Apple has officially lifted the lid on its latest generation of iPhones; meet the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. As always, they're the best iPhones yet – according to Apple, of course.
With an all-new design complete with the dynamic island, the iPhone 15 comes in five finishes: pink, green, blue, yellow and black, with a new rounded chassis and textured matte glass back panel. USB-C has taken the place of lightning this time around for wired charging, while MagSafe sticks around for easy alignment with wireless charging.
Upgrades for the Super Retina XDR OLED display are also on board, with a new peak brightness of 2000 nits outdoors and 1600 nits standard for improved Dolby Vision HDR performance. Camera upgrades are also on board with a new 48-megapixel main camera (pixel binned down to half the resolution at 24 megapixels), meaning sharper and brighter photos should be capable.
Powered by the A16 chip found in iPhone 14 Pro Max, the iPhone 15 should be snappier, and the iPhone 15 Plus now has a bigger battery to back up the supposed improved performance.
New iPhone Pro models have also been confirmed: the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. A design upgrade that's centred on a premium titanium chassis is the headline feature here, alongside thinner bezels for a more immersive display.
Starting with the build, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max feature an updated design from the 14 Pro. Coming in two screen sizes, 6.3 inches and 6.7 inches, the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Max come in four finishes: black, white, blue and natural titanium. An iconic aspect of the iPhone's design, the mute switch, has been replaced by a programmable action button, although there's still the option to mute your phone's ringer with a long press. They also feature a more rounded design, much like their non-Pro counterparts.
Moving onto the iPhone 15 Pro's display, ProMotion returns for high refresh rate scrolling, something we'd like to see on the standard models at some point. Not much has been shared about screen performance during Apple's launch event, but considering the Super Retina XDR OLED display helped it win a What Hi-Fi? Award last year, we're expecting big things.
Apple has highlighted a new AV1 core that's part of the A17 Pro chipset, which it claims will enhance the picture quality while streaming content on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Elsewhere, the new chip has allowed for claimed performance gains that would be truly impressive and could mean a big step up for iPhone gaming. Apple confirms that big-budget console games like Resident Evil Village and Assassin's Creed: Mirrage will come to the iPhone – could this be the best gaming phone we've ever seen?
As usual, camera upgrades are also touted by Apple. The iPhone 15 Pro models use a larger sensor than the standard iPhone 15, although it retains the same 48-megapixel rating. You can shoot in three focal lengths on the iPhone 15 Pro; 24mm, 28mm and 35mm with the option to select a default setting in order to jump into high-spec smartphone photography. The iPhone 15 Pro Max gets an exclusive 5x telephoto lens for an industry-first 120mm focal length option.
And there's good news when it comes to pricing, as the iPhone 15 series is actually cheaper in the UK this year, after a price hike last year for the iPhone 14.
iPhone 15 prices
- iPhone 15: £799 / $799 / AU$1499
- iPhone 15 Plus: £899 / $899 / AU$1649
- iPhone 15 Pro: £999 / $999 / AU$1849
- iPhone 15 Pro Max: £1199 / $1199 / AU$2199
iPhone 15 pre-orders start this Friday, with a release date and general sale set for the 22nd September.
MORE:
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Plus: what's the difference?
Read our full Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max review
As well as our Apple iPhone 14 review
And check out our list of the best iPhones