What To Expect From Apple iPhone 15 Series

As we edge closer to August 2023, Samsung has already showcased its latest foldable smartphones. However, Apple is yet to show its cards for 2023. It's widely anticipated that the iPhone 15 series will be unveiled sometime in September. A host of leaks have given us a sneak peek of what to expect from the next iPhone.

Let's kick off with the less favourable news. The iPhone 15 Pro is expected to bear a heftier price tag. It's likely to cost $100 more than the iPhone 14 Pro, whilst the Pro Max model could see an even larger price jump of $200.

On a more positive note, the standard iPhone 15 series is not expected to see a price increase from the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models. However, the screen technology will not incorporate the "Pro Motion" high refresh rate. The dynamic island could potentially be replaced by the notorious notch. The iPhone 15 models are also expected to utilise the A16 Bionic chipset, which is currently in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.

You might be pondering what new features justify the increased price of the new iPhone Pro models.

Firstly, the iPhone 15 Pro is set to be the first phone to incorporate a titanium frame. The iPhone 14 Pro models, with their stainless steel frames, are already quite robust. However, titanium is a stronger and lighter alloy. This change addresses complaints about the weight of the iPhone Pro Max models, allowing Apple to enhance the device's strength whilst reducing its weight.

This is particularly significant for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, as Apple is rumoured to be increasing the screen size from 6.7" to 6.9". Apple is developing a new display technology that will reduce the size of the bezels by almost 50%. Bezels are the borders around the screen, and whilst Apple made significant strides towards a borderless iPhone with the iPhone X, there haven't been major improvements in this area over the past six years.

Apple is also reportedly adding an action button, similar to that on the Apple Watch Ultra. This button will replace the mute and ring slider and will be customisable for a variety of quick actions that users can set up manually.

The iPhone 15 series is also expected to transition to USB Type C connectivity, a move influenced by the EU ruling on charging standards. This change is long overdue, as Apple's Mac and iPad range already use USB Type C, and its lightning connector is over a decade old.

Performance upgrades are also on the horizon. Apple is expected to introduce the A17 Bionic chipset, the first mainstream 3nm processor based on TSMC’s manufacturing technology. This should offer significant performance improvements to both the CPU and GPU, whilst also being more power efficient. The GPU could finally add support for ray tracing, a feature that was planned for the A16 Bionic but didn't materialise.

Battery life is expected to improve due to the new chipset, but Apple is taking further steps in this regard. The standard iPhone 15 models are expected to have 3,877mAh and 4,912mAh batteries. The latter, which will be in the iPhone 15 Plus, will be the largest battery ever in an iPhone. The Pro models are expected to have a 3,650mAh and a 4,852mAh battery. The Pro models are expected to have better battery life than the non-Pro models due to the new display technology and the 3nm processor, both of which are more power efficient.

The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will likely feature a dual camera array, with Apple expected to use the 48-megapixel sensor currently in the iPhone 14 Pro models. The iPhone 15 Pro models are set for a more significant upgrade.

Whilst the resolution will remain the same, a 1/1.14-inch Sony sensor is expected to be used in the main 48-megapixel wide camera of the iPhone 15 Pro line. Sony is reportedly developing a new sensor exclusively for the iPhone, which should provide a major performance boost as a larger sensor can absorb more light. The camera is expected to have an f/1.8 aperture with sensor shift stabilisation.

The ultra-wide camera is expected to maintain its 12-megapixel resolution and have an f/2.2 aperture. The most significant changes are anticipated for the telephoto lens. Apple, which pioneered the telephoto lens with the iPhone 7 Plus, has been surpassed by competitors in recent years. To address this, Apple is introducing a new periscope lens that could enable up to 5x optical zoom. There are rumours of a variable aperture system for this lens, but that might only appear in the iPhone 16 next year.

Apple is also expected to retain the LiDAR and may change the orientation of the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras.

Overall, with iOS 17 also expected to be released alongside it, the iPhone 15 series is shaping up to be a more significant upgrade than the iPhone 14 series.