We’re expecting Apple to debut the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and much-rumored iPhone 15 Ultra – which is set to replace the iPhone 15 Pro Max – in September this year, with all three phones likely to prove some of the best iPhones ever made.
But how will Apple’s upcoming handsets compare with one another? The vanilla iPhone 15 will almost certainly be an iPhone 14 Pro dressed up in shiny new clothes, while we’ve already examined the iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro in a separate article.
In this piece, then, we pit the iPhone 15 Pro against the iPhone 15 Ultra, comparing both phones’ rumored prices, specs and features. Naturally, the below comparisons are subject to change as we learn more about the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra, but for now, here’s how we expect Apple’s next premium iPhones to stack up.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Ultra: specs comparison
Again, it’s worth clarifying that none of the below iPhone 15 Pro or Ultra specs have been confirmed by Apple, but we think we’ve heard enough rumors in each category to speculate (with confidence) about the camera, display and processor credentials of both devices.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Ultra: price and availability
Using Apple’s previous iPhone release strategies as points of reference, we can make an educated guess as to when the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra will land – as well as how much both devices will cost.
The iPhone 14 line was officially unveiled on September 7, 2022 before going on sale over a week later on September 16. Incidentally, the iPhone 14 Plus hit shelves the following month, on October 7.
Apple generally picks the first or second week of September for its annual iPhone launches, with the company typically opting for a Tuesday or Wednesday. We therefore expect the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra to be revealed on September 5, 6, 12 or 13 this year, with both phones going on sale around a week later.
In terms of price, we expect the iPhone 15 Pro to match the iPhone 14 Pro, which starts at $999 / £1,099 / AU$1,749 for 128GB of storage (i.e. the lowest storage option). The 256GB 14 Pro costs $1,099 / £1,209 / AU$1,899, and those figures are probably a more likely starting point for the 15 Pro, in light of other manufacturers’ decisions to forgo 128GB options with their respective 2023 flagships (looking at you, Samsung and Oppo).
The iPhone 15 Ultra, on the other hand, could match the iPhone 14 Pro Max for price – that’d see the 256GB model priced at $1,199 / £1,309 / AU$2,099 – but the rumored upgrades heading to Apple’s next top flagship mean we shouldn’t rule out a larger price tag.
As such, we’re inclined to suggest that the iPhone 15 Ultra will cost at least $1,199 / £1,309 / AU$2,099 for the base model. And yes, those prices would make the Ultra the most expensive iPhone ever.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Ultra: design and display
When it comes to the phones’ respective designs, it looks like the pair will differ in size only – as with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the iPhone 15 Ultra will be larger than the iPhone 15 Pro.
Just how much larger remains to be seen, but with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max measuring 147.5 x 71.5 x 7.85mm and 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85mm, respectively, we expect the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra to boast similar dimensions.
Otherwise, both devices seem set to share in the design improvements over the iPhone 14 Pro. We’ve heard from multiple sources, for instance, that both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra could get titanium sides, which would make them stronger and lighter than the stainless steel-framed iPhones currently available.
Both devices are expected to have more rounded rear edges, too, in contrast to the iPhone 14 Pro’s sharp-angled sides. Apple was reportedly unsure about implementing this design change for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra, but leaked renders showing off these curved sides have since emerged, adding credence to the rumor.
We’ve also heard that the iPhone 15 Pro will be getting thinner bezels than the iPhone 14 Pro – which would be an impressive feat on Apple’s part, given that the latter’s bezels are already 1.81mm, 1.95mm and 2.17mm thin. If this change is coming to the iPhone 15 Pro, we’d expect the iPhone 15 Ultra to boast equally thin bezels.
Also on the design front, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra were widely rumored to get solid-state volume and power buttons. Leaks had suggested that these buttons would use haptic vibrations to simulate the sensation of being touched, despite not actually moving, but Apple analysts recently poured water on those claims. We’re therefore now expecting both phones to have the same physical button setup as the iPhone 14 Pro – though some leakers remain optimistic about the possibility of seeing solid-state iPhone buttons in 2023.
The final design upgrade is expected to come in the form of a USB-C charging port. The EU has told Apple that it has to add USB-C charging ports to iPhones from 2024, but multiple leaks have suggested that Apple will be adopting the charging standard in 2023 with the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra.
On the display front, it looks like size will again be the only differentiator between the two phones. The iPhone 15 Pro is expected to stick with the iPhone 14 Pro’s excellent 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen, and the iPhone 15 Ultra will likely follow suit with its Pro Max predecessor’s 6.7-inch equivalent.
Both the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max boast adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate technology (dubbed ProMotion) that automatically adjusts the smoothness of their displays to suit whatever’s happening on-screen. Apple’s always-on display functionality relies on ProMotion to function, and it looks like both of these high-end features will again be reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra.
Oh, and both phones will of course be sticking with Apple’s Dynamic Island – though rumors suggest that the proximity sensor on the new Dynamic Island will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island itself, rather than positioned below it (as on the iPhone 14 Pro).
