What upgrades will the iPhone 15 have?

At 0:00 AM on September 13th (Vietnam time), which is 10:00 AM on September 12th, Apple will introduce its new generation of smartphones, the iPhone 15 series, at the Steve Jobs Theater on its California headquarters campus. Although not yet officially launched, users can already get a glimpse of the product through numerous rumors from informed sources and data from accessory manufacturers.

Design and display of the iPhone 15 series

It can be almost certainly confirmed that the iPhone 15 generation will not bring any groundbreaking changes to the overall design, as it will retain the same square frame as the previous iPhone 12, 13, and 14 series. The most notable change is the rounded edges. The two Pro models are rumored to use a titanium frame instead of stainless steel like their predecessors.

This material change makes the device lighter and is said to be more durable than steel. Another adjustment is that the silent mode switch on the left side of the device will be changed to an Action button, which can be customized to the user's liking.

All four models will feature the Dynamic Island pill-shaped display, similar to last year's iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, completely eliminating the notch. However, only the high-end models will have a 120Hz LTPO display with always-on display (AOD). Additionally, the screen bezels are thinner than the previous generation, measuring just 1.55mm.

The iPhone 15 only features minor design adjustments; there are no major changes.

Regarding colors, many rumors agree that the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will come in five colors: black, white, gold, rose gold, and blue, while the Pro and Pro Max versions will come in black, silver, titanium gray, and dark blue. Information about the iPhone 15 Ultra remains unclear, as it's unclear whether this is a separate version or simply a different name for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Replace the traditional Lightning port with USB-C.

This is confirmed information about the new iPhone 15 series, as they will be the first iPhone models to abandon the Lightning port. This was confirmed by Apple last year, a step to comply with new European Union (EU) regulations. The phones will come with a USB-C cable (possibly the same color as the device), but users may need to purchase compatible accessories instead of using those from their old devices. Many manufacturers have also confirmed the use of USB-C ports and are ready to produce cables using this connection that meet Apple's MFi certification.

Replacing the connector with a charging port means the iPhone can receive power faster than before; however, it's possible Apple will control the charging/data transfer speed to create a difference between the Pro and regular versions.

Camera

The camera is rumored to be one of the highlights and most worthwhile features of this year's iPhone 15 series. Accordingly, the sensor array will be significantly upgraded in both the standard and Pro versions. The iPhone 15 Pro Max could be Apple's first smartphone to feature a periscope camera, achieving 5x to 6x zoom capabilities compared to the current maximum of 3x on the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max.

2023 could also mark Apple's decision to revert to a policy of differentiating capabilities between the iPhone Pro and Pro Max, instead of doing the same for both in recent years.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus may utilize stacked sensor technology developed by Sony, allowing them to capture more light and improve dynamic range, resulting in increased detail.

A17 Bionic processor

The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are expected to use the A17 Bionic chip, an upgrade from the previous generation's A16 Bionic. Notably, this will be the first commercially available chip manufactured using a 3nm process. This latest technology allows for the integration of more transistors compared to the existing 4nm A16 Bionic chip in previous iPhones.

A series of mock-up models of the iPhone 15 series, featuring all the colors of the different versions, appeared online around the time of the device's launch.

The A17 Bionic will have 6 CPUs and 6 GPUs, while the A16 has the same number of CPU cores but one fewer GPU. Naturally, the CPU speed of the new chip is also faster than the previous generation. Not only does it deliver superior performance, but the new technology also consumes less power, contributing to longer battery life.

Battery

All four versions of the iPhone 15 series boast larger batteries than their predecessors. Leaked information claims Apple is using new stacked battery technology, seen in the electric vehicle industry. As a result, the iPhone 15 has an 18% larger battery capacity compared to the iPhone 14 (3,877 mAh and 3,279 mAh), while the iPhone 15 Plus reaches 4,912 mAh, the highest capacity of any current iPhone and nearly on par with Android smartphones on the market.

The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max have battery capacities of 3,650 mAh and 4,852 mAh, respectively, which are 14% and 12% higher than the 14 Pro (3,200 mAh) and 14 Pro Max (4,323 mAh).

Selling price

With the aforementioned upgrades, Apple is reportedly unable to keep the prices of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max the same as their predecessors at launch. Some market analysts suggest the iPhone 15 Pro will launch at $1,099, a $100 increase over the iPhone 14 Pro, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max will see a $200 increase, reaching $1,299 for the standard version. The price changes are primarily due to the materials used in the frame and the camera technology.

At the same time, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will remain priced similarly to the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus. As is customary, Apple will reduce the price of the two standard 2022 smartphone models by about $100, while discontinuing the Pro models.

Khanh Linh

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