness value was around 810 cd/m², while using automatic brightness control it rises to 1010 cd/m² in very bright conditions. In HDR mode, the maximum brightness reaches about 1500 cd/m², which improves image quality for HDR content. The manufacturer claims up to 1000 cd/m² in normal mode, up to 1600 cd/m² in HDR mode and up to 2000 cd/m² in maximum mode for outdoor use. The minimum brightness is 1.9 cd/m². High maximum screen brightness with good anti-glare properties ensures good readability even in bright sunlight. In the dark, you can set the brightness to a comfortable value. Automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor is enabled by default and adapts the brightness to the current conditions. However, you can change the brightness level depending on the user's preference. When using automatic brightness control in different lighting conditions, the screen brightness automatically adjusts from 5 cd/m² in dark conditions to 1010 cd/m² in very bright conditions. This allows users to adjust the screen brightness according to their preferences. At all brightness levels there is modulation with a frequency of 480 Hz.

Alexey Kudryavtsev performed an in-depth analysis of brightness versus time for several brightness settings (for example, 75% and 10%).

At maximum and medium brightness, the modulation amplitude is quite small, and the duty cycle is clearly low, which eliminates visible flicker. However, with a strong decrease in brightness, a more noticeable modulation appears with a more pronounced amplitude (and high duty cycle), which can be seen when testing for stroboscopic effect or during rapid eye movements. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flicker may cause increased fatigue. However, the high modulation frequency and different modulation phases on the screen reduce the negative effect of flicker.

The screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix — an active matrix based on organic light-emitting diodes. It produces a full-color image using subpixels of three primary colors: red ®, green (G) and blue (B). However, the number of red and blue subpixels is half that of the RGBG format. This is recorded by a fragment of a microphotograph.

In the fragment above you can see 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters). Repeating these fragments allows you to fill the entire screen without gaps or overlaps. For such matrices, Samsung uses the term PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer estimates the screen resolution based on green subpixels, while for other colors it will be two times lower.

The screen has excellent viewing angles. Brightness decreases when viewed at an angle for both screens compared to the Nexus 7, but for smartphones this drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the smartphone screen visually looks brighter (compared to LCD screens), especially when viewed from a slight angle. However, at large deviation angles, the white color on a smartphone may have a slight bluish tint, while the black color remains rich and unchanged at any angle. The contrast on this screen is high, thanks to the deep black color. For clarity, photographs are shown in which identical images are displayed on the screens of a smartphone and another device at a comparable initial brightness of about 200 cd/m² and with the camera color balance set to 6500 K.

Example with a white field:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.

And a test picture:

Color balance varies slightly, but color saturation remains normal. It is important to note that photographs do not always reliably convey color quality and are provided for illustrative purposes only. For example, the noticeable reddish tint in white and gray areas in smartphone screen photos may be less noticeable when looking directly at the screen, as confirmed by tests using a spectrophotometer. This is due to the fact that the spectral sensitivity of the camera matrix does not completely coincide with the characteristics of human vision.

Switching the states of matrix elements occurs almost instantly, however, when the state changes, a step may be observed, the width of which depends on the current screen refresh rate. For example, with a smoothly changing image, the refresh rate can drop significantly — we fixed the minimum frequency to 20 Hz. In the case of rapidly changing images, the refresh rate can reach 120 Hz. Below are the luminance versus time curves for the transition from black to white in two different cases, where the first shows a step of approximately 50 ms and the second shows a step of approximately 8 ms.

Under certain conditions, the presence of such a step can cause blur effects behind moving objects.

When constructing a gamma curve using 32 points with an equal interval of numerical values of gray shades, no deviations or distortions were found in either light or dark areas of the image. The power function approximation coefficient is 2.20, which corresponds to the standard value of 2.2. Thus, the real gamma curve is practically no different from the standard power-law dependence.

Color gamut is sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

These spectra are typical for OLED matrices, where the components are well separated, which provides a wide color gamut. However, in this case, the color range is carefully adjusted to the limits of the sRGB standard. This results in natural, visually rich colors.

This aspect applies to images that have an sRGB color profile or no profile at all. However, modern high-end Apple devices typically use the Display P3 color space, which slightly expands the saturation of green and red. Display P3 is based on SMPTE DCI-P3, but has a D65 white point and a gamma curve of approximately 2.2. Additionally, as of iOS 9.3, the company supports system-level color management, making it easier for iOS apps to correctly display images with a given color profile. When adding the Display P3 profile to test images (JPG and PNG formats), we found the color gamut expanded beyond sRGB when viewed in Safari.

Note that the coordinates of the primary colors coincide almost exactly with those specified for the DCI-P3 standard. Let's look at the spectra in the case of test images with the Display P3 profile:

There's a slight bit of component mixing here, meaning the screen's native color space is slightly wider than Display P3.

