Expect the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro! This is why!

What the initial speculations regarding new features for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro indicate

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro lineups have only been out for a month, but the rumor mill is already buzzing about what the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro will look like next year. As of now, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro for next year appear to be significant upgrades: USB-C, the Dynamic Island for all, and much more...

iOS 15 and iOS 15 Plus

sizes of screens

The 5.4-inch iPhone "small" option was removed from the iPhone 14 range in favor of the larger iPhone 14 Plus, which has a 6.7-inch screen. Apple reportedly expects to stick with this method even though the iPhone 14 Plus appears to be selling less well than expected.

This suggests that the iPhone 15 will have a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 15 Plus will have a 6.7-inch display.

Display characteristics

The inclusion of the Dynamic Island for the iPhones 15 and  15 Plus will be the most major update to the screens. Dynamic Island is now limited to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Dynamic Island does away with the notch in favor of two distinct display cuts that are made to seem like one through amazing software integration.

However, while the apple iPhone's 15 and  15 Plus will have Dynamic Island, they will not have two additional display technologies that are only available on the Pro and Pro Max versions. To begin, reports suggest that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will not have Apple's ProMotion display technology, which enables refresh rates ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz.

As a result, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will not support an always-on display, as this functionality is dependent on ProMotion and LTPO display technologies.

USB-C

Apple will almost probably replace the ten-year-old Lightning connection on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus with USB-C. The changeover occurs as the European Union introduces a new rule mandating that all smartphones and other gadgets use a standard charging connector, which for the time being would be USB-C.

Camera

As of right now, it's a little unclear from the speculations what kind of camera improvements we may anticipate for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. A number of camera improvements were made with the iPhone 14, including a much enhanced front-facing camera and the Photonic Engine for better processing.

Next year, we expect Apple will expand on the existing camera technology, either with better camera hardware or additional software functions. More rumors will circulate in the following months.

Performance

Finally, the A16 Bionic technology utilized in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max is believed to power the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. This follows Apple's policy of separating iPhone performance between Pro and non-Pro models, which began earlier this year.

The A16 processor was used in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, whereas the A15 chip was used in the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus - however they do get the 6-core variation from the iPhone 13 Pro.

iOS 15 Pro and iOS 15 Pro Max

Screen sizes and display characteristics

What about the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max? In terms of screen sizes and display technologies, we anticipate less changes. In reality, it appears that things will remain the same for the time being.

This makes sense given that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max had major display enhancements such as Dynamic Island and always-on display. Instead, it appears that Apple's priority will be to refine these capabilities while also bringing Dynamic Island down-market to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, as previously announced.

Apple might replace the clicky volume and power buttons with solid-state buttons, similar to how it updated the physical Home button on the iPhone 7 with a solid-state button instead.

USB-C

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, like the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, are likely to use USB-C. More information, like data transfer and charging speeds, is still pending.

Another possibility is that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will include Thunderbolt connectivity in addition to USB-C. This would be consistent with Apple's strategy with the iPad lineup, in which all new-generation models have USB-C but the highest-end iPad Pro models also have Thunderbolt.

Camera

It was once speculated that the iPhone 15 Pro versions will include a new "8P," or eight plastic lenses, rear-facing camera. According to new information, this may not be the case after all. The term "8P" refers to the number of elements in the lens. When a manufacturer adds features to an existing lens design, it is usually done to minimize distortion.

While it does not appear that the iPhone 15 Pro will gain significant camera improvements, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a different story. For the first time, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to have a new periscope lens.

A prism reflects light to several internal lenses at 90 degrees to the camera sensor in periscope lenses. This permits the lens to be significantly longer than a telephoto lens, resulting in far superior optical zoom. The iPhone 14 Pro's telephoto lens only provides 3x optical zoom and 15x digital zoom.

For instance, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra already features a periscope lens that allows for 10x optical magnification and up to 100x digital zoom. According to one speculation, Apple may opt for a 5x optical zoom. More specifics about Apple's installation of a periscope lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max are unknown, but it should bring the iPhone considerably closer to what Samsung's flagships already provide. 

Performance

Apple's march toward progressively more powerful Apple Silicon processors will be continued with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Last year, it was rumored that Apple will be one of the first firms in the world to embrace a new 3nm technology, with the first of these chips arriving in 2023.

The newest iPhone 14 Pro versions have an A16 processor, which has been characterized to as 4nm by some but is actually a die-shrunk 5nm chip.

The A17 Bionic chip, which is said to be based on a 3nm technology, is slated to power the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max next year. Shrinkage of the process size causes a dramatic shift in performance and efficiency, which might result in considerable battery life improvements next year.

Strategy and naming

Apple apparently has some changes in store for next year's iPhone range in terms of nomenclature and strategy. According to reports, Apple intends to further distinguish the iPhone 15 Pro from the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This is most visible in the reported camera enhancements, but there are undoubtedly other ways the business might achieve this.

Furthermore, there has been speculation that Apple may rename the highest-end iPhone the "iPhone 15 Ultra." This would be similar to what we saw with the Apple Watch this year, with a SE, Series 8, and Ultra model.

Finally, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro speculations are still in their early stages. We'll have much more over the coming year to help create a more complete picture of Apple's ambitions.