September is here and Apple is readying new iPhones and possibly more. With an event scheduled for Sept. 12, here's the latest on what we think we know about the iPhone 15 line.
For the past five years, Apple has consistently unveiled its iPhone lineup in the fall, with four out of those five introductions taking place in September.
This yearly tradition gets plenty of people excited as they anticipate what new features and upgrades Apple will bring to its smartphones and other products. There are some things that are improved every year, like a reengineered processor or a tweaked camera arrangement. Every once in a while, we get more significant changes like total redesigns, Face ID, and Dynamic Island.
Since the iPhone relies on myriad components and Apple gives at least some information to third-party manufacturers to make said parts, rumors and leaks always pop up about the next-generation iPhones from various sources ahead of their official debuts. We've collected all the iPhone 15 reports that come from people with solid track records and seem more plausible than not. Here they are.
It Will Be Announced on Sept. 12
After plenty of speculation, Apple has announced that it will hold an event on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 10:00 a.m. PT. An invitation showed an Apple logo made of some kind of metallic grains with the colors blue, dark blue/purple, and a lot of gray with the word "Wonderlust." below. The palate could hint at new colors coming to the iPhone 15. Apple has not specifically said this is an iPhone event, but the timing lines up for new iPhones considering Apple's record.
If there are new phones, they may not hit stores the same day they are announced. A report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that the iPhone 15's retail launch is slated for Friday, Sept. 22. This is a typical timespan and matches up with years past.
An earlier report from 9to5Mac claims “mobile carriers have been asking employees not to take days off on September 13 due to a major smartphone announcement." Apple and its carrier partners often block out vacations around iPhone launches, so this tracks.
However, a report from 9to5Mac says that the top-of-the-line model, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, may not ship until October due to problems getting image sensors from Sony.
2TB of Storage on Offer?
A fresh rumor claims the top iPhone 15 Pro model will be available with up to 2TB of internal storage. Critically, Apple will double the storage allotments for iPhone 15 Pro models across the pricing tiers. The entry-level iPhone 15 Pro will ship with 256GB, followed by 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB options. This could help increase the iPhone's appeal as a video capture device, as its Pro Res recording mode (when shooting 4K60 video) chews through storage rapidly.
USB-C Finally Comes to iPhone
According to a number of reports, the iPhone 15 will ship with a USB-C port, replacing the long-standing Lightning connector introduced way back in 2012. This was just a matter of time, as the EU mandated that all phones, tablets, and cameras must use USB-C by 2024. A tweet by the reliable ShrimpApplePro says that the iPhone 15's USB-C will be locked to its MFi certification, meaning that uncertified cables will be "software limited in data and charging speed." We're not sure that follows the intent of the EU's mandate, but Apple gonna Apple.
Added to that, a report by ChargerLab says that the USB-C socket could support Thunderbolt/USB 4 which would top out at 40Gbps for data transfers. ChargerLab bases this conclusion on possible leaked images of PCBs. That speed would be useful for transferring all kinds of files when wired to another device; this feature is already supported on the latest iPad Pro line.
A Ming-Chi Kuo tweet suggests that the 15 Pro and Pro Max will support high-speed transfers while the regular 15 will stick to USB 2.0 speeds. Maybe that's another way to further differentiate the two product lines. Either way, people looking to reduce the types of cables they carry will finally be able to ditch Lightning once and for all.
Charging Changes
The iPhone 15 Pro models could support up to 35W fast charging, according to a 9to5Mac report. That would be a welcome change, as anything that makes it easier to use your phone is a good thing. However, that charging speed would lag behind phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which supports 45W fast charging, and the OnePlus 11, which supports 85W fast charging.
Apple could be giving iPhone 15 users a reason to hang on to the cable that comes with their phones. A new report verified by MacRumors says that iPhone 15 devices will come with color-matched braided USB-C-to-USB-C cables. Braided cables are generally more durable than the plastic-coated cables that often come with many electronics. Apple already includes a braided color-matched cable with the iMac, so this seems likely.
All iPhone 15s to Have the Dynamic Island
The notch may get the final boot, according to a tweet by the CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, Ross Young, which claims that the Dynamic Island will come to the non-Pro versions of the iPhone 15.
Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also says that all iPhones will have the Dynamic Island and adds the location of a proximity sensor will change from outside the Dynamic Island to inside without that cutout section changing much at all.
Smaller Bezels, Smaller iPhone
The iPhone 15 could come with super-thin bezels measuring just 1.5mm, which is a big reduction from the iPhone 14 Pro's 2.17mm bezel. This also means that the iPhone 15 Pro could be a tiny bit smaller than the iPhone 14 Pro, with a 9to5Mac report saying the 15 Pro will measure 5.77 by 2.77 by 0.32 inches (HWD) compared to the 5.81 by 2.81 by 0.31 inches of the iPhone 14 Pro. That's not significantly smaller, but we'll take it. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the thinner bezels will be made possible by a manufacturing process that was first used on the Apple Watch Series 7.
