TechRadar Verdict
With new materials, a freshened and softer design, USB-C, the wonderful Action button, and a wildly powerful mobile chipset, the iPhone 15 Pro is an uncompromising flagship. Or at least it would be if it's 3x optical zoom camera wasn't outshined by the iPhone 15 Pro Max's new 5x telephoto snapper.
Pros
- +
Beautiful titanium design
- +
Finally, USB-C connectivity
- +
All new A17 Pro chip
Cons
- -
Niche camera upgrades
- -
No change to battery longevity or charging
- -
3x telephoto zoom no longer Apple's best
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Editor's Note
• Original review date: September 2023
• Launch price: $999 / £999 / AU$1,849
• Target price now: $999 / £949 / AU$1,849
Update – March 2024: Argubaly the unsung hero of the iPhone 15 line, the iPhone 15 Pro remains one of the best phones on the market right now, especially if you're looking for a compact smartphone with high-end specs; handily outpacing newer rivals, like Samsung's Galaxy S24. While Pro iPhone pricing always takes a while to start falling, since launch it's started to creep down in the UK, while retailers in the US and Australia haven't yet budged on original pricing.
As for the user experience, Apple has since pushed out new features to iOS 17, especially in select markets like the EU, where sideloading is now on the table. Beyond these minor adjustments, however, the rest of this review remains as previously published.
iPhone 15 Pro: Two-minute review
Apple's latest crop of iPhones bear familiar titles, but this year, its new Pro and Pro Max devices are separated by more than just display size and battery capacity.
By lacking the 5x optical zoom telephoto camera of its larger sibling (3x optical zoom remains), the iPhone 15 Pro may seem like Apple's 'semi-flagship' iPhone of 2023. But dubbing it that would be a disservice to this premium powerhouse, which isn't otherwise wanting for other flagship specs or features.
Indeed, the gap between the iPhone 15 Pro and the standard iPhone 15 remains significant. Every model in this year's iPhone lineup has benefited from a design refresh that splits the difference between the curvy iPhone 11 and last year's iPhone 14 Pro. But the iPhone 15 Pro gets a titanium frame that's serves up a higher strength-to-weight ratio than the stainless steel you'll find on other iPhone 15 models (and every iPhone that's come before).
USB-C ports now feature across the board, too, and Apple's newest Pro models also boast an Apple Watch Ultra-style Action button in place of the traditional mute switch (a simple but surprisingly useful substitution). This new toggle can trigger various actions, offering a fast way to access your favorite apps and tools without swiping through home screens and menus.
Other upgrades to the iPhone 15 Pro include the new A17 Pro chipset, which proves to be at the top of the class, as well as facilitating significantly faster data transfer speeds, which ensure that Apple's latest 6.1-inch wonder dethrones its predecessor on our list of the best phones money can buy.
Even without the 15 Pro Max's 5x telephoto, the 15 Pro still serves up an excellent camera experience that's reliable and now comes bolstered by upgrades aimed at professional content creators, with recording at up to 4K/60fps in ProRes to external storage and capture in Log, with ACES compliance.
(We also have a full iPhone 15 review, iPhone 15 Pro Max review, and an iPhone 15 Plus review if you want the complete iPhone 15 picture)
iPhone 15 Pro review: Price and availability
- Same US pricing as iPhone 14 Pro
- Cheaper than predecessor in the UK
- Slightly pricier than predecessor in Australia
The iPhone 15 Pro was officially unveiled alongside the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 15 Pro Max at Apple’s September 2023 Event on Tuesday, September 12. Pre-orders started on Friday, September 15, with the all models starting to ship as of September 22.
