September is just around the corner, which usually means Apple is readying new iPhones and possibly more. Here’s the latest on what we think we know about the iPhone 15 line.
For the past five years, Apple has consistently unveiled its iPhone lineup in the fall, with four out of those five introductions taking place in September. This yearly tradition gets plenty of people excited as they anticipate what new features and upgrades Apple will bring to its smartphones and other products. There are some things that are improved every year, like a redesigned processor or a tweaked camera arrangement. Every once in a while, we get more significant changes like total redesigns, Face ID, and Dynamic Island.
Since the iPhone relies on myriad components and Apple gives at least some information to third-party manufacturers to make said parts, rumors and leaks always pop up about the next generation of Apple iPhones from various sources ahead of their official debuts. We’ve collected the iPhone 15 reports that come from people with good track records and seem more plausible than not. Here they are.It’ll Be Announced September 13 or 14
Apple has been fairly consistent with the timing of its iPhone launches. Now, a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests Apple will announce the iPhone 15 family on either Tuesday, September 13, or Wednesday, September 14, with the retail launch slated for Friday, September 22. That falls right in line with the expected annual timeframe.
Another report, this one from 9to5Mac, claims “mobile carriers have been asking employees not to take days off on September 13 due to a major smartphone announcement.” Apple and its carrier partners often block out vacations around iPhone launches, so this tracks.
However, a report from 9to5Mac says that the top-of-the-line model, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, may ship later than the others. That would be due to problems getting image sensors from Sony. The iPhone 15 Pro Max could be delayed until October.2TB of Storage on Offer?
A fresh rumor claims the top iPhone 15 Pro model will be available with up to 2TB of internal storage. Critically, Apple will double the storage allotments for iPhone 15 Pro models across the pricing tiers. The entry-level iPhone 15 Pro will ship with 256GB, followed by 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB options. This could be to help increase the iPhone’s appeal as a video capture device, as its Pro Res recording mode (when shooting 4K60 video) chews through storage rapidly. USB-C Finally Comes to iPhone
According to a number of reports, the iPhone 15 will ship with a USB-C port, replacing the long-standing Lightning connector introduced in 2012. This was just a matter of time, as the EU mandated that all phones, tablets, and cameras must use USB-C by 2024. A tweet by the reliable ShrimpApplePro says that the iPhone 15’s USB-C will be locked to its MFi certification, meaning that uncertified cables will be “software limited in data and charging speed.” We’re not sure that follows the intent of the EU’s mandate, but Apple gonna Apple.
Added to that, a report by ChargerLab says that the USB-C socket could support Thunderbolt/USB 4 which would top out at 40Gbps for data transfers. ChargerLab bases this conclusion on possible leaked images of PCBs. That speed would be useful for transfering all kinds of files when wired to another device; this feature is already supported on the latest iPad Pro line.