Apple unveils upgraded and more powerful iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models

Apple today unveiled the highly anticipated iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro at Apple Park which has a better camera, a faster processor, an improved display and all all-new USB-C charging port.

Tim Cook kicked off the event at the Steve Jobs Theatre before launching into a pre-recorded presentation that introduced the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro along with the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

But the iPhone 15 was the star of the show with numerous changes and upgrades and a range of brand new colours.

Screen sizes have remained the same at 6.1-inch (iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro) and 6.7-inch (iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max).

The new iPhones will go on sale on September 22 and will start at $1,499 (iPhone 15), $1,649 (iPhone 15 Plus), $1,849 (iPhone 15 Pro) and $2,199 (iPhone 15 Pro Max).

DESIGN

Apple has made several subtle changes with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro including contoured edges.

With the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple has moved away from surgical grade stainless steel edges and replaced it with the equally durable but lighter Grade 5 titanium which now offers a brushed matte finish.

This change alone has made the iPhone 15 Pro much lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro.

On the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple has also replaced the switch used to silent the iPhone on the left edge – a feature that has been there since the original iPhone was released in 2007 – with an Action Button.

This programmable key allows users to designate actions like turning on the camera and activating silent mode or opening apps like the voice recorder to record your thoughts, other favourite apps or to trigger a series of shortcuts.

iPhone 15 has a has a new colour infused finish to provides a textured matte finish.

USB-C CHARGING PORT

For the first time in 11 years Apple has changed the charging port from Lightning to USB-C which brings the iPhone 15 in line with Apple’s iPads which have already been shifted to USB-C.

The new USB-C port on the iPhone 15 Pro models will also offer faster data transfers at up to 10Gbps thanks to a USB-C controller on the device’s chip.

DISPLAY

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have new Super Retina XDR displays with even thinner bezels that now makes the screen look like it goes edge to edge.

There is now also a subtle contoured edge of the screen above the new titanium frame.

The Dynamic Island introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro models are still there with the iPhone 15 Pro models but has now been included with the new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.

The Dynamic Island can adjust and expand for your notification and provide at a glance the media you’re playing.,

PROCESSOR

The new iPhone 15 Pro is powered by Apple’s own A17 Pro which incorporates a 3nm processor with 19 billion transistors and offers a 10 per cent speed improvement over the A16.

The iPhone 15 will be powered by the A16 chip that was aboard the iPhone 14 Pro.

Also onboard all the new iPhones is the second generation ultra-wideband chip to make it even more accurate to track with the Find My app so you can find your devices and friends even faster.

The iPhone 15 Pro models will also be faster on wireless networks thanks to the upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E.

CAMERA

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has had the biggest camera update with the introduction of a Tetra Prism lens to offer up 5x optical zoom at 120mm focal length. It also has a 25 per cent larger sensor.

The feature is only available on the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max which is larger and has more room under the hood to fit in the new lens system.

Stabilisation has also been improved with 10,000 micro adjustments per second ensuring your videos are rock steady and photos pin sharp.

Another new feature for the iPhone 15 Pro is the ability to shoot Spatial Video which can then be enjoyed in its 3D glory on the Apple Vision Pro headset which was introduced recently at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

The new USB-C connection can now be used for faster transfer or ProRes video and ProRaw images.

With the new port it is also possible to shoot and transfer to Mac with a cable and shoot ProRes video directly to a connected external storage drive in 4K at up to 60fps.

The iPhone 15 main camera has been upgraded to 48-megapixel with a quad pixel sensor and 100 per cent focus pixels.

Computational photography also comes into play and groups every four pixels together for better light capture.

OTHER FEATURES 

The new iPhone 15 Pro also introduced a new voice isolation feature which, when activated in a crowded and noisy environment, can eliminate the background noise so the caller can just hear your voice.

Emergency SOS via satellite was introduced with the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 15 takes it in a new direction with Roadside Assistance via SOS which allows drivers to seek help when outside cellular range. In the US, this new service is being supported by AAA.

COLOURS

The new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available in some new colours – black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium.

iPhone 15 will be available in yellow, pink, green, blue and black

PRICING

The new iPhone 15 will be priced at $1,499 (128GB), $1,699 (256GB) and $2,049 (512GB).

iPhone 15 Plus is priced at $1,649 (128GB), $1,849 (256GB0 and $2,199 (512GB).

iPhone 15 Pro is priced at $1,849 (128GB), $2,049 (256GB) and $2,399 (512GB) and $2,749 (1TB).

iPhone 15 Pro Max is priced at $2,199 (256GB) and $2,549 (512GB) and $2,899 (1TB).

* Stephen Fenech travelled to Cupertino for the Apple Event as a guest of Apple