The iPhone 15 series should be available less than a month from now. As the iPhone 14 nears its end-cycle, rumors about the next generation continue to ramp up. BGR gathered the most important reports about the iPhone 15 models and the iPhone 15 release date. Here’s what you need to know.
Leaks and CADs of the iPhone 15 models
Over February, we’re able to get a first look at the upcoming iPhone models. 9to5Mac got its hands on a 3D render of what to expect from the Pro iPhone, revealing thinner bezels, rounded edges, and, of course, a USB-C port instead of Lightning.
MacRumors, on the other hand, received a blurry image of what seems to be an actual iPhone 15 model. This regular version, as rumored, features Dynamic Island and a USB-C port as well.
During the first months of 2023, the iPhone 15 Pro was believed to feature unified solid buttons with haptic feedback. Then, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said Apple had scrapped these plans for 2023 due to technical difficulties. With that in mind, the Cupertino firm would maintain the buttons as they are, although the mute switch could turn into an Action Button, just like with the Apple Watch Ultra.
The image above shows the best look yet of what to expect for this year’s release.
Design: The Dynamic Island welcomes more people
According to display analyst Ross Young, Apple will bring the Dynamic Island to all iPhone 15 models. That said, it doesn’t mean all versions will have the Always-On display technology or ProMotion. Young believes these two features will keep exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro series. Another change is that the display of the regular models will slightly increase for 6.12″ and 6.69″, respectively.
According to analysts, adding Dynamic Island to the regular models will help Apple boost sales, as the standard iPhone 14 versions are selling worse than their predecessors.
About its finish, a rumor says the regular iPhone 15 models will feature a glass and aluminum finish, the Pro version glass and stainless steel, and the Pro Max – or Ultra – model will get a glass and titanium variant.
Twitter user ShrimpApplePro believes the Pro models will have thinner bezels and curved edges, similar to recent iterations of the Apple Watch. Another leaker says the iPhone 15 Pro Max will have the thinner bezels ever in a smartphone, as it will be just 1.55mm thin.
iPhone 15 colors
9to5Mac heard from its sources that Apple is testing a very dark red color for the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models. In addition, the publication says Apple is also testing light blue and pink for the upcoming regular iPhone 15 models. That said, if the company follows the trend, we could see these two colors alongside Midnight, Starlight, and (PRODUCT)RED.
In addition to this rumor, a leaker who accurately reported that Apple would release a yellow iPhone 14 model said the company is testing a cyan color for the regular iPhone 15 that would look similar to the green iPhone 12. Now, it seems it could be closer to mint green.
Here’s how the iPhone 15 series could look color-wise:
iPhone 15 colors:
- Light Blue;
- Pink;
- Cyan or mint green;
- Midnight;
- Starlight;
- (PRODUCT)RED.
iPhone 15 Pro colors:
- Graphite
- Natural Titanium
- Very Dark Red
More recently, a leaker shared the possible new case options for the iPhone 15 Pro, including a third-party case that shows the Action Button cutout.
A17 Bionic chip, RAM, and storage options
TrendForce says Apple will continue its strategy with two different chips for the new iPhones. According to the publication, the iPhone 15 Pro will feature the new A17 chip, while the regular versions will stick with the A16. All new models will get 8GB of RAM – although DSCC analysts believe only the Pro models will get a RAM increase. A leaker called URedditor said Apple might offer the iPhone 15 Pro with 6GB and 8GB of RAM, depending on the storage chosen by the user.
According to him, the A17 Bionic has a 6-core CPU with four efficiency cores and two performance cores, a 6-core GPU at 3.70 GHz, and it will be built using TSMC’s new 3nm LPDDR process. URedditor says this chip is likely planned for the iPhone 16 series as the Pro version of the 2024 iPhone will use the A18 processor.
In January, Bloomberg gave a bit more information regarding how the A17 Bionic chip will affect the iPhone 15 Pro models:
“TSMC said its 3nm processes offer better performance than its 5nm chips, while requiring about 35% less power,” reported Bloomberg.
Well-known Samsung leaker Ice Universe shared the purported A17 Bionic Geekbench 6 scores on Twitter. It might top 3,000 points in single-core tests and almost reach 8,000 points in the multi-core test.
The regular iPhone 15 models will likely feature the current A16 Bionic chip available with the iPhone 14 Pro versions.
Most recently, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to “aggressively upgrade hardware specifications” for the iPhone 15 Pro as part of its effort to create an ecosystem for the Vision Pro. He believes the “iPhone 15 will likely see a specification upgrade of UWB, with the production process moving from 16nm to more advanced 7nm, allowing for improved performance or reduced power consumption for nearby Interactions.”
Korean blog Naver user yeux1122 recently said the iPhone 15 Pro could feature up to 2TB of storage. In addition, another Weibo user, who also corroborated this report, says Apple is planning to ditch the 128GB option to 256GB instead.
These are the expected storage capacities for the regular iPhone 15 and Pro models:
Regular iPhones
Pro iPhones
A dive into the iPhone 15 cameras
TrendForce says the iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra version will finally get the long-rumored periscope lens. Analysts believe the periscope lens on the bigger iPhone could go up to 6x zoom.
Kuo says it was expected that this iPhone would get an 8P lens, but it doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. These plastic elements help the camera improve picture quality and reduce distortion, but it seems Apple will stick with the iPhone 14 Pro technology.
