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Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs the competition: Clash of the cameras

What's new on Apple's latest pro-level phones?

Apple

Apple announced both the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro during the company's annual fall event. Some of the numerous rumors about the new handsets have been confirmed, while others, like the possibility of an iPhone Ultra, didn't materialize. Like in years past, Apple reserved its newest mobile chip for the Pro model (giving last year's Pro-level chip to the new standard iPhone). The A17 Pro is the first "Pro" chip for an iPhone and sports 19 billion transistors. Apple claims its two performance cores are 10 percent faster than last years's A16.

The long-hoped-for conversion to USB-C charging has been confirmed for all models of the iPhone 15, but the Pro got a few perks that the standard model isn't getting such as the Action Button. Formerly the mute toggle, the button can be programed to quickly activate the camera, flashlight, Voice Memos, or your own Shortcuts. The new titanium case, fused to an internal aluminum frame makes this the lightest iPhone Pro yet.

It starts at $999 which is actually the same price as the iPhone 14 Pro, and you can pre-order it on Friday. Before you dive in, you may want to take a moment to compare it to other high-end handsets on the market. Here's a side-by-side comparison highlighting how the specs of the new iPhone 15 Pro compare to Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra and Google's Pixel 7 Pro. Also be sure to read some early impressions of the high-end iPhone 15 Pro Max from Engadget's Deputy Reviews Editor, Cherlynn Low, who was on the ground in Cupertino covering Tuesday's event.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro

Apple iPhone 15 Pro

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Google Pixel 7 Pro

Pricing

Starts at $999

Starts at $1,200

Starts at $899

Release date

September 22, 2023

February 17, 2023

October 13, 2022

Dimensions

5.77 x 2.78 x 0.32 in

(146.6 x 70.6 x 8.25 mm)

6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in

(163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm)

6.41 x 3.02 x 0.35 in

(162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9 mm)

Weight

6.60 oz

(187 g)

8.25 oz

(234 g)

7.48 oz

(212 g)

Operating system

iOS

Android

Android

Screen size

6.1 in

6.8 in

6.7 in

Screen resolution

2556 x 1179 at 460ppi

3088 x 1440 at 501ppi

3120 x 1440 at 512ppi

Screen type (refresh rate)

Super Retina XDR (120Hz)

Dynamic AMOLED 2X (120Hz)

LTPO OLED (120Hz)

Processor

A17 Pro chip

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Tensor G2

Water and dust resistance

IP68

IP68

IP68

Battery

unlisted

5000mAh

5000mAh

RAM

unlisted

8GB /12GB

12GB

Internal storage

128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB

256GB / 512GB / 1TB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB

Rear camera(s)

Three cameras:

Main: 48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture

Ultrawide, 2x optical zoom: 12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

Telephoto, 3x optical zoom: 12MP, ƒ/2.8

Four cameras:

Wide: 200MP, ƒ/1.7 aperture

Ultrawide: 12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

Telephoto, 3x optical zoom: 10MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture

Telephoto, 10x optical zoom: 10MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture

Three cameras:

Main: 50MP, ƒ/1.85 aperture

Ultrawide: 12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

Telephoto, 5x optical zoom: 48MP, ƒ/3.5 aperture

Video capture

4K at 60 fps

8K at 30 fps

4K at 60 fps

Front camera

12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture

12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

10.8MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi 6E

Wi-Fi 6E

Charging

20W fast charging, 15W wireless

45W fast charging, 15W wireless

23W fast charging, 23W wireless

Connector

USB-C 3

UCB-C

USB-C

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Wonderlust' event right here.