Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro has arrived, and while some may find it slightly disappointing compared to previous models iPhone 14 Pro, there are actually some impressive new features that might convince you to upgrade. In this article, I’ll highlight the top 10 new features, not in any particular order, but I’ll save the best three for last.
10. The Action Button
The revolutionary action button, which replaces the conventional ringer switch that has been a part of iPhones since the original model, is included in Feature 10. The dynamic button streamlines like turning on the flashlight or launching the camera to take fast pictures by giving instant access to a variety of apps and services. Its unrestricted customization capabilities, which enable users to designate shortcuts for a wide range of tasks, including managing smart home appliances and opening any preferred app, are what distinguish it.
9. Thinner Display Bezels
They introduces thinner display bezels enhancing your day-to-day phone experience. The super-thin bezels create immersive visuals particularly during video or movie playback. The Pro Max model accentuates this effect with even thinner bezels due to its larger display area. Notably, the phone’s overall size is slightly smaller, enhancing comfort in holding and ease of fitting into hands and pockets.
8. 8 Gigs of RAM
They upgraded to 8GB RAM which significantly boosting the phone’s overall performance especially during multitasking. Beyond mere snappiness, the primary enhancement lies in the seamless transition between apps. Unlike past frustrations with apps like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook resetting when returned to, the 8 gigs of RAM on the 15 Pro markedly improves this issue.
7. A17 Pro Chip
Number 7 introduces the A17 Pro chip, showcasing a 10% single-core and 20% graphics performance boost. While these improvements may not sound revolutionary, the chip excels in efficiency ensuring sustained performance especially during gaming, without the past thermal-related power spikes.
The A17 Pro’s redesigned neural engine, now twice as fast, plays a pivotal role in new camera features, as elaborated later in this video. And the chip includes a dedicated AV1 decoder enhancing YouTube video playback efficiency. Additional enhancements comprise a new USB controller for improved connectivity and hardware ray tracing support elevating it to a pro-class GPU capable of handling upcoming AAA games aligning with Apple’s recent announcements.
6. 5x Telephoto Camera
The innovative 5x telephoto camera for the iPhone 15 Pro Max boasts a unique Tetra prism lens design, reflecting light four times within creating the necessary distance for 5x zoom—an industry standout. In contrast to other 5x lenses using a periscope design with a smaller side-mounted sensor, the iPhone’s approach avoids a thicker camera bump and overall phone structure.
A notable advantage is the shared aperture, F/2.8, with the 3x lens. It’s ensures consistent low-light photo quality without introducing extra noise providing a significant edge in photographic performance.
5. Wi-Fi 6E Support
Number 5 unveils a discreet yet impactful enhancement not explicitly mentioned by Apple—the introduction of Wi-Fi 6E support on iPhone 15 Pro models. The new 6 gigahertz Wi-Fi band promising faster speeds. And it introduces Thread support facilitating a dedicated network for connecting and controlling home devices. This functions as a low-power low-latency mesh network elevating the smart home experience.
4. Redesigned Chassis
Number 4 is a significant overhaul of Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max’s casing. The redesign has benefits for frequent users in addition to being a huge help to the repair sector by making replacements considerably simpler. Users can now replace the back glass more affordably in the event that it breaks or becomes damaged thanks to the redesign. This works as a significant plus, especially for people who drop their iPhones a lot, as it lessens the effect of broken back glass.
3. Titanium Metal Design
The sleek titanium metal design of the iPhone 15 Pro is its third best feature. Considering that we’ve been using stainless steel since the iPhone X, this is a huge development. Beyond only being aesthetically pleasing, the brushed titanium finish has other useful benefits.
First of all, it makes the iPhone 15 Pro Models around 10% lighter than the models it replaced, which greatly enhances handling and lessens the shock of an inadvertent drop against your face when you’re resting in bed. Reduced glossiness, which improves resistance to fingerprints, is an additional advantage. Titanium also improves heat dissipation which makes games run more smoothly and programs that constantly load the chip perform better.
Overall, it offers a more premium and high-end look and feel reminiscent of the Apple Watch Ultra, which appears premium while remaining lightweight.
2. 24-Megapixel Camera and Automatic Portrait Mode
The second top feature of the iPhone 15 Pro introduces a remarkable 24-megapixel camera output and the debut of automatic portrait mode. This marks a substantial departure, as, for the first time in eight years, Apple’s iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Models autonomously capture photos at 24 megapixels, a notable jump from the prior 12-megapixel standard. This enhancement ensures visibly sharper photos, especially when zooming in or scrutinizing details.
Beyond the heightened resolution, Apple introduces automatic portrait mode, activating when detecting a face or a person, simplifying the photographic process. Additionally, the regular camera mode captures depth data even outside portrait mode, facilitating post-processing adjustments. This includes transforming a regular photo into a portrait shot and altering the focus point, particularly beneficial for correcting misfocused portrait shots.
A noteworthy advancement is the availability of 24-megapixel portrait photos, surpassing the previous limitation of 12 megapixels, as observed in the iPhone 14 Pro, with no option for capturing 48-megapixel ProRAW portrait photos.
1. USB-C Integration
The foremost new feature of the iPhone 15 Pro, securing the top spot, is the transition to USB-C. This is an unprecedented change that addresses the shortcomings of the long-standing Lightning port, which were most noticeable in the 14 Pro Models which had difficulties when capturing high-quality ProRes video. The USB-C upgrade which enables a single connection to connect your iPad, Mac, and iPhone is a revolutionary step. File transfers are now expedited, boasting speeds up to 20 times faster—a boon for extensive backups and transferring ProRes videos recorded at 4K 60fps directly to an external SSD from the iPhone, streamlining the editing process on a Mac.
All iPhone 15 models now support DisplayPort for up to 4K HDR video mirroring and output to displays and TVs. Another noteworthy feature is the capability to charge other devices, such as your Apple Watch or AirPods, directly from your iPhone 15’s USB-C port. When going camping or backpacking and you don’t have access to power adapters, this comes in quite handy.