The iPhone 15 launches in just a few days at the Apple event on September 12. So it's time to break down the rumors and leaks you need to know before the iPhone 15 release date is here.
1. Cheatsheet
2. Specs
3. Release date
4. Price
5. Models and colors
6. Design
7. Cameras
8. Display
9. Performance
10. Battery
11. Software
12. Outlook
The Phone 15 Pro figures to get the most substantial changes, from a new A17 Bionic processor to a stronger and lighter titanium frame. And the iPhone 15 Pro Max could get an exclusive periscope zoom lens.
But don't sleep on the standard iPhone 15 even with the large expected iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro divide. The regular model is likely to pick up features introduced in last year's iPhone 14 Pro lineup such as the Dynamic Island and main 48MP camera. And like all new iPhones, we're expecting the iPhone 15 to do away with the Lightning port in favor of USB-C and get larger batteries for more staying power.
IPHONE 15 RUMORS: SPECS
Elsewhere, we brea down the iPhone 15 specs for each model, but here's a chart summarizing what we've heard so far.
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
| Price | $799 | $899 | $999 | $1,199 |
| Display size | 6.1 inches | 6.7 inches | 6.1 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | 1-120Hz | 1-120Hz |
| CPU | A16 Bionic | A16 Bionic | A17 Bionic | A17 Bionic |
| Base storage | 128GB | 128GB | 256GB | 256GB |
| Rear cameras | 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide | 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide | 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) | 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto (6x optical zoom) |
| Front camera | 12MP | 12MP | 12MP | 12MP |
| Battery size | 3,877 mAh | 4,912 mAh | 3,650 mAh | 4,852 mAh |
IPHONE 15 RUMORS: RELEASE DATE
Apple's hosting an event on September 12, which will most likely be the day we see the new iPhones appear. That also gives us a pretty good sense of what the iPhone 15 release date could be, as Apple typically releases phones 10 days after its product launch. That likely means you'll be able to buy the iPhone 15 on September 22.
There's been concern from some analysts that Apple can't get enough camera parts from Sony, which could lead to delays. But now we're hearing that Apple's shipping out Pro Max units already, which suggests any problems it faced may have been resolved quietly already.
IPHONE 15 RUMORS: PRICE
iPhone 14 prices currently go from $799 / £849 / AU$1,399 for the 128GB entry-level iPhone 14 all the way up to $1,599 / £1,749 / AU$2,769 for the 1TB iPhone 14 Pro Max. We would expect something similar this time around, but it’s entirely possible that the iPhone 15 will see the price rise that the U.S. missed out on in 2022.
• iPhone 15 Pro won't get a price hike like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to a big new specs forecast.
• The iPhone 15 series' cameras are going to be the biggest reason people upgrade, says new analysis.
•A couple new iPhone 15 videos have possibly leaked all the new colors.
• Apple may not increase the iPhone 14 Pro Max's battery size by as much as we had thought.
• Our iPhone 15 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max preview breaks down all the expected upgrades.
As it happens, price hikes have already been tipped for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. One claims that we could be looking at an increase of $100, while a more recent rumor claims that the price could rise by as much as $200. DigiTimes' sources back up these claims too. Fortunately, it seems like the iPhone 15 Pro will be exempt from this increase.
If the $100 figure is accurate, the iPhone 15 Pro Max would cost as much as a $1,199 Galaxy S23 Ultra. It's not clear if this price hike will apply to the U.K., Australia or other regions since we're talking in USD, but it stands to reason that all regions would see a hike of some kind if U.S. prices are going up.
IPHONE 15 RUMORS: MODELS AND COLORS
For its 2022 releases, Apple killed the iPhone mini model, and introduced the iPhone 14 Plus in its place. That simplified the choice: whether you wanted to go Pro or not, you could get either a 6.1- or 6.7-inch screen. We have more on why the iPhone 15 mini is unlikely to return this fall.
Instead, we will probably see the following four models: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. In a last-minute twist, rumors that Apple will change the name of the iPhone 15 Pro Max to the iPhone 15 Ultra have resurfaced.
This would make sense given Apple's recent naming patterns with the Apple Watch Ultra or Apple M2 Ultra chipset, and better reflect the spec differences between the iPhone 15 Pro and the Pro Max/Ultra, as we'll discuss more below.