It'll Cost More
In a new report from MacRumors, Barclays analyst Tim Long says that the iPhone 15 Pro may cost $200 more than the last generation. That would bump the price of the iPhone 15 Pro to $1,099 with the Pro Max at $1,299. On the bright side, the non-Pro models should stay at the same price with the iPhone 15 being tagged at $799 and the iPhone 15 Plus at $899.
The Camera Bump Gets Bigger (Really)
The camera module of the iPhone 14 Pro extends a whopping 4.18mm (approximately 0.16 inches) from the back of the device, and it's going to get thicker. A leak of a possible CAD file has allowed people to come up with renders of the new iPhone. Ian Zelbo of 9to5Mac mocked it up on Twitter, showing the 14 Pro side by side with the 15 Pro and the camera bump is very, very large.
The Camera Gets Better
Ming-Chi Kuo says that the iPhone 15 will get 48MP sensors along with stacked CMOS image sensors. The new sensors should lead to faster polling (more frequent checks for AF and exposure), and reduce rolling shutter distortion/skew for motion. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max could feature periscope lenses, which would allow for better imaging without the need to increase phone thickness as much as traditional lenses. The iPhones primary competitors—the Google Pixel 7 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Ultra S23—include periscope lenses to improve optical zoom. iPhone photography has often been a leader in the world of smartphones, so improved cameras are always a safe bet.
Bye Pro Max, Hello Ultra
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the Pro Max name could be retired in favor of Ultra. This would be in line with the Apple Watch Ultra, which has the biggest screen of the Watch line and is more rugged thanks to its titanium case.
Another Gurman report says that the iPhone 15 Pro would have a titanium frame. Put those two things together and we may be looking at a rugged iPhone 15 Ultra later this year. A Ming-Chi Kuo report says that this titanium frame would make the device lighter.
Adding to the Ultra hoopla is a report from MacRumors that says that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max could be getting an action button similar to the one on the Apple Watch Ultra. The action button would replace the mute switch that's been on the iPhone forever. MacRumors says that lines of code in the fourth beta of iOS 17 made references to such a change and the button would allow a person to customize what that button does just like the Apple Watch Ultra.
Wi-Fi 6E, New SoC
Like other products in Apple's lineup, Wi-Fi 6E should be coming to the iPhone 15, but only to its Pro line. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max would be powered by a new A17 Bionic chip, whereas the 15 and 15 Max could be going with the A16 currently found in the iPhone 14 Pro.
iPhone Pro With or Without Buttons?
The current iPhone Pro features a power button, two volume controls, and a mute toggle. At one point, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the high-end iPhone 15 may go with solid-state buttons similar to the iPhone 7 home button. Each of these solid-state areas would provide haptic feedback so they would still feel like physical buttons when pressed.
Gettin' Curvy
The edges on the metal frame and glass of the iPhone 15 could be changed to create a better transition between the materials. A 9to5Mac report says the frame is similar to the design of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. It does not look like this will be a major change in the design, but more of a refinement for a better feel in the hand. The iPhone 14 family is rather sharp along the metal-and-glass joint.
New Colors for iPhones
A MacRumors report tips a dark red iPhone, though the latest Mich-Chi Kuo post says Apple will instead drop its gold and purple iPhone Pros for titanium gray, dark blue, black, and white. Currently, the Pros are offered in Space Black, Silver, Gold, and Deep Purple. Apple likes to change up its color palate from time to time, so a new coat of paint may indeed be in the cards. The regular iPhone 15 could come in black, blue, green, pink, and yellow according to the same Kuo report. Journalist Sonny Dickson posted these pictures on X, which could give us an idea of what these new phones will look like.
iPhone 16 Rumors Already Bubbling Up
Ming-Chi Kuo is already talking about the 2024 iPhone, saying that the display of the 16 Pro will be 0.2 inches bigger than the 14 and 15's 6.1-inch display. The 16 Pro Max would be a huge 6.9 inches (up from 6.7 on the iPhone 14). The 16 Pro models would also feature internal periscope cameras thanks to the increased real estate inside a larger body. Periscope cameras mainly allow phone makers to add higher degrees of optical zoom. Looking further into the future, the 2025 iPhone could feature an Apple-designed 5G modem, which would mean less dependence on third-party manufacturers.
September 12 is just a few days away! In the meantime, check out the things we did not get from the iPhone 14 that we sure would like to see this September.
