iPhone season approaches…what do we think we know?
Comes around quick
Before we know it iPhone 15 will be here.
It’s now almost set in stone and the event which will doubtless be another pre-recorded one will try to tease us with what’s new and great with the latest iPhone.
Unless hell freezes over iPhone 15 will be with us at the start of September which means the rumour mills are rife with chat and gossip. Normally by this time in the build-up, the stories are pretty locked down and prove a good yardstick.
So throwing to one side the outrageous claims, let’s take a look at where we are at now being only six weeks away from launch.
Design
The names and range will remain unchanged – so we’ll have four models – iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and the Pro Max. There was early talk of the high-end model being called Ultra this year for some kind of brand consistency, but for now, they’ll be sticking with Pro Max.
The Pros will have a titanium frame which will go some way to saving some weight as these phones are getting on the chunky side now. That curved edge on the display has been a long time coming, as the sharp edges on my 14 Pro get a little uncomfortable after a while.
The screens will be the same sizes across the range although the screens on the Pro & Pro Max may feel a little larger due to the fractionally smaller bezels.
The notch will finally be a thing of the past as this year Dynamic Island will be included across the entire four-model range. I’ve had Dynamic Island for a year now and can honestly say that it isn’t ground-breaking and rarely do I notice or use it – it’s a feature but not one to hang your hat on.
Frosted glass on the reverse may also be trickling down to the non-Pro range this year which should help them feel more premium – it does feel great actually.
On the side
The rumours of non-capacitive buttons have fallen by the wayside – for now at least. It seems they could come next year though. But, for this model year, iPhone 15 will have the safe, normal old physical buttons we know and love.
Colours
Colour-wise there may be a couple of new colours coming to the 15 & 15 Plus phones – a pink & bright blue possibly with the pros getting a mid-blue.
Charged up
Design meets practicality when it comes to charging as finally after 11 years we wave bye-bye to the lightning port that came in first with iPhone 5 and replace it, at long last, with a USB-C port. Although all phones will get the USB-C port – not everything is quite as it appears.
The speeds of the USB-C ports for iPhone 15 & 15 Pro are going to differ from the 15 & 15 Plus phones. Not for charging, that’ll be the same, but for data transfer. The ‘cheaper’ two phones will be limited to USB 2.0 data speeds while the Pro and Pro Max will be fully unlocked and you’ll get Thunderbolt 3 speeds.
At last, that means that getting massive Pro Res video files from the phone shouldn’t be quite the pain it’s been until now. But just be aware that to get the full benefits from the USB-C ports you will have to buy genuine Made For iPhone (MFi) certified cables – so don’t be tempted by those cheap alternatives. The odd thing is that this only applied to iPhones. iPads with USB-C for example are not restricted in the same way.
Processor
Apple is pulling the same old trick here with that they’ve played over the past few iterations. iPhone 15 & 15 Plus will use the chip straight out of the iPhone 14 range, while the 15 Pro & Pro Max will get the shiny, all-new A17 Bionic chip. With its 3-nanometer architecture, it promises to be super snappy, quick and more power efficient – so better battery life. The battery will be larger in the Pro & Pro Max.
Paired with the new A17 chip is more RAM – this year the pro phones will get 8GB up from 6GB.
Camera
Better optical zoom is coming to the 15 Pro Max while many of the other specs remain unchanged.
There’ll still be a 3X 12MP ƒ/2.8 telephoto lens, a 12MP ƒ/2.2 ultra-wide set up and a 48MP ƒ/1.78 camera with improved sensors that will improve its low-light capabilities. Of course, the big news is that periscope optical zoom lens that’ll be coming to the Pro Max only. So that means iPhone 15 Pro Max users can now join in with the fake moon pics – joy!
Prices
Full production will start next month in August but it looks like it may be the most expensive ever…possibly!
Apple hasn’t raised the price of the larger phones since the 10S Max so history would suggest no, but the global mess that the economy finds itself in right now could cut two ways.
Apple may decide that the potential of less disposable income/fewer sales makes it a smart move to raise the prices to bolster their bottom line but of course, the flip side could also be true – with everyone finding it so tough getting by let’s not scare people away. In short, your guess is as good as mine, but if I had to come down one side of the fence, I’d say they’ll leave the money alone this year.
Wrapping up
iOS 17 we’ve kind of seen – and certainly, if you’re a beta user you’ll pretty much know how iPhone 15 is going to work.
As to how it’ll look – well now we have most of the details locked down we kind of know that too. The two pro phones will have a new’ish look and feel to them with those curved edges and that titanium frame.
But other than that it’s more of the same sadly. I really want iPhone to be iconic and great again but this ain’t going to be the year! All in all, it looks like it’s going to be another year of playing it safe.
I still live in hope…
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