The grayscale tone balance is quite accurate, as the color temperature is close to the standard 6500K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectral characteristic (ΔE) is below 10, which is considered a good result for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE practically do not change hue to hue, which has a beneficial effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the grayscale may not be taken into account because the color balance there is not significant and the error in measuring color performance at low brightness can be significant.)

This Apple device has a function Night Shift , which makes the picture warmer at night (how much warmer is indicated by the user, in reality from 6300 K to 2800 K). In principle, bright light can lead to disruption of the circadian rhythm (see article about the iPad Pro with a 9.7-inch display ), but everything can be solved by reducing the brightness to a low, but still comfortable level, and distorting the color balance, reducing the contribution of blue, makes absolutely no sense.

There is a True Tone function , which, if enabled, adjusts the color balance to environmental conditions. We enabled this feature and checked how it works:

As lighting conditions change, color balance correction is weak, reducing the effectiveness of this function. Although standard device calibration typically targets a white point of 6500K, adjusting for ambient color temperature can be useful to better match the screen image to actual colors in the current environment.

The device supports DisplayPort Alt Mode for USB Type-C, which allows you to output image and sound to external devices when connected to a USB port. When connected to a Full HD monitor, video output is carried out in 1080p mode at 60 Hz frame rate. The operation mode is limited to simply copying the active smartphone screen, which leads to the appearance of black fields around the image on the TV/monitor screen.

The final review of the screen reflects its high maximum brightness (up to 1010 cd/m² in SDR mode and a minimum of 1500 cd/m² in HDR mode), as well as excellent anti-glare properties, which makes the device suitable for use even outdoors on a bright sunny day. The screen is also capable of achieving comfortable brightness in complete darkness (1.9 cd/m²) and supports automatic brightness adjustment. Other benefits include an effective oleophobic coating, sRGB color gamut support, good color balance and dynamic refresh rate adjustment (up to 120Hz).

However, there are some drawbacks to note, including possible screen flicker, especially noticeable at low brightness. This may cause fatigue in flicker-sensitive users. In general, despite such limitations, the screen quality is rated as high.

The iPhone 15 Pro is powered by the Apple A17 Pro processor, manufactured using 3nm technology. It includes 2 high-performance cores, whose performance has increased slightly, and 4 energy-efficient cores. There are one more GPU cores — now there are 6 of them. The amount of RAM has increased to 8 GB (according to Geekbench about 7.5 GB), instead of the previous 6 GB (according to Geekbench about 5.51 GB).

We will conduct comparative tests of the new product with previous models over the previous two years.

First, let's look at the results of browser tests such as Octane Benchmark, Kraken Benchmark and JetStream version 2. All devices used the Safari browser with the operating systems that were current at the time the devices were released.

The increase in productivity is noticeable, but not so impressive as to warrant a significant increase. Even compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, we do not see a convincing increase in performance by at least one and a half times.

In comprehensive benchmarks such as AnTuTu and Geekbench 5, the increase remains modest. The only exception is the results in GPU computing (Geekbench Metal Score), which show some improvement.

At GFXBenchmark Metal, we found that the new product was inferior to its predecessor in many subtests. Please note that the test has not been updated by the developer for a long time, so the results of this test should be considered with some reservations. Despite this, the fact remains that significant progress has not occurred here either.

3DMark and Basemark Metal show some increase in indicators, but relatively small.

As a result of benchmarks, there is no significant superiority of the Apple A17 Pro over the A16. There is undoubtedly progress, but it is relatively small. It's great that Apple added «Pro» to the name of the SoC, but it didn't introduce the «base» version of the A17 or explain how it would differ from the A17 Pro. Perhaps adding the word «Pro» was an easier way to actually improve performance.

The cameras of the new iPhone Pro remain one of the key technological features that Apple presents in detail in its materials. However, in the case of the iPhone 15 Pro, improvements in this area compared to the previous model were minimal.

Similar to previous versions, the iPhone 15 Pro includes three main cameras: wide, ultra-wide and telephoto lenses with effective focal lengths of 24mm, 14mm and 78mm, respectively. However, the presence of a button with multiple focal length options (1×, 1.2× and 1.5×) creates confusion in use. Optical zoom is available at 2x and 3x levels. In general, taking into account these options, the smartphone allows you to create six options for shots without using digital zoom.

However, photo data contained in Exif sometimes does not provide clear information about using the digital zoom, which creates confusion in understanding shooting options.

Despite the possibilities presented, the cameras work not only separately, but in a complex relationship with each other. The final picture that we see is the result of the work of an entire hardware and software complex that combines all the modules in the camera.

For clarity, photos with different focal lengths are presented, which allow you to evaluate the variety of options for images obtained when using these lenses.

