iPhone 15: Predictions on Release Date, Pricing, Technical Specifications, and Essential Features to Be Aware Of

Apple just officially announced their iPhone 15 Wonderlust event on September 12th in good old Cupertino. I couldn't be more excited because Apple is going all out and overhauling some of its products in the most significant ways in many years this year. So, in this blog, I will go through the final updated leaks and rumours for everything we're expecting Apple to release, including every specific feature we should be getting. Let's jump in, starting with the first product Apple usually mentions at its September events, the Apple Watch.

This year, we're getting the Series 9 with a couple of exciting changes, but it won't be a game-changer like the iPhone will be. So far, most rumours are pointing to the Series 9 being a simple update with the outside case being unchanged with the same design, except Apple will be adding another colour, which will be some shade of pink. The display and case sizes should be the same as before, either 41 or 45 mm. On the plus side, there will be a new compact box. 

The most significant change will be the new S9 chip, which will finally get updated to 5 NM technology, meaning it'll be a bit more powerful while using less power. We can look forward to that. But it's not a huge deal. Apple will introduce some new software features exclusive to the Series 9 to try and sweeten the deal. Don't expect a new Apple Watch SE model this year; we're not expecting that until next year.

Moving on from that, we have the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which is getting something everybody asked for last year, and that's finally a new black titanium finish. We should also expect an update to the new S9 chip. But other than that, I'm unsure what else will come of this model. Many people are hoping for a smaller Ultra model this year, but it hasn't been in the rumour mill, so it would be a complete surprise if it happened. But I'm hoping they give us some new band design options.

Now, with that said, let's jump into the Apple product with the most significant changes this year, which is the iPhone 15. But before I get into that, I want to show you guys my absolute favourite shoeshiner, Vessi. Unlike other shoes on the market, these have a big secret that you wouldn't expect from their stretchy fabric material that makes them super comfortable, alongside the convenient slip-on design. Every pair of Vessis is 100% waterproof, using their unique Diamex material, which was life-changing for me because now I can wear them every day in any weather scenario, including rain, especially for walking through wet grass and puddles and even inches of snow, all with dry socks. And to make them even better, they're incredibly stylish and easy to match to any outfit. So, I wear them to church every week, and they have various trendy designs and colour options. I don't recommend them enough. So, order your favourite pair of Vessi today using the link below to get 15% off your order with the code "match" at checkout.

Returning to the iPhone 15, the lineup should look identical to what it looked like last year with four models: the iPhone 15, the 15 Plus, the 15 Pro, and the 15 Pro Max. For the regular 15 models, there are a couple of significant design changes, with the biggest one being the removal of the notch and finally getting the dynamic island, just like we currently have on the 14 Pro models. However, it won't be as good because the display refresh rates on the regular 15s are rumoured to be still stuck at 60 Hz, which is embarrassing for such expensive phones in 2023. Apple is just holding these back to make the Pro models look better. But Apple can get away with it because most regular consumers haven't noticed.

Other than that, the other significant difference that every regular user will notice is the switch to USB-C ports from the old ageing lightning. This will likely cause some regular users to get upset, especially if they have a bunch of lightning cables in different areas of their lives, like their homes, in the car, and at work. But don't worry; Apple will improve everything in classic Apple fashion. They will give you some colour-matched charging cables, which is excellent. These cables will be unique, being 50% longer than they are right now and finally being braided so they won't fray and get ripped, becoming useless. It's going to start a new stylish trend of colour-matched accessories. So, it's a genius marketing move by Apple.

Now, the entire iPhone 15 lineup, including the Pro models, will come with a new rounded-edge design that'll be more comfortable to hold in the hands, which I'm excited about. Alongside that, we will be getting some new colour options for the iPhone 15 and some new cases. This year, Apple's genuine leather case seems to be going away in exchange for a new synthetic leather material to be more eco-friendly and mainly bring Apple some more profit. The iPhone 15 lineup will also likely include 15W wireless charging with MagSafe, which will support double the charging speed using wireless charging 15 watts instead of the current 7.5 watts. The regular 15 models will also get the upgraded 48-megapixel primary camera as we have on the 14 Pro models, but it might not be as good as the actual sensor size. Other than that, the iPhone 15 will be using the same display as before with not many changes, other than getting an upgrade to the current A16 chip. Thankfully, the prices should remain unchanged from last year.

Now, getting into the most significant changes this year, we have the 15 Pro and the 15 Pro Max models. These are expected to go up in price between $100 to $200, mainly because they come with a higher base storage of 256GB, which is excellent, and of course, the new A17 Bionic chip, which will likely pack 8GB of RAM and be built on TSMC's brand new 3-nanometer chip technology, which is very expensive, being much more expensive than the current 5-nanometer tech. These new A17 chips should be more powerful and efficient, and it's rumoured that the GPU will be getting an additional core this year to help boost graphics performance. It could even get a whole new GPU redesign as well.

We're also expecting many new chip updates like the ultra-wideband chip, the modem, and display driver chips that'll be more efficient thanks to newer process nodes, helping save battery life. Both the Pro and Pro Max will get a brand new titanium alloy finish with a slightly brushed look with four colour options: Silver, Titanium Gray, New Deep Blue, and Space Black. The primary benefit of titanium will be that it's likely to be more fingerprint-resistant, and it'll make the 15 Pro models quite a bit lighter than the current 14 Pro models that use stainless steel frames.

