The Apple iPhone 17 is probably the model to get in this year’s iPhone 17 lineup. Apple made some significant upgrades to the device, including ProMotion. With that being said, in this article, we’ll compare it to the base model from 2023. In other words, we’ll be comparing the Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 15. Many of you are probably wondering whether to upgrade from the iPhone 15 at this point, and this article will hopefully help you decide.
These two phones, in general, do have the same design language, but it’s not a problem differentiating between the two phones. The iPhone 17 has a different-looking camera setup on the back, on top of having considerably thinner bezels. Having said that, we’ll first list the specs of both smartphones, and will then move to compare them across a number of different categories. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Specs
Apple iPhone 17
Apple iPhone 15
| Apple iPhone 17 | Apple iPhone 15 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 149.6 x 71.5 x 8 mm | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight | 177 grams | 171 grams |
| Display | 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED (60Hz) |
| Refresh rate | 1-120Hz | 60Hz |
| Resolution | 2622 x 1206 | 2556 x 1179 |
| Chipset | Apple A19 | Apple A16 Bionic |
| RAM | 8GB | 6GB |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB | 128GB/256GB/512GB |
| Main camera | 48MP (f/1.6 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, sensor-shift-OIS) | 48MP (f/1.6 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) |
| Ultra-wide camera | 48MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV) | 12MP (f/2.4 aperture, 120-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size) |
| Telephoto camera | N/A | N/A |
| Periscope telephoto camera | N/A | N/A |
| Selfie camera | 18MP (f/1.9 aperture, OIS) | 12MP (f/1.9 aperture, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF) |
| Battery size | 3,692mAh | 3,349mAh |
| Charging | Wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included) | 20W wired, 15W MagSafe & Qi2 wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included) |
| Colors | Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender | Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink |
Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 15: Design
Both of these smartphones are made out of aluminum and glass. They have a very similar shape, actually. The front and back sides are flat, and the same goes for the frame on both smartphones. On the front, you’ll notice a Dynamic Island at the top, and uniform bezels around the display. The thing is, the bezels around the iPhone 17’s display are notably thinner than the ones on the iPhone 15.
Both smartphones include volume rocker keys on the left side, along with the Action key. On the right, they have a power/lock button. On top of all that, the iPhone 17 also has a Camera control button on the right-hand side, unlike the iPhone 15. Both phones also have two cameras on the back, but their setups look different. The iPhone 17 includes two vertically aligned cameras in the top-left corner. The iPhone 15 has two cameras in the top-left corner too, but they’re not vertically aligned.
The iPhone 17 has a larger display than the iPhone 15, and yet the phone is not that much bigger in comparison thanks to thinner bezels. It is a bit taller, 0.1mm narrower, and 0.2mm thicker than the iPhone 15. You will be getting a larger display without sacrificing size, really, if you upgrade. The new model is also slightly heavier, but you won’t really notice that difference. Both smartphones are slippery in the hand, though, so keep that in mind. Both of them are also IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.
Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 15: Display
The Apple iPhone 17 comes with a 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). HDR10 content is also supported, while the peak brightness this display can provide up to 3,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio here is at around 90%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The resolution here is 2622 x 1206 pixels, while the Ceramic Shield 2 protects this panel.
The Apple iPhone 15, on the flip side, has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. This panel has a 60Hz refresh rate, so a high refresh rate is not included. HDR10 content is supported, as is Dolby Vision. The peak brightness here is 2,000 nits, while the screen-to-body ratio is at around 86%. The resolution is 2556 x 1179 pixels. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while the Ceramic Shield glass protects this panel.
Apple did make some major improvements to the iPhone 17’s panel, compared to the iPhone 15. Not only is the display brighter, but it supports a high refresh rate. On top of that, the display is larger without adding much to the size of the phone, while the bezels around the display are notably thinner on the new model. Both phones have good displays that are vivid and have good viewing angles, though.
Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 15: Performance
The iPhone 17 is fueled by the Apple A19 processor. That is Apple’s new 3nm chip which comes with 6 CPU cores and 5 GPU cores. It is paired with 8GB of RAM and NVMe storage. The iPhone 15 is fueled by the Apple A16 Bionic processor, which is a 4nm chip. That is also a hexa-core chip with a 5-core GPU. That chip is paired with 6GB of RAM inside the iPhone 15, NVMe storage is used. The storage is not expandable, though.
The Apple iPhone 15 still performs really well, though the iPhone 17 does offer better performance, of course. You likely won’t see much difference in day-to-day use, other than the fact that the iPhone 17 has a high refresh rate. If you’re used to high refresh rate displays, you’ll definitely notice the difference. Both phones will likely offer smooth performance on a day-to-day basis, though.
You may notice a difference in gaming with the most demanding titles, however. The iPhone 15 does a very good job with those still, but the iPhone 17 does come with more powerful hardware, so it should do a better job, in theory. We didn’t review it yet, so we can’t attest to that, but… that’s what’s expected. The heat is not an issue with the iPhone 15, and we’re hoping the same will be the case with the iPhone 17.
Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 15: Battery
There is a 3,692mAh battery included inside the iPhone 17. The iPhone 15, on the other hand, has a 3,349mAh battery on the inside. Yes, the new model does have a larger battery, but it also has a slightly larger display, and higher refresh rate. The iPhone 15 did offer good battery life, but it was completely outplayed by the iPhone 16. Well, Apple says that the iPhone 17 will trump the iPhone 16 in terms of battery life.
If that ends up being the case, and it most probably will, the iPhone 17 will offer notably better battery life than the iPhone 15. If you’re happy with the battery life on the iPhone 15, there’s a good chance you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what the iPhone 17 has to offer. Once again, we did not yet review the phone, so we cannot share that experience, we’re basing this on what Apple said.
The iPhone 15 supports 20W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. The iPhone 17 does have a bit faster wired charging, along with 25W MagSafe wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. The iPhone 15 can reach a 50% charge in 30 minutes, while it’ll take the iPhone 17 10 minutes less to get there. Do note that neither phone ships with a charger in the box, though.
Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 15: Cameras
The Apple iPhone 17 has two cameras on the back. A 48-megapixel main snapper (1/1.56-inch sensor size) is backed by a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV). Apple did improve the ultrawide camera compared to the iPhone 16, and yes, the same applies for the iPhone 15 comparison too. The main cameras are the same across these two models.
The iPhone 15 has the same 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.56-inch sensor size). It also includes a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV) on the back. Apple did make a notable improvement in the ultrawide camera sector. It’s a shame that neither phone has a zoom camera, however. They both have to rely on digital zoom for such images.
We did not get to test the iPhone 17 camera just yet. The phone is currently on pre-order, and it has not been released yet. However, based on hardware, it should have a similar output as the iPhone 15, at least as fas as the main camera is concerned. We’re sure that the iPhone 17 will have a small advantage due to the fact other hardware is newer plus some new algorithms, but don’t expect miracles. The bigger difference is expected in the ultrawide camera sector.
Audio
Both of these smartphones do come with stereo speakers. The iPhone 15 has a good set of speakers, though the output is not on the same level with the ‘Pro’ models. We’re expecting something similar from the iPhone 17, though who knows, it’s possible Apple improved that too.
Neither phone ships with an audio jack, however. They do have Type-C ports at the bottom, so you can connect your wired headphones that way, if you want. Alternatively, the iPhone 17 supports Bluetooth 6.0 while the iPhone 15 comes with Bluetooth 5.3 support.
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