Regarding the regular iPhone 15 models, a note shared by Jeff Pu of Haitong Intl Tech Research shows that Apple has learned from the poor iPhone 14 sales and will include an important feature to these phones:
Both iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are now expected to have a three-stacked sensor with a 48-megapixel wide lens. Currently, the 48-megapixel camera is exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models. However, the midrange iPhone 15 models still won’t have a telephoto lens for optical zoom or a LiDAR scanner.
In addition, Kuo believes the regular iPhone 15 cameras will have an exclusive feature with a stacked-designed CIS main camera, which will help absorb more light in photos.
Pro models can have a price increase
According to a post by user yeux1122 on Naver, Apple could change how it differentiates the regular and the iPhone Pro lines, including making the regular phones cheaper. User yeux1122 has a mixed record of accurate leaks, but they also raise valid points.
They say Apple will set a different price, meaning it could cost less than it currently costs. If that’s the case, the regular 6.1-inch model would also see a price decrease. Here are the rumored prices:
- iPhone 15: $699
- 15 Plus: $799
For the Pro models, analyst Jeff Pu, DSCC, and Bloomberg believe there will be a price increase due to inflation and new features, such as a titanium frame, the A17 Bionic chip, increased RAM, and a periscope lens for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. That said, the regular Pro model could start at $1,099 and the Pro Max at $1,199. Pu explicitly said the iPhone 15 Pro would have a price hike in July, although he didn’t say how much.
Battery increase for all four models
An alleged Foxconn worker shared with ITHome what could be the battery specs for every iPhone 15 model.
- iPhone 15: 3,877 mAh
- iPhone 15 Plus: 4,912 mAh
- iPhone 15 Pro: 3,650 mAh
- iPhone 15 Pro Max: 4,852 mAh
If the report is accurate, this means this is the biggest battery increase for every iPhone model. Combining these specs with the other rumors, customers could be pleased with these upcoming iPhone versions.
In addition, the iPhone 15 may support faster charging speed, but not because of USB-C. Speculating about the Samsung Galaxy S24, leaker RGcloudS said on Twitter that this phone might get 65W charging speeds thanks in part to stacked batteries like the iPhone 15 models will get.
In a reply to that conversation, the leaker said they expect support for 40W wired charging and 20W MagSafe charging speeds on future iPhones. But they’re unsure whether the iPhone 15 or iPhone 16 will get the speed charging bump.
He mentioned a new charging protocol and power chip as reasons Apple would bump iPhone charging speeds. Again, the context was stacked batteries, making fast charging more efficient. That’s to say that USB-C support alone isn’t enough for Apple to bump the iPhone’s charging rate. However, USB-C will certainly help with that.
5G modem, USB-C, naming, and more coming to the iPhone 15
This last section will share a few tidbits about the upcoming iPhone 15 models. Here they are:
- Apple is expected to keep using Qualcomm’s 5G modem as it aims for a 2025 release of its in-house 5G chip;
- Apple said it would switch the iPhone to USB-C to comply with EU law. Rumors believe the USB-C port will be limited, as the company would require a Made for iPhone accessory for fast-charging and transferring data;
- The newest iPhones will feature Wi-Fi 6E, and Barclays analysts believe that only the Pro models will get this new standard.
iOS 17 will power this iPhone
Previewed during the WWDC 2023 keynote, the upcoming iPhone 15 models will feature iOS 17. This operating system is bringing updates to the Contacts app, FaceTime, while introducing new experiences with a Journal app, mental health awareness focuses, and privacy features, such as removing URL trackers on Safari, adding profiles for Safari usage, and more.
Learn more:
iPhone 15 Pro Max: Everything we know
For the most expensive and powerful iPhone, Apple is focusing on exclusive features. Here’s everything we know about this product:
- It will have a 6.7-inch display with a 1.55mm ultrathin bezel;
- OLED screen with Dynamic Island, ProMotion, and Always-On display support;
- Titanium finish instead of stainless steel;
- Possibly available in Graphite, Natural Titanium, and Very Dark Red;
- A17 Bionic chip, 35% more power efficient than the previous iteration;
- Could start with 256GB of storage and go all the way to 2TB;
- Exclusive periscope lens with up to 6x optical zoom;
- The biggest battery life on an iPhone with 4,852 mAh;
- Fast Thunderbolt port for charging speeds and data transfer
- It could cost $100 or $200 more than the previous generation
iPhone Ultra could be a whole new phone
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple is considering releasing an iPhone Ultra as a new entry to the iPhone series. That said, the company would offer regular, Pro, and Ultra versions. As of now, it’s unclear if this will start this year or the next one.
Gurman says Apple has discussed internally adding a higher-end iPhone to the top of its smartphone lineup. iPhone 15 rumors say the iPhone 15 Ultra would replace the Pro Max. But the journalist’s information indicates that the first Ultra iPhone will come with the 2024 model and sit above the Pro versions.
Announcement and release date
The new iPhone models could be announced on September 12 – as Apple usually holds most events on Tuesdays – or September 13, according to a report’s sources. 9to5Mac heard from multiple people familiar with the matter that “mobile carriers have been asking employees not to take days off on September 13 due to a major smartphone announcement.”
That said, these smartphones would have a pre-sale on September 15, with official sales on September 22. We’re still waiting for the event date confirmation from Apple.
BGR will keep updating this article as we learn more about the new 2023 iPhone series.