How are the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Max cameras different?

If you just look at the main parameters, the iPhone 15 has the same main camera as the 15 Pro Max with the same 48-megapixel resolution parameters, but the standard iPhone 15 is inferior in the 5x optical zoom telephoto lens compared to the higher-end model.

According to PhoneArena, Apple equipped the iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max with a 48-megapixel sensor, but the iPhone 15's four-pixel group is 22% smaller than the iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max. The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max cameras are 1/1.1.28 inches, with a pixel size of 1.22 micrometers, while the iPhone 15 is 1/1.56 inches and 1.0 micrometers, respectively.

What is the difference between the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Max cameras? Image 1 — 48 MP camera sensor of iPhone 15 (left) and 15 Pro Max Photo: iFixit

In theory, a larger sensor should have an advantage over a smaller one because the larger surface area allows it to capture more light, which is especially useful in low-light conditions. Similarly, larger pixels can let more light through.

iFixit also put the camera sensors under a microscope to compare, giving us a close-up look at the internal components, including the camera. In particular, the four-pixel cluster on the iPhone 15 is about 22% smaller than the 15 Pro Max. The higher-end model therefore offers significantly better low-light shooting capabilities.

The main camera of the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max also allows users to switch between different focal lengths when shooting, including 24mm (1x zoom), 28mm (1.2x) and 35mm (1.5x). The regular version only has two options: 1x and 2x (performing digital zoom thanks to the 48 megapixel sensor).

So while the iPhone 15 Pro has a larger main camera sensor, which increases its chances of being the best camera phone of 2023, the iPhone 15's main sensor has the advantage of an f/1.6 aperture, which is better than the f/1.8 of the two high-end models. This helps the device reduce the gap in low-light photo quality compared to the two "seniors".

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