Apple iPhone 15 vs iPhone 14 Pro: A Pro in Disguise?

A computer engineer by degree, Varun has 7+ years of experience in the field of technology. After his stints at Beebom and MrPhone, Varun has been covering different facets of technology at Guiding Tech. Here, he contributes to Team GT by helping its readers make better purchases while also understanding the meaning of each feature. In his free time, you can find him sharing his excellent photography skills along with his Aces in Valorant over Twitter.

Prateek is an avid gamer and he has a heap of consoles, both old and new. He has been writing about technology and shooting consumer tech videos for almost six years. He was previously tasked with reviewing gadgets at 91Mobiles and MrPhone. When he’s not hyper-focusing on a new RPG or talking about tech, he likes to hit the gym to stay on top of his fitness game.

As highlighted in ouriPhone 15 review, this year’s non-Pro iPhones bring massive upgrades to the table. So much so, the iPhone 15 is quite close to being a Pro-device, which begs the question – just how good is it?

Well, I have been driving an iPhone 14 Pro daily, and I’ll be honest: the iPhone 15 looks quite enticing to me. The 15 has the same form factor while being considerably lighter; it has the same performance, comes with Dynamic Island, a similar camera setup, and a modern Type-C port. Sure, the 14 Pro does have a better display and a telephoto lens, but is it still the superior device? Let’s find out in our in-depth comparison of the Apple iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14 Pro.

Apple iPhone 15 vs iPhone 14 Pro: Specifications

Apple iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Design and Display

The iPhone 15 and 14 Pro share the same design language and the exact same dimensions. In addition, thanks to a 35g weight difference, the iPhone 15 is incredibly lightweight and far more comfortable to use with a single hand.

The iPhone 15 is also available in a handful of fresh colors, including Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Black. On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Pro is available in Deep Purple, Gold, Silver, and Space Black. Credit where it’s due; the Pro device definitely looks a lot more premium. This is in line with the premium finish of the stainless-steel frame, while the iPhone 15 looks relatively simple, thanks to the use of aerospace-grade aluminum for its construction.

Both devices feature a similarly sized 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with Ceramic Shield protection. The panels are equally bright and can handle outdoor brightness just fine. What’s more, the iPhone 15 also comes with the Dynamic Island that debuted with the 14 Pro series. For entertainment needs, the panels support Dolby Vision.

That said, Apple has reserved the ProMotion technology exclusively for the Pro lineup. As such, while the iPhone 15 is locked at 60Hz, the 14 Pro features an LTPO display that goes all the way up to 120Hz. Additionally, Apple has also reserved the Always-On Display for the Pro model. So that’s one area where the 14 Pro does have an advantage over the 15.

Cameras: Software Triumphs Hardware?

While the devices look similar from the front, they both look quite different from the back. The 14 Pro comes equipped with an extra lens, which is why it weighs more. Also, while on paper, both phones feature a 48MP sensor, the iPhone 15 has an improved F1.6 lens compared to the 14’s F1.8 sensor.

Both phones perform well in daylight shots and capture detailed images with mostly accurate colors. There is a hint of boosted saturation sometimes, but it’s minimal. In fact, most folks, including me, would argue that this adds a bit of vibrance to the shot to make it poppy, and I prefer it.

One thing to note here is that the iPhone 14 Pro’s lens has a wider FOV. So even though you’re capturing at 1x, the 14 Pro fits in more stuff inside the frame, while the iPhone 15 has a cropped frame. That being said, the iPhone 15 clicks more detailed shots, thanks to its pixel-binned 24MP snaps. This also means the image size will be almost double that of the 14 Pro, so that’s one thing to keep in mind.

That being said, the iPhone 15 does white balancing better. For instance, in the sample shot attached below, it might seem at first glance that the 15 adds warmth to the shot. However, the image is truer to the scene, and the lighting has been rendered faithfully in the photo. The 14 Pro, on the other hand, has tried to tone down the colors in the frame in a bid to make the photo appear more realistic

The iPhone 15 captures better HDR shots than the iPhone 14 Pro, which can be attributed to the use of the upgraded Smart HDR 5 algorithms from Apple. The highlights and shadows are well-balanced, and the overall image definitely looks more appealing on the iPhone 15.

Moving on to zoom shots, the iPhone 15 offers 2x zoom, which itself is a software trick. On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Pro has a dedicated 3x telephoto lens. For the most part, it’s safe to say that the iPhone 15’s software optimization manages to keep up with the 14 Pro’s hardware.

That being said, the 14 Pro can go all the way to 15x zoom and still produce stunning shots. On the other hand, the 15 can only go to 10x zoom, and the quality isn’t anything to boast about.

Talking about selfies, for the most part, they’re pretty much the same. There’s a slight halo around my face, and the texture could have been a bit better, but I wasn’t expecting much.

