Nearly every iPhone 15 & iPhone 15 Pro detail spilled by new leak

AppleInsider · September 8, 2023 11:53AM

A last-minute report from Bloomberg claims to have all the details of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

iPhone 15 Pro mockup

When Apple's iPhone 15 launch event starts streaming on September 12, 2023, it appears most of what will be unveiled has been covered in rumors and leaks already. But now Bloomberg claims to have the full rundown of everything Apple intends to show.

It's not clear how much of the report's detail is based on information received, though, and how much is supposition. Bloomberg, for instance, says that Apple "is likely to discuss iOS 17," where that would seem to be obvious.

Nonetheless, the report is adamant that Apple will debut four new iPhone models as it has for the last several years. Specifically, that there will not be a new fifth model, and that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will not be renamed the Ultra.

Location features are said to be improved on all of the new iPhones with the introduction of a "U2" ultrawideband chip, the first update to the U1 since its launch in 20219. Apple reportedly plans to debut the U2 in its iPhones, then bring it to other devices.

Otherwise, as predicted, the iPhone 15 range will switch from Lightning to USB-C, and the regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will get last year's A16 processor -- but also the Dynamic Island.

Differences between iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro

The new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will have the same aluminum sides and glass back of the iPhone 14 base models. They'll have the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays, too.

Whereas, the iPhone 15 Pro models will appear slightly larger than last year's editions because the borders, or bezels, around the screen will be around one-third thinner.

The iPhone 15 Pro models will sport a titanium chassis with a brushed look. This switch away from steel will reportedly make the phone more durable, and also around 10% lighter.

On the inside, the Pro models will have the new A17 chip, which is based on 3-nanometer production process. As well as performance improvements with the A17, there will be battery improvements.

There will also be significant camera updates for the regular iPhone models, jumping from the old 12 megapixel main camera sensor to a 48 megapixel one.

That's what the Pro models gained last year, but this time the iPhone 15 Pro editions will this time also see new telephoto and ultrawide lenses. The iPhone 15 Pro Max will see the biggest update, with an increased hardware zoom lens.

Apple will unveil its iPhone 15 range, and the new pricing, at its September 12, 2023 event.

Read on AppleInsider

retrogusto · September 8, 2023 2:19PM

A 10% weight reduction seems like a lot to hope for, but it would be enough to make a noticeable difference in everyday use (and even when you’re just carrying it around and not using it), more than an ultrawide camera, a processor speed upgrade or smaller bezels. Plus, titanium looks great.

neilm · September 8, 2023 3:44PM

Titanium looks great — when it’s new. But its surface hardness is poor, making Ti a scratch magnet. Hardness can be improved by applying a suitable coating, such as the black DLC on my Series 5 Apple Watch, which still looks new. But then, of course, it also looks like any other black finished metal.

macocalypse · September 8, 2023 4:04PM

retrogusto said:

A 10% weight reduction seems like a lot to hope for, but it would be enough to make a noticeable difference in everyday use (and even when you’re just carrying it around and not using it), more than an ultrawide camera, a processor speed upgrade or smaller bezels. Plus, titanium looks great.

Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work you can always hit them with it.

nubus · September 8, 2023 5:28PM

The surprise of the year is that 15 will offer most of 14 Pro.

15 Pro seems limited to an even faster CPU (do we need it?), faster cable connections (in the time of wireless), and materials that can fix the weight problem of Pro (but the base iPhone will still be lighter). Even if 15 Pro is the only one to get Wifi 6E... then 6E is not faster than 6. And the colors on Pro 15 are dull. Surely Pro will sell - but 15 "core" seems to deliver a lot of value, all the right solutions, and it will be something new for the first time since iPhone 12.

I can imagine companies moving to iPhone 15 to get rid of the old cables.

anonymouse · September 8, 2023 5:53PM

neilm said:

Titanium looks great — when it’s new. But its surface hardness is poor, making Ti a scratch magnet. Hardness can be improved by applying a suitable coating, such as the black DLC on my Series 5 Apple Watch, which still looks new. But then, of course, it also looks like any other black finished metal.

Depends on what Titanium alloy they are using. For example, grade 2 Ti alloy is relatively soft but grade 5 and grade 23 (medical grade) are much harder than grade 2.

ppodany · September 8, 2023 6:06PM

neilm said:

Titanium looks great — when it’s new. But its surface hardness is poor, making Ti a scratch magnet. Hardness can be improved by applying a suitable coating, such as the black DLC on my Series 5 Apple Watch, which still looks new. But then, of course, it also looks like any other black finished metal.

