Every year, Apple introduces a new iPhone line, and its introduction is the most important event in the Apple calendar. iPhone sales are at the heart of the company’s portfolio and serve as the driver for accessories like Apple Watch and AirPods.
At its ‘Wonderlust’ launch event, Apple announced the launch of four new iPhone handsets: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. In this article we reveal all of the key details you need to know about the new phones, including price, tech specs, design changes and much more.
Apple
What are the new iPhones called?
There were rumours that Apple would create a new ‘Ultra’ branding at the top end, but this was inaccurate. Apple stuck with the same system as last year and went with:
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 15 release date
The iPhone 15 handsets were announced at Apple’s Wonderlust event on 12 September 2023.
All four phones are on sale now, having been released on 22 September. And there are plenty of places to buy them in the US and UK.
iPhone 15 design
All four iPhone 15 handsets have received design changes from the previous generation, but none of these changes are especially radical. For example, they now have a slight curve on the back edges that should make them slightly more comfortable to hold.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus gain “an industry-first colour-infused back glass with a stunning, textured matte finish,” and now have the Dynamic Island which was previously a Pro exclusive.
Here’s what the iPhone 15 looks like:
Apple
As you can see, the iPhone 15 comes in black, blue, green, yellow, and pink.
The Pro models, as usual, feature several additional physical upgrades. Most obviously the mute switch has been replaced by a pressable Action button that silences your phone by default but can be customised to cover a range of functions such as opening the Camera app, activating Voice Memos, or triggering Accessibility features. You’ll get haptic feedback when you press the Action button and the Dynamic Island will provide further visual cues.
Apple
More fundamentally, the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are made of titanium, a first for the iPhone line. This should provide an improved strength to weight ratio compared to stainless steel, and sure enough, weights are down across both Pro models. (The 15 Pro Max, for example, weighs 221 grams, down from the 14 Pro Max’s 240 grams. That’s a drop of just under 8 percent. The 15 Pro is down 9 percent in weight.)
And here are the colour options for the iPhone 15 Pro. They are listed on Apple’s website as Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Natural Titanium. Why don’t the Pro models ever get interesting colours?
Apple
iPhone 15 new features
The new phones can do a few things that their predecessors couldn’t. The inclusion of USB-C, for instance, makes it a little easier to use a single charger for multiple Apple devices. The Dynamic Island is now on all four models (last year it was just on the Pro handsets) and its functions have been expanded. Perhaps the most interesting upgrade, however, is reverse charging: you can now charge an Apple Watch or a set of 2nd-gen AirPods Pro by plugging them into your phone.
Aside from a bunch of design upgrades, and the super-fast new A17 Pro chip, the Pro models come with some very cool photography features. You can read about our favourites in Top features of iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
It’s also worth mentioning Apple’s environmental claims. All four iPhone 15 handsets use more recycled materials than previous generations. The standard models boast “100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery and 100 percent recycled copper in the main logic board, copper wire in the Taptic Engine, and copper foil in the inductive charger in MagSafe,” along with impressive claims related to aluminium, gold, and rare earth materials, whereas the Pro models feature “100 percent recycled aluminum substructure and 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery–both firsts for Apple.”
The company further claims numerous achievements related to energy efficiency and the removal or reduction of plastic and harmful chemicals, and has pledged to “no longer use leather in any new Apple products.” You can read all about this on Apple’s environment page.
