It’s here. After months of speculation, Apple has finally lifted the lid on one of the most hotly anticipated phones of the year, the iPhone 15. Looks like it was worth the wait.
Apple has reinvented the new phone, with a new connector, new cameras and plenty of new features to play with. Should you upgrade? Find out by reading our comprehensive guide to the iPhone 15.
iPhone 15 models: to the power of four
There are four new models of iPhone 15. The standard iPhone 15 is the entry-level handset. The next pricier is the iPhone 15 Plus, which is basically the same phone but with a bigger screen (6.7 inches compared to 6.1 inches). The iPhone 15 Pro is the same size as the iPhone 15 but with more power, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max is like the 15 Plus with the power of the Pro.
iPhone 15 features: Dynamic Islands for all!
One of the biggest features to debut on the iPhone 14 Pro models now comes to all handsets in the iPhone 15 family. The Dynamic Island is an animated section at the top of the screen that responds to whatever you’re doing. It can show alerts, widgets, directions in Maps, the playing progress of a song, and so on. It makes a virtue out of the screen cutout section that houses the camera sensors, and in that regard, it’s a little slice of Apple genius.
It only launched on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, but with the iPhone 15 family, it’s present on every handset. Which brings extra functionality to more people than ever.
But that’s not the only new feature. Apple has replaced the Lightning ports with USB-C ports on all iPhone 15 models. Lightning is Apple’s homemade standard, but due to changes in EU law, the firm has had to switch to USB-C in line with other phone makers. That should mean you can charge your Apple devices with any standard USB-C cable. But it will render your existing Lightning cables useless.
This should mean less waste in the long term though, as any handset will charge using a USB-C cable.
The screens keep the same resolution and refresh rate as the iPhone 14 models, so don’t expect any great leaps in picture quality. But they should be faster, thanks to the A17 Bionic chip. That’s exclusive to the Pro and Pro Max – the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus get the A16 Bionic from last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
And the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus now get the 48-megapixel camera previously exclusive to the Pro variants. There’s another new bit of camera tech in play, too – a periscope zoom lens that brings you closer to your subject than ever before. This is only on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Storage is the same for all models, so the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB options, while the Pro adds a 1TB model to that list. The Pro Max comes in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants.
iPhone 15 design: harder, lighter, faster, stronger
The big design news concerns the Pro models, which are made from titanium. Not only does this make them incredibly durable, but it also makes them very light – the lightest Pro models ever made, in fact. They have slimmer bezels than their predecessors too, making the screen more immersive.
On the Pro models, the mute switch has been replaced by an Action button. This can mute the phone as before, but you can also assign it all sorts of other functions, just like the Apple Watch’s Action button. So you can activate Shortcuts, the Camera, the torch and so on, just by pressing it.
There are also plenty of colour options. The Pro models come in four finishes (white, black, blue and natural), and the non-Pros five (pink, yellow, green, blue, and black).
iPhone 15 price and release date
The iPhone 15 starts at £799, the iPhone 15 Plus at £899, the iPhone 15 Pro at £999 and the 15 Pro Max at £1199.
All phones in the iPhone 15 range are available to pre-order from Friday and will go on sale a week later on Friday, 22nd September.
Check out all our latest iPhone deals to see if the iPhone 15 is right for you.
