iPhone 17 Pro vs 15 Pro vs 16 Pro - Should you upgrade? 🤔
Titanium VS Alumunium
Going from the Titanium frames of the 15 Pro and 16 Pro to an aluminium unibody may sound like a downgrade, but the reason why aluminium may be a better choice for the iPhone is its better heat-conductivity than Titanium, which yields better thermals. That is super important, because if the phone gets too hot, the processor gets throttled. That is why they went with aluminium, and why they put a vapor chamber inside to cool the device better, and to achieve better thermals without underclocking the A19 Pro chip.
And after more than a week, shooting videos, running games, they definitely run cooler than the 16 Pro and 15 Pro.
Running 3Dmark’s ‘Solar Bay Extreme test’, I can feel the back of the 17 Pro being a lot cooler, while heat is radiating away to the edges, so the phone as a whole feels cooler. Whereas the 16 Pro and 15 Pro feels super hot around the edges and at the back. The 17 Pro with the A19 Pro also yields better constant frame rates, whereas the other phones display heavy throttling at various points in the test.
But I was curious to see how they hold up under long periods of intense gaming. So I ran a 20 minute test comprising of intense graphics and raytracing. The result? The 17 Pro still yields better frame rates, but now it feels about as hot as the 16 Pro. This shows that although it stays cooler for longer, under sustained pressure the 17 Pro will reach the same temperature zone as the 16 Pro.
However, both are still a little cooler than the 15 Pro which was piping hot at the end of the test session.
Thermals and graphics are not the only upgrades. The 17 Pro’s display has slightly better anti-reflection, and the cameras have obviously seen a huge bump, so to speak.
You can zoom in more, shoot in Log, and record 4K videos at 120frames per second (versus the 60pfs of previous iPhones).
One other thing that’s also been upgraded are the speakers. The 17 Pro’s speakers are tuned very differently from the 16 Pro and especially the 15 Pro.
Speakers
This is something that no one seems to talk about, but the difference is super obvious. The 17 Pro has the smoothest sound I’ve heard from an iPhone. The 16 Pro has thinner lows and more emphasis on the upper mids so it sound more shrill, the 15 Pro is even more so. Vocals are sharper and more tinny. But the 17 Pro sounds more balanced, smoother non-fatiguing vocals. After these sound samples, we’re going to talk about the cameras
👉 Have a listen to the sound samples
Cameras
The 17 Pro’s cameras are a huge upgrade mostly in terms of the zoom distance of the rear telephoto. For photos, up to 8x Optical quality, and you can even shoot up to 40x digital zoom because it’s got a 48MP Telephoto sensor.
For the 16 Pro it’s up to 25x, and the 15 Pro shoots up to 15x digital crop.
For videos it’s up to 24x digital zoom vs the 15x and 9x zoom of the 16 Pro and 15 Pro respectively, and you do get better stabilization and quality at similar zoom ranges. But honestly, though the 17 Pro’s shots look a little more contrasty, I didn’t see a significant improvement in terms of quality compared to the 16 Pro whether it be for videos or photos using the main and ultrawide lenses.
There is a bigger difference compared to the 15 Pro because only its main camera has 48MP, so on the 17 Pro, you’re bound to get lower noise levels on Ultrawide and Telephoto.
The only area which the 17 Pro doesn’t seem to do as well is smoothing out photos shot in low light. In this area, the 15 Pro and 16 Pro seem to deliver cleaner shots.
The 18MP front camera has a square sensor, so you can switch aspect ratios without rotating the phone to capture more of the sides, and also capture a wider angle in vertical mode. It’s also the first iPhone to have CenterStage, which works like a charm in Facetime calls. Quality-wise, the 17 Pro does take higher res selfies but just slightly clearer.
Should you upgrade to iPhone 17 Pro from 15 Pro?
So If you’re thinking of upgrading due to the camera, it’s more worth it upgrading from the 15 Pro for better front camera, better zoom range and lower noise. Notice I didn’t mention the Camera Control button? Well, I’ve had it on the16 Pro for the past year, but I barely used it. I would use it more if it wasn’t so stiff, cause I’m worried about micro movements as much. Aside from the camera, definitely upgrade from the 15 Pro for the better sound, much better thermals, and faster frame rates if you’re into gaming.
Should you upgrade to iPhone 17 Pro from 16 Pro?
As for whether to upgrade from the 16 Pro, I don’t think many people would feel that the upgrade’s justified, because they’re pretty comparable in so many areas. But if the 16 Pro is running hot in your daily usage, then the 17 Pro is worth upgrading to because of the improved thermals. Performance-wise, it’s not going to be a huge leap. But what do you think? Is it worth upgrading from the 15 or 16 Pro to the 17 Pro?
Check latest prices:
iPhone 17 Pro - Link TBA
iPhone 16 Pro - https://amzn.to/4807z3r (Amazon Renewed)
iPhone 15 Pro - https://amzn.to/46JoOUw (Amazon Renewed)
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