As for iPhone 15 colors, the regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are tipped to come in black, white, blue, yellow and pink. And there's a leaked iPhone 15 video to back that up.
The iPhone 15 Pro is tipped to come in Space black, titanium gray, and blue with no gold color option. We previously heard that the iPhone 15 Pro could be gaining Titan Gray and dark blue.
IPHONE 15 RUMORS: DESIGN
The last iPhone to sport a curved-edge display was the iPhone 11 Pro Max, but several design leaks for the iPhone 15 suggests that the new model could bring back a curved design, even if leakers say that the display will remain flat. Indeed, dummy units for the likely iPhone 15 models show devices with rounded edges that match the size and shape of current iPhones.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims all iPhone 15 models will get the Dynamic Island, which has been backed up by alleged real-life photos of the standard iPhone 15 and renders reportedly based on CAD files for the iPhone 15 Plus . This could see more developers get spurred on to make apps that adapt to the morphing camera cutout/display feature, further adding to its capabilities.
The camera bump on the back of the iPhone 15 could also have a new design. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro may see the most dramatic increase, as early renders show the individual lenses have doubled in size from the previous generation.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn’t appear to have anywhere near as big an increase planned — with exception of it its lenses that protrude less, which would support rumors that the Pro Max could sport a new periscope zoom lens.
Apple may be adding titanium frames to the Pro models. One leaker @URedditor on Twitter says that the iPhone 15 Pro series will specifically use grade 5 titanium, which is also known as Ti-6Al-4V. Back-of-the-envelope calculations published at 9to5Mac suggest the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max could weigh half-an-ounce less than their iPhone 14 counterparts.
Other cosmetic changes from leaked iPhone 15 Pro cases hint at the power and volume buttons being repositioned slightly, along with a cutout for the Action button that could replace the mute switch on some iPhone 15 models. According to reports, the iPhone 15 Pro's Action button will be customizable and double as a mute button.
Another big change to the iPhone's design could be the arrival of USB-C. This isn’t wholly surprising: not only has the company adopted the connection for its laptops and tablets, but the European Union has officially mandated that all phones will have to use USB-C by 2024.
Really, it's a question of when, not if, for USB-C iPhones. Apple has already confirmed the change is coming, and all that's left to decide is if it's included in the iPhone 15 to get ahead of the 2024 deadline or if Apple puts off the move to next year's phones.
This seems to have been further confirmed by leaked images of a test iPhone 15 unit. There's no mistaking the port in these images for the Lightning port of previous iPhones.
The type of USB-C used could differ between Pro and non-Pro models though, says Ming-Chi Kuo. He claims that the regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus could still have the same data transfer speeds as current Lightning iPhones, while only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max would get faster speeds as a result of their USB-C ports. In that vein, a report claims that some iPhone 15 models will offer Thunderbolt connectivity through the USB-C port.
For more, see our roundup of all the biggest iPhone 15 design changes we expect.
IPHONE 15 RUMORS: RELEASE DATE
Apple's hosting an event on September 12, which will most likely be the day we see the new iPhones appear. That also gives us a pretty good sense of what the iPhone 15 release date could be, as Apple typically releases phones 10 days after its product launch. That likely means you'll be able to buy the iPhone 15 on September 22.
There's been concern from some analysts that Apple can't get enough camera parts from Sony, which could lead to delays. But now we're hearing that Apple's shipping out Pro Max units already, which suggests any problems it faced may have been resolved quietly already.
IPHONE 15 RUMORS: PRICE
iPhone 14 prices currently go from $799 / £849 / AU$1,399 for the 128GB entry-level iPhone 14 all the way up to $1,599 / £1,749 / AU$2,769 for the 1TB iPhone 14 Pro Max. We would expect something similar this time around, but it’s entirely possible that the iPhone 15 will see the price rise that the U.S. missed out on in 2022.
• iPhone 15 Pro won't get a price hike like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to a big new specs forecast.
• The iPhone 15 series' cameras are going to be the biggest reason people upgrade, says new analysis.
•A couple new iPhone 15 videos have possibly leaked all the new colors.
• Apple may not increase the iPhone 14 Pro Max's battery size by as much as we had thought.
• Our iPhone 15 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max preview breaks down all the expected upgrades.
