The iPhone 15 Pro is the latest flagship phone from Apple, offering a number of upgrades over the iPhone 14 Pro to improve the likes of performance, camera quality and more.
But how exactly does the iPhone 15 Pro ($999/£999) stack up against the competition? While we haven’t reviewed the Apple smartphone just yet, we’ve compared its specs and features to the Google Pixel 7 Pro ($899/£849) to see which provides the better value.
So without further ado, here are the key differences between the iPhone 15 Pro and the Google Pixel 7 Pro.
iPhone 15 Pro is a lot more powerful
One of the most exciting features of the iPhone 15 Pro is the inclusion of the new A17 Pro chip, which is seemingly powerful enough to play console-grade games. Apple has confirmed that Resident Evil 4 Remake, Death Stranding and Assassin’s Creed Mirage are all playable on the iPhone 15 Pro, which is a remarkable feat for a smartphone.
The Google Pixel 7 Pro instead features Google’s own Tensor G2 processor. It’s a powerful enough chip to ensure a smooth performance, but benchmarks have shown that it can’t even match the Apple A16 Bionic chip for performance, never mind the newer A17 Pro processor.
Google’s Tensor chip is still highly regarded though. Excelling in AI performance, which helps to improve the quality of photos and enables features such as Magic Eraser. But if you want to play console-grade games on a smartphone without the need of an internet connection, the iPhone 15 Pro is the better choice.
Pixel 7 Pro has a bigger screen
The Google Pixel 7 Pro has a 6.7-inch display, making it noticeably larger than the panel of the iPhone 15 Pro which comes in at 6.1 inches. That said, Apple does give you the option of upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which shares the same screen dimensions as the Pixel.
The Pixel nevertheless retains the edge when it comes to screen quality, with a 3120×1440 resolution resulting in a dense 512 pixels per inch. The iPhone 15 Pro isn’t quite as sharp, with a 2556×1179 resolution ensuring 460 pixels per inch. There’s not a huge difference here, but does make the Pixel a slightly better option for watching on-screen video.
There’s no need to be concerned about the refresh rate though, as both the iPhone 15 Pro and Google Pixel 7 Pro are capable of up to 120Hz.
iPhone 15 Pro has the Dynamic Island
The most immediately obvious difference between the two phones is that the iPhone 15 Pro has the Dynamic Island, which is the oval blob you’ll see covering the selfie camera. This is able to change its shape depending on whatever app you’re using, whether it’s showing a football score, a notification or an incoming call.
Google has opted for a more subtle solution instead, with a small pinhole at the top of the screen housing the front-facing camera. It’s arguably less obtrusive than the Dynamic Island, but lacks the same level of features that the Apple solution offers.
Whether the Dynamic Island is a good feature or not will come down to personal preference. But it’s still worth bearing in mind as it will likely have a big impact on your experience with the phone.
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Pixel 7 Pro has a 30x Super Res Zoom
Both Apple and Google are renowned for having excellent cameras on their smartphones, and it’s seemingly no different with their latest handsets. The iPhone 15 Pro has a 48MP main sensor, while the Pixel 7 Pro a 50MP snapper. Both phones have a 12MP Ultra Wide camera too.
The biggest difference seems to be with the telephoto camera, with the iPhone 15 Pro sporting a 12MP one, and Pixel 7 Pro flaunting an even more impressive 48MP sensor. On paper, this suggests that Google is more accomplished at taking photos of faraway subjects with a 10x zoom, and up to a 30x Super Res Zoom that uses AI to boost the quality.
For comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro has a 3x optical zoom, and up to a 15x digital zoom. But it’s important to note that camera quality can’t be determined by simply looking at the specs. We’ll need to compare both phones’ actual photo performance via tests to get a good idea of how they compare when it comes to snapping pictures.