The iPhone 15 Pro is available in four storage variants – 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. No other iPhone 15 has this much storage variety; even the Pro Max dropped the 128GB option, which makes the entry price for that model about $100 more expensive year-on-year.
| Storage | US price | UK price | AU price |
| 128GB | $999 | £999 | AU$1,849 |
| 256GB | $1,099 | £1,099 | AU$2,049 |
| 512GB | $1,299 | £1,299 | AU$2,399 |
| 1TB | $1,499 | £1,499 | AU$2,749 |
In the US, the iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 (for the 128GB version), $1,099 for the 256GB option, $1,299 for the 512GB tier and $1,499 for the top 1TB capacity model – the same pricing as the 14 Pro sported one year prior.
After a painful price hike last year, UK pricing has thankfully dropped back down slightly, mirroring the US prices numerically; with the four storage variants costing £999, £1,099, £1,299 and £1,499 respectively. Australian pricing is, unfortunately a little higher this year, at AU$1,849, AU$2,049, AU$2,399 and AU$2,749. As to why the pricing outside of the US fluctuates so much, Apple explained to me that the variation in each year's iPhone outside of the US is directly reflective of exchange rates on foreign currencies, relative to US pricing.
For comparison with its most prominent rival – the Samsung Galaxy S23 line – the 15 Pro starts at $200 more than a baseline 128GB 6.1-inch display-toting Galaxy S23. Meanwhile, the base Galaxy S23 Plus model – which sports a 6.6-inch display and double the base storage of the entry iPhone 15 Pro (at 256GB) – starts at the same $999 in the US as the iPhone. The top-tier iPhone 15 Pro Max-rivalling Galaxy S23 Ultra costs from $1,199, which like the Pro Max starts 256GB of storage.
- Value score: 3.5 / 5
iPhone 15 Pro review: Specs
Check out the iPhone 15 Pro's full specs below:
| Header Cell - Column 1 | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions: | 146.6 mm x 70.6 mm x 8.25mm |
| Weight: | 187g |
| OS: | iOS 17 |
| Screen size: | 6.1 inches |
| Resolution: | 2556 x 1179 pixels |
| Chipset: | Apple A17 Pro |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage: | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Rear Cameras: | 48MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto w/ 3x optical zoom |
| Front Camera: | 12MP |
iPhone 15 Pro review: Design
- Titanium frame lowers weight and improves comfort
- USB-C: bad for Lightning accessory owners but otherwise welcome
- Action button is a powerful new hardware addition
- Class-leading IP68 dust & water resistance
Aesthetically speaking, the iPhone 14 Pro was a near-replica of the iPhone 13 Pro. However, Apple has given the Pro line's most recognizable design elements (by its own standards, at least) a significant reworking for 2023; for reasons both in and out of its control.
When it comes to phones, just a millimeter here and a degree there can make a notable difference to how a phone feels and that's especially true with the alterations made across the 15 series. The most obvious visual change is the burnishing away of the previous generations' sharp edges, meaning the 15 Pro has a notably different (and more pleasant) feel.
The iPhone 15 Pro (as with the rest of the line) still sports flat sides that wrap around the edge of the phone, but there's now subtle rounding where there was once an almost zero-degree radius. More importantly, the Pro line features a new titanium frame that makes the iPhone 15 Pro significantly lighter than its stainless steel predecessor (Apple’s latest flagship weighs 187g, whereas the iPhone 14 Pro clocks in at 206g) while retaining a decent degree of strength.
Apple's Pro iPhones have always been heavy for their screen size, so this 19-gram reduction across both the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max is revelatory for the series. The benefits are arguably more prominent on the Pro Max. But considering all that Apple's managed to fit inside the 15 Pro, adding a weight reduction (making this the lightest Pro model ever) on top is nonetheless welcome.
Another big change has to do with the phone's 6.1-inch display. The bezels running around its boundary are now uniformly thinner (compared to the 14 Pro), which paired with that titanium alloy frame, mean the height and width of this generation's Pro have also been reduced too. All this helps with the phone's feel, pocketability and ease of use. Apple’s dream of a bezel-less iPhone is inching ever-closer, it