Apple has just presented the new iPhone 15 at the “Wonderlust” event.
As you would expect, there are four different options of the device: the iPhone 15 (6.1-inch), the iPhone 15 Plus (6.7-inch), the iPhone 15 Pro (6.1-inch) and the iPhone 15 Pro Max (6.7-inch). All devices were equipped with USB-C. This means that the Lightning port is a thing of the past and has been replaced by a faster data and charging port.
New titanium frame for the Pro models
But of course there are also some improvements. It starts with the construction: the two Pro devices have a titanium frame. It weighs less than the stainless steel frame of the previous Pro iPhones; they are the lightest Pro iPhones. The display edges are smaller and the housing is more rounded in both series.
For the Pro models it is colored in four colors: natural titanium, blue, silver and space gray. Under the titanium frame there are aluminum elements that, for the first time, are made entirely of recycled aluminum. You can see all the new colors below.
Five new colors for the iPhone 15
The iPhone 15 will be available in five colors, including a new pink (see below). On the Pro models, the bell/mute switch has been replaced by an action button. Like the Apple Watch Ultra, it can be assigned various functions. The display can be up to 2000 nits bright, twice as much as its predecessor.
We continue with the components: 8 GB of RAM and Wi-Fi 6E are installed for even more performance. Furthermore, the iPhone 15 Plus has a larger battery for longer battery life. And the new U2 ultra-wideband chip that was integrated into the Watch Series 9 is also coming to the iPhone 15.
New processor: The A17 Pro for the iPhone 15 Pro
The core of the iPhone 15 Pro (Max) is the new A17 Pro chip. It is the first 3nm chip in a smartphone with 19 billion transistors. It is also the fastest chip in a smartphone ever. And its neural engine is up to 2x faster than its predecessors. Streaming becomes more efficient with an A/V encoder, and USB-C connectivity has been optimized. The data transfer rate is 10 Gbit per second.
The technical highlight, however, is the new GPU for the iPhone, which has been completely redeveloped. It offers hardware-based ray tracing as well as significantly better performance and energy efficiency. Gamers and photographers should be happy!
Based on the existing SOS emergency call via satellite, there is a new function for car breakdowns. Together with AAA in the States, this offer is launching for roadside problems. Internationally, the function will probably be gradually expanded in the future.
Every iPhone 15 now has 48 megapixels
The absolute highlight of the devices is the camera system. All devices get a 48 MP camera. However, in the two basic models this is not used completely for the photos. Rather, the final photos are still saved in 12MP, but are more precise. The wide-angle camera in all models is unchanged, except for a new UV coating.
Pro photographers will primarily look to the Pro Max: Its new periscope telephoto lens offers up to 5x to 6x optical zoom and is not even built into the 15 Pro. The photos that Apple showed of the lens at the event look promising. Higher light sensitivity and some software features like Pro-HEIF help enormously.
USB-C also helps when using the camera. Log encoding is possible for the ACES color format, as is the use of external storage media for 4K video recordings, which require a lot of space. And speaking of video: With two lenses, the iPhone 15 Pro can record spatial videos, which can also be played as 3D videos on the Vision Pro glasses in the future.
The new iPhones will be available for pre-order from Friday September 15th, with XXGB of storage. The price of the iPhone 15 starts at 799 euros, the iPhone 15 Plus at 899 euros, the iPhone 15 Pro at 999 euros and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at 1199 euros (with 256 GB of storage). The first models will be delivered from September 26th. Then they will also be available in Apple Stores. From this date there will also be two new iCloud subscriptions with 6 and 12 TB of storage.
Additional: EarPods with USB-C, new FineWoven Cases
And by the way: EarPods from Apple are now also equipped with USB-C. So if you need external headphones for your Apple smartphone, you can purchase them from Apple. In order to reduce climate-damaging manufacturing processes, new cases made from FineWoven recycled material were presented and leather cases were introduced in parallel.
