iPhone 15 Rumors: Release Date, Price, and Specs

Many of us are still getting used to all the features of iPhone 14 series devices, and yet it's already time to start talking about the iPhone 15. Rumors are swirling about the set of smartphones Apple will likely release later this year. Could this finally be the year that the iPhone gets USB-C? Will the phones' cameras feature super ultra mega zoom? Will they have better battery life?

We've gathered all the leaks and rumors here to help you gain an understanding of what to expect from the iPhone 15.

Apple iPhone 15 release date

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With few exceptions, Apple's big iPhone drops have typically fallen right in the middle of September. There are no signs that Apple is planning to buck the trend this year. Apple usually unveils its new set of flagship phones early in the month and ships it out on the following Friday. We're guessing the official release we'll be September 15. 2023.

iPhone 15 prices

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Despite screaming inflation over the past couple of years, Apple's iPhone prices have remained stable and we aren't expecting the iPhone 15 prices to increase. Looking back at the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 prices, the iPhone 15 starting prices will likely look like this:

• iPhone 15: $799
• iPhone 15 Plus: $899
• iPhone 15 Pro: $999
• iPhone 15 Pro Max: $1099

There are some rumblings that suggest the iPhone 15 Pros might see a $100 bump, but we're choosing to believe that isn't going to happen, if only because we don't want to pay $100 more. Fingers crossed.

iPhone 15 design and size

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Many industry experts and leakers believe that the iPhone 15 series will look similar to the iPhone 14, meaning the phones should feature a flat-screen and flat edges. However, leaker ShrimpApplePro claims to have information suggesting that the iPhone 15 series will have curved bezels transitioning to curved edges.

Well I have the result for the display design of the iPhone 15 series.
- all iPhone 15 series will have the same display sizes as iPhone 14 series
- pro 15 will have thinner bezels with curve edges, display is still flat tho, only the bezels is curve

— ShrimpApplePro 🍤 (@VNchocoTaco) January 21, 2023

This would be a departure from the more "boxy" feel of the past few generations of the iPhone.

The sizes of the iPhone 15 should match the iPhone 14. Expected iPhone 15 display sizes are as follows:

• iPhone 15: 6.1"
• iPhone 15 Plus: 6.7"
• iPhone 15 Pro: 6.1"
• iPhone 15 Pro Max: 6.7"

iPhone 15 colors

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There isn't really any buzz around the colors of the iPhone 15. You can expect a standard gray/black, but outside of that, there's no way of really knowing what Apple has in store. If Apple follows its pattern of the last couple of years, we could see a new color join the stable somewhere between the release of the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 16. 

What's new with the iPhone 15

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Alright, now that we have some of the basics out of the way, let's get into the juicy stuff. You want to know what is going to be new with the iPhone 15. So do we! Here's a look at what might be new with this year's new set of Apple smartphones.

USB-C

After years of speculation that Apple would swap out the Lightning cable for USB-C, it's looking like it's finally going to happen. This is partly (if not fully) because Apple is being forced to adapt USB-C to the iPhone in order to comply with an EU mandate that takes effect in 2024. There is some speculation that Apple might only have USB-C in areas that are enforcing universal charging across certain electronic devices (including smartphones). However, according to ShrimpApplePro, made-for-iPhone (MFI) devices are already in mass production that are strictly USB-C compatible.

While this will help people declutter by not needing multiple chargers,  Apple may still exert its power and slow down charging and transfer times on anything that is not a certified MFI accessory. Other rumors suggest that speeds will be faster for the Pro models.

Dynamic Island

The Dynamic Island isn't exactly new—Apple introduced the feature on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. However, the big news is that Dynamic Island is being added to the base iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models. This means that all iPhone 15 models will be free of any obtrusive notches.

Action button

There was a ton of speculation that Apple was getting ready to replace mechanical buttons on the iPhone (like the volume buttons) with solid-state buttons that use sensors and haptic feedback. Solid-state buttons aren't new to the iPhone—some models, starting with the iPhone 7, had a solid-state home button—but this would be the first time they'd be used on the sides of the iPhone.

Unfortunately, for anyone who was excited about this, it's now looking like Apple is not going to move forward on this plan for the iPhone 15 and instead push it to later iPhone models. Instead, Apple may introduce an action button similar to the action button you can find on the Apple Watch Ultra. This would replace the ring/silent switch and would act as a default mute button and allow users the opportunity to add a customizable second function.

Upgraded cameras

The iPhone 14 Pro models came with a significant camera upgrade when Apple switched out the main 12MP lens that had been a staple in all iPhones for years for a 48MP lens. The base iPhone 14 and 14 Plus models did not get this upgrade. This year, however, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus is likely to get the 48MP lens.

Zoom, zoom, zoom

As great as smartphone cameras have become, they still have their shortcomings—the biggest of these being optical zoom. Apple seems ready to improve the iPhone's optical zoom by including a periscope lens on the iPhone 15 Pro models. This upgrade will likely not be included with the iPhone 15 base models.

A17 chip

With the new unveiling of the flagship iPhone series, we typically see a new version of Apple's mobile chipset. The new A17 is almost certainly going to be included with the iPhone 15 series, but it probably won't come with all models.

When the iPhone 14 series was released, only the Pro models got the chip upgrade to the A16 while the base models came with upgraded versions of the A15. For the iPhone 15 series, we'll likely see the pro models get the A17 and the base models get improved A16 chips.

iOS 17

In June, Apple is all but certain to unveil iOS 17 and release a beta version to developers at its Worldwide Developers Conference. So, we aren't going to need to wait too long to learn about some of the new features. You can expect a final version of the operating system to ship out with the iPhone 15 series.

Should you wait for the iPhone 15?

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If you're ready for a new phone—your current phone will not keep a charge, is damaged, or isn't supported by the latest software updates—you probably shouldn't wait to get the iPhone 15. While there are some decent upgrades, they aren't big enough to justify keeping an unusable phone for months. The iPhone 14 series gives you great options and you can score a great deal on any model.

On the other hand, if your phone is perfectly fine, you might want to go ahead and wait for the iPhone 15. You'll get to play with the latest and greatest of the iPhone lineup. In the meantime, if you are happy with your phone but want to save some money, why not bring your phone to another carrier with a cheaper plan? Here are some of the most popular phone plans available right now: