Jason Hiner/ZDNET
Apple simply unveiled the model new iPhone 15 lineup, comprised of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Professional, and iPhone 15 Professional Max. Should you’re out there for a brand new iPhone you may surprise how the brand new units evaluate to older fashions just like the iPhone 13 and even the iPhone 14.
The iPhone 15 Professional, a part of Apple’s high-end line of smartphones, is a superb choice if you need a pro-level cellphone that also matches comfortably in your hand. However how does the iPhone 15 Professional, in all its modern titanium attract, evaluate to a reliable and extremely standard machine just like the iPhone 13 Professional? The value distinction is not the one factor setting them aside, although that distinction is critical.
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We’ll break down the options for each the iPhone 15 Professional and the iPhone 13 Professional that can assist you determine for those who ought to go together with the brand new child on the block or Outdated Trustworthy.
Specs
SpecsiPhone 15 ProiPhone 13 ProDisplay6.1″ | Tremendous Retina XDR | All the time-on6.1″ | Tremendous Retina XDRFinishNatural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, Black TitaniumAlpine Inexperienced, Silver, Gold, Graphite, Sierra BlueProcessorA17 ProA15 Bionic chipStorage128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TBConstructionGrade 5 TitaniumStainless metal | IP68 ratingBatteryUp to 29 hours of video playbackUp to 22 hours of video playbackPortUSB-C | USB 3 supportLightning | USB 2 supportMain camera48MP | As much as 10x optical zoom12MP | as much as 4K videoConnectivityeSIM, 5G, Gigabit LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Blutooth 5.0, UWB, GPS, Wi-Fi callingSIM card, 5G, Gigabit LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, UWB, GPS, Wi-Fi callingPriceStarting at $999Starting at $829
You can purchase the iPhone 15 Professional if…
Jason Hiner/ZDNET 1. You need an excellent digicam
Regardless of how choosy you get there’s one factor that you may’t ding the iPhone 15 for and that is the digicam. The iPhone 15’s digicam captures 48MP photographs, and it has a 25% bigger sensor in comparison with its predecessor, the iPhone 14 Professional. It is also able to 4 occasions extra decision than RAW photographs, and a f/2.8 aperture — which is excellent in comparison with the iPhone 13 Professional’s 12MP major digicam.
Additionally: Deciphering the iPhone 15 Professional’s pro-grade digicam options: What the phrases imply
Customers will be capable of get next-generation portraits with two occasions higher mild efficiency than the earlier model, with a Lidar scanner that captures night time mode portraits with larger dynamic vary whereas sustaining luminosity.
The optical zoom has a 13-120mm focal size spectrum. The iPhone 15 Professional’s digicam can also be a periscope digicam, with a tetraprism design that displays the sunshine contained in the iPhone to take away the necessity for a protracted telephoto lens.
2. You wish to bounce on the USB-C bandwagon
That is seemingly the most important characteristic that units the iPhone 15 other than all different earlier iPhone fashions. Apple has lastly instituted USB-C ports on its units, which implies that you should use the identical cable to cost your whole Apple units — so long as they’re the newer ones. Apple’s swap to USB-C connector additionally means sooner switch speeds out of your iPhone to your Mac.
Additionally: iPhone 15 Professional hands-on: I discovered a whole lot of causes to improve and one to attend till subsequent 12 months
However Apple did not put off the lightning port out of sheer innovation. The choice to modify to USB-C ports in charging cables was compelled on the tech giants after the European Union mandated that every one digital units offered and manufactured in 2024 will need to have a USB-C connector. Although that is but to be a requirement in the US, the standardization of charging connectors to USB-C within the EU hints that the format might grow to be common.
3. You need a extra sturdy iPhone
The iPhone 15 Professional does away with a surgical-grade stainless-steel building in favor of Grade 5 Titanium. This — together with different upgrades — elements into the worth, which is why the iPhone 15 is dearer than earlier iPhone fashions. Titanium is more durable to mildew and type than aluminum and stainless-steel, but it surely’s a better option for units, partially on account of its low thermal conductivity.
Titanium is extra warmth resistant than metal, which might lead to fewer situations of overheating iPhones. The brand new iPhone 15 Professional has an aluminum coating on the within, under the titanium end, which additional helps with warmth dissipation.
The titanium building can also be lighter whereas sustaining the identical energy as metal. Greg “Joz” Joswiak, Apple’s senior vp of worldwide advertising and marketing, stated in the course of the launch occasion that that is the lightest Professional iPhone ever.
You can purchase the iPhone 13 Professional if…
Sarah Tew/CNET 1. You need a cheaper price
Probably the greatest methods to save cash whenever you purchase a brand new cellphone is to get an older mannequin just like the iPhone 13 Professional. You may get a renewed iPhone 13 Professional with 512GB of storage for $815 on Amazon or a pre-owned iPhone 13 Professional with 128GB of storage for $880 at Finest Purchase, each unlocked.
Additionally: The most effective iPhone offers proper now: September 2023
The iPhone 15 Professional, in flip, begins at $999. After all, it is model new, however for those who simply want a brand new cellphone and do not thoughts skipping the bells and whistles of the newest mannequin, it is attainable to avoid wasting a couple of hundred {dollars}.
2. You favor a SIM card over e-SIM
Apple removed the slot for a bodily SIM card with the iPhone 14 in 2022. Since then iPhones are activated with an digital SIM or eSIM. Basically, they’re activated over the air by the provider as an alternative of utilizing a bodily card. This won’t seem to be an enormous deal and it could even appear handy in a whole lot of instances however lots of people nonetheless choose a bodily SIM card.
Additionally: Shopping for the iPhone 15? Here is how your provider is dealing with eSIM transfers
Having a cellphone with a bodily SIM card makes it straightforward and handy to modify between units, particularly in case of emergency. If my iPhone XS Max breaks down, for instance, I would be capable of come out the SIM card and put it in one other backup cellphone I had in my residence and nonetheless be capable of use a cellphone whereas I both received mine fastened or received a brand new one. But when my iPhone 14 Professional Max breaks down I can not take out the SIM card and put it in my outdated XS Max as a result of it is an eSIM.
3. A gold iPhone is your factor
Should you love a gold iPhone and had been hoping to see the iPhone 15 Professional bathed in gold, I hate to be the bearer of dangerous information. The iPhone 14 was the final to get a gold colour end, which is one other level in favor of the iPhone 13 Professional.
Though I received a purple iPhone 14 Professional Max when it got here out, I used to be a devoted gold iPhone consumer for years after Apple discontinued the rose gold end. However if you wish to get an iPhone 13 Professional and you like the gold iPhone, you may be glad to know that it’s nonetheless accessible from resellers.
Alternate options to contemplate
BEST iPHONE ALTERNATIVE
iPhone 14 Professional
Launched in 2022, the iPhone 14 Professional is the primary to characteristic the Dynamic Island on the prime of the display and All the time-on show. It has a 48MP major digicam and autofocus on the TrueDepth entrance digicam, each huge enhancements from the iPhone 13 Professional.
BEST SAMSUNG ALTERNATIVE
Samsung Galaxy S23+
The Samsung Galaxy S23+ was launched in early 2023 and is the proper Goldilocks smartphone between the extra inexpensive S23 and the flagship S23 Extremely. It has a 50MP rear digicam and a barely bigger display than the iPhone 13 Professional at 6.6 inches.