Sony PS5 Pro vs PS5: Should you go for Pro?

As there’s a considerable price difference between the PS5 Pro and PS5, you’ll likely be debating whether it’s worth splurging on the Pro model.

We’ve reviewed both the PS5 Pro and the PS5 (the Original and Slim versions), so we know the pros and cons of all the consoles. With this in mind, we’ve compared the specs and our experiences below, to help you decide which console you should get.

If you’re not convinced by a PlayStation, then check out our best games console guide instead.

Price and Availability

As its name suggests, the PlayStation 5 Pro is the more expensive model of the PS5 series, with a starting price of £699 / $699. Having said that, it can be possible to pick up the console with a price cut, especially during sales events such as Black Friday. 

While the PlayStation 5 was available in two options, Original and Slim, Sony is phasing out the former. If you’d like more info on the two PS5 iterations, then visit PS5 Slim vs PS5.

Otherwise, the PlayStation 5 Slim is available either with or without a disc drive. The iteration with a disc drive, naturally, is pricier at £479 / $499 while the digital-only version starts at £389 / $449.

Design and Connectivity

• The PS5 Pro shares a similar design to the rest of the PS5 series
• Despite not shipping with a disc drive, the PS5 Pro is larger than the PS5 Slim
• Both the PS5 Pro and PS5 Slim have the same amount of ports

The PS5 Pro borrows from both the original and Slim PS5 iterations, but with a few tweaks. Having said that, although we did conclude that the PS5 Pro is the best looking of the trio, thanks to its matte finish, there’s definitely not enough change to warrant upgrading purely for design. 

Surprisingly as it doesn’t ship with a disc drive, the PS5 Pro is about as large as the original PS5. The lack of disc drive is a shame, especially with the console’s high price, but you can add one on for an additional £99 / $79. 

Comparatively, the PS5 Slim is up to 30% smaller in volume compared to its predecessor, with the Disc Edition naturally slightly larger than the Digital Edition. 

Even so, all PS5 models undoubtedly stand out thanks to their white, plastic side plates. If you prefer a more subtle games console, then fortunately you can swap each panel for different colours. Doing this also allows you to install your own SSD to increase the internal storage up to 2TB. 

Otherwise, both the PS5 Pro and PS5 Slim are equipped with the same ports. At the front you’ll find two USB-C ports while the back is equipped with two USB-A, HDMI input, an Ethernet port and the power plug. 

Specs and Technology

• PS5 Pro has beefier specs compared to the PS5
• Both the PS5 and PS5 Pro use the same AMD Zen 2 CPU and display in 4K
• PS5 does struggle with displaying 4K and ray tracing

After comparing the design and connectivity of the PS5 Pro and PS5, you might be wondering why anyone would spend more for the Pro. The answer, of course, lies in the performance gains of the console. If you have a 4K or even 8K TV, and want to benefit from the best possible frame rates and graphics, then the PS5 Pro is an easy recommendation.

The PS5 Pro benefits from 2GB of extra memory, a 62% faster GPU and a 2TB SSD over the PS5 Slim’s 1TB. Plus, while the PS5 supports Wi-Fi 6, which should be enough for most households, the PS5 Pro benefits from Wi-Fi 7 support too, a bonus for anyone who has invested in a capable router.

All of the PS5 Pro’s hardware upgrades power the PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) AI upscaling technology, which enables compatible games to run at higher frame rates and graphical settings.

Having said this, we should disclaim that the PS5 Pro is very much as its name suggests – and shouldn’t be considered as a complete reinvention. While its GPU is beefier and there’s new software additions, it still uses the same AMD Zen 2 CPU found in the PS5. However, while the PS5 is capable of displaying 4K graphics, we have noted there’s performance limitations. 

For example, we noted that when attempting to run The Witcher 3 in 4K and with ray tracing on, the frame rate drops dramatically. This means you either have to sacrifice the resolution or turn off ray tracing. You can avoid that with the PS5 Pro as it combines the two modes into one.

Graphics and Performance

• Games undoubtedly look brilliant on the PS5 Pro
• The PS5 still includes ray tracing and supports up to 4K

As we touched upon earlier, the PS5 Pro is easily the best way to play optimised PS5 games. That’s not to say that games don’t look great on the PS5, it’s just that the PS5 Pro benefits from PSSR.

Although, at the time of writing, Sony is yet to unveil games built for PSSR, compatible titles such as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 benefit from additional settings to boost the graphics. Specifically looking at Spider-Man 2, you can choose between two settings, Fidelity Pro for sharp image with ray tracing support, and Performance Pro which takes the Fidelity mode from the PS5 and increases the frame rate up to 60fps.

For games that are not optimised for the Pro, the extra power should still offer some improvements although the exact amount will vary depending on the title. 

Otherwise, the PS5 still offers a solid graphic performance, even with older PS4 titles too. Plus, the inclusion of ray tracing although can have its difficulties, as mentioned earlier, offers more realistic lighting and graphics too.

Finally, it’s worth noting that both the PS5 and PS5 Pro are wonderfully quiet when in use. If you’re coming from a PS4 model, then you’ll know how loud that tends to get, and fortunately Sony has fixed this with the PS5 series.

Verdict

Whether you really need to opt for the pricier PS5 Pro is completely dependent on what’s important to you when gaming. If you want to enjoy the best possible graphics then the PS5 Pro is worth the extra investment, however if you’re more fussed about the game itself then the cheaper PS5 will be perfectly sufficient.