The new iPhone 15 is here, with refreshed design and USB-C
New colours, design tweaks, USB-C, and extra power.
The latest generation iPhone is finally official. The new iPhone 15 will land as Apple’s most mainstream smartphone, and is backed up by the larger iPhone 15 Plus. There’s a fair bit carried forward from last year’s models, so they should seem familiar to fans, but also inherit features from that generation’s Pro models too.
Unveiled at Apple‘s Wonderlust launch event, the iPhone 15 continues to stick with a 6.1in screen; the larger iPhone 15 Plus keeps at 6.7in. Both use new versions of Apple’s Super Retina XDR OLED display, which can reach up to 2000 nits of brightness for HDR and outdoor viewing – that’s twice as bright as last year’s iPhone 14 offerings.
Refresh rate still tops out at 60Hz, with ProMotion 120Hz reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. Apple has brought Dynamic Island to the standard iPhone for the first time, though. Hopefully that’ll encourage more developers to support the feature, which is still fairly limited a year on from its debut. Ceramic Shield glass promises added protection against scratches.
As expected, USB-C is also now on iPhone for faster data transfer speeds and charging. You can juice up AirPods or Apple Watch using the cable, and Apple’s wired earbuds get the new connector.
Photography is a big focus this year, with the main camera upgraded to a 48MP sensor and the ultrawide returning. The standard iPhone sticks with two rear cams, then, but there’s a new 12MP telephoto feature for 2x zoomed shots. Portrait shots are improving, too, thanks to some behind-the-scenes improvements. Night mode also sees boosts, alongside Smart HDR which helps to focus on the background and subject together.
Powering the new device is Apple’s A16 Bionic chipset. It made its debut on the iPhone 14 Pro devices last year, and is making its way down to the standard iPhone 15 this year. Apple still promises an all-day battery, but the 15 Plus has a larger cell than the standard sized device. Precision Finding is getting a new feature, which allows you to find your friends’ iPhones as part of Find My.
In keeping with Apple’s usual schedule, pre-orders for the iPhone 15 start this Friday, the 15th of September, and devices will be shipping out a week later on Friday the 22nd of September. They’re available in pink, yellow, green, blue, and black. Apple is ditching its leather cases as part of its environmental efforts, so you can grab new suede-like FineWoven cases instead. You can purchase the iPhone 15 from $799/£799, and the 15 Plus from $899/£899.
Connor Jewiss
