iPhone 15 Rumors: Everything You Need to Know

Apple will announce its next iPhones on September 12. Here’s what to expect.

Published September 5, 2023

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It’s already September and Apple is gearing up to announce its iPhone 15 lineup— in fact, it’s been confirmed that the big event will take place on September 12.

Per usual, rumors have been swirling for a while about the big design changes and what the new features are going to be. This is what the internet is saying.

There will probably be four iPhone 15 models

You can expect a similar iPhone 15 lineup as last year’s iPhone 14s. There will be four total iPhones: a 6.1-inch iPhone 15, a 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus, a 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro and a 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Don’t expect an iPhone 15 “Ultra”

There were rumors that Apple was going to rebrand the iPhone 15 Pro Max as the iPhone 15 “Ultra” and give it even higher-end features and capabilities, but according to Apple leaker Mark Gurman that isn’t expected to happen until the following year. Despite the size and battery life, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are expected to have the same exact features.

In case not clear: there won’t be a Pro Max AND an Ultra. Four models total: 15, 15 Plus, Pro, bigger Pro.
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 2, 2023

Don’t expect an iPhone 15 mini, either

After two years of having a smaller 5.4-inch iPhone, with the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini, Apple did away with it because of lackluster sales. In its place, Apple introduced the iPhone 14 Plus, which was a big-screen version of its base-level iPhone 14. Despite also experiencing lackluster sales, Apple is expected to still stick the size and release an iPhone 15 Plus. This means that, unfortunately for fans of small phones, there will be no iPhone 15 mini.

All iPhone 15 models will have a USB-C charging port

There is a lot of speculation surrounding whether this will be the year that Apple will move the iPhone away from Lightning and replace it will a USB-C charging port. Thanks to new regulations in the EU that will require Apple to produce an iPhone model with USB-C from 2024 onwards, we know that future iPhones will make this jump, but it’s still up in the air if that will come with the iPhone 15 or iPhone 16 lineups. The latest news suggests that it’s going to arrive on all iPhone 15 models.

The two Pro iPhone 15 models could get an Action button

The Action Button was introduced on the Apple Watch Ultra and it’s neat because you can customize it to preform different actions. A quick press could be programed to kickstart a specific workout, turn on your flashlight or start a stopwatch, for example. Well, the latest rumors suggest that Apple could bring over a similar programmable button to the two “Pro” models of the iPhone 15. It could even replace the current switch for toggling silent mode on and off.

The two non-Pro iPhones will get the Dynamic Island

iphone dynamic island — All iPhone 15 models are expected to get a display with the Dynamic Island (as seen above on the iPhone 14 Pro).

The Dynamic Island — the interactive floating notch that’s able to change shape and display various notifications — was a new feature that was exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus still have the traditional notch of previous iPhones. With the iPhone 15 lineup, Apple is expected to bring the Dynamic Island to both its Pro and non-Pro models.

All iPhone 15 models will have thinner bezels

According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, all four iPhone 15 models are expected to go thin on the bezels — real thin. The bezels on the current crop of iPhone 14s are pretty thin as it is, but the next-gen iPhones are rumored to have the most edge-to-edge design of any iPhone to date.

The iPhone 15 Pro will have a titanium frame

One of the big changes with the iPhone 15 lineup is that the two Pro models, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, are expected to get a new titanium frame. Titanium is a hot material — especially in the watch world — because it’s lightweight yet harder than steel. The switch to titanium could help the iPhone 15 Pro be more durable and scratch resistant than the stainless steel frame on previous Pro models. It also should prevent them from being such a fingerprint magnet. The non-Pro iPhones will continue to have an aluminum frame.

The iPhone 15 may get redesigned buttons

Earlier this year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the iPhone 15 lineup was going to get new volume and power buttons. Specifically, instead of the traditional “clicky” buttons, the new iPhones were going to get solid-state buttons with haptic feedback (similar to the Home buttons of old). However, since then there have been multiple reports that the upcoming iPhones are going to stick the same physical buttons of past iPhones.

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Cirrus Logic is the primary winner for canceling physical buttons and the change to adopt solid-state buttons on the 2H23 high-end iPhone 15 models. https://t.co/CNfZOYwRXn
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) January 11, 2023

The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s camera is going big on zoom

As is tradition, the iPhone 15 will undoubtedly have an improved camera system over the iPhone 14 — it’s just a question of “how much better?” The big rumor, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, is that the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s camera is going to be integrated with new periscoping lens technology for vastly improved zoom capabilities. This is expected to be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, meaning that for the first time in a few years Apple’s two Pro iPhone models will have different camera capabilities.

The Pro iPhones might be more expensive than ever

According to analyst Tim Long, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max could be $200 more expensive than their iPhone 14 counterparts. That means that these higher-end models could start at $1,099 and $1,299, respectively.

The iPhone 15 will come in five colors, initially

Just like in past years, Apple is expected to announce that the iPhone 15/15 Plus will be available in five colors and the iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max will be available in four colors. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 15/15 Plus will be available in black, yellow, blue, pink and green. And the iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max will be available in white, blue, black and gray.