From USB-C connectivity and a new A17 Bionic chip to design changes and major camera upgrades, these are the biggest iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro rumors so far.
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00:00 The new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro
00:02 are set to arrive this fall, but what should you expect?
00:04 We could finally see Apple embrace USB-C across the board,
00:08 bring its dynamic island to the regular models,
00:10 and make the Pros super Pro with a titanium design
00:13 and the camera upgrade many have been waiting for.
00:16 I've been covering iPhone launches since the original,
00:19 and I'm going to break down
00:20 the seven biggest iPhone 15 rumors and leaks
00:23 so far that you need to know.
00:25 Apple is basically embracing USB-C on the iPhone
00:28 against its will due to EU regulations,
00:30 but I'm still glad to see the company catch up
00:32 to Android phones with this key feature.
00:34 The Lightning connector is just too slow
00:36 and simply not as reliable as USB-C over time.
00:40 So the hope is that we'll see both faster transfer speeds
00:43 to PCs and from cameras, as well as faster charging.
00:46 So the good news is that Lightning should be dead.
00:49 The bad news is that Apple is rumored to offer
00:51 faster transfer speeds on the Pro models,
00:54 so the regular iPhones could get screwed.
00:57 Plus, there's been a few reports that Apple may require
00:59 made-for-iPhone certification from accessory makers
01:03 so that the company can make money off the open standard,
01:06 but regulators are already sounding the alarm
01:09 that a move like this would be illegal.
01:12 The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus missed out
01:15 on one of the most innovative design and UI elements
01:17 of the iPhone 14 Pro series, the dynamic island.
01:20 But it looks like Apple is rectifying that
01:22 for the new iPhone, as both the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus
01:26 are tipped to feature Apple's dynamic island feature.
01:29 In case you haven't been following,
01:30 the dynamic island is a replacement for the notch
01:33 and delivers alerts and live updates
01:36 towards the top of the display.
01:37 So you could do things like see your next turn at a glance
01:41 while getting directions, see music playback,
01:43 check the status of your lift ride, or see sports scores,
01:47 all without having to dive into an app.
01:49 We're hoping a lot more developers jump on board this year
01:52 to add more functionality to the feature.
01:55 This is one of several features that will likely be reserved
01:58 for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max,
02:00 but the rumored A17 Bionic chip should be a pretty big deal,
02:04 and that's because it's likely going to be
02:06 the world's first three nanometer chip inside a phone.
02:09 In fact, Apple has allegedly gobbled up 100% of the supply,
02:13 at least for this year.
02:14 Because the A17 will squeeze even more transistors
02:17 into the same amount of space,
02:19 you should expect blazing performance.
02:21 And the leaked Geekbench numbers for the A17 chip,
02:24 if legit, blow away the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
02:27 Plus, the three nanometer process
02:29 should make the iPhone 15 Pros more efficient
02:31 and last even longer on a charge.
02:34 Okay, here's another perk
02:35 that's likely to be Pro only this year.
02:37 The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
02:39 could both feature titanium alloy frames,
02:42 moving on from the stainless steel from previous models.
02:45 The benefit is that titanium is stronger and lighter
02:47 than both aluminum and steel,
02:49 so you should get a design that's tougher,
02:51 but easier on your pocket.
02:52 We've also seen several rumors
02:54 that the iPhone 15 Pro edges will be more rounded,
02:57 making them comfier to hold.
02:58 Earlier, iPhone 15 Pro rumors said
03:01 that Apple was potentially ditching mechanical buttons
03:03 for things like the volume keys for solid state buttons
03:07 that are more durable.
03:08 They wouldn't physically depress,
03:09 but they would feel like they do thanks to haptic feedback.
03:12 This could result in a more durable design
03:14 because less moving parts,
03:15 but two analysts now say this rumor is shut down,
03:18 at least until 2024.
03:20 Apple may be adopting Sony's latest state-of-the-art
03:23 image sensors for the iPhone 15.
03:25 The report from Nikkei says,
03:26 "Sony's new image sensor
03:28 roughly doubles the saturation signal level in each pixel
03:31 compared with conventional sensors."
03:33 In other words, the sensors can capture more light
03:36 and reduce overexposure or underexposure
03:39 in certain settings,
03:40 enabling a smartphone camera
03:42 to clearly photograph a person's face,
03:44 even if the subject is standing against a strong backlight.
03:47 In our camera testing,
03:49 we found that the iPhone 14 Pro
03:50 could sometimes overexpose faces in direct sunlight
03:53 compared to, say, the Pixel 7 Pro,
03:55 so we're hoping for more consistent results
03:57 from the iPhone 15 lineup.
03:59 We've also heard that the regular iPhone 15 series
04:01 could get the 48-megapixel main camera
04:04 from the iPhone 14 Pro lineup,
04:06 although ProRAW shooting
04:07 may remain an iPhone 15 Pro exclusive.
04:10 The iPhone 15 Pro Max could be in a class of its own
04:13 if this rumor is true.
04:14 Apple's highest-end flagship
04:16 will reportedly boast the first periscope zoom lens
04:18 on an iPhone,
04:19 enabling a much more powerful optical zoom
04:22 than the current Max of 3X.
04:23 The new zoom will allegedly go up to 6X optical,
04:26 though the digital zoom remains unclear.
04:29 Unfortunately, the regular iPhone 15 Pro
04:31 will likely be stuck at 3X,
04:33 and the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus
04:36 may forego a telephoto lens again,
04:38 and that sucks for a $799 phone.
04:41 As with every new iPhone release,
04:42 there's been plenty of speculation
04:44 over the new iPhone 15 colors,
04:45 and so far, we've heard that the iPhone 15 Pro
04:48 and Pro Max will come in a new red shade.
04:51 The regular iPhone 15 may come in the usual colors,
04:54 but may also get new pink and blue options.
04:57 That's just a quick tour
04:58 through the biggest iPhone 15 rumors so far,
05:00 and it really looks like this could be the year to go Pro,
05:03 so long as there isn't a major price hike.
05:05 In the meantime, let me know what you're hoping to see
05:08 from Apple's next iPhone.
05:09 We're tracking all the biggest rumors on tomsguide.com,
05:13 but you can also see what we're up to on social
05:15 @tomsguide on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
05:19 For Tom's Guide, this is Mark Spunauer.