September is finally here and that can only mean one thing – Apple’s next flagship smartphone is ready to be unveiled.
iPhone 15 will be launched on September 12 in a livestream presented by CEO Tim Cook at Apple Park, the company HQ in Cupertino, California.
The tech giant has already teased fans with a promo image of the event, codenamed ‘Wanderlust’, with the Apple logo in a powder grey design.
But much like any other iPhone launch, Apple has kept its cards close to its chest – meaning fans have been relying on leakers for scraps of detail.
Here’s everything we know about the fifteenth generation of the most successful smartphone brand of all time.
Apple has already teased fans with a promo image of the event, codenamed ‘Wanderlust’, with the Apple logo in a powder grey design
Here’s what we know about the iPhone 15’s design based on leaks and predictions from industry experts
WHEN WILL iPHONE 15 BE ANNOUNCED?
Following months of speculation, Apple confirmed earlier in the week that its autumn unveiling event will take place on Tuesday, September 12.
A livestream of the presentation will kick off at 10am Pacific Time (6pm BST), a promo card on the Apple website shows.
The promo makes no mention of a new iPhone, and officially Apple hasn’t even acknowledged that one even exists.
But the firm has revealed a new iPhone every year around autumn for over a decade now – and for Apple fans a year without a new iPhone would be like a year without Christmas.
As for when the iPhone 15 will hit the shelves, an Apple insider called Mark Gurman thinks the release will come less than two weeks after the event.
He said he’s been told (by an unnamed source) that it will then go on sale on September 22, which means Apple will ‘get about a week of iPhone 15 sales in its fiscal fourth quarter’.
iPhone 15 will be launched on September 12 in a livestream presented by CEO Tim Cook at Apple Park, the company HQ in Cupertino, California (pictured)
HOW MANY iPHONE 15 MODELS WILL THERE BE?
Apple is expected to unveil four variations of the iPhone 15 – the standard model, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and what may or may not be called iPhone 15 Pro Max.
According to leaker Andrew O’Hara, Apple has decided to change the name of the iPhone Pro Max (the top end version) to ‘iPhone Ultra’.
Whatever its name, it’s still considered one of its two ‘Pro’ models (meaning it’ll have more power and greater capabilities, as well as a higher price-tag).
A few features will be exclusive to the higher-end versions, but the biggest design tweaks will come to the entire iPhone 15 family.
HOW WILL iPHONE 15 BE DIFFERENT FROM iPHONE 14?
Gurman has said the next iPhone ‘promises to be the biggest update to the device in three years’ – since iPhone 12 in 2020.
This biggest change to the iPhone this year will be the new charging port – called the USB-C, which is already commonly used for Android phones, laptops and more.
Apple has made the switch to USB-C and away from its own charging design called Lightning (discernible by its eight pins) due to an EU law.
iPhones currently use Apple’s proprietary power connector technology ‘Lightning’ (top right), discernable by its eight pins. But Apple will have to comply with a new EU law that makes USB-C (bottom right) the EU standard. This means iPhones sold in EU countries will have to come with USB-C instead of Lightning
READ MORE iPhone 15 will get a ‘charging speed BOOST’
Apple will have to start fitting its iPhones and other devices with a USB-C charger (pictured), already used for Android devices
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The new legislation is aiming to make a single charging design the common standard – and ultimately reduce electronic waste.
Apple has effectively been forced to make this design change due to the EU law (although it technically could have manufactured iPhones with Lightning ports if they were sold in non-EU countries).
Along with a new charging port, iPhone 15 will support faster charging speeds (up to 35W more than the iPhone 14, which has a charging speed of just 20W), another leaker claims.
This means the upcoming smartphone could charge from 0 to 100 per cent in just one hour, saving precious time for users if they’re in a hurry.
Other details about Apple’s new flagship have been gradually leaked based on insider knowledge and clues from ‘dummy units’ (accurate models given to third parties to design their phone accessories).
The iPhone 15 will allegedly have curvier edges, so it fits better in the hand, and titanium frames instead of stainless steel.
The back of the new phone, meanwhile, is covered with matt glass rather than polished glass, according to one YouTuber who accessed dummy units.
It’s possible that the design of the Apple logo in the official promo image is a nod to the new materials.
Pictured, iPhone 14 models in the shops a year ago. The new iPhone 15 will reportedly have better charging capabilities
While Apple is not expecting to increase the size of the iPhone’s screen this year, it will shrink the border that goes around the edge – known as the ‘bezel’.
Gurman has claimed the border size around the display will be 1.5 millimeters, down from about 2.2 millimeters on current iPhones.
Long term, Apple wants to release an iPhone that is ‘truly all-screen’ with no borders around the display and no cutouts for cameras or sensors, he says – and iPhone 15 is a step towards that goal.
Apple has already filed a patent for an all-glass phone, which may indicate the secretive company’s longer-term plans.
Meanwhile, Dynamic Island – a feature introduced last year with just the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max – is rumored to feature on all four iPhone 15 models.
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.
Dynamic Island – seen at the top of these iPhone 14 Pro models – is a built-in notch that gets bigger to display notifications
Meanwhile, the camera bump on the back will be thicker, possibly to house more powerful image sensors, according to a report from 9to5mac, while the lenses are ‘protruding’ more, likely for greater zoom capabilities.
O’Hara is confident the new iPhone 15 ‘Ultra’ (the highest end model) will have a periscope camera lens offering 10x optical zoom.
This will be the first iPhone model to have a lens of this sort, putting the tech titan in line with Samsung and Huawei, which sell devices capable of this.
Meanwhile, a top-of-the-range chip called A17 Bionic for the iPhone 15 Pro and Max models will also improve performance, including AI capabilities and battery life.
Apple releases a new iPhone every year to much fanfare. The iPhone 15 models will be released September 22, says leaker Mark Gurman
HOW MUCH WILL iPHONE 15 COST?
According to Apple analyst Jeff Pu based in Hong Kong, the two iPhone 15 Pro models will be more expensive than previous iPhone Pros.
Apple has raised the prices for the Pros this year due to big hardware updates, including the titanium frame and the A17 Bionic chip, he claims.
Although Pu didn’t reveal exact price-tags, it’s worth noting that last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max started at £1,099/$999 and £1,199/$1,099, respectively.
Tim Long, an analyst at Barclays, also expects price hikes for the two more expensive iPhone 15 models, while the standard and Plus models will be about the same as last year.
iPhone 14’s standard model was £799/$849, while the iPhone 14 Plus was £949/$899.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has already fueled speculation that this year’s models will be pricier than any iPhone predecessors.
During an investor call in February, he suggested that a price increase would be justified.
Apple CEO Tim Cook (pictured) has already fueled speculation that this year’s models will be pricier than any iPhone predecessors
This month’s release of iPhone 15 will once again see die hard Apple fans flock to stores to be among the first to touch the new device
‘The iPhone has become so integral into people’s lives,’ the CEO said.
‘I think people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category.’
One report from Taiwan’s United Daily News said the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be RMB 20,000, equivalent to an eye-watering $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.
All eyes will be on the livestream on September 12 to see whether Apple can set a new record for how much the public forks out for a phone.
