Apple fans still have four months left to wait before the iPhone 15 is expected to arrive, but a new leak gives the most detailed view yet of the firm’s new flagship.
‘Very accurate’ dummy units in a new video from MacRumors show all four of the new iPhone 15 models – including the standard model and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Like previous leaks, the units show the iPhone 15 has a USB-C charging port instead of a Lightning port, due to legislation passed in 2022 by the European Union.
All four models also have ‘frosted back glass’, curvier edges, and come with Dynamic Island, the pill-shaped notch at the top of the screen.
It follows rumours that the high-end version of the new iPhone 15 will be Apple’s most expensive smartphone yet.
Dummy units of all four iPhone 15 models have been revealed in the new video posted to YouTube by MacRumors
MacRumors revealed the four iPhone 15 dummy units in a video posted to YouTube, presented by content creator Dan Barbera.
Dummy smartphones are sent out by phone makers to third-party case manufacturers in the run-up to a device’s release.
Although the objects look exactly like the real thing, they tend to be made largely of plastic and don’t contain the required circuitry to actually function.
Even so, MacRumors claims the dummy units provide ‘early impressions of what the iPhone 15 line-up is going to look and feel like’ when it’s released in September.
‘All of the rumours that have been circulating about the upcoming iPhone 15 seem to be corroborated and confirmed with these dummy units,’ said Barbera.
‘The dummy units are very accurate and show us a glimpse of what case manufacturers are using and expecting when it comes to the new iPhones.’
He said that at first glance the four iPhone 15 models ‘don’t look very different’ to last year’s iPhone 14, although there are ‘a few things’ that become noticeable on closer inspection.
Firstly, the Lightning charging port of previous iPhones has gone, replaced by USB-C, the charging technology already used by Android phones.
Apple has had to switch from Lightning, discernible by its eight pins, to USB-C due to new European legislation that is aiming to reduce electronic waste.
Barbera, who tried out the new port with a USB-C charger, seems certain that the charging technology is all but confirmed for the next iPhone.
This view of the bottom of the dummy units shows USB-C charging ports, not Lightning charging ports
Barbera, who tried out the new port with a USB-C charger, seems certain that the charging technology is all but confirmed for the next iPhone
Left, a USB-C charger (already used by Android phones) and right, Apple’s Lightning charger. The new iPhone will have USB-C, leaks and dummy units have shown
‘We’ve had basically confirmation from Apple themselves that this is going to happen – and that’s been the rumour for a while,’ he said.
‘It’s nice just to be able to stick a USB-C cord into the bottom and actually see that it’s a perfect fit.’
‘You get that sense of relief that we’re finally going to be able to carry one cable for almost all modern-day electronics.’
The edges of the iPhone 15 are much curvier compared with the iPhone 14 models, which makes it more comfortable in the hand, according to Barbera.
‘Those sharp corners, those sharp edges are a lot more rounded off now, they’re no longer squared, it’s kind of like a square-circle combination,’ he said.
iPhone 15’s edges also have a more ‘dull, brushed’ look than the shiny metal edges on the iPhone 14 models, thanks to the use of titanium instead of stainless steel, while the back is a matte glass rather than polished glass.
The switch control on the side of the iPhone 15 models is no longer a switch that users can toggle on and off, but a press-down button.
Meanwhile, Dynamic Island – a feature introduced last year with just the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max – will feature on all iPhone 15 models, Barbera said.
Dummy smartphones are sent out by phone makers to third-party case manufacturers in the run-up to a device’s release
Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped black notch that conceals the front-facing camera but also changes size to show important alerts, notifications and activities
Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped notch at the top of the screen that hides the front-facing camera but also changes size to show important alerts, notifications and activities, blurring the boundary between hardware and software.
Previous rumours suggested the new phone’s volume-up and volume-down buttons on the side of the iPhone 15 will be incorporated into one long seesaw-style button.
However, Barbera said this ‘is probably not going to happen this year’, suggesting Apple could introduce the single button for the iPhone 16 in 2024 instead.
The new video from MacRumors isn’t the first to claim to show dummy units of the iPhone 15.
Earlier this month, a video posted to YouTube by Unbox Therapy showed the dummy for the most expensive iPhone 15, which is variously referred to as ‘iPhone 15 Ultra’ and ‘iPhone 15 Pro Max’.
This particular dummy also revealed a USB-C charging port, thinner bezels, ‘brushed aluminum edges’ and a press-down button instead of a switch on the top left edge.
Overall, the Unbox Therapy presenter called the new device ‘incredible’ and ‘one of the best-looking models I’ve ever handled or looked at’.
A YouTube video claims to show a dummy unit of iPhone 15 ‘Ultra’ – the most expensive of the upcoming iPhone 15 range that is expected to be released this September
As the video host compares the iPhone 15 dummy with iPhone 14 Pro Max, initially the two don’t seem that different – they have a similar camera set-up and the same dimensions – but on further inspection there are notable differences
Various sources are divided as to whether prices for the iPhone 15 family of smartphones will be higher than the iPhone 14.
One report from Taiwan’s United Daily News says the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be RMB 20,000, equivalent to $2,900 or £2,300.
However, Patently Apple calls this price rumour ‘a propaganda campaign’ started by Apple’s rivals in an attempt to direct them towards Chinese-made smartphones.
Apple is gearing up to release another huge product next month – its first ever mixed reality headset, which is expected to work closely with the next iPhone.