Apple announces a new iPhone line every year. This is the most important event of the Apple calendar. As much as Mac sales are growing and Apple’s push into services is increasing, iPhone sales are at the heart of the company’s portfolio and serve as the driver for accessories like Apple Watch and AirPods.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro may have just landed on store shelves, but rumors are already heating up about what to expect with next year’s iPhone 15 line. Here’s what we’ve heard so far, and what we expect based on Apple’s recent history.
iPhone 15 Release Date
Apple introduces new iPhones usually on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the second week of September.
The iPhone 15 is expected to be announced on September 12th or 13th, 2023. Most likely, at least some models will go on sale Friday (September 15), and then be in stock the Friday following (September 22).
Here’s when the last few generations arrived in stores:
- iPhone 14:September 16, 2022
- iPhone 13September 24, 2021
- iPhone 12October 23, 2020
- iPhone 11September 20, 2019
- iPhone XSSeptember 21, 2018
iPhone 15 Ultra
Apple now offers the Apple Watch UltraRumours suggest that the iPhone 15 Ultra will see the company expand its branding.
That’s really about all there is to those rumors so far. The assumption is that the iPhone 15 Ultra would be the branding used for the “Pro Max” variant, and there would be SomeIt has a lot of unique features that differentiate it. Apple tried this with the iPhone 12 Pro Max. This phone had a slightly higher camera than the iPhone 12 Pro.
Most people believe that the camera will be what sets the Ultra phone apart, possibly with a better periscope and telephoto camera (see below). The rumor mill has lots of other ideas for how Apple could make the Ultra version stand out, such as faster charging or more storage, but most of them aren’t substantiated by any evidence. If you’re feeling ambitious, add these features to your wishlist.
This hypothetical iPhone 15 Ultra could otherwise be thought of as an iPhone 15 Pro Max–it is assumed to use the same processor, display, and design as the iPhone 15 Pro (though LeaksApplePro reportsThis could include a titanium body, similar to the Apple Watch Ultra.
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iPhone 15 design
Current rumors do not suggest that the iPhone 15 will look any different to the iPhone 14 line. Expect the same shape and flat edges for the Pro models, as well large cameras on the Pro models. We expect to see the standard iPhone 15 at 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, as well as the Pro iPhone 15 Pro at 6.1 and 6.7 inches.
Buttons
According to Ming-Chi Kuo rumored the rumorApple may switch to solid-state buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro or Ultra models. This is similar to the iPhone SE’s Home button. Kuo claims that Apple will add two Taptic engines to the phones on each side, in order to replicate the feeling of a clickable button.
USB-C
The EU is mandating that most portable electronics, including phones, have to standardize around USB-C for charging ports (if any–gadgets that only charge wirelessly like the Apple Watch don’t need to Add a USB-C port). Apple will need to transition multiple products at once. Instead of creating special USB-C versions in Europe, Apple will likely change everything globally, as we saw with the Siri remote and 10th-gen iPad. It’s expected that all iPhone 15 models will come with a USB-C port.
Current iPhones use USB-C power adapters, so that won’t change, just the USB-C to Lightning cable and the port on the iPhone itself. The upside? The upside? Potentially faster charging speeds and data transfer speeds for those who plug their iPhones in to their Macs or computers.
Dynamic Island
The display on non-Pro iPhones has seen a major change. Dynamic Island— that pill-shaped camera cutout that serves as an important interface element on iPhone 14 Pro–It will be All iPhone 15 models. This means that the interface and look of the iPhones non-Pro will be identical.
Note that this doesn’t mean that the iPhone 15 will get an always-on display or ProMotion, though. These features are rumored to be exclusive to Pro models.
The Dynamic Islands could be available on all iPhone 15 models.
Jason Snell/Foundry
iPhone 15 specifications and features
Apple tests a lot of new technologies from a lot of suppliers, and over time little leaks can sometimes give us a clue as to what’s coming in the next iPhone. These leaks are sometimes wrong, often misunderstood, and generally miss software innovations that accompany the new hardware (such as Dynamic Island, where we only heard about the “pill and hole” cutout and not how Apple intended to make use of it).
Here’s what we currently expect to find inside the iPhone 15 line.
Periscope camera lens
Rumors have said that Apple has been working on a “periscope lens” to offer a much longer-range optical zoom. It’s the same technology that allows the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra to achieve such a long zoom range. There hasn’t been a lot of movement on this rumor recently, but it was last suggested that this might be an exclusive feature of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It’s unclear whether this would necessitate a different camera array layout or size, though the S22 Ultra’s cameras are much larger than the other models.
There will undoubtedly be improvements to the camera in the iPhone 15 like every year. You can bet that at least one of the three rear cameras will receive an upgraded sensor or lens. There is a rumor that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a periscope camera telephoto camera. This will allow for an optical zoom of between 5x and 10x.
A17 processor
The next major processor manufacturing technology bump out of TSMC (the company that makes most of Apple’s chips) wasn’t ready yet for the A16. We think the A17 is likely to be one of the first mass-produced chips to use the chip manufacturer’s 3nm process, which should allow more transistors in the same area, allowing Apple to cram in more features and better performance.
Apple used its A15 processor on the iPhone 14 and the Pro models, but reserved the A16 for the Pro models. We think that’s likely to continue in 2023, with the standard iPhone 15 using the A16 processor and the iPhone 15 Pro using the new A17.
Memory
Trendforce reports that the iPhone 15 Pro/Ultra will have 8GB RAM, even though the iPhone 14 Pro had 6GB of memory. Expect the same 6GB RAM for non-Pro models as this year.
Apple’s 5G modem
Apple is working on its own cell modem Jahre now, having acquired Intel’s modem unit in 2019 for $1B. Apple may have a 5G capable cell modem that is competitive to the one it had previously rumored. You are ready at all times to be part of the iPhone 15, recent rumors suggest that won’t be the case. Back in May, Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the development of the modem had hit a “roadblock,” and Mark Gurman reported in November that Qualcomm is expected to provide “the majority of new modems” for the iPhone 15. Instead, we should expect another Qualcomm Snapdragon modem, most likely the Snapdragon X70.
iPhone 15 price
We expect the iPhone 15 series to arrive in stores. MostlyThey will be available at the same price as the iPhone 14 series. Apple’s iPhone 14 models kept the U.S. price constant, but due to exchange rates and inflation, it had to raise the prices in the U.K. (and many other countries).
If Apple does indeed re-brand the iPhone 15 Pro Max as the iPhone 15 Ultra and give it some exclusive new features, we think that will prove enough of an excuse to raise prices on that model a little (perhaps $100/£100).
For reference, here’s the pricing on the iPhone 14 line:
- iPhone 14: $799/£849
- iPhone 14 Plus: $899/£949
- iPhone 14 Pro: $999/£1099
- iPhone 14 Pro Max: $1099/£1199
