The iPhone 14 is a fascinating addition to Apple’s smartphone lineup, delivering not just camera enhancements but also unique capabilities like satellite connectivity and built-in vehicle collision detection. There’s also the iPhone 14 Pro lineup, which includes the first iPhone with a 48Mp camera, as well as Apple’s all-new Dynamic Island and always-on display technology.
Of course, Apple will continue to work on the next generation of iPhone behind closed doors at Apple Park.
What should you anticipate from Apple’s next-generation iPhone 15? While it’s still early, here’s everything we know so far, from release date and pricing speculation to early rumors regarding the phones’ specs and capabilities.
When will the iPhone 15 be released?
Apple updates its iPhone lineup on an annual basis with a very consistent timetable, so the iPhone 15 should be available sometime in September 2023.
With the exception of the iPhone 12’s delayed release owing to the Coronavirus epidemic, Apple has preferred September reveals for its flagship iPhone line since the debut of the iPhone 5 in 2012.
According to rumors, the iPhone 15 is already in trial production at Foxconn in China as of mid-January 2023, allowing manufacturers and Apple plenty of time to iron out any manufacturing concerns before its debut later this year. It’s worth noting that this is around two weeks sooner than typical, providing Apple a couple additional weeks to iron out any bugs and acquire enough of supply before the launch.
While the iPhone 14 range matched the cost of the iPhone 13 range in the United States, the same cannot be true for places such as the United Kingdom, where the ordinary iPhone 14 is £70 more expensive and the iPhone 14 Pro is £150 more expensive than last year.
- iPhone 14: From $799/£849
- iPhone 14 Plus: From $899/£949
- iPhone 14 Pro: From $999/£1,099
- iPhone 14 Pro Max: From $1,099/£1,199
Should we expect the same thing from the iPhone 15? Of course, it’s way too early to tell, but Apple prefers to keep prices consistent – however currency changes might result in price rises similar to those seen in the UK this year.
Indeed, rumors say that the price increase will be limited to the iPhone 15 Ultra, which is rumored to be the new moniker for the Pro Max variant.
Leaking Leaks According to ApplePro, the iPhone 15 Ultra might start at $1,299 in the United States. Pricing for other locations was not revealed, but considering that the 512GB iPhone 14 Pro costs the same, which equates to £1,429 in the UK, it seems natural that same pricing would apply here as well.
This might result in a $200/£230 hike, which will be especially difficult for UK fans to swallow. However, the leaker claims that it isn’t written in stone just yet, and Apple might potentially be considering a $1,199 (approximately £1,309) price tag, which would still represent a rise over the current top-end model.
The leaker claims that the price increase is due to elements such as an updated titanium frame, a dual-lens selfie camera, and 256GB of minimum storage, as well as inflation and a rise in production expenses, although this is all unsubstantiated for the time being.
What to expect from the iPhone 15 specs
While we’re still a long way from seeing the next generation iPhone, the gossip mill hasn’t stopped spinning. Indeed, if early claims are to be accepted, the whole iPhone 15 lineup may undergo significant alterations.
A refreshed design
The iPhone 14 series undoubtedly appears nice, but the same could be said of the almost similar iPhone 13 and iPhone 12, implying that Apple hasn’t altered the appearance of its smartphone line in a few years – but that might change with the iPhone 15.
The rumour was spread by leaker ShrimpApplePro, who claimed on Twitter that the iPhone 15 will feature titanium sides, a significant boost over the stainless steel finish of the iPhone 14 Pro line. Though Shrimp’s language led some to assume it would be accessible on all models, other leakers indicate that it may be limited to Pro versions only, so don’t get too enthusiastic just yet.
The back edge of the phone’s sides will be rounded, allowing the frame to curve into the back of the phone, creating a “very gorgeous edge transition from the back to the camera bump,” according to ShrimpApplePro.
So the new iPhone 15
From the early information that I have, the iPhone 15 will feature a new border design. The back edge corner (as pointed out in the images) will be rounded and not square anymore.
The material also will be titanium.
Still very early to take it as it is. pic.twitter.com/hbdCKUhVP9— ShrimpApplePro 🍤 (@VNchocoTaco) November 20, 2022
The leaker stated that it is still early days and that we should “take it as it is,” which effectively means with a grain of salt, and later remarks from another leaker, LeaksApplePro, indicate that it is far from set in stone. According to Forbes in December 2022, while the switch to curved edges is under “strong consideration” by the Apple team, it has yet to be finalized.
Forbes adds that the design ambiguity is unusual at this time in the development of the smartphone, which should have been finalized by now, however this might be exacerbated by present uncertainties in Apple’s supply chain, which could make it more difficult to pull off than normal.
While Apple may desire the iPhone 15 to have curved edges, it appears that it will all come down to the supply chain.
The switch to USB-C
Apple has fought against switching to USB-C on its iPhone line for years, despite doing so on its iPad line, but with mounting pressure from the EU with a new law requiring smartphone makers to switch to USB-C by December 27, 2024, it appears Apple is finally giving in – though it’s not particularly happy about it.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in October 2022, Apple’s senior VP of international marketing, Greg Joswiak, admitted defeat while discussing the new law.
“Governments get to do what they’re going to do and obviously we’ll have to comply, we have no choice,” he added when questioned about the new law.
