Those considering ordering the standard 128GB iPhone 15 Pro may be disappointed that it cannot use its full video capabilities without external storage.

The standard 128GB iPhone 15 Pro does not offer the maximum ProRes 4K at 60fps video format, and the highest recording quality is 1080p at 30fps. This is not an issue for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, whose storage starts at 256GB, but it is certainly something to consider for the smaller iPhone 15 Pro.

It would be difficult to find this information on Apple's store page. However, MacRumors was able to find these details in the iPhone Comparison tool in the iOS App Store app, and we were able to verify them ourselves.

To resolve this issue and get the full power of ProRes video on the iPhone 15 Pro, you can pay an additional $100/£100/AU$200 to upgrade your iPhone from 128GB to 256GB of storage, or use cables and external storage when recording would need to be used.

The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro suffer from the same problem, requiring at least 256GB of storage to use ProRes in 4K. However, these cannot be connected to an external drive, so purchasing additional storage is the only option.

ProRes video is intended to be a true pro-grade format, hence the huge file size. Therefore, it is believed that Apple is limiting this feature out of concern for users who fill up their iPhone storage with just a few minutes of footage. However, the fact that this information is oddly hidden seems unfair to iPhone buyers who are trying to choose the model and storage capacity best suited to their needs.

The silver lining to this is that thanks to the iPhone 15's USB-C port, it is fairly easy to connect another SSD or hard drive. But unless you are a videographer who is already an accomplished smartphone user, it is inconvenient to add a drive and a USB-C cable to your daily carry-on. But in that case, you'll pay for the enhanced storage anyway.

Regardless of what you think of Apple's choice to limit ProRes recording on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 reservations are being held until Friday, September 22, when the new iPhone goes on sale to the general public. If you are still thinking about purchasing one, check out our hands-on reviews of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max first to make sure you make the right choice.