The “Wanderlust” Apple Event held on 12 September 2023 introduced the latest generation of iPhones alongside updates to the Apple Watch line. The iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max sit atop the mid-range iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Most would opine that there is little difference between these flagship iPhones and the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Max of 2022 from a glance. However, based on the spec sheets from Apple, a closer inspection would reveal substantial updates and upgrades. This article lists and describes the new features of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
A Guide to the New Features of the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max: What is New and How are They Different from the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max?
Non-Apple fans and even some loyal Apple customers have repeatedly claimed that the iPhone has become stagnant and uninspired because of what they consider minimal cosmetic differences and the introduction of minor hardware upgrades. These people cannot be blamed. Flagship Android smartphones have remained feature-packed and have tried to look and feel novel with each newer generation.
There are reasons why Apple tends to stick to its core design principles. These include product design, production optimization, and alignment with material recovery operations. It would make sense for the company to use the same design elements or use a more familiar mold and physical real estate to minimize the need to change the configurations of hardware components and other internal arrangements.
However, despite its minimal or even negligible cosmetic difference, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have newer features that give them some edge over the previous iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max while also demonstrating a significant evolution from all other generations of the iPhone. The following are the most remarkable new features of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
1. A17 Pro Chip
Powering the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is the A17 Pro system-on-a-chip. This chip was designed by Apple using its established big-little ARM architecture and was manufactured using the 3nm process technology of TSMC. It has a 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, a higher 6-core integrated GPU with ray tracing, and a 16-core Neural Engine for artificial intelligence acceleration.
Take note that the mid-range iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Plus use the A16 Bionic. This is the same chip that powers the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Max. It remains one of the most capable chips. However, because it is based on the 5nm process technology, the A17 Pro is a newer tech because it is based on a newer-generation process technology. The improved integrated GPU also makes it better at handling graphic-intensive tasks.
2. 8GB of RAM
These flagship smartphones from Apple also have 8GB of RAM based on the Unified Memory Architecture. This is 2GB higher than the 6GB RAM of the previous-generation flagship iPhones. The higher random access memory gives these devices more edge when it comes to multitasking or running multiple apps at once, and running resource-intensive applications such as video editing and high-end mobile video gaming.
3. Titanium Enclosure
Another new feature of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is the use of a material enclosure based on a metal alloy of titanium. Take note that titanium has numerous industrial applications because it has the highest strength-to-density ratio of all metals. It also has high corrosion resistance. The specific alloy used in these devices is stronger and lighter than the stainless steel used in the previous generations of the iPhone.
The Apple Event and other marketing communication from Apple have claimed that the stronger built quality of these devices lessens the need for a protective casing. It is less prone to dents and scratches or chipping due to accidental drops and bumps, unlike steel or aluminum. There are four earth-toned color variants for these flagship iPhone devices. These are natural titanium, blue titanium, white titanium, and black titanium.
4. Design Improvements
Adding to the slew of minor but still notable improvements is a slight cosmetic. The brushed titanium finish has some degree of resistance from fingerprints compared to the polished metal and glass enclosure of the previous generations of the iPhone. Both devices are also more comfortable to hold because of their rounded edges. The slimmer bezels make the Super Retina display screen look more inviting and immersive.
5. Action Button
There is also a new button that replaces the mute switch of the previous iPhone models. Located on the right side of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is the Action Button. It can be customized to perform different functions. A user can use it to launch a specific application, control settings, access shortcuts, or activate accessibility features. A user can assign different actions for single, double, or long press.
6. New Camera System
The camera system of the iPhone 15 Pro consists of four cameras. These are a 12-megapixel front-facing camera, a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 12-megapixel and 77mm telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has almost the same camera system except for a 12-megapixel and 12mm back-facing telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom with a tetraprism periscope.
Furthermore, for video recording, both devices allow recording in 4K resolution at up to 60 frames per second or in Full HD resolution at up to 240 frames per second. The A17 Pro chip allows these devices to record spatial video for the Apple Vision Pro. This allows recording of a panoramic and immersive video with spatial audio. The better Photonic Engine of the A17 Pro also improves low-light photography and video recording.
7. USB-C Port
Foregoing the Lightning port for the USB-C is another new feature of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. This is also in line with a European Union regulation that mandates the use of USB-C as a standard port. The entire iPhone 15 line now uses this port. The A7 Pro has a new USB controller that enables support for USB 3. This allows up to 10 Gbps data transfer and video output of up to 4K at 60 frames per second HDR.
8. Wi-Fi 6E
These flagship iPhone devices are also equipped with Wi-Fi 6E. This is an extended version of the Wi-Fi 6 standard that features a triple-band wireless network connection. The standard specifically extends the frequency bands from 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz to 6 GHz. This means that it provides up to four times more bandwidth than Wi-Fi 6 and it enables devices to connect to wireless routers that broadcast the 6 GHz band.