I bet that the frame will be made from Ti Grade 5 (Ti6Al4V), which is 2 times harder in comparison to the AISI 316 steel used for frame in PRO models.

9secondkox2 · September 8, 2023 6:27PM

ppodany said:

neilm said:

Titanium looks great — when it’s new. But its surface hardness is poor, making Ti a scratch magnet. Hardness can be improved by applying a suitable coating, such as the black DLC on my Series 5 Apple Watch, which still looks new. But then, of course, it also looks like any other black finished metal.

I bet that the frame will be made from Ti Grade 5 (Ti6Al4V), which is 2 times harder in comparison to the AISI 316 steel used for frame in PRO models.

That’s pretty specific. What source did you use for the designations that reveal they are what iPhone is using, particularly the steel?

Update: nvm. Found it

edited September 2023

applezulu · September 8, 2023 6:36PM

Brace yourselves for the predictable-like-clockwork complaints of "incrementalism" from the folks who think each annual update should be like the introduction of an entirely new product line. The ho-hums and harumphs and lamentations about how Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs will start during the presentation on the 12th and will continue for at least a week or two.

An annual update should never make someone who just bought the previous year's phone angry that they've wasted their money on an already obsolete device. Annual updates are supposed to cumulatively add up to make someone with a 3 to 4 year old iPhone think maybe there's enough new stuff to interest them in an upgrade, and the owner of a 4 to 5+ year old iPhone not be angry about needing to trade their device in for a new one.

This is how Apple keeps a happy customer base, and is the exact reason that each annual update should absolutely be about "incrementalism."

9secondkox2 · September 8, 2023 6:46PM

AppleZulu said:

Brace yourselves for the predictable-like-clockwork complaints of "incrementalism" from the folks who think each annual update should be like the introduction of an entirely new product line. The ho-hums and harumphs and lamentations about how Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs will start during the presentation on the 12th and will continue for at least a week or two.

An annual update should never make someone who just bought the previous year's phone angry that they've wasted their money on an already obsolete device. Annual updates are supposed to cumulatively add up to make someone with a 3 to 4 year old iPhone think maybe there's enough new stuff to interest them in an upgrade, and the owner of a 4 to 5+ year old iPhone not be angry about needing to trade their device in for a new one.

This is how Apple keeps a happy customer base, and is the exact reason that each annual update should absolutely be about "incrementalism."

Totally agreed. It’s progress.

You do t have to try to change the world e wry time. You end up wrecking things that are already great doing that. This is solid progress. And that’s all we want. Especially for those moving up from a multi-year old phone. Personally, I don’t upgrade until every four years. This is a massive leap from my 11 pro max.

charlesn · September 8, 2023 9:35PM

AppleZulu said:

Brace yourselves for the predictable-like-clockwork complaints of "incrementalism" from the folks who think each annual update should be like the introduction of an entirely new product line. The ho-hums and harumphs and lamentations about how Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs will start during the presentation on the 12th and will continue for at least a week or two.

An annual update should never make someone who just bought the previous year's phone angry that they've wasted their money on an already obsolete device. Annual updates are supposed to cumulatively add up to make someone with a 3 to 4 year old iPhone think maybe there's enough new stuff to interest them in an upgrade, and the owner of a 4 to 5+ year old iPhone not be angry about needing to trade their device in for a new one.

This is how Apple keeps a happy customer base, and is the exact reason that each annual update should absolutely be about "incrementalism."

Lovely bit of personal philosophy that has no basis in how the iPhone business actually works or what it takes to meet Wall Street demands (Apple IS a public company, after all) for iPhone sales. The idea that sales would hit benchmarks if Apple "maybe" converted 3-4 year old iPhones to new models, but more probably a 4-5 year cycle is just laughable. Why do you think they launched the iPhone Upgrade Program that allows participants in it to upgrade their phones every year? Apple needs to get buyers who don't "need" a new iPhone to want and buy a new iPhone nonetheless. And under your fairy tale, there should never be a massive redesign, like the iPhone X, since that would anger those who had bought new phones a year or two or three prior. Also keep in mind that Apple's biggest customer base is in China where it faces increasingly intense competition from Chinese phone makers--Huawei, in particular, fired a big shot across Apple's bow this week. Apple needs to renew excitement about the iPhone annually and you can't do that with "incrementalism." There should at least be one marquee new feature each year, something to get truly excited about and, I'm sorry, but a USB-C port just doesn't cut it.

plype11 · September 8, 2023 10:28PM

nubus said:

The surprise of the year is that 15 will offer most of 14 Pro.