Apple
iPhone 15 tech specs
Here are the key tech specs of the new iPhones. Note particularly that the 15 and 15 Plus get last year’s processors, whereas the Pro models get the brand-new A17 Pro chip.
iPhone 15
- A16 Bionic processor (6-core CPU, 5-core GPU)
- 6.1-inch 2556×1179 460ppi Super Retina XDR display
- Dual-lens rear camera: 48MP f/1.6 Main, 12MP f/2.4 Ultra Wide; up to 2X optical zoom
- 12MP f/1.9 front camera
- Smart HDR 5
- 128/256/512GB storage
- Estimated battery life: Up to 20 hours video playback
- Fast charge: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter
- Wi‑Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G
- USB-C charging/data connection
- IP68 dust and water resistance (maximum depth 6m up to 30 minutes)
- 5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches (147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8mm)
- 6.02 ounces (171 grams)
iPhone 15 Plus
- A16 Bionic processor (6-core CPU, 5-core GPU)
- 6.7-inch 2796×1290 460ppi Super Retina XDR display
- Dual-lens rear camera: 48MP f/1.6 Main, 12MP f/2.4 Ultra Wide; up to 2X optical zoom
- 12MP f/1.9 front camera
- Smart HDR 5
- 128/256/512GB storage
- Estimated battery life: Up to 26 hours video playback
- Fast charge: Up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with 20W adapter
- Wi‑Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G
- USB-C charging/data connection
- IP68 dust and water resistance (maximum depth 6m up to 30 minutes)
- 6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches (160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8mm)
- 7.09 ounces (201 grams)
iPhone 15 Pro
- A17 Pro processor (6-core CPU, 6-core GPU)
- 6.1-inch 2556×1179 460ppi Super Retina XDR always-on display with ProMotion
- Triple-lens rear camera: 48MP f/1.78 Main, 12MP f/2.2 Ultra Wide, 12MP f/2.8 Telephoto; up to 3X optical zoom
- 12MP f/1.9 front camera
- Smart HDR 5
- 128/256/512GB/1TB storage
- Estimated battery life: Up to 23 hours video playback
- Fast charge: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter
- Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Thread, 5G
- USB-C charging/data connection (supports USB 3)
- IP68 dust and water resistance (maximum depth 6m up to 30 minutes)
- 5.77 x 2.78 x 0.32 inches (146.6 x 70.6 x 8.25mm)
- 6.60 ounces (187 grams)
iPhone 15 Pro Max
- A17 Pro processor (6-core CPU, 6-core GPU)
- 6.7-inch 2796×1290 460ppi Super Retina XDR always-on display with ProMotion
- Triple-lens rear camera: 48MP f/1.78 Main, 12MP f/2.2 Ultra Wide, 12MP f/2.8 Telephoto; up to 5X optical zoom
- 12MP f/1.9 front camera
- Smart HDR 5
- 256/512GB/1TB storage
- Estimated battery life: Up to 29 hours video playback
- Fast charge: Up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with 20W adapter
- Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Thread, 5G
- USB-C charging/data connection (supports USB 3)
- IP68 dust and water resistance (maximum depth 6m up to 30 minutes)
- 6.29 x 3.02 x 0.32 inches (159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25mm)
- 7.81 ounces (221 grams)
Apple
iPhone 15 price
Here are the full prices of the new iPhones. Note that the 15 Pro Max starts at 256GB of storage, so it isn’t quite as expensive as it seems.
iPhone 15
- 128GB: $799 / £799 / AU$1,499
- 256GB: $899 / £899 / AU$1,699
- 512GB: $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$2,049
iPhone 15 Plus
- 128GB: $899 / £899 / AU$1,649
- 256GB: $999 / £999 / AU$1,849
- 512GB: $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,199
iPhone 15 Pro
- 128GB: $999 / £999 / AU$1,849
- 256GB: $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$2,049
- 512GB: $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,399
- 1TB: $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,749
iPhone 15 Pro Max
- 256GB: $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,199
- 512GB: $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,549
- 1TB: $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,899
We’ve rounded up the best USB-C iPhone charging cables and best USB-C iPhone chargers for anyone migrating to the new connection standard.
This article originally appeared on Macworld.com
Author: David Price, Editor, Macworld
David has been writing about technology for well over two decades, and got on board the Apple hype train when covering the original iPhone launch in 2007. He is an enthusiastic Apple Watch evangelist and feels that the HomePod is misunderstood.