These Pro and Pro Max models will also be getting the exclusive Action Button feature, which will replace the mute switch and include a ton of customization to pick and choose what you want it to do. The Pros will likely get Thunderbolt ports with crazy-fast transfer speeds instead of the primary and slow USB-C with USB 2 transfer speeds on the regular 15s. And there might even be new videography features to support external viewing monitors while filming. However, don't expect a Thunderbolt cable in the box; you'll likely have to buy one separately from Apple to take advantage of those features.

The Pros will also get significantly thinner display bezels, making them look super friendly compared to the regular models, and you should expect the earpiece speaker to be slimmer than it currently is. Of course, the Pro models will come with the telephoto lens, but the Pro Max will exclusively get the new variable Zoom 3 to 6X periscopic lens, which will be a massive game-changer in the smartphone photography world.

A rumour claimed that the 15 Pro Max model launch could be delayed by 3 to 4 weeks, but MQ recently came out and squashed that rumour, saying that production is going just fine. This year, both Pro models should be getting an updated LiDAR scanner and other spec updates like Wi-Fi 6E support. The Pros will also support faster charging, up to 35 watts compared to 27 watts as we have right now, and they might even get 20W MagSafe charging.

You may have heard about a vast battery size upgrade across the entire lineup with new stacked battery technology, but that likely has been delayed until next year. Last but not least, the Pro model should be getting a cool new updated box with a design that looks like this to include the longer USB-C cables.

And now, with the iPhone out of the way, let's get into what else we should expect at this event. One thing for sure will be the new AirPods cases with USB-C ports to match the new changes on the iPhones, but don't expect any further changes; they're just going to be the same AirPods, just with USB-C instead. There were some cool ideas about colour-matched AirPods cases coming, but that won't happen, and it hasn't really been leaked or anything else.

We also got some leaked colour-matched MagSafe chargers, but that's likely also not happening. Apart from that, we might be getting two new iPad updates, including the iPad Mini 7 and iPad Air 6, both being minimal updates that'll come with new chips and probably landscape-oriented cameras. But we don't know much else about those new iPads.

Apple iPhone 15 Specs:

DISPLAY

Size:6.1 inches

Technology: OLED

Refresh rate:60Hz

Features: Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

HARDWARE

System chip:A16 Bionic (4 nm)

Processor: Hexa-core

GPU: Yes

RAM:6GB LPDDR5

Internal storage: not expandable

Device type: Smartphone

OS: iOS (17.x)

BATTERY

Type: Not user replaceable

Charging: Fast charging, MagSafe wireless charging

CAMERA

Rear: Dual camera

Main camera: 12 MP

Video recording: Yes

Front: Yes

DESIGN

Materials: Back: Glass; Frame: Aluminum

Resistance: Yes; IP68

Biometrics: 3D Face unlock

Keys:Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key

CELLULAR

5G: 5G Ready

Data Speed: LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s

SIM type: Nano SIM, eSIM

MULTIMEDIA

Headphones: No 3.5mm jack

Speakers: Earpiece, Loudspeaker

Screen mirroring: Wireless screen share

Additional microphone(s): for Noise cancellation

CONNECTIVITY & FEATURES

Bluetooth: Yes

Wi-Fi: 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ax (Wi-Fi 6), Wi-Fi 6E; Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot

USB: Type-C (reversible)

Features: Charging

Location: GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning

Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer

Other: NFC, Ultra Wideband (UWB)

let’s take a look at the 10 most important new iPhone 15 features:

1. The iPhone 15 series, including all four models, will adopt USB-C ports instead of the Lightning connector.
2. Dynamic Island technology will be integrated into all four iPhone 15 models.
3. The use of titanium instead of stainless steel in the Pro models will contribute to a reduction in their overall weight.
4. A new customizable Action Button will replace the mute switch in iPhone 15 Pro models.
5. There are indications of potential battery size upgrades across all four models.
6. The previous-generation A16 chip will power the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus.
7. In contrast, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max will have the newer A17 chip.
8. The iPhone 15 Pro Max will introduce an innovative periscope zoom camera with an extended zoom range.
9. Standard iPhone 15 models will feature an enhanced primary camera boasting a 48MP sensor.
10. Prospective improvements in wired charging may result in faster 35W charging for the Pro models.

Prices:

iPhone 15:

• Base Price: Starting at $800
• Potential Price Hike: Up to $850

iPhone 15 Plus:

• Base Price: Starting at $900
• Potential Price Hike: Up to $950

iPhone 15 Pro:

• 256GB: $1099
• 512GB: $1299
• 1TB: $1499
• Rumored Price Increase: $100

iPhone 15 Pro Max:

• 256GB: $1199
• 512GB: $1399
• 1TB: $1599
• Rumored Price Increase: $100

And with that said, that's everything we should expect at Apple's Wonderlust event and nothing more, especially not Macs or MacBooks. So, you enjoyed this blog, and if you did, join our Telegram channel. Thanks for reading, and we'll see you in the next one.