The maximum resolution for the HEIF format is 48 MP (8064×6048) and is only available when shooting in 1× (24 mm) mode. After this, the resolution decreases successively: 1.2× provides 6912×5184, and 1.5× provides 5712×4284. In this range of focal lengths, there is a gradual decrease in image resolution: the central (decreasing with each step) part of the 48-megapixel photograph from the main module is used to create pictures. When zoomed in to 2x, the resolution drops to 12 MP (4032x3024) using the main module. And with a 3× zoom, the result of a photo is taken from an additional telephoto lens, also with a resolution of 12 megapixels. Macro photography typically uses a wide-angle camera with digital zoom.

When we tested the iPhone 14 Pro, we noted that 48MP resolution is only available in ProRAW mode. Now Apple has corrected this limitation, and 48 megapixel resolution is available when shooting in HEIF format (that is, H.265). However, the user must enable this mode through the camera settings and re-enable it each time the camera app is launched (by default, the HEIF Max or ProRAW Max icon is crossed out).

The facts stated earlier do not change the fact that the iPhone 15 Pro camera is one of the best on the market. It's great at macro photography and works well in low light and motion. Video shooting is especially good. However, the previous model had similar characteristics, and there was no significant leap in quality or in any new important direction.

Below are photos taken in various conditions (including shooting during snowfall in low light) and in various modes. If you wish, you can download the originals (exported in JPEG format) and determine which photo was taken in which mode.

In addition to the images, several videos are also presented: a city view during the day (4K 60 fps, 206 MB), a city view at night (4K 60 fps, 224 MB), a forest view during the day (4K 60 fps, 82 MB) and a forest in action mode (2.8K 60 fps, 123 MB). It should be noted that the action mode turned out to be a disappointment: in addition to the reduced resolution, the image quality was not the best, and details were blurred. Perhaps this mode could be useful in situations with high dynamics. It's important to note that this is the result of a combination of optical and hard software stabilization.

In addition, it is worth paying attention to the fact that in advertising the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple focuses on the five-fold optical zoom. However, we only mention the 3x zoom. The explanation is simple: 5x zoom is only available for the iPhone 15 Pro Max model. Thus, the manufacturer attracts attention to the purchase of the most expensive model, suggesting that otherwise the arguments in favor of the Pro Max version may not be enough.

About the operating time of a smartphone on a single battery charge when used in everyday life, we can say this: the picture as a whole is approximately the same as it was. Intensive use drains the charge in just over a day. That is, you will have to charge every night if you don’t want to carry the charger with you or worry during the day that the iPhone will run out. More moderate use will probably last until the end of the second day. But again, this is a risk. Especially now, when it’s freezing outside (and the battery, naturally, runs out faster).

Now let's look at the test results using our usual battery life method — in different modes at a screen brightness of 100 cd/m².

Well, although we were not able to carry out the last — gaming — test, we can assume that the result in it will not be much different from other models, since in other tests the situation with the iPhone 15 Pro is almost identical to its predecessor. And the battery capacity differs minimally.

In terms of communication capabilities, the iPhone 15 Pro is basically similar to the previous model, with the exception of support for the Wi-Fi 6E standard. The main difference between this standard and Wi-Fi 6 is the use of an additional 6 GHz band, in addition to the existing 5 GHz band, as well as an increased number of channels. In Russia, this standard was certified at the end of last year, which formally makes it possible to use it.

However, it is not entirely clear why it might be useful on a smartphone with a small screen. Streaming 8K video on it doesn't make much sense. For most other tasks, regular Wi-Fi 6 is sufficient. Thus, this innovation can rather be described as “just to be.”

A year ago, when testing the iPhone 14 Pro, we noted the lack of “something truly revolutionary” in the smartphone. This was also noticeable in the previous iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro models, which caused some concern. In anticipation of the iPhone 15 Pro, we were hoping for significant progress, but the improvements in the new device turned out to be even less significant than expected.

Apple seems to have gone for a titanium body and the long-awaited USB-C, perhaps hoping that these changes will hide the lack of significant innovation from the user. Although both are important (despite the issue of limited compatibility with third party chargers). However, does the asking price for the new product justify all these changes?

I was especially struck by the situation with the Apple A17 Pro processor, which, despite the “Pro” label, turned out to be not much faster compared to the Apple A16. The inconsistency with cameras and their “virtual lenses” was also revealing. At the same time, all of the above does not change the fact that the iPhone 15 Pro, beyond comparison with previous models, remains an excellent smartphone. It offers excellent materials, a flawless build, some of the best photo and video capabilities, and impressive performance. All these qualities could be attributed to both the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro. If this does not cause you any doubts, and the price suits you, then this device is worth your attention.