Jason Hiner and Nina Raemont/ZDNET
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
Apple just announced the new iPhone 17 Pro at its Awe Dropping live event, and it comes with some pretty substantial upgrades both in terms of design and capabilities. We’re talking longer battery life, more onboard memory, a bigger and brighter screen, and an improved camera system.
If you’ve got an iPhone 15 Pro, your device is already two years old. It may look like a good time to spring for the new phone, but how big of an upgrade is the 17 Pro, really?
Also: Apple iPhone 17 event recap: iPhone Air preorders, Apple Watch 11, AirPods Pro 3, more
Take the software, for example: Both phones run Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 26, with many of the same Apple Intelligence features. Additionally, the iPhone 15 Pro is smaller and lighter. So is it worth upgrading? Let’s break down the differences between the iPhone 15 Pro and the new iPhone 17 Pro.
Specifications
iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro
Display
6.9-inch AMOLED with 120Hz, 3,000 nits peak
6.1-inch OLED 120Hz, 2,000 nits peak
Weight
206 grams (7.27 ounces)
187 grams (6.60 ounces)
Processor
Apple A19 Pro
Apple A17 Pro
RAM/Storage
12GB of RAM, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
8GB of RAM, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Battery
33 hours of video playback
23 hours of video playback
Camera
48MP Fusion, 48MP Fusion ultrawide, 48MP Fusion telephoto, 18MP front
48MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto, 12MP front
Colors
Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue
Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium
Price
$1,099
$679 refurbished (on sale)
You should buy the iPhone 17 Pro if…
Jason Hiner/ZDNET
1. You want the upgraded camera
The camera system in the iPhone 17 Pro is a significant step up from the 15 Pro, with a 48MP Fusion, ultrawide, and telephoto, along with an 18MP Center Stage selfie camera. That’s the best front-facing camera you’ll find on any iPhone.
What’s more, the optical zoom has been upgraded to 8x, which effectively doubles the zoom from the previous model and is one of the highest out there right now. This is all the result of a 56% larger camera sensor, which will produce sharper, better-quality images, especially in low light.
Also: I hope iPhone 17 adopts these 7 features from Google, OpenAI, and others
The upgraded Camera app also has some new features — like the ability to change the orientation of the photo through the software, instead of physically rotating the phone. You also get Dual Capture, which lets you record from the front- and rear-facing cameras simultaneously. Simply put, the camera on the 17 Pro is the best iPhone camera to date. If you want to shoot DSLR-quality photos, it’s worth the upgrade.
2. You want the best performance
The iPhone 17 Pro comes with the A19 Pro processor, a chip that Apple called “MacBook level power in an iPhone” during the live event. This isn’t an exaggeration. Apple says the A19 Pro delivers up to 40% better performance compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, with near half-as-fast performance compared to the 15 Pro.
Combined with more base RAM (12GB instead of 8GB), you’re getting a phone that’s fast and responsive, especially while multitasking, like surfing the web, listening to music, or playing YouTube in the background simultaneously, all tasks the 17 Pro is made to do without skipping a beat. If you’re a mobile gamer, the GPU in the 17 Pro is twice as fast as the previous iPhone.
Also: Apple’s tariff costs and iPhone sales are soaring – how long until device prices are too?
The processor on the 15 Pro is no slouch — the A17 Pro uses a 3nm node with lots of power for whatever you want to do — but the increased power on the 17 Pro is paired with an upgraded cooling system, utilizing a vapor chamber to push the capabilities of the A19 to higher levels. Paired with the 120Hz refresh rate, the 17 Pro provides a fast, smooth user experience.
3. You want an all-day battery
Apple doesn’t release exact metrics for its batteries except in terms of hours for video playback. It says the iPhone 15 Pro can get up to 23 hours, while the larger battery in the 17 Pro can achieve 33 hours. We’ll have to go hands-on and test this ourselves, but that 10-hour increase indicates a pretty significant bump up in battery capacity.
Also: 5 Apple products you should avoid buying this week (and 7 safe picks to get instead)
If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or an older phone and are starting to see battery life degradation, upgrading will give you access to the most powerful battery in an iPhone yet.
Additionally, despite the increased capacity, the iPhone 17 Pro’s battery is more efficient. Apple says the iPhone 17 Pro charges to 50% in just 20 minutes, 10 minutes faster than it takes the 15 Pro to get to the same percentage.
You should buy the iPhone 15 Pro if…
Jason Hiner/ZDNET
1. You just want the latest software
If you’re stoked about the latest features in iOS 26, both the iPhone 15 Pro and 17 Pro have access to the same features. That goes for Apple Intelligence features like real-time translation, Shortcuts, and Visual Intelligence. In fact, there aren’t really any specific Apple Intelligence features unique to the 17 Pro.
Also: The iPhone 17 series could be Apple’s boldest move in years – here’s why
The 17 Pro is certainly faster, with a more powerful chip, but the 15 Pro’s A17 Pro processor is still well-equipped to handle on-device AI, as the earliest iPhone with enough processing power to do so. If you already have the 15 Pro and you’re keen on jumping into all iOS 26 has to offer, you’re not missing out by not upgrading.
2. You don’t want a bigger phone
Although this might not be a big deal for some, it’s important to note that the iPhone 17 Pro is quite a bit chunkier than the 15 Pro. All that powerful hardware is bigger, requires a more powerful battery, and weighs more — 206 grams (7.27 ounces) compared to the iPhone 15 Pro’s 187 grams (6.6 ounces).
Also: iPhone Air vs. Samsung S25 Edge: I compared both thin phones, and there’s a clear winner
The 17 Pro is also longer: 5.91 inches vs. 5.77 inches on the 15 Pro, slightly wider, and slightly thicker. All of these measurements add up to a phone that’ll definitely feel heavier in the hand.
Additionally, the 17 Pro’s camera system is a new design for iPhones, featuring a raised “plateau” that stretches the entire length of the phone, similar to the Google Pixel 10 — but even bigger. If you don’t fancy a bigger phone, you might not want to upgrade.
