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Is the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Worth it Compared to iPhone 15? Here’s Our Take

Beyond the camera, here’s what each phone offers.

On Tuesday at its «Wonderlust» event, Apple unveiled the latest batch of iPhones alongside updates to the Apple Watch. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are here, and you may soon be facing a decision whether to shell out the extra money for a Pro model when the phones hit stores on Sept. 22.

On last year’s models, the new Dynamic Island was the main differentiator between the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, but this feature has now trickled down to the regular iPhone 15, leaving the entire iPhone 15 line notchless. Still, there are important differences to consider when deciding between the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro. Bear in mind we’re yet to review the new iPhones, so this analysis is based on our hands-on impressions and their specs — let’s get to it.

iPhone 15 vs. 15 Pro: Display and enclosure

Both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro feature the same size screen — a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with a 2,556×1,179-pixel resolution. The Pro’s display, however, features ProMotion technology, which is Apple’s way of saying it has a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. It should result in smoother motion in videos, games and just scrolling through web pages compared with the fixed 60Hz refresh rate of the iPhone 15. When you aren’t watching YouTube or gaming on your phone, the Pro will lower the refresh rate to conserve battery life. 

The iPhone 15 Pro also has an always-on display that keeps it on and dimmed when charging so you can use StandBy mode. You don’t get an always-on display with the iPhone 15.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro are made from different materials. The iPhone 15 has an aluminum enclosure with a color-infused glass back, and the iPhone 15 Pro is made from titanium with a textured matte glass back. 

More colorful options are available for the iPhone 15, where you can get it in pink, soft yellow, light green, pale blue or black. The iPhone 15 Pro is available in more staid hues: black, white, dark blue and natural titanium that looks beige. 

In terms of overall size, the iPhone 15 is ever-so-slightly larger but lighter than the iPhone 15 Pro. Titanium is lighter than aluminum, but the iPhone 15 Pro weighs more than the iPhone 15, in large part because it has a third camera. The iPhone 15 weighs 6.02 ounces (171 grams), and the iPhone 15 Pro weighs 6.6 ounces (187 grams). The iPhone 15 Pro has ultrathin bezels and shaves a millimeter off the width and height of the iPhone 15’s dimensions while also being a fraction of a millimeter thinner.

One last difference between the two enclosures is the introduction of the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro. It replaces the mute switch that’s still on the side of the iPhone 15. By default, a long press on the Action button will mute and unmute, but you can customize it to trigger a number of shortcuts like turning on the flashlight, recording a voice memo or opening the camera app and snapping a photo.

iPhone 15 vs. 15 Pro: Cameras

As with previous iPhone lines, the iPhone 15 features two cameras on the back, and the iPhone 15 Pro has three. You get a 48-megapixel wide lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens with either model, and the iPhone 15 Pro adds a 12-megapixel telephoto lens that has a 3x optical zoom that lets you get closer to your subject. 

Both models support night mode, but only the iPhone 15 Pro lets you take night mode shots in portrait mode.

iPhone 15 vs. 15 Pro: Components

Inside, the iPhone 15 has an A16 Bionic chip, while the iPhone 15 Pro has an A17 Pro chip. Both models ought to be plenty fast; each processor is a six-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores. The iPhone 15 Pro is better suited for graphics and gaming; the A17 Pro Bionic processor has a six-core GPU to the A16 Bionic’s five-core GPU.

Both models are available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities, and the iPhone 15 Pro offers a 1TB option.

iPhone 15 vs. 15 Pro: USB-C speeds

The new models introduce USB-C charging, but only the iPhone 15 Pro supports the faster 10Gbps speeds of USB 3. You’ll need to supply your own USB-C 3 cable for a 15 Pro since Apple ships a USB 2 cable with both phones, but the iPhone 15 supports only USB 2 speeds of 480Mbps.

iPhone 15 vs. 15 Pro: Price

Finally, we arrive at the difference in price. No surprises here: As in past years, Apple charges an extra $200 for the iPhone 15 Pro compared with the iPhone 15. The iPhone 15 starts at $799 (£799, AU$1,499), while the iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 (£999, AU$1,849).

