iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max: Side Button Innovations, Impressive Cameras with 5x Optical Zoom and a Titanium Design

Apple is unveiling the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max as the most powerful and durable models in iPhone history. Rumours about the use of titanium in their construction, the inclusion of a powerful new telephoto lens in the camera system, and the addition of a USB-C port and cable have been confirmed. The only rumour that did not come true was the price increase.

The new Pro models stand out for their light weight and durability, thanks to the use of Grade 5 titanium, the same material used in NASA's Mars Rover. They also feature the thinnest display bezels ever seen on an iPhone.

The addition of a customisable Action button has been confirmed, replacing the classic mute switch that has been an iPhone hallmark for many decades. The button will now have multiple functions, support different ways of pressing it and offer different vibration options (haptic feedback), depending on your chosen settings.

Moving on, the new A17 Pro chip opens a new chapter in iPhone processing power. Built using 3nm technology, the chip houses 19 billion transistors and is the most powerful Apple has ever made. The company showcased dedicated demos demonstrating that the new models can even handle titles such as Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil Village and the upcoming The Division: Resurgence. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is also expected to run smoothly on the iPhone 15 Pro, with a version due for release in 2024.

In more detail, the revamped GPU in the iPhone 15 Pro introduces a new shader architecture designed by Apple's engineers. According to the company, this is the most significant redesign in the history of Apple's GPUs. The GPU has six cores and delivers up to 20% better performance than the previous generation. It also supports new rendering technologies for even better performance, such as mesh shading, as well as more realistic graphics through ray tracing. Apple has even developed its own upscaling algorithm, called MetalFX.

The improved camera on the Pro models will offer the experience of using 7 different lenses.

The truly impressive feature of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max is the range of focal lengths and telephoto lenses on offer. These models support photography and video at focal lengths of 13mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 48mm and 120mm, making them ideal for professional use. The most powerful lens is the 120mm, which offers x5 optical zoom, compared with the x3 zoom of older models. This telephoto lens is available only on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, thanks to its greater internal space. In addition, the camera system includes improved portrait photography and Night mode capabilities, thanks to the upgraded Photonic Engine and ultra-wide camera.

The USB 3.0 Type-C port enables faster data transfers than ever, and the new models will be able to record video directly to an external drive, with support for ProRes video at 4K 60fps.

In addition, the iPhone 15 Pro is the first smartphone to support the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' ACES grading standard, used in Oscar-winning films. The model also supports Spatial video recording for Apple Vision Pro. It offers all-day battery life and comes with iOS 17 pre-installed.

All the new iPhones are available to pre-order from today and will be in shops from 22 September, with prices unchanged from last year. Contrary to rumours of a price increase, the iPhone 15 Pro will start at $999 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at $1199. The cheapest Pro Max model will now be the 256GB version, hence the difference compared with the most affordable 14 Pro Max, which came with 128GB. Of course, we are still waiting to find out how much the new iPhone 15 Pro models will cost in the Greek market.