15 Pro seems limited to an even faster CPU (do we need it?), faster cable connections (in the time of wireless), and materials that can fix the weight problem of Pro (but the base iPhone will still be lighter). Even if 15 Pro is the only one to get Wifi 6E... then 6E is not faster than 6. And the colors on Pro 15 are dull. Surely Pro will sell - but 15 "core" seems to deliver a lot of value, all the right solutions, and it will be something new for the first time since iPhone 12.

I can imagine companies moving to iPhone 15 to get rid of the old cables.

I’m an Apple fanboy and have been on a consistent upgrade cycle but totally agree 🥱

rogue01 · September 8, 2023 11:53PM

nubus said:

The surprise of the year is that 15 will offer most of 14 Pro.

15 Pro seems limited to an even faster CPU (do we need it?), faster cable connections (in the time of wireless), and materials that can fix the weight problem of Pro (but the base iPhone will still be lighter). Even if 15 Pro is the only one to get Wifi 6E... then 6E is not faster than 6. And the colors on Pro 15 are dull. Surely Pro will sell - but 15 "core" seems to deliver a lot of value, all the right solutions, and it will be something new for the first time since iPhone 12.

I can imagine companies moving to iPhone 15 to get rid of the old cables.

Yes you need a new CPU because iOS keeps getting more bloated with each year. Wireless isn't everything, and the phone transfers data and charges faster with a wired connection. The base model phones, including the 15, will never have the optical zoom. That is a deal breaker for most to push towards the Pro models.

Companies will not move to the iPhone 15 to get rid of cables. The phones include a cable, so companies don't really care. Companies will replenish the phones for their employees whenever their time comes due for a replenishment, usually every 2 or 3 years. Employees due for replenishment now would get an iPhone 14 or 14 Pro, and then have to keep that phone for at least 2 years before they can replace it.

pulseimages · September 9, 2023 3:03AM

neilm said:

Titanium looks great — when it’s new. But its surface hardness is poor, making Ti a scratch magnet. Hardness can be improved by applying a suitable coating, such as the black DLC on my Series 5 Apple Watch, which still looks new. But then, of course, it also looks like any other black finished metal.

Just use a case! Problem solved.

charlesn · September 9, 2023 4:40AM

neilm said:

Titanium looks great — when it’s new. But its surface hardness is poor, making Ti a scratch magnet. Hardness can be improved by applying a suitable coating, such as the black DLC on my Series 5 Apple Watch, which still looks new. But then, of course, it also looks like any other black finished metal.

My year-old titanium Watch Ultra is going on a year of getting knocked and banged around--I have Nomad's titanium band as well--and both are still scratch-free.

charlesn · September 9, 2023 5:01AM

nubus said:

The surprise of the year is that 15 will offer most of 14 Pro.

15 Pro seems limited to an even faster CPU (do we need it?), faster cable connections (in the time of wireless), and materials that can fix the weight problem of Pro (but the base iPhone will still be lighter). Even if 15 Pro is the only one to get Wifi 6E... then 6E is not faster than 6. And the colors on Pro 15 are dull. Surely Pro will sell - but 15 "core" seems to deliver a lot of value, all the right solutions, and it will be something new for the first time since iPhone 12.

I can imagine companies moving to iPhone 15 to get rid of the old cables.

I don't disagree that the 15 Pro seems like an especially light upgrade over the 14 Pro. But there's a little more to the benefits of what's being upgraded than the way you're framing it.

CPU: The real story here isn't the increased speed, it's the increased battery life. And nobody doesn't like better battery life, especially when weight of the phone goes down.

Thunderbolt capability: Hey, if wireless speeds are good enough for you, then you clearly aren't a working visual arts pro trying to move big files of 4K video or max resolution batches of still photos off your "Pro" iPhone because it's a huge pain at wireless or Lightning speeds. Apple has really focused its pro line iPhones on pro-level video and still photo capabilities, so it's dumb to have the port be the bottleneck.

The 6E isn't about speed, per se, it's about an all-new lane for wireless traffic which will be a godsend in dense wireless environments like city apartment buildings. I can't wait for Apple to be all in on 6E so I can get everything on this new, uncrowded wireless highway.

I'm still hoping Apple might have a cool new feature or two for the 15 Pro that hasn't been leaked.

edited September 2023

ppodany · September 9, 2023 10:24AM

9secondkox2 said:

ppodany said:

neilm said:

Titanium looks great — when it’s new. But its surface hardness is poor, making Ti a scratch magnet. Hardness can be improved by applying a suitable coating, such as the black DLC on my Series 5 Apple Watch, which still looks new. But then, of course, it also looks like any other black finished metal.

