iPhone 15: Everything we know so far

Sure as night follows day, the iPhone 15 will follow the iPhone 14. Apple has been treating us to a new model reliably every year and the iconic phone series is the company's biggest profit center, so we're confident this year will be the same.

Apple don't share a lot of information in advance, but as a big company that has an enormous impact a lot of other sources seem to share info. Apple has to share case specifications in advance, and details with manufacturing partners, for example. Things always get out, and we're listening.

We're organizing this page into Leaks that have an identifiable source, Rumors which are doing the rounds, and Expectations from those in the know, as well as a list of FAQs.

Leaks about iPhone 15

We don't expect lots of leaks, at least yet, because Apple keeps a tight ship, but we can expect some revelations now that developers have access to iOS17, and that case designers know the final shape…

iPhone 15 Case Leak: Action button?

The latest leaked video of cases seems to suggest that the iPhone 15 Pro will be broadly similar but there is certainly enough room for a USB-C port rather than the traditional Apple Lightning connector and looked at carefully it appears that the button layout is changing too.

The case leaks below (which originated in China, and spread via Weibo, a Chinese social media site) also show a smaller cutout for the mute switch – some think this confirms the idea we're expecting a mute button with the new phone.

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Rumors about iPhone 15

iPhone 15 Action Button

A lot of rumor sites have covered the idea of a capacitive 'Action Button' instead of the physical mute slider. This would have the advantage that the button could be re-purposed (hence 'Action button') by the OS, but at the cost of a definite physical switch. It might also be harder to operate with gloves.

Actions could include: flashlight on/off, Do Not Disturb mode on/off, rotation lock, screenshot, home screen, lock screen, and, of course, ring/silent.

An iPhone 15 will have a 1-inch sensor (sort of)

Tipster Ice Universe claimed that the iPhone 15 Pro Max would have a 1-inch sensor (though we explain why that isn't as big as you think in our news). Others are expecting a pricier iPhone 15 Ultra (a new top tier category like the Watch Ultra) which might make more sense).

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iPhone 15 price shock?

According to a leak shared in reliable source Forbes, the Pro models of the iPhone are expected to jump in price by $200 over the iPhone 14. That could come as a significant shock for those who like to buy their handsets outright (and will put contract rates up too).

For example, an iPhone 14 Pro Max with 256GB would jump from $1,299 to $1,499.

What that means for other territories hasn't been explored yet, but Apple prices have been rising in the UK, especially since Liz Truss's shift in the established economic balance.

iPhone 15 Expectations

Will the iPhone 15 have a USB-C socket?

Yes. Well, we can't be sure about the US version, but it'll be legally required to in the European Union, and since Apple has already switched to USB-C for the iPad, we can't imagine why they wouldn't for every market at once.

MacRumors have shown an image of one that looks pretty convincing.

What processor will the iPhone 15 have?

We expect the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max to be equipped with the 3nm (nanometer) A17 Bionic chip, while the rest of the iPhone 15 range (iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus) will feature the A16 Bionic manufactured by TSMC.
The reason not all phones will have the newer processor is the high cost of silicon production – according to Phone Arena Apple's Pro phones will be the only ones all year with a 3nm process.

iPhone 15 FAQ

When will the iPhone 15 be announced?

We expect an announcement event in early to mid September 2023. That's because, in recent years, Apple have traditionally held a launch event for iPhone in September.

It was September 7th in 2022, September 14th in 2021, and September 10th in 2019. The exception to the rule is the iPhone 12 wasn't announced until October 13th 2020, though this was during the pandemic and Apple had also had a Watch event on September 15th that year.

When will the iPhone 15 go on sale?

We expect the iPhone 15 to be available for preorder very soon after the presentation, and to be in stores (at least for those that pre-ordered) about a week later. The iPhone 14, for example, was in stores in 30 countries including UK and USA, on the 16th of September – 9 days after the announcement.