Apple announces iPhone 15 series with USB-C port, Dynamic Island
Apple has announced the iPhone 15 series. Here is everything you need to know about the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus
Bye bye, notch design. All four models in the iPhone 15 series are equipped with the Dynamic Island that debuted on last year's Pro models. The iPhone 15 sports a 6.1-inches Super Retina XDR OLED screen with a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels, while the iPhone 15 Plus features a 6.7 inches panel with a resolution of 2796 x 1290 pixels). Both phones have a pixel density of 460 PPI, and support 2000 nits peak brightness, 60 Hz Refresh Rate, 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, True Tone Display, P3.
The smartphones are powered by last year's 6-core Apple A16 Bionic chip with a 5-core GPU. The processor has 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, and is assisted by a 16-core Neural Engine for on-device machine learning tasks. The CPU uses 20% less power than the previous gen, while the GPU has 50% more memory bandwidth for playing games and streaming videos.
The iPhone 15 series come with a USB Type-C port, but there is one major difference between the ports used in the models. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are fitted with a USB 2.0 port, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Plus gave a USB 3.0 version. This means that the basic models have a top data transfer speed of up to 480 Mbps, while the Pro and Pro Max versions are capable of delivering 10 Gbps speeds. That being said, the Pro models don't support Thunderbolt speeds (up to 40 Gbps), so they are essentially identical to the Lightning port's speeds. Apple is only including a USB 2.0 cable with a Type-C port in the box with all four models, so if you buy an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Plus, you will need to get a USB 3.0 cable separately. Interestingly, the iPhone 15 can be used for charging the Apple Watch or AirPods, via reverse charging.
The iPhone 15 will run on iOS 17 out of the box with new features such as Contact Posters, Live Voicemail, Check In, NameDrop, StandBy, etc. Apple is expanding its safety and emergency features with a new option that is called, Roadside Assistance via satellite. It works similar to the Emergency SOS via satellite. Roadside Assistance will allow users to connect with AAA in the U.S. if they have car trouble, and the service will send a mechanic to your location with the right tools to address the problem. Emergency SOS via Satellite is also being introduced in Spain and Switzerland later this month.
Apple has upgraded the main camera on the iPhone 15 (from 12 MP on the iPhone 14) to a 48 MP sensor. It is accompanied by a 12 megapixels Ultra Wide angle lens that has an f/2.4 aperture, and supports up to 2x optical zoom. The cameras support optical image stabilization 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, slo-mo, Night Mode, Portrait Mode, etc. Apple says that the 48 MP camera supports 24 MP default for super-high-resolution photos. The front camera on the phone is a 12 megapixels TrueDepth sensor that has an f/1.9 aperture, and is also used for Face ID biometric authentication.
Apple says that the battery on the iPhone 15 will support up to 20 hours video playback, while the Plus version can go up to 26 hours. The devices have a color-infused back glass, contoured edges, an aluminium frame and reduced bezels around the screen.
The iPhone 15 models have a second-gen Ultra Wideband chip, which increases the range for connectivity and Precision Finding. Two users with iPhones will be able to use the Find My friends to share their location and find each other, even in crowds. It is worth noting that the iPhone 15 models that will be sold in the U.S. do not have a physical SIM card tray, i.e. they only support e-SIM. The devices sold in the rest of the world have a physical SIM card tray.
The iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus retain the ring / silent switch, only the Pro and Pro max models have the new Action Button that can be customized per the user's needs.
iPhone 15 specs
- Display: 6.1-inches (Plus - 6.7 inches 2796 x 1290 pixels), Super Retina XDR OLED 2556 x 1179 pixels, 460 PPI, Dynamic Island, 2000 nits brightness, 60 Hz Refresh Rate, 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, True Tone Display, P3
- Processor: 6-core Apple A16 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU
- Operating System: iOS 17
- Storage: 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB
- Main Cameras: 48 MP Main f/1.6 aperture, 12 MP Ultra Wide f/2.4 aperture, 2x optical zoom, Sensor-shift optical image stabilization, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, LED Flash, 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
- Selfie Camera: 12 MP TrueDepth, f/1.9 aperture, Retina Flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
- Battery: Up to 20 hours video playback (Plus - up to 26 hours), USB-C (USB 2)
- Security: Face ID
- Safety Services: Emergency SOS, Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection, Roadside Assistance via satellite
- Connectivity: 5G, 4G LTE with VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband chip, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
- Audio: Spatial Audio playback, Dolby Atmos
- Dimensions: 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm; Plus - 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm
- Weight: 171g; Plus - 201g
- Design: Aerospace-grade aluminum
- Sensors: High-g accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Dual ambient light sensors, High dynamic range gyro, Barometer
- Rating: IP68 Water-resistant to a depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes
iPhone 15 pre-order and availability
Buyers in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, the UAE, the U.K., the U.S. and around 30 more Countries, will be able to pre-order iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus from this Friday, September 15. The devices will start shipping next Friday, September 22.
Customers in Macao, Malaysia, Türkiye, Vietnam, and 17 other regions will be able to purchase the new phones from Friday, September 29. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be available in 5 colour options: pink, yellow, green, blue, and black. The devices come in 3 storage options: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
iPhone 15 prices around the world
Note: Prices are listed for the 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB storage models.
Australia
iPhone 15 - A$ 1,499 / A$ 1,699 / A$ 2,049
iPhone 15 Plus - A$ 1,649 / A$ 1,849 / A$ 2,199
Europe
iPhone 15 - 949 € / 1,079 € / 1,329 €
iPhone 15 Plus - 1,099 € / 1,229 € / 1,479 €
India
iPhone 15 - Rs. 79,900 / Rs. 89,900 / Rs. 1,09,900
iPhone 15 Plus - Rs. 89,900 / Rs. 99,900 / Rs. 1,19,900
Turkey
iPhone 15 - 49,999 TL / 53,999 TL/ 61,999 TL
iPhone 15 Plus - 56,999 TL / 60,999 TL / 68,999 TL
United Kingdom
iPhone 15 - £799 / £899 / £1,099
iPhone 15 Plus - £899 / £999 / £1,199
United States
iPhone 15 - $799 / $899 / $1,099
iPhone 15 Plus - $899 / $999 / $1,199
iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 prices slashed by $100
Apple has slashed the prices of the iPhone 13, iPhone 14 and iPhone Plus. The Pro models of last year's series have been discontinued. If you are on a tight budget, you can pick up an older gen model at an affordable price.
iPhone 13 - $599 / $699 / $899
iPhone 14 - $699 / $799 / $999
iPhone 14 Plus - $799 / $899 / $1099