As it happens, price hikes have already been tipped for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. One claims that we could be looking at an increase of $100, while a more recent rumor claims that the price could rise by as much as $200. DigiTimes' sources back up these claims too. Fortunately, it seems like the iPhone 15 Pro will be exempt from this increase.
If the $100 figure is accurate, the iPhone 15 Pro Max would cost as much as a $1,199 Galaxy S23 Ultra. It's not clear if this price hike will apply to the U.K., Australia or other regions since we're talking in USD, but it stands to reason that all regions would see a hike of some kind if U.S. prices are going up.
IPHONE 15 RUMORS: MODELS AND COLORS
For its 2022 releases, Apple killed the iPhone mini model, and introduced the iPhone 14 Plus in its place. That simplified the choice: whether you wanted to go Pro or not, you could get either a 6.1- or 6.7-inch screen. We have more on why the iPhone 15 mini is unlikely to return this fall.
Instead, we will probably see the following four models: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. In a last-minute twist, rumors that Apple will change the name of the iPhone 15 Pro Max to the iPhone 15 Ultra have resurfaced.
This would make sense given Apple's recent naming patterns with the Apple Watch Ultra or Apple M2 Ultra chipset, and better reflect the spec differences between the iPhone 15 Pro and the Pro Max/Ultra, as we'll discuss more below.
As for iPhone 15 colors, the regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are tipped to come in black, white, blue, yellow and pink. And there's a leaked iPhone 15 video to back that up.
The iPhone 15 Pro is tipped to come in Space black, titanium gray, and blue with no gold color option. We previously heard that the iPhone 15 Pro could be gaining Titan Gray and dark blue.
IPHONE 15 RUMORS: DESIGN
The last iPhone to sport a curved-edge display was the iPhone 11 Pro Max, but several design leaks for the iPhone 15 suggests that the new model could bring back a curved design, even if leakers say that the display will remain flat. Indeed, dummy units for the likely iPhone 15 models show devices with rounded edges that match the size and shape of current iPhones.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims all iPhone 15 models will get the Dynamic Island, which has been backed up by alleged real-life photos of the standard iPhone 15 and renders reportedly based on CAD files for the iPhone 15 Plus . This could see more developers get spurred on to make apps that adapt to the morphing camera cutout/display feature, further adding to its capabilities.
The camera bump on the back of the iPhone 15 could also have a new design. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro may see the most dramatic increase, as early renders show the individual lenses have doubled in size from the previous generation.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn’t appear to have anywhere near as big an increase planned — with exception of it its lenses that protrude less, which would support rumors that the Pro Max could sport a new periscope zoom lens.
Apple may be adding titanium frames to the Pro models. One leaker @URedditor on Twitter says that the iPhone 15 Pro series will specifically use grade 5 titanium, which is also known as Ti-6Al-4V. Back-of-the-envelope calculations published at 9to5Mac suggest the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max could weigh half-an-ounce less than their iPhone 14 counterparts.
Other cosmetic changes from leaked iPhone 15 Pro cases hint at the power and volume buttons being repositioned slightly, along with a cutout for the Action button that could replace the mute switch on some iPhone 15 models. According to reports, the iPhone 15 Pro's Action button will be customizable and double as a mute button.
Another big change to the iPhone's design could be the arrival of USB-C. This isn’t wholly surprising: not only has the company adopted the connection for its laptops and tablets, but the European Union has officially mandated that all phones will have to use USB-C by 2024.
Really, it's a question of when, not if, for USB-C iPhones. Apple has already confirmed the change is coming, and all that's left to decide is if it's included in the iPhone 15 to get ahead of the 2024 deadline or if Apple puts off the move to next year's phones.
This seems to have been further confirmed by leaked images of a test iPhone 15 unit. There's no mistaking the port in these images for the Lightning port of previous iPhones.
The type of USB-C used could differ between Pro and non-Pro models though, says Ming-Chi Kuo. He claims that the regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus could still have the same data transfer speeds as current Lightning iPhones, while only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max would get faster speeds as a result of their USB-C ports. In that vein, a report claims that some iPhone 15 models will offer Thunderbolt connectivity through the USB-C port.
For more, see our roundup of all the biggest iPhone 15 design changes we expect.
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