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Other Any advantage to iPhone “regular” models vs “Pro” in same generation?

JediKnife

JediKnife

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 18, 2020
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I’ve always opted for the Pro models just because they were technically “better” but never really considered the things that really matter to me which are: Storage options (highest available), battery life, and size and weight, (as small as possible without sacrificing above things).
Are the regular models any lighter or more battery efficient than their similar sized Pro counterparts? I’ve never really researched this. I’d consider sacrificing the technical baubles for better battery and lighter weight if I didn’t have to sacrifice storage space. I’ve always just sort of blindly followed the “Pro” description as being “better”.
Any insights from those who may have put some thought into this already? I may be late to the game on this.
 
You can go here and select different models to compare specs between the regular model and Pro's for the current model to see the differences.

www.apple.com

iPhone - Compare Models

Compare features and technical specifications for iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone SE, and many more.
www.apple.com

As for weight on current models:
14: 172 grams
14 Pro: 206 grams
14 Pro Max: 240 grams
 
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Barely any noticeable difference. The word ‘Pro’ is just a marketing gimmick to give the consumer the idea that one item is superior to the other when the difference is almost imperceptible. It’s comparable to the M series BMWs. It used to mean something but has been diluted over the past half decade. Prior to the 14 Pro, there was next to no difference other than another camera lens, additional cores to the CPU and a minor RAM bump. Not worth the extra cash because 99.9% of users would be unable to distinguish one phone from the other based on performance.
 
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JediKnife said:
I’ve always opted for the Pro models just because they were technically “better” but never really considered the things that really matter to me which are: Storage options (highest available), battery life, and size and weight, (as small as possible without sacrificing above things).
Are the regular models any lighter or more battery efficient than their similar sized Pro counterparts? I’ve never really researched this. I’d consider sacrificing the technical baubles for better battery and lighter weight if I didn’t have to sacrifice storage space. I’ve always just sort of blindly followed the “Pro” description as being “better”.
Any insights from those who may have put some thought into this already? I may be late to the game on this.
Click to expand...
spikeymike said:
You can go here and select different models to compare specs between the regular model and Pro's for the current model to see the differences.

www.apple.com

iPhone - Compare Models

Compare features and technical specifications for iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone SE, and many more.
www.apple.com

As for weight on current models:
14: 172 grams
14 Pro: 206 grams
14 Pro Max: 240 grams
Click to expand...
Thanks Spikeymike; I discovered this page shortly after posting my inquiry. I thought about deleting my post entirely but I’m glad other folks are posting their experiences and decisions about the models.
It seems Apple is limiting the storage on the standard iPhones to less than the pro models. Other than that I *could have* bought a 14 Plus that is significantly lighter and with longer battery life than the smaller 14 Pro, with a larger screen (I don’t care about that but it’s noteworthy) but Apple was not willing to provide the largest storage option on the plus model. I bought the 14 Pro Max pretty much because of the battery life; the only other thing that really excited me about the Pro Max (and I still appreciate a lot) is the brighter display for outdoor use.
Hopefully the standard 15 models will offers similar display this year.
 
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I remember buying the standard 12 over the 12 pro because that year there was basically no difference.

Since 120hz though I can’t go back to 60hz scrolling anymore
 
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The-Real-Deal82 said:
That’s one of those features that some will notice the difference more than others I think. Some are quite sensitive to the difference and others not so.
Click to expand...
Even if you do clearly notice the difference, going back to 60 Hz feels perfectly normal again after a few hours. That’s been my experience moving between an iPad Pro and Mini.
 
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There is only 2 main things to go for Pro:

120 hz - i notice it but can live without it. It is not as huge difference on smaller screen as opposed to ipads and laptops. Switching from gaming windows 144hz to 60hz Air is pain, regular ipad feels ages slower versus ipad pro, but on a phone ot makes small difference.

Camera - if you shoot RAW 48mp then edit in lightroom then the difference is huge. Otherwise if you point and shoot standard - they are all the same.

That is it. Everything else is identical.
There are small things that pro models have higher tier display and it looks better - but that is something noticeable when you have 2 of them side by side.
 
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to me, the pro means (mostly) better <hardware> specs for photography.
ignoring apples' bob ross' happy little trees "AI" smoothing crap.
i actually missed the telephoto, its really nice to have three different lenses in one phone.

plus, i don't have to carry a separate camera for travels
 
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For me screen, and camera make my Pro Max worth. I use AW with Apple Pay/notifications/calls. PM for anything that needs a bigger screen. I barely used iPad mini after moving PM.
 
headlessmike said:
Even if you do clearly notice the difference, going back to 60 Hz feels perfectly normal again after a few hours. That’s been my experience moving between an iPad Pro and Mini.
Click to expand...

Indeed, I have a 13 Pro Max and had an iPhone 11 works phone until recently. I didn’t notice a huge difference, certainly not enough to declare I couldn’t use a 60hz display.
 
I really like the always on display on the 14 pro and dynamic island. Yah it can sometimes feel like a trick feature but I like how scores show up on the Lock Screen during play offs or navigation prompts will be on the island when using the phone. Very handy. I wish it was on the 14 model since it’s lighter and the camera difference are so small it doesn’t matter to me. But AOD and to a lesser extent DI we’re worth it.
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
That’s one of those features that some will notice the difference more than others I think. Some are quite sensitive to the difference and others not so.
Click to expand...

Even if you can easily see it, it might not make a difference. I switch between my 13 Pro and my work-issued SE regularly, and while I can easily see the difference in refresh rates, I just don't care.
 
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The only reason I would go for a Pro model is for the macro photography and overall better camera.

120 Hz is nice and all but if I could I would turn it off on my iPad Pro because for my use cases it’s pointless.
 
BanjoDudeAhoy said:
120 Hz is nice and all but if I could I would turn it off on my iPad Pro because for my use cases it’s pointless.
Click to expand...
If you really wanted then you could.. by activating battery saver mode to switch to 60hz. Well then you lose on stuff like push notifications, background app refresh so that is a tradeoff.
 
ctjack said:
If you really wanted then you could.. by activating battery saver mode to switch to 60hz. Well then you lose on stuff like push notifications, background app refresh so that is a tradeoff.
Click to expand...

Huh. I did not know battery saver did that.
But that is indeed a bit of a tradeoff.
Thanks for pointing that out, though 🙂
 
Yeah there are several advantages which would mean I would always buy standard models even if the Pros were cheaper than the standards

I care a lot for the aesthetics of the phone and to me the main advantages are

1. Standard phones are lighter and feel much nicer to hold. Pros are overly heavy and the 6.1 Pro in particular feels top heavy and very awkward to hold

2. That hideous triple camera bulging out the back of the Pro looks hideous, like some kind of tumour. There was a lot of controversy about it back in 2019 and I have never warmed to it. It gets more ridiculous every year too. I would rather have a slightly worse camera and not have that monstrosity on the back of my phone. The camera quality of the normal phones is still fantastic anyway

3. The standard phones get much nicer and more fun colours. Pinks, light blues, corals, yellows and so on. The Pro phones get boring and staid colours
 
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For the 12 or 13 generations, the only advantage for the non pro versions is the mini. Which is the one I would have bought. But mainly for the telephoto lens, I went with the 12 Pro instead.
 
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