Apple today unveiled its long-awaited iPhone 15 at the company’s ‘Wonderlust’ event in California.
The standard range of phones starts at $799 and comes in the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens users got from the last generation of iPhones.
But the new handset features a significant redesign to its screen. The ‘notch’ at the top of the phone, long seen as a design flaw, has been replaced by the ‘dynamic island’ used on its current Pro models.
The flagship device also comes in five new colors – fetching pink, yellow, green, blue, and black – and has an upgraded camera which should allow for more powerful zoom.
Apple says the iPhone 15 will have an ‘all-day battery life’ and that the 15 Plus will have an even bigger battery, but it’s not clear how long either will last.
Apple also confirmed the iPhone 15 will come with a USB-C charging port, the same one currently used to charge iPads and Macs.
The AirPods Pro will also move to USB-C, which should enable faster charging across all Apple’s products.
The iPhone 15 also has a new artificial intelligence-powered ‘voice isolation’ feature that will make it easier to be heard even if you’re on a busy train or in a public place.
Meanwhile, Apple was keen to brag about how eco-friendly its iPhone 15 is, adding that it features a partly recycled case and fully re-used cobalt.
Apple’s more expensive iPhone 15 Pro has a ton of additional extras for die-hard fans of its products.
The price will start at $999 in the US, with the larger Pro Max costing $1,199.
It comes with a new ‘grad five’ titanium case, which Apple says was the same alloy used on the Mars rover.
That should make the new model more durable and lightweight compared to previous Pros.
The 15 Pro will also feature a customizable action button on the side of the phone where the mute toggle used to be.
The button can be programmed to perform a bunch of features, such as quickly opening the camera.
Apple claims the new A17 Pro chipset is 10 times more performance-heavy than its predecessors and comparable to some PCs.
This should make it even better for playing mobile games at a high resolution.
The iPhone 15 Pro comes with a 48MP camera a more advanced lens and a more advanced lens with 5x optical zoom.
Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing, said: ‘iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus represent a huge leap forward with exciting camera innovations that inspire creativity, the intuitive Dynamic Island, and features like Roadside Assistance via satellite that make a real difference in users’ lives.
‘We’re also pushing the power of computational photography to new levels this year with a 48MP Main camera featuring a new 24MP default for super-high-resolution photos, a new 2x Telephoto option, and next-generation portraits.’
The iPhone 15 and the larger iPhone 15 Plus, which starts at $899, feature a 48-megapixel main camera, capable of twice the telephoto option for capturing photos and 4K video, and the new A16 bionic chips.
The iPhone 15 Plus has a 6.7-inch display but the same features as the flagship model, which has a 6.1-inch screen.
Both smartphones feature new capabilities that let users take portraits without switching to Portrait mode.
An Apple executive said the company used machine learning to detect a person in the frame, allowing users to turn a picture into a portrait immediately or later in the Photos app.
‘When there’s a person, dog, or cat in the frame, or when a user taps to focus, iPhone automatically captures depth information, so users can turn photos into stunning portraits later in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac,’ Apple shared.
The new model has the Dynamic Island, a ‘pill-shaped’ cutout at the top of the display that shows notifications and activities – a feature only available in the high-end iPhone 14 lineup.
‘The elegant experience fluidly expands and adapts so users can see the next direction in Maps; easily control music; and, with third-party app integrations, get real-time updates on food delivery, ride-sharing, sports scores, travel plans, and more,’ Apple shared on Tuesday.
The iPhone 15 also has an OLED Super Retina display, which supports Dolby Vision content with 1,600 bits of brightness.
However, the peak brightness of this display is 2,000 nits in sunlight, which is double that of the iPhone 14.
While new colors have been added to the iPhone 15 lineup, the smartphones are the first to infuse shades throughout the back glass.
A new contoured edge on the aerospace-grade aluminum enclosure and the Ceramic Shield front cover. The device also features a water- and dust-resistant design.
