The iPhone 15 is here!
Apple’s “Wonderlust” event held on September 12 showcased the cool new (and not so new stuff) that Apple has been working on. This included the new iPhone 15 line-up as well as the new Apple Watch series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
What’s new? What has changed? Well, let’s get straight into it.
The iPhone 15
The 15th generation of Apple’s iPhone brings a slew of new features. In terms of devices, you’re looking at the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. While the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max boast Apple’s latest Bionic A17 chip featuring a whopping 19 billion transistors, the base iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus get the Bionic A16 (from the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max). The new line-up gets almost the same displays as the iPhone 14 line-up. The iPhone 15 Pro also does away with the mute switch, and replaces it with a customizable action button.
Similar to last year’s line-up, the iPhone 15 packs dual cameras, with the Pro having 3. There’s a 48-megapixel wide lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens, with the Pro and Pro Max getting a 12-megapixel telephoto lens that has a 3x optical zoom and a 5x optical zoom on the Pro Max. They also feature improved video capabilities, such as vlog encoding, and the ability to shoot and instantly transfer photos in Apple’s Pro Raw format from your iPhone 15 Pro to a Mac. In addition, it can also record video in ProRes format directly to an external storage drive. The iPhone 15 Pro also packs slimmer bezels and a titanium design making it a lot more durable and stronger than its predecessor.
iOS 17 upgrades Dynamic Island, transforming the iPhone 15 into a device that feels like it has a secondary display, removing its gimmicky appearance. The iPhone 15 line-up will be available in pink, yellow, green, blue and black and also feature a new colour-infused back glass for the iPhone 15, giving it a frosty, fingerprint-resistant translucent look.
In terms of pricing, the iPhone 15 starts off at $799, while the iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999.
Lightning is dead, long live lightning
The biggest change to the iPhone 15 is the elimination of the lightning port in favour of USB Type-C. That’s right. Lightning is dead. This simplifies charging and eliminates the need for multiple cables. While the cable is USB 2 for transfers at 480Mbps, the iPhone 15 Pro supports USB 3 speeds with a separate cable.
One cable to rule them all
Apple also unveiled a new case for the 2nd gen AirPods Pro with a USB Type-C charging port. This case supports USB Type-C charging for both the case and AirPods, and it's compatible with USB Type-C-equipped iPhones. As a result, Apple has discontinued the MagSafe Battery Pack and MagSafe Duo charger. There's no word yet on a USB Type-C MagSafe charger. Additionally, Apple has introduced several USB Type-C cables: a USB Type-C to lightning adapter cable for $29.99, a 1M Type C 60W cable for $19, and a 2M 240W USB Type-C cable for $29. Opting for the 240W cable is a versatile choice as it can charge your iPhone 15, AirPods, MacBook, and iPad.