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Ultra: cameras
Given that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra seem set to differ in size only when it comes to their respective displays and designs, you might be wondering why Apple is even bothering to adopt the Ultra moniker in the first place. Well, that’s where the two phones’ cameras come in.
In essence, the iPhone 15 Ultra will represent Apple’s attempt at producing the best camera phone money can buy, with the new device set to boast a range of photography features that the iPhone 15 Pro won’t have (which will mark a different arrangement to that of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, which have identical camera setups).
Let’s start with the iPhone 15 Pro, which is expected to inherit its predecessor’s triple sensor setup – that’s a 48MP wide (24mm f/2.8), 12MP ultra-wide (13mm f/2.2) and 12MP telephoto (77mm f/2.8). The only real difference between the iPhone 15 Pro’s cameras and the iPhone 14 Pro’s cameras will probably be the quality of sensors used. According to leaks, the iPhone 15 Pro will sport new Sony-produced sensors that capture more light.
The iPhone 15 Ultra, on the other hand, is set for a number of new camera upgrades. The latest rumors suggest the iPhone 15 Ultra could get a telephoto camera with a variable zoom lens, as well as the largest main sensor ever used in an iPhone.
Variable optical zoom cameras are exceptionally rare among today’s smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – our current pick for the best phone on the market – features two telephoto cameras, but the iPhone 15 Ultra is expected to one-up that phone’s 3x and 10x lenses with a single, variable telephoto sensor that can move optically between these degrees of magnification. The iPhone 14 Pro Max, for comparison, can only optically zoom up to 3x, and while the Sony Xperia 1 IV already has a telephoto lens with variable zoom, it’s only capable of zooming between 3.5x and 5.2x.
As mentioned, the iPhone 15 Ultra looks set to feature the largest main sensor ever used in an iPhone, too. At 1/1.14 inches, Sony’s Ultra-bound IMX903 48MP sensor measures is bigger than the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 1/1.28-inch equivalent and so should allow for more efficient light capture and detail retention.
We've also heard that the iPhone 15 Ultra might have a dual-lens front-facing camera, while the iPhone 15 Pro sticks with its predecessor’s single-lens 12MP selfie snapper.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Ultra: performance
When it comes to performance, both iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra will surely use the latest version of Apple’s silicon – the A17 Bionic – which is rumored to be much more efficient than the already-excellent A16 Bionic.
Chinese outlet DCInside reports that the A17 Bionic will boast a 20% more powerful CPU than its predecessor, meaning both phones should enjoy sizable speed gains over their respective iPhone 14 predecessors – they may even be as fast as some of the best MacBooks.
Despite using the same processor as its Pro-level counterpart, though, the iPhone 15 Ultra is rumored to be even more powerful than the iPhone 15 Pro, with one source claiming that the former’s software won’t limit the phone as much as it will on the Pro model. The only real reason that software would limit an iPhone in the first place is to stop it overheating, so that also suggests the iPhone 15 Ultra could have a better cooling system.
Incidentally, both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra are also expected to get 8GB RAM, where the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have 6GB RAM.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Ultra: battery
On the battery front, rumors have been few and far between for both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra, but we can make some predictions based on the battery specs of their respective predecessors.
The iPhone 14 Pro sports a 3,200mAh battery that delivers a full day (and night) of juice if the phone is used normally for everyday tasks, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max boasts a larger 4,323mAh battery that delivers around 26 hours of juice if used casually. We expect the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra to each offer similar battery sizes, with some Ultra-level features possibly thrown in for the latter.
Incidentally, rumors have suggested that Apple is working on a reverse wireless charging feature for the entirety of the iPhone 15 line. If true, both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra will be able to wirelessly charge other Apple gadgets.
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Ultra: verdict
The question of whether you should upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Ultra is hard to answer at this stage in the game, but based on the many rumors we’ve heard so far about both phones, we can offer some early advice.
For starters, the iPhone 15 Pro is going to be an objectively better phone than the iPhone 14 Pro. If we take all of those aforementioned iPhone 15 Pro rumors as gospel, the device will be getting a more premium design (thanks to its curved titanium sides and thinner bezels), slightly better camera sensors and faster processing speeds than the iPhone 14 Pro.
However, none of those upgrades sound particularly game-changing, and given that we described the iPhone 14 Pro as something close to “the perfect iPhone” in our review, we’re not expecting the iPhone 15 Pro to be a must-have device if you’re already rocking one of Apple’s best iPhones.
The iPhone 15 Ultra, in contrast, seems set to further widen the gap between Apple’s various iPhone tiers. Just as the Apple Watch Ultra was targeted towards extreme adventurers with a lot of money to spare, the iPhone 15 Ultra will surely be targeted towards mobile photography aficionados with equally deep pockets.
With its potentially giant main sensor, dual front-facing cameras and telephoto sensor with a variable zoom lens, the iPhone 15 Ultra will mark a significant upgrade over the iPhone 15 Pro – and therefore the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. That said, if you’re not particularly fussed about having the best camera phone, then we can't see too many other reasons why you might consider breaking the bank for Apple’s first Ultra iPhone.
