iPhone 15: what we know so far
>
Time does not stand still for anyone, so we are already looking forward to the iPhone 15, despite the fact that the iPhone 14 has only just been unveiled.
The iPhone 15 is likely to arrive in late 2023 unless Apple pulls a wild card by using the name “14S” or something similar. However, that seems unlikely as we’ve already heard leaks and rumors about the iPhone 15 name.
Yep, that’s right – pre-release info on the forthcoming iPhone is out there, so far in advance. That’s not a total surprise, as Apple leaks sometimes happen years before product launch.
To give you a (very early) idea of what the upcoming phone – as well as its family of siblings – will look like, we’ve rounded up all the news, rumors and predictions right here. Expect to see this article a lot updates between the end of 2022 and September 2023.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Apple’s 2023 generation of smartphones
- When is it out? Probably September 2023
- How much is it? Possible price increase compared to iPhone 14
iPhone 15 release date
We’ve yet to hear any rumors of the iPhone 15 release date or launch date, but that’s to be expected – they rarely occur more than a month before the launch event itself.
For the iPhone 14, that event fell on September 7, with three of the four phones going on sale more than a week later on September 16 (and the iPhone 14 Plus on October 7). Apple generally chooses the first or second week in September for its launches, usually opting for a Tuesday, but occasionally going for a Wednesday event.
In 2023, that means September 5 or September 12 is quite likely (both are Tuesdays), although September 6 and 13 are also possible.
iPhone 15 price
Regarding price, again we haven’t heard many leaks or rumors, but the iPhone 14 range showed a slight increase in price over the iPhone 13 equivalents. This could be repeated in 2023 for the iPhone 15.
For context, while there are four members of the iPhone 14 family, here are the prices for the cheapest and most expensive options:
- iPhone 14 128GB: $799 / £849 / AU$1,399
- iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB: $1,599 / £1,749 / AU$2,769
So that’s the full scope of the prices of the current range, although there are of course many devices and storage choices between those points.
As for the iPhone 15 line, a price rumor points to the iPhone 15 Ultra – a new phone that could land in place of an iPhone 15 Pro Max – starting at $1,199 (probably around £1,309 / AU$2,099 based on the typical Apple prices) among the best.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1,099 / £1,199 / AU$1,899, so if correct, the next model would be at least $100 more expensive.
However, the iPhone 15 Plus could be cheaper than the iPhone 14 Plus, according to a leak. This change would be because the iPhone 14 Plus isn’t selling great. For reference, the iPhone 14 Plus starts at $899 / £949 / AU$1,579.
iPhone 15 news, rumors and leaks
We’ve heard quite a few iPhone 15 rumors, although they’ve come out over a very long time, so it’s not entirely clear which ones are still accurate and which ones are old news.
Some of this seems obvious – one report says Apple is working on the 3nm A17 Bionic chip for the iPhone 15. Given that the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max use the A16 Bionic, and that 17 is one up from 16, we could have gambled this anyway.
However, one report goes into more detail saying that the A17 Bionic should be more efficient than the A16 Bionic, which would likely lead to better battery life.
However, the iPhone 14 used the older A15 Bionic chip, also seen in the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max, and another report suggests that this new trend – of the non-Pro phones using the older chipsets – may be unfolding. continues. That’s a claim we’ve heard several times, so in other words, the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus can use an A16 Bionic.
Sticking to chipsets, it seems likely that Qualcomm will provide the 5G modem again. The Snapdragon X70 certainly seems to be the pick, offering improved performance from the Snapdragon X65 in the iPhone 14.
As for the other specs, we’ve heard predictions that the Pro models will make the jump to 8GB RAM with the iPhone 15, and will also come with periscope cameras that should improve telephoto zoom capabilities.
That’s not the only possible camera upgrade, though, with another source saying a new Sony sensor will be used, one that’s state-of-the-art, captures more light than current sensors, and overexposed or underexposed shots.
In addition, all four models may have a 48MP main sensor according to analyst Jeff Pu (via 9to5Mac (opens in new tab)), which would be an upgrade for the cheapest two.
We may also see a USB-C port on every iPhone 15 model. The EU has told Apple it must add USB-C charging ports to iPhones from 2024, but many fans think Apple will adopt the charging standard sooner, in 2023 – and at least one leak points in that direction.
More recently, we heard another reliable source say the entire iPhone 15 line will get USB-C, but she added that only the Pro models will offer faster data transfer speeds.
These two phones could apparently have data transfer speeds of 20 Gbps or 40 Gbps, while the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Max are said to have the same 480 Mbps speeds as the current models.
That said, some fans are hoping Apple won’t drop its own Lightning port any time soon, even suggesting the company might reveal a completely portless iPhone first.
That looks unlikely, though, as Apple has now confirmed it will move to USB-C – at least in Europe, though the company hasn’t said whether it will make the change globally. There’s also no mention of which model will be the first iPhone to get USB-C, so it might not be the iPhone 15.
A big iPhone 14 Pro feature is that ‘Dynamic Island’, a fancy marketing name for the ‘punch-hole’ front camera Apple uses, and a leak suggests the non-Pro iPhone 15 models could get this too .
We’ve also recently heard from elsewhere that every iPhone 15 model is getting the Dynamic Island, but the standard phone and the iPhone 15 Plus are still stuck with a 60Hz display.
However, contradicting Dynamic Island’s claim is the belief of some that the iPhone 15 series could use under-display cameras, which sit below the phone’s screen to ensure that no display space is taken up. At TechRadar, however, we’re not so sure about this.
For the last few generations of iPhone, Apple has split the line into the ‘Standard’ and ‘Pro’ ranges, with the latter offering more features than the former; within each range, the only major difference is screen size. But with the iPhone 15, the Pro models could be even more broken, as it sounds like the ‘Pro Max’ goes further.
A major leaker suggests that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will actually be called the iPhone 15 Ultra – following Apple’s adoption of this suffix elsewhere – and bring additional features over the iPhone 15 Pro.
A key example is in the camera department, as while the iPhone 15 Pro is expected to retain the 14 Pro’s telephoto zoom, the iPhone 15 Ultra is rumored to get a periscope lens for zooming even further, likely around 5x. We’ve heard this a few times now, from different sources, which makes it sound very likely.
We also heard from leaker LeaksApplePro (opens in new tab)that the iPhone 15 Ultra may have titanium construction, which should be both lighter and stronger than the stainless steel used on current Pro models.
A similar claim was made by another source, although they were less specific about which models might use titanium. However, they added that the sides on the iPhone 15 line could curve towards the back of the phone, rather than being right angles like the iPhone 14.
Apple is still deciding on these curved sides, according to another source, so there’s a chance they won’t happen.
Another rumor suggests that all four iPhone 15 models will get slightly curved edges – so maybe we’re going back to the iPhone 11 look – while the Pro and Pro Max (or Ultra) phones will also have thinner bezels.
Also on the design front, the iPhone 15 Pro – and probably Ultra too – could get solid-state volume and power buttons that don’t physically move.