iPhone 15 camera vs 15 Pro camera

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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.

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.

iPhone 15 camera vs 15 Pro camera rear cameras — iPhone 15 Pro on left, iPhone 15 on right

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).

	iPhone 15	iPhone 15 Plus	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro Max
Main lens	48MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture	48MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture	48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture	48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture
Main lens sensor	2 µm quad pixel	2 µm quad pixel	2.44 µm quad pixel	2.44 µm quad pixel
Main lens focal length	26 mm	26 mm	24, 28, 35 mm	24, 28, 35 mm
Ultra Wide lens	12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture	12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture	12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture	12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture
Telephoto lens	❌	❌	12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture	12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture
Stabilization	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization	2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization	2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization
Optical zoom	0.5x, 1x, and 2x	0.5x, 1x, and 2x	0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x	0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x
Digital zoom	Up to 10x	Up to 10x	Up to 15x	Up to 25x
Flash	True Tone flash	True Tone flash	Adaptive True Tone Flash	Adaptive True Tone 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	✅	✅	✅	✅

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.

iPhone 15 camera vs 15 Pro camera focal lengths and zoom

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.

	iPhone 15	iPhone 15 Plus	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro Max
TrueDepth front camera	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture
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	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps
Cinematic mode	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
HDR/Dolby Vision recording	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps
ProRes recording	❌	❌	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording
Slo-mo recording	✅ –1080p at 120 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps
QuickTake video	✅	✅	✅	✅
Cinematic video stabilization	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p

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.

iPhone 15 camera vs 15 Pro camera ProRes

	iPhone 15	iPhone 15 Plus	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro Max
4K recording	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps
1080p recording	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps
Cinematic mode	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
Action mode	✅	✅	✅	✅
HDR/Dolby Vision recording	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps
ProRes recording	❌	❌	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording
Log video recording	❌	❌	✅	✅
Academy Color Encoding System	❌	❌	✅	✅
Macro video recording	❌	❌	✅	✅
Spatial video recording	❌	❌	✅	✅
Slo-mo recording	✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
Time-lapse with stabilization	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode Time-lapse	✅	✅	✅	✅
QuickTake video	✅	✅	✅	✅
Stabilization	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video	Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video	2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video	2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video
Audio zoom	✅	✅	✅	✅
Stereo recording	✅	✅	✅	✅

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. Good options include:

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
Nide 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.

What do you think about the iPhone 15 camera vs 15 Pro? Does it make or break your decision? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for reading our guide on iPhone 15 camera vs 15 Pro camera!

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iPhone 15 camera vs 15 Pro camera