Apple 2023 iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

In September 2023, Apple unveiled its latest high-end flagship smartphones, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, alongside the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. These Pro models offer an enhanced feature set compared to the standard iPhone 15, including advanced camera technology, improved display quality, a swifter A17 chip, and more.

Maintaining the same 6.1 and 6.7-inch sizes as the previous iPhone 14 Pro models, the iPhone 15 Pro series shares a similar design, albeit with some notable alterations. Instead of stainless steel, Apple now employs a frame crafted from a cutting-edge titanium alloy also utilized in aerospace applications. Additionally, new titanium color options have been introduced, such as white, black, natural, and blue. Due to the lightweight nature of titanium compared to stainless steel, the iPhone 15 Pro models weigh less than their predecessors, the iPhone 14 Pro models.

The titanium has a new matte, brush texture and it is accompanied by an aluminum internal frame that improves thermal dissipation and the repairability of the back glass. Apple also tweaked the design, so the frame has more contoured edges and the display bezels are much thinner. The front of the iPhone continues to be protected by Apple's Ceramic Shield material, which it says is the toughest glass used in a smartphone.

Apple is using the same Super Retina XDR Display from last year with Always-On display technology and a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate. The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a resolution of 2796x1290, while the iPhone 15 Pro has a resolution of 2556x1179. Aside from the slimmed down bezels, there are no display changes, and it also features the same Dynamic Island at the top.

Rather than a Lightning port, the iPhone 15 Pro models have a USB-C port that offers USB 3 transfer speeds up to 10Gb/s. Charging is now done with a USB-C cable, so you can use the same cord for charging the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With the USB-C port, an iPhone can be used to charge AirPods or an Apple Watch directly. 15W MagSafe charging continues to be available, and Apple added support for Qi2 wireless charging.

There's a customizable Action button that's modeled after the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra, and it replaces the mute switch. It can be set to one of multiple functions, such as launching the camera, turning on Flashlight, recording a Voice Memo, or activating a Shortcut. The Action button ties in with the Dynamic Island for visual feedback that accompanies haptic feedback.

The inclusion of a 6-core GPU in the iPhone enables hardware-accelerated ray tracing, enabling the device to run console games like Assassin's Creed Mirage and Resident Evil 4 for the first time, while also enhancing augmented reality applications. Additionally, there's a dedicated AV1 decoder for more efficient video streaming. The A17 Pro chip enables a feature that allows the iPhone to connect to external storage for direct recording of 4K 60fps ProRes video onto the storage device. In tandem with this, Apple has introduced an option for Log encoding, marking the iPhone 15 Pro models as the first smartphones to support the Academy Color Encoding System utilized by filmmakers.

Later in the year, the iPhone 15 Pro models will gain the capability to record 3D spatial video, which can be viewed on the Apple Vision Pro once it is launched in the following year.

An upgraded 48-megapixel Main camera offers improved low-light performance and a new 24-megapixel default image resolution that offers high-quality images at a practical file size, an improvement over the prior 12-megapixel default. The Main camera can be adjusted to different focal lengths, including 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm, and there's an option to capture 48-megapixel HEIF images that take up less space than RAW images.

Portrait photos are now captured automatically whenever a person or pet is in the frame or you tap to focus, so you can adjust depth and focal point after capturing an image even if you don't select portrait mode. Images include sharper detail, more vivid colors, and better low-light performance. Night mode is sharper than before and Smart HDR 5 captures subjects and backgrounds with more true-to-life skin tones and brighter highlights, richer midtones, and deeper shadows when viewed in the Photos app.

There's a new Ultrawide camera that lets in more light. The iPhone 15 Pro has a standard 3x Telephoto lens, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max is equipped with an upgraded 5x Telephoto lens that uses a new tetraprism design. Apple introduced a new optical image stabilization system that includes an autofocus 3D sensor-shift module for clearer photos.

The A17 Pro chip is Apple's first 3-nanometer chip, built on an updated node. Apple says that it includes the biggest GPU redesign in Apple history, and GPU performance is up to 20% faster than the A16. CPU performance is up to 10% faster. The new Neural Engine is up to 2x faster.

Apple added a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip that allows two iPhones with the chip to connect at a 3x longer range. The improved connectivity powers a new Precision Finding for Find My Friends feature that lets you locate your friends in crowded areas with Precision Finding. Wi-Fi 6E support is included for up to 2x faster Wi-Fi speeds and access to 6GHz bands when paired with a Wi-Fi 6E router. Thread support has been added as well, for future integrations in the Home app.
Emergency SOS via Satellite is being expanded to include Emergency Roadside Assistance via Satellite, so if you have a car issue in an area without a cellular or WiFi signal, you can use satellite services to contact AAA, Apple's partner for the endeavor.

This one has been there for quite some time now but I think it's getting better and they're improving it a bit since users rarely use it.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are set to launch on Friday, September 22, with pre-orders available as of 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, September 15.