Get a Better Look at the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro

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Apple iPhone 15 vs. Apple iPhone 15 Pro

iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Pro
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness 6.1-inch OLED; 2,556×1,179 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate; 1,000 nits 6.1-inch OLED; 2,556×1,179 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate; 1,000 nits
Pixel density 460 ppi 460 ppi
Enclosure material Aluminum with color-infused glass back Titanium with textured matte glass back
Dimensions (inches) 2.82 x 5.81 x 0.31 in. 2.78 x 5.77 x 0.32 in.
Dimensions (millimeters) 71.6 x 147.6 x 7.8 mm 70.6 x 146.6 x 8.25 mm
Weight (grams, ounces) 171 g (6.02 oz) 187 g (6.6 oz)
Mobile software iOS 17 iOS 17
Camera 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 48-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel telephoto (3x optical)
Front-facing camera 12-megapixel 12-megapixel
Video capture 4K 4K
Processor A16 Bionic A17 Pro
RAM/storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Expandable storage None None
Battery/charging speeds Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 20 hours of video playback (16 hours streamed) Undisclosed; Apple claims up to 23 hours of video playback (20 hours streamed)
Fingerprint sensor None (Face ID) None (Face ID)
Connector USB-C (USB 2.0) USB-C (USB 3.0)
Side button/switch Mute switch Action button
Headphone jack None None
Special features 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, MagSafe (up to 15W), Qi wireless charging to 7.5W, Dynamic Island 5G (mmw/Sub6), IP68 rating, MagSafe (up to 15W), Qi wireless charging to 7.5W, Dynamic Island, 3x optical zoom
US price off-contract $799 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB) $999 (128GB, $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB)
UK price £799 (128GB), £899 (256GB), £1,099 (512GB) £999 (128GB), £1,099 (256GB), £1,299 (512GB), £1,499 (1TB)
Australia price AU$1,499 (128GB), AU$1,699 (256GB), AU$2,049 (512GB) AU$1,849 (128GB), AU$2,049 (256GB), AU$2,399 (512GB), AU$2,749 (1TB)

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • AZALEA, HEMLOCK, FOXGLOVE, OLEANDER, BELLADONNA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is POISONOUS. To find it, look for the P that is the first letter on the far left of the top row, and wind down and across.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 23, #395

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 395.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.


Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has one of those crazy purple categories, where you wonder if anyone saw the connection, or if people just put that grouping together because only those four words were left. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Fan noise.

Green group hint: Strategies for hoops.

Blue group hint: Minor league.

Purple group hint: Look for a connection to hoops.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Sounds from the crowd.

Green group: Basketball offenses.

Blue group: Triple-A baseball teams.

Purple group: Ends with a basketball stat.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is sounds from the crowd. The four answers are boo, cheer, clap and whistle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball offenses. The four answers are motion, pick and roll, Princeton and triangle.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is triple-A baseball teams.  The four answers are Aces, Jumbo Shrimp, Sounds and Storm Chasers.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends with a basketball stat.  The four answers are afoul, bassist, counterpoint and sunblock.

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Technologies

Amazon’s Delivery Drivers Will Soon Wear AI Smart Glasses to Work

The goal is to streamline the delivery process while keeping drivers safe.

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is developing new AI-powered smart glasses to simplify the delivery experience for its drivers. CNET smart glasses expert Scott Stein mentioned this wearable rollout last month, and now the plan is in its final testing stages.

The goal is to simplify package delivery by reducing the need for drivers to look at their phones, the label on the package they’re delivering and their surroundings to find the correct address. 


Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.


A heads-up display will activate as soon as the driver parks, pointing out potential hazards and tasks that must be completed. From there, drivers can locate and scan packages, follow turn-by-turn directions and snap a photograph to prove delivery completion without needing to take out their phone.

The company is testing the glasses in select North American markets.

Watch: See our Instagram post with a video showing the glasses

A representative for Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

To fight battery drain, the glasses pair with a controller attached to the employee’s delivery vest, allowing them to replace depleted batteries and access operational controls. The glasses will support an employee’s eyeglass prescription. An emergency button will be within reach to ensure the driver’s safety. 

Amazon is already planning future versions of the glasses, which will feature «real-time defect detection,» notifying the driver if a package was delivered to the incorrect address. They plan to add features to the glasses to detect if pets are in the yard and adjust to low light.

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