Everything We Expect to See at the iPhone 15 Launch

Jun 17, 2023

It's shaping up to be a vintage year for the whole lineup

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Fall is on its way, and that means new iPhones. It also means iPhone 15 leaks, rumors, and speculation, which is what we're doing today.

This year is shaping up to be a vintage year for new iPhones, with almost no part of the iPhone Pro going untouched, some great new hand-me-down features for the regular iPhone, and a slim possibility that Apple will launch an even more expensive iPhone above the Pro line. Not even the charging cables will escape the coming changes.

First up, the iPhone 15 launch event will probably be on Tuesday, September 12. Apple almost always holds events on Tuesdays unless there is a holiday or other reason to change it, and the iPhone event is almost always in this second full week of September.

Recently, Apple switched to a new product cycle for the iPhone. Instead of updating both the Pro and regular models with the same new chips every year, it now puts the new processor in the iPhone Pro, and the standard iPhone gets last year's hand-me-down. The same is expected this year with a new lower-energy, higher-powered three-nanometer chip process.

Speaking of the regular non-Pro iPhone, don't expect much. It'll probably get the amazing Dynamic Island, plus upgraded cameras, but that might be (almost—see below) all. And honestly, it's probably enough.

Before we get onto the iPhone Pro and the possibility of the iPhone Ultra, let's talk USB. The iPhone 15 will ditch Lightning for USB-C charging and data transfer. This is in accordance with EU law, which mandates USB-C charging on all new smartphones, and it means you'll have one fewer charging cable to worry about.

It's likely that Apple will also make available a new USB-C case for the AirPods and AirPods Pro.

We've already mentioned the powerful new A17 chip, so let's stay inside the new iPhone 15 Pro for a moment and talk about cameras. The big rumor here is that the XL-sized iPhone Pro Max will get the long-expected periscope camera, which is precisely what it sounds like. Instead of relying on ever-bigger camera bumps to fit in bigger lenses, a periscope design flips the camera on its side so it can lay along the length of the phone instead of sticking out, using optics to bend the incoming light through 90 degrees.

On the outside, there will be even more changes. First, Apple may switch the iPhone Pro's steel band for titanium, which is lighter, tougher, and possibly bouncier. Titanium can also be anodized like aluminum, so expect some new colors for the Pro models. These will probably still be very dull colors because Pro models can't look cool, apparently. Some rumors also point to the rear of the iPhone getting rounded edges, making it easier to pocket.

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That titanium frame will also probably contain a user-programmable action button, just like on the Apple Watch Ultra, in place of the current mute switch. I love the mute switch for its glanceability and more, but I also have my iPhone on mute like 99% of the time, so this one sounds like a handy addition. I might use it to launch the camera and take a photo, for example.

And then we get to the screen, which will get bigger, even while staying the same size. We're talking about shrinking those bezels, of course, allowing for more screen area in the same body.

This will be a big year for the iPhone Pro, but there's one more thing. Rumors are swirling of an iPhone 15 Ultra. This could be a whole new phone, but it could also be a rebranding of the iPhone Pro Max, which is frankly one of Apple's worst product names.

Apple will also recap the upcoming iOS, watchOS, and iPadOS updates.

Wen-Shing Sun, Yi-Hong Liu and Chuen-Lin Tien / Wikimedia Commons

For me, the most interesting parts will be the periscope camera, if it finally arrives, and the USB-C port on the iPhone. For years, Apple has been very happy with its proprietary Lighting connector and the licensing fees it can charge hardware makers to use it. It's going to be very interesting to see what story Apple spins to tell us why USB-C is superior while at the same time not trash-talking its own excellent connector.

In recent years, Apple has tightened up its secrecy quite a bit, so while this seems like a plethora of leaks and rumors, there could still be more surprises. See you on September 12!

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