I bet that the frame will be made from Ti Grade 5 (Ti6Al4V), which is 2 times harder in comparison to the AISI 316 steel used for frame in PRO models.

That’s pretty specific. What source did you use for the designations that reveal they are what iPhone is using, particularly the steel?

Update: nvm. Found it

I attended one presentation from Apple development team last year (TMS 2022 in Anaheim), where there presented their approach to maximal purity of this steel used in their products. Our company is cooperating with them with testing of other materials, but I can't be more specific because of NDA. Regarding the titanium alloy (Ti grade 5) - it is one of the most used Ti material, rather easily to process, reaches good mechanical properties (hardness, strength, toughness).

edited September 2023

hammeroftruth · September 9, 2023 2:11PM

charlesn said:

AppleZulu said:

Brace yourselves for the predictable-like-clockwork complaints of "incrementalism" from the folks who think each annual update should be like the introduction of an entirely new product line. The ho-hums and harumphs and lamentations about how Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs will start during the presentation on the 12th and will continue for at least a week or two.

An annual update should never make someone who just bought the previous year's phone angry that they've wasted their money on an already obsolete device. Annual updates are supposed to cumulatively add up to make someone with a 3 to 4 year old iPhone think maybe there's enough new stuff to interest them in an upgrade, and the owner of a 4 to 5+ year old iPhone not be angry about needing to trade their device in for a new one.

This is how Apple keeps a happy customer base, and is the exact reason that each annual update should absolutely be about "incrementalism."

Lovely bit of personal philosophy that has no basis in how the iPhone business actually works or what it takes to meet Wall Street demands (Apple IS a public company, after all) for iPhone sales. The idea that sales would hit benchmarks if Apple "maybe" converted 3-4 year old iPhones to new models, but more probably a 4-5 year cycle is just laughable. Why do you think they launched the iPhone Upgrade Program that allows participants in it to upgrade their phones every year? Apple needs to get buyers who don't "need" a new iPhone to want and buy a new iPhone nonetheless. And under your fairy tale, there should never be a massive redesign, like the iPhone X, since that would anger those who had bought new phones a year or two or three prior. Also keep in mind that Apple's biggest customer base is in China where it faces increasingly intense competition from Chinese phone makers--Huawei, in particular, fired a big shot across Apple's bow this week. Apple needs to renew excitement about the iPhone annually and you can't do that with "incrementalism." There should at least be one marquee new feature each year, something to get truly excited about and, I'm sorry, but a USB-C port just doesn't cut it.

Apple has always had challenges being able to balance new releases with features people want. I believe most of the challenges have to do with the cost of new technology/profit margins. We are now seeing gimmicks or distractions to take up time to bring down the cost of new tech. The Vision pro is one example of cool new technology at a time where justifying the cost is difficult.

it seems that relying on upgrade cycles for users with old technology is going to make up the brunt of new iPhone sales. Pushing a new OS that has wanted features that won’t run on their older phones might be something that will take up a good chunk of time at Tuesday’s announcement.

hallmansm · September 9, 2023 3:59PM

There goes Apple again. Still trying to sneak U2 into our phones.

seankill · September 9, 2023 4:24PM

retrogusto said:

A 10% weight reduction seems like a lot to hope for, but it would be enough to make a noticeable difference in everyday use (and even when you’re just carrying it around and not using it), more than an ultrawide camera, a processor speed upgrade or smaller bezels. Plus, titanium looks great.

Not necessarily. Ti can easily be 40% lighter than SS. Anyone know the weight of an empty iphone max chassis?

charlesn · September 9, 2023 4:48PM

seankill said:

retrogusto said:

A 10% weight reduction seems like a lot to hope for, but it would be enough to make a noticeable difference in everyday use (and even when you’re just carrying it around and not using it), more than an ultrawide camera, a processor speed upgrade or smaller bezels. Plus, titanium looks great.

Not necessarily. Ti can easily be 40% lighter than SS. Anyone know the weight of an empty iphone max chassis?

I'm pretty sure the only stainless steel on the Pro models is the surrounding band. I believe the chassis is aluminum. So achieving a 10% weight reduction by replacing the SS band with titanium does seem like a lot to hope for, but let's see.

Nearly every iPhone 15 & iPhone 15 Pro detail spilled by new leak

Differences between iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro

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