Apple today unveiled its new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max handsets. The new handsets boast a titanium frame, a customizable Action button, an exclusive 5x Telephoto camera exclusively on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and much more.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max continue to sport 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch display sizes, respectively. Both models feature an all-new titanium design. Apple notes that titanium has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of any metal, saying this makes this Apple’s lightest Pro lineup ever. The titanium bands are built around a new substructure made from 100% recycled aluminum.
The aluminum frame offers improved thermal dissipation and allows the back glass to be easily replaced.
Both models also feature a new refined brush texture, contoured edges, and the thinnest borders ever seen on an iPhone. In addition to a titanium frame, the Pro and Pro Max also sport a tough back glass and Ceramic Shield on the front, which Apple says makes the new iPhone 15 Pro lineup more resistant to damage than ever.
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available in four stunning new finishes, including black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium.
As expected, the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max features a new programmable Action button that replaces the traditional ringer switch, allowing users to activate the device’s camera or flashlight, record a voice memo, translate, use Magnifier, or activate Shortcuts. Fine-tuned haptic feedback and visual cues in the Dynamic Island ensure the new button launches the intended action.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are powered by the A17 Pro, the industry’s first 3-nanometer chip. The new CPU is up to 10% faster, and the Neural Engine is now up to 2x faster. The A17 Pro’s GPU is up to 20% faster and features a new 6-core design to provide increased peak performance and energy efficiency.
The A17 Pro also provides hardware-accelerated ray tracing, offering smoother graphics, more immersive AR applications, and an improved gaming experience, providing a console gaming experience with games like Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4, Death Stranding, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.4
The A17 Pro also boasts a dedicated AV1 decoder, for a more efficient, high-quality video streaming experience. A new USB controller enables USB 3 speeds on iPhone for the first time, for much-improved transfer speeds and video output up to 4K at 60 fps HDR.
Apple says the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max both pack the equivalent of seven pro lenses. The 48MP Main camera, built exclusively for the Pro lineup, offers a new 24MP super-high-resolution default, for “incredible” image quality, while keeping a practical file size.
The Main camera allows users to switch between three popular focal lengths — 24 mm, 28 mm, and 35 mm — and all three can be set as the default. The new camera supports 48MP ProRAW, as well as 48MP HEIF images with 4x more resolution.
The iPhone 15 Pro sports a 3x Telephoto camera, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max provides the longest optical zoom ever on iPhone: 5x at 120 mm. The iPhone 15 Pro Max boasts a tetraprism design with a combined optical image stabilization and autofocus 3D sensor-shift module, Apple’s most advanced stabilization system yet.
Users can now capture portraits without the need to manually switch to Portrait mode. When photographing a person, dog, or cat, a tap to focus causes the iPhone to automatically capture depth information, allowing users to turn the photos into portraits at a later time in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Users can even adjust the focus point after the photo has been taken.
Night shooting is improved, thanks to improvements in the handsets’ Night mode, offering sharper details and more vivid colors. Smart HDR handles bright or uneven lighting providing better handling of skin tones, as well as providing brighter highlights, richer midtones, and deeper shadows when viewed in the Photos app. Third-party apps will also be able to access this feature.
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max owners can now get up to 20x faster transfer speeds when using an optional USB 3 cable. Third-party apps like Capture One allows users to shoot and instantly transfer 48MP ProRAW images from iPhone to Mac.
ProRes video can be recorded directly to external storage, enabling higher recording options up to 4K at 60 fps, and greater flexibility on set when using iPhone as the main camera. iPhone 15 Pro also introduces a new option for Log encoding and is the first smartphone in the world to support ACES, the Academy Color Encoding System, a global standard for color workflows.
Later this year, the iPhone 15 Pro will gain the ability to record spatial video for use with the Apple Vision Pro headset, allowing users to capture special moments in three dimensions.
Both models feature the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, which allows two iPhone devices equipped with the chip to connect at a three times longer range than before. This allows users to access Precision Finding for Find My, so iPhone 15 users can share their location and find each other, even in crowded situations.
Both models use the USB‑C connector, allowing the same cable to charge iPhone, Mac, iPad, and the updated AirPods Pro (2nd generation). Users can also charge AirPods or Apple Watch directly from the iPhone with the USB‑C connector. iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max now support USB 3 for data transfer speeds up to 10 gigabits per second, up to 20x faster than before.
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max now support Wi-Fi 6E, providing up to 2x faster speeds, and debuts the first Thread-enabled smartphones, opening up future opportunities for Home app integrations.
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max also offer support for MagSafe and future Qi2 wireless charging. Improved audio quality on phone calls, including FaceTime or third-party app calls. Voice Isolation allows conversations to come through loud and clear, even in noisy environments.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max now include Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via Satellite, which is now available in 14 countries on three continents and will be available in Spain and Switzerland later this month.
The new devices now offer Roadside Assistance via satellite, which will debut in the U.S. When an iPhone 15 user has car trouble and cellular and Wi-Fi coverage are not available, they can now connect to roadside assistance service from AAA. Users need only to fill out a short questionnaire to provide details of their predicament, which is then transmitted via satellite, allowing AAA to message the user directly and send help to their exact location. Access to Roadside Assistance via satellite will be included for free for two years. Service is covered according to AAA membership, but is also available separately for nonmembers.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max both now use more recycled content, including the first time use of 100% recycled cobalt in the battery and 100% recycled copper in the main logic board, copper wire in the Taptic Engine, and copper foil in the inductive charger in MagSafe.
Both models also include a 100 percent recycled aluminum substructure and 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery — both firsts for Apple. 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, 100% recycled gold in the USB‑C connector as well as the gold plating and tin soldering in multiple printed circuit boards. Over 99% of the packaging is fiber-based.
Apple also announced that it will no longer use leather in any of its products, and the Cupertino firm is introducing a new FineWoven Case with MagSafe and FineWoven Wallet with MagSafe, made from a durable and elegant microtwill that offers a soft, suedelike feel. The material is made from 68% post-consumer recycled content.
