Happy Apple Day! Just wrapped what's arguably its biggest event of the year: the reveal of the iPhone 15. The dust is still settling on a whole avalanche of news, but here are all the most important details about the iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 Pro, the Apple Watch Series 9, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Every iPhone 15 has USB-C instead of a Lightning port
First, the most contentious news: the iPhone 15 (Pro and otherwise) ditches the Lightning connector for USB-C. The iPhone supports bi-directional charging, so you can plug your AirPods case into your phone, provided they both have USB-C.
What’s the implication for you? Only about three to five more years of trying to purge your Apple gear with Lightning ports. Overall, though, USB-C on iPhone is a welcome update.
The new port allows up to 10-gigabit data transfers — genuinely game-changing for people who have to download large video files to other computers.
The iPhone 15 Pro has a new titanium case
Beyond that, the iPhone Pro has become Apple’s testbed for future regular iPhone updates and this year is no different. This year’s iPhone 15 Pro — also all new — has a brushed titanium case and keeps its triple camera lens setup from years past.
The new titanium alloy makes the new iPhone Pros stronger and lighter than previous steel or aluminum chassis — and even a hair thinner than previous models. (And it’s the same alloy used on the last Mars rover.) The titanium frame is bonded to an aluminum interior shell, which you’ll hopefully never see. There is a PVD coating on each titanium rim, which should help it from getting scuffed, and allow Apple to offer four different titanium finishes that range from “Natural” to “Black.”
The silent switch is now an Action Button (on the Pros)
iPhone 15 Pro is ditching the ringer toggle switch for an “Action Button,” similar to the one found on the Apple Watch Ultra. It defaults to phone silencing, but you can assign it to open the camera or start a voice memo, among other predefined options.
The iPhone 15 Pro's camera is insane, as expected
The Pro Camera system is arguably the only reason most people would consider an iPhone Pro. Apple’s upgraded the 15’s camera suite to stay ahead of the improvements that have filtered down to the iPhone 15.
A new coating helps keep glare down on the iPhone 15 Pro’s camera lenses. Adding a new HEIF format to the set of options available on the Pro allows higher resolution than ever, as well as emulation of prime lenses including the stalwart 35mm. (If you’ve never played around with the powerful RAW modes unlocked by third-party apps like Halide, you’re missing out.) Meanwhile, LIDAR sensors help bolster Night Mode’s low light performance.
The 3x zoom lens has a 77mm focal length, which is great for portraits. But the biggest upgrade is the new telephoto lens, which has a 5x optical zoom. (No matter how good the post-processing on an iPhone Pro is, shooting through real glass is always preferred.) Apple is showcasing its clever “tetra-prism design” of the new zoom lens with a floating sensor that can adjust up to 10,000 times a second to keep photos clear. Macro photography mode is also upgraded.
iPhone 15 Pro also updates the ability to dump photos or video directly to a Mac or storage drive over USB-C, like most professional cameras. That’s nice for run-and-gun shops that use iPhones as their main capture device instead of dedicated cameras, but the iPhone 15 Pro has a trick that few pro cameras do: the ability to use two of the lenses at the same time to capture Spatial Video, the 3D format designed to be played back in the Apple Vision Pro virtual reality headset.
Apple’s claiming a “next-level performance” upgrade with its new A17 Pro chip inside the iPhone 15 Pro. It’s the first 3-nanometer chip in a phone — smaller transistors are less power hungry than larger ones — although in practical terms the only real thing you should notice in a year-to-year upgrade could be slight battery life performance.
Prices are the same: $999 for the iPhone 15 Pro; $1,199 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max (the only one with the 5x telephoto optical zoom).
The iPhone 15 gets a Dynamic Island...
The iPhone 15 is here and it’s got an all-new design. (One that admittedly looks … a lot like an iPhone.)
The iPhone 15 has the Dynamic Island screen cutout previously available only on the iPhone Pro series. (For what it's worth, Dynamic Island is surprisingly elegant, and a welcome addition.) The screen is an OLED one, and it's brighter than ever. It even supports Dolby Vision HDR for movie watching. The new display has a max brightness of 2,000 nits — twice as bright as the previous phones.
Two sizes are now available: 6.1 and 6.7 inches. The edges of the phones are slightly beveled around the edges of the phone, making them slightly smooth and — debatably — nicer to hold. The camera surrounds on the rear of the phone are now translucent glass, better matching the rear glass.
... and a prettier Portrait Mode
The iPhone 15 has a new camera system, with two lenses, including a 48-megapixel main camera with a 26mm focal length (likely the same as or similar sensor system to what's in in last year’s iPhone Pro). Having a sensor with so many pixels allows Apple to do some neat post-processing on the phone, sacrificing raw fidelity for zooming or lighting tricks.
Portrait Mode is updated now, too. (Hopefully with different software tricks that don’t make photos looks quite as synthetic.) Portrait Mode is no longer a separate camera mode; iOS now recognizes a portrait photo and allows you to switch the post-processing mode should you choose. Smart HDR and a fake bokeh are just a couple of ways Apple is improving the Photonic Engine hardware and software stack to give users better looking photos without much additional work.
The iPhone 15's upgrade guts make it better at finding AirTags
It wouldn’t be a new iPhone with a new chip inside, of course. The A16 chip powers the improvements to iPhone this year, including updated GPUs for better graphics in games. Apple still claims “All-Day Battery Life,” including a larger battery than before.
iPhone 15 also has the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip like the new Apple Watch models, which makes up-close finding and navigating — other friends’ phones, things you’ve slapped an AirTag on — more granular and precise.
The new iPhone and iOS also has a voice isolation mode on phone calls, blocking out wind or crowd noises to focus on just your voice. (You can still just yell really loudly if you prefer.)
The built-in satellite connection Apple launched on earlier phones now works in 14 countries around the world — and also includes a Roadside Assistance option for emergencies that connects you to AAA in the United States. (It's covered by a AAA subscription, but you can also subscribe separately.)
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be available at $799 and $899, respectively. Apple is even promoting its own trade-in offer if you buy from them directly — could be that the brand is worried these new phones won’t be much of an incentive to upgrade otherwise.
The Apple Watches get a new hands-free feature.
Apple's updating its two main lines of smartwatch with a handful of features, but the most notable one is called "Double Tap." With a pinch of your fingers, you can activate the screen on either device, making it easier to use them when your hands are full, and laying the groundwork for Apple's "spatial computing" future.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Series 9 share the same updated internals, Apple's S9 processor, which Apple says will improve its Neural Engine by a factor of two, and allow Siri to run directly on your watch both faster and more often.
The Ultra 2 and Series 9 also include the newest version of Apple's Ultra Wideband chip, which will help you track down AirTags and other FindMy devices that also sport a Wideband chip with even greater precision.
The Ultra 2 will cost you $799 and the Series 9 starts at $399. There's also a new Apple Watch SE, mentioned just in passing, which starts at $250.
