At first glance, it might seem like the standard iPhone 15 models and the Pro models have the same main cameras but that isn’t exactly the case. As most smartphone enthusiasts probably already know, the iPhone 15 Pro has a 1/1.28-inch 48MP sensor with 1.22µm-sized pixels, while the iPhone 15 has a /1.56-inch sensor with 1.0µm pixels.
A larger sensor theoretically has an edge over a smaller sensor as the larger surface area allows it to gather more light, which is particularly useful in low-light settings. Similarly, a larger pixel can let more light through.
While it’s common knowledge (in the tech world) that the Pro models have a bigger sensor, if you are losing sleep over how much bigger their main camera is, repair experts at iFixit have got your back. They put the new phones under a microscope to give us a close-up view of the internals, including the cameras.
In a video they posted online, we can clearly see that even though the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Max both have 48MP main cameras, they are massively different in size. The video says that the iPhone 15 has around 22 percent smaller quad-pixel buckets than the iPhone 15 Pro Max so it won’t perform as well as its more premium counterpart in low light conditions.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro Max main cameras
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max’s main camera also lets you switch between different focal lengths when shooting, including 24mm (1x optical zoom), 28mm (1.2x) and 35mm(1.5x).
Having said that, there is one area in which the iPhone 15‘s main camera seems to be superior to the iPhone 15 Pro. The handset has a bigger aperture opening (f/1.6) than the iPhone 15 Pro (f/1.8). A larger aperture is better for low-light photos.
So even though the iPhone 15 Pro has a bigger main camera sensor which increases its chances of becoming the best camera phone of 2023, the iPhone 15‘s primary sensor is also pretty good.