That said, selfie portraits shot from the iPhone 15 look much better. Even under the same lighting conditions, the iPhone 15 produces a sharper image. Additionally, the photo exhibits better vibrancy than the snap from the iPhone 14 Pro.

Both iPhones default to a 12MP photo when they detect less-than-ideal lighting, resulting in a more detailed shot. However, the iPhone 15 manages to process the images better and offers noticeably lesser noise in the composition. The 14 Pro does illuminate the image a bit more, but it also oversharpens it quite a lot. As a result, the final image looks doctored.

The same holds true in the samples attached below. The tree towards the left of the frame appears grossly oversharpened on the 14 Pro, while it looks realistic on the 15. That being said, both phones’ output is marred by unnecessary reflections and lens-flaring, which is a bummer.

It’s also worth highlighting that the iPhone 15 doesn’t support Apple ProRAW and lacks macro photography features. The 14 Pro also features a LiDAR sensor missing on the 15. If you’re a professional photographer relying on your iPhone, the 14 Pro will suit your needs better.

Lastly, both devices can record videos at 4K@60fps. However, the iPhone 14 Pro is definitely better suited for videographers, thanks to its support for recording in 10-bit HDR and ProRes. The 3x telephoto lens also comes in handy for special video shoots, such as a Dolly Zoom shot, something that’s not feasible with the iPhone 15 since it offers no Lens Compression.

So, the iPhone 14 Pro remains a better option for professional users. For everyone else, it’s safe to say the iPhone 15’s camera is equally good, if not better.

Performance: A16 Bionic is Still Amazing

As for the performance, both devices are powered by Apple’s A16 Bionic chip. Spec-wise, the SoC offers a six-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores and a five-core GPU. Add to that a 16-core Neural Engine, and you will not be disappointed by the performance of the iPhone 14 Pro or the iPhone 15.

While Apple doesn’t reveal official RAM, the 15 shares the same 6GB RAM as the iPhone 14 Pro. That said, I’d still say the iPhone 14 Pro feels faster. However, that’s more of a perceived boost caused by the smoother display than a difference in actual performance.

Both phones boot iOS 17, except that the iPhone 15 comes with one extra year of software updates. That said, thanks to Apple’s extended device support, you can opt for the iPhone 14 Pro and use it seamlessly for the foreseeable future, too.

Battery Life and Charging: C The Difference

Just like the RAM, Apple keeps iPhones’ battery specifications under wrap, too. However, thanks to teardowns, it’s known that the iPhone 15 has a larger 3,349mAh battery compared to the 14 Pro’s 3,200mAh battery. Despite that, the iPhone 14 Pro boasts a longer battery backup at 23 hours of continuous video playback compared to the iPhone 15’s 20 hours.

On the other hand, the iPhone 15 one-ups its Pro sibling as it ships with a USB-C port. But don’t celebrate just yet. The iPhone 15’s USB-C port is limited to USB 2.0 speeds, like the 14 Pro’s Lightning port. That said, you must carry one less cable for the iPhone 15. The charging speeds are still limited to 20W across both models. Alternatively, you can opt for wireless charging since both the phones support 15W of MagSafe charging.

Apple iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Pricing and Availability

The iPhone 15 starts at $799 and has a maximum storage option of up to 512GB. You can get it directly from Apple or from a reseller of your choice. While the iPhone 14 Pro can be configured in a 1TB variant, Apple has officially discontinued it. However, you can still find it at an official reseller near you or on online stores like Amazon or BestBuy.

Though with limited stock, while you can score a great deal on the 14 Pro, your customizability options might be limited. However, that also means the price difference isn’t much. For context,buying a newiPhone 15 from Verizonwill cost you $830 upfront. On the other hand, you can get theiPhone 14 Profor just $899 in the same configuration.

Apple iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Which One is Right For You?

It’s time to address the elephant in the room—which iPhone is better for you? The iPhone 14 Pro offers a smoother display with Always-On support, an extra camera lens with support for Pro features like ProRAW 10-bit HDR recording, and a slightly longer battery life. It’s quite clear that Pro consumers will mostly use these features.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro

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However, I’d argue that the iPhone 15 makes a lot more sense for the general consumer. It offers the same level of performance as the 14 Pro, an improved camera setup that takes better shots out of the box, and the same display with a Dynamic Island notch. Thanks to its weight, it’s a lot more comfortable to use, and the inclusion of Type-C not only makes charging easier but also opens the door toa whole new world of third-party accessories.

So, at the end of the day, unless you really need the advanced features of the iPhone 14 Pro, I think the iPhone 15 is easily the phone to pick.

Apple iPhone 15

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Last updated on 30 July, 2024

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