iPhone 15: Everything we expect
The next iPhone line-up could look very different
The iPhone 14 family may only be a few months old, but rumours have already started to fly concerning what we could see coming up in the iPhone 15. And if those whispers and stories turn out to be even half true, big changes could really be on the horizon.
That said, we’re still a long way from a release date, and many of the predictions may fall by the wayside between now and September 2023. Nonetheless, we’ve rounded up some of the more prominent and reliable iPhone 15 rumours to get an idea of what could be on the way.
Further stratification
One of the biggest stories surrounding the iPhone 15 line-up is how Apple will likely continue – and perhaps even extend – the differentiation between the Pro and non-Pro iPhone models.
As with the iPhone 14, the Pro-level iPhone 15 devices will likely get the latest chip (the A17 Bionic), while the non-Pro phones will get the A16 Bionic from 2022. While that might not be a disaster for the latter devices – the A16 Bionic is a superb chip and smokes its Android rivals – it might still be disappointing for anyone who can’t stretch for the Pro phones but doesn’t want to feel like their phone’s chip is a generation behind. On the topic of performance, analysts at TrendForce have predicted the iPhone 15 Pro models will get 8GB of memory, up from the 6GB in the iPhone 14 Pro models. Once again, that memory increase will be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, with the other phones missing out.
That same TrendForce report suggested the cameras in the entire iPhone 15 range would get an upgraded eight-element main lens. In practice, that allows for the use of wider apertures, which in turn means more light can be gathered when shooting photos and videos. However, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doubts that particular prediction, throwing it into doubt, since seven-element lenses only got introduced in the iPhone 14.
There’s another possibility when it comes to cameras: the top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro Max could get a periscope lens for even greater zoom capabilities. This could allow 10x optical zoom or higher – much better than the current 3x zoom.
Some things could remain equal across the range. One rumour suggests the chassis in all iPhones will be made from titanium with curved edges. Every iPhone also could get the Dynamic Island and solid-state volume and power buttons.
What’s in a name?
The iPhone 15 Pro Max might not be called the iPhone 15 Pro Max after all. Some reports have suggested Apple could take a leaf out of the Mac’s book and instead call it the iPhone 15 Ultra. The reasoning for this change is that it would allow Apple to further segment the iPhone line-up, adding high-end features exclusively to the Ultra phone (such as that periscope lens), which in turn would permit Apple to increase the price of that model. That wouldn’t be too surprising given how the iPhone 14 range was the most divided iPhone range in recent memory.
At the other end of the spectrum, Apple is not expected to bring back a small-scale phone in 2023, with apparently no plans for an iPhone 15 mini to enter the line-up. However, what is much more certain is that every iPhone 15 phone will ditch the Lightning port and replace it with a USB-C port that runs at Thunderbolt 3 speeds. The EU is requiring all new phones to use USB-C ports from 2024, and Apple itself has said it will comply with the ruling.
Every iPhone could get the Dynamic Island and solid-state volume and power buttons