Though Joswiak declined to say when the iPhone will make the changeover, research company TrendForce believes it might come in next year’s lineup, well ahead of the 2024 deadline.
There is conjecture that Apple may exclusively ship USB-C-enabled versions to EU nations — it sells an e-SIM-specific form of the iPhone 14 in the US, so it’s not an unfamiliar notion – but it’s more probable that Apple will just make the move globally to avoid charging confusion among different models.
Dynamic Island for all
The iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island, or revised Face ID cut-out, is certainly one of its standout features, but it may not be a Pro exclusive for long.
Apple aims to deploy the new Dynamic Island technology across the whole iPhone 15 lineup next year, according to display industry source Ross Young.
Young stated in response to a tweet on the matter in September 2022, “Dynamic Island expected on basic models on the 15,” while those looking for a leap to 120Hz may be disappointed, as the “supply chain can’t sustain it.”
@DSCCRoss any display news on the iPhone 15 range? Surely 120Hz cannot remain a Pro exclusive, and the pill must come to standard models if Apple wants wholesale developer adoption.
— Gordon Kelly (@GordonKelly) September 18, 2022
Instead, Young anticipates that the 120Hz LTPO display technology would debut on ordinary versions in 2024, most likely with the iPhone 16.
Young has supplied an incredible amount of display-related leaks in recent years – he was among the first to hint three sizes of Apple Watch, and he was spot on with Apple’s Dynamic Island the first time around – so he’s definitely a source worth paying attention to.
It’s also worth mentioning that Apple leaker Mark Gurman concurs with Young’s prognosis, stating in the January 2023 issue of his Power Up! newsletter that both regular variants of the iPhone 15 would receive the Dynamic Island upgrade later this year.
Leaking ShrimpApplePro believes in Dynamic Island for everyone, adding that all phones in the series will have a little curved bezel around the screen – so while the display itself will be flat, the very edges will have a slight curvature – and that the Pro versions would have a narrower bezel than previously.
Improved cameras
While the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max received major camera improvements with the addition of a new 48Mp sensor, the standard iPhone 14 launched with the same 12Mp snapper as the iPhone 13. If rumors are to be believed, the iPhone 15 will change all of that.
According to Haitong Intl Tech Research analyst Jeff Pu, Apple intends to introduce the same primary 48Mp sensor as the iPhone 14 Pro range to the ordinary iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. Given the new primary lens’s quad-pixel technology, second-generation sensor-shift OIS, and great low-light shooting advancements, it’s a welcome upgrade to the basic iPhone 15.
While it won’t be able to compete with the iPhone 15 Pro camera range due to the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens, the primary 48Mp snapper should be able to give a 2x digital zoom with no discernible reduction in quality, allowing customers greater versatility in their shooting.
The iPhone 15 Ultra
While the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max now share the same feature set, this wasn’t always the case. In actuality, there were small distinctions in Apple’s Pro smartphone lineup until the launching of the iPhone 13 Pro range.
Similarly to how the 12.9in iPad Pro offers somewhat more premium features than the 11in model, the iPhone Pro Max has generally featured slightly superior specifications, usually in the photography department.
According to rumors, this will be the case again with the iPhone 15 Pro versions – and Apple may even go so far as to entirely rebrand the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was the first to propose further distinction between Pro models. On Twitter, the analyst predicts that Apple will “start establishing distinction between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro” in order to increase orders for Apple’s Pro devices.
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I believe Apple will create more differentiation between iPhone 15 Pros and iPhone 15 standard models to increase Pro shipment allocation and the new iPhone ASP.— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) September 9, 2022
While Kuo did not go so far as to speculate on what those main distinctions may be, projections from TrendForce experts give us a reasonable indication.
According to an October 2022 news release, the iPhone 15 Pro Max (and just the Pro Max) would have a new periscope lens that enables for up to 10x magnification – a significant improvement above the 3x zoom now seen on the iPhone 14 Pro range. It’s not exactly new technology – periscope lenses have been around for a while on Android – but it will be a first on an Apple gadget.
This was later confirmed by The Elec in January 2023, implying that Apple is obtaining OIS actuators for the periscope lens from LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics, the latter of which is also rumored to supply components for Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S23 series.
Trendforce also predicts that both Pro versions will have 8GB of RAM instead of the current 6GB, and that, like with this year, only the Pro models will have Apple’s new processor, probably the A17 Bionic.
According to LeaksApplePro, the iPhone 15 Ultra might possibly include a dual front-facing camera, start at 256GB of storage, and include a Thunderbolt 4-powered USB-C connector for super rapid data transfer. The leaker also claims that Apple is only contemplating one color for the top-tier iPhone – the same as the Apple Watch Ultra – with the leaker’s private source yet to see any other color options within Apple Park.
The name change was suggested by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. He speculates that Apple may rebrand the Pro Max as the iPhone 15 Ultra in order to better differentiate it from the rest of the iPhone lineup, just like the Apple Watch Ultra is above and above what the normal Apple Watch Series 8 offers.
Like I said yesterday: Ultra is coming. https://t.co/IrZUBHlLN2
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 9, 2022
We’ll keep updating this page as fresh rumors emerge, so come back often for the most up-to-date information about Apple’s impending iPhone 15. Have you heard anything interesting? Please notify us via Twitter.
