Apple Unveils its New iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro

Apple revealed its full iPhone 15 lineup today, which once again includes four new models. And this year, one of the biggest changes across the board is probably Apple’s proprietary Lightning port being replaced with the standardized USB-C.

The last time changed the charging port on iPhones was in 2012 when Lightning replaced the old 30-pin connector on the iPhone 5. Apple had to adopt USB-C on iPhones to comply with the EU’s new common charger law, but the company’s MacBooks and iPads had already accomplished this transition.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will keep their 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays respectively, and the Dynamic Island from last year’s iPhone 14 Pro is also replacing the infamous notch. The Dynamic Island can provide updates on live activities on the home screen such as directions in maps, sports scores, and more.

The display on the iPhone 15 still lacks ProMotion support (Apple’s fancy name for adaptive refresh rate technology), but peak brightness has been improved. It can now reach 2000 nits in sunny outdoor conditions, as well as up to 1600 nits when viewing HDR photos and videos.

While the overall design doesn’t really change, there’s a new contoured edge that should feel nicer in the hands. There’s still glass on the back and a ceramic shield on the front to improve the screen’s durability.

Under the hood, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus ship with last year’s A16 chip, which comes with a better neural engine to perform live transcription and various Siri features on the device. All new iPhone models this year also include a new U2 ultraband chip, which enables two iPhone 15 users to connect at three times the range as before.

On the camera front, the iPhone 15 now comes with a 48MP main camera and a 12 MP Ultra Wide camera on the back, plus a 12MP TrueDepth camera on the front. The new sensors enable new Portrait Mode features, allowing users to take portraits without having to manually switch to Portrait Mode.

Apple didn’t spend much time discussing the new USB-C ports, which are restricted to USB 2.0 speeds on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. However, Apple is also launching new AirPods Pro 2 with a USB-C charging case today, and users will be able to recharge it by plugging it into their iPhone.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are available for pre-order today, and both models will start shipping on September 22. Pricing starts at $799 for the iPhone 15 and $899 for the iPhone 15 Plus.

iPhone 15 Pro

As expected, the new iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max were the main highlights of the event today. Both models introduce a new Titanium design, and Apple emphasized that the new alloy is both lighter and more durable than aluminum. The new iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max also feature contoured edges and thinner borders around the screens, which are 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch wide, respectively.

Apple said that the internal structure of these new iPhones has been redesigned to improve durability. Under the hood, the new A17 Pro chip is Apple’s first 3nm SoC, and it features 6 CPU cores, 6 GPU cores, and a neural engine with 16 cores.

The A17 Pro supports accelerated ray-tracing, and it promises to bring console gaming to mobile devices. Indeed, Capcom will make Resident Evil Village and the Resident Evil 4 Remake available on the iPhone 15 Pro lineup later this, and Ubisoft’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be coming in early 2024.

Another important hardware change on the iPhone 15 Pro lineup is the new Action button that replaces the ring/silent switch. This button can be customized to launch other iOS apps such as Voice memos or the camera, but users will also be able to choose third-party apps or custom iOS Shortcuts.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models will continue to ship with three cameras on the back, a 48-megapixel main sensor, a 12MP 5x Telephoto camera, and a 12MP Ultra-wide camera. There’s an improved Night mode offering sharper details, and the USB-C port that supports faster USB 3 speeds will let filmmakers record ProRes video at up to 4K at 60 FPS directly on external storage.

Apple also touted the upcoming ability to shoot spatial 3D video, a new video format to enjoy on the company’s upcoming Vision Pro headset. That headset will start shipping early next year in the US, though there’s still no firm release date.

All iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models also offer a new Roadside Assistance via satellite feature, which will let users in the US connect to AAA to get car assistance when they have no cellular connectivity. This feature will be free for the first two years.

The iPhone 15 Pro will start at $999 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at $1199, which are the same prices as last year. All models are available for pre-order today, and they will also start shipping on September 22.