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It’s September, so Spring is in the air and Apple has announced its latest batch of iPhones. The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max were all confirmed overnight at the Apple “Wonderlust” event in Cupertino.
So what you expect from these new handsets? Let’s break it down.
Apple iPhone 15
The base model of the new range, the iPhone 15 has the same size 6.1-inch screen as the iPhone 14, but has some subtle design changes around the panel.
There’s a new contoured edge on the aluminium enclosure, and the back glass has a nice matte finish from a unique colour-infusion technique.
The dynamic island functionality, which first appeared in the iPhone 14 Pro models, is now available on all iPhone 15 models. This offers different alerts based on real-time events, from navigation in maps to updates on your Uber Eats delivery.
The camera system also benefits from an update. You get a main 48MP camera, with a quad-pixel sensor for fast autofocus. Through software, you can enjoy additional zoom levels at optical-level quality.
And as expected, the iPhone 15 has moved to a USB-C connector. Farewell, Lightning adapter.
Apple iPhone 15 Plus
Look, it’s the same as the iPhone 15, but bigger. You get a 6.7-inch screen and a larger battery inside (though Apple won’t say how big that battery is), plus all the same goodies as the iPhone 15.
Both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are powered by the A16 Bionic processor, which allows for functions like the dynamic island and advanced photography features.
Both models also have a new second-gen ultra-wideband chip, which allows two iPhones with the chip to connect at further distances. This is useful for finding friends in crowds, among other things.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Built with aerospace-grade titanium, the iPhone 15 Pro is the lightest iPhone Pro model released so far from Apple.
It comes with a customisable action button replacing the silence switch historically found on the right hand side of the phone. The button can be used for anything from launching the camera to switching Focus modes to activating the flashlight. Haptic feedback and the Dynamic Island help ensure you launch the right function.
The new A17 Pro that powers the iPhone 15 Pro is the industry’s first 3-nanometer chip and includes enormous improvements to the GPU. It will allow for console-level games to come to the iPhone, with titles like Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4, Death Stranding, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage all confirmed.
The iPhone 15 Pro’s camera will let you choose between three focal lengths (24mm, 28mm, and 35mm) and set one as your preferred default. There’s a 3x telephoto zoom as well.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
Just like the 15 Pro, but bigger. The 6.7-inch display (compared to the 6.1-inches of the 15 Pro) and bigger battery capacity mark this as the Max model.
But the other key difference is in the camera system. The iPhone 15 Pro Max features the longest optical zoom ever on the iPhone: 5x at 120mm.
This is thanks to a new tetraprism design with a combined optical image stabilisation and autofocus 3D sensor-shift module. It makes it the ideal phone camera for wildlife shooting or really closeup photos.
Pricing and availability
The new iPhones are all set to launch in Australia on 22 September, with pre-orders available from Friday 15 September.
As time moves on, I expect we’ll see these models arrive in our list of best phones very soon.
As for price, this table is the easiest way to break it down:
| Phone | Price |
|---|---|
| Apple iPhone 15 (128GB) | $1,499 |
| Apple iPhone 15 (256GB) | $1,699 |
| Apple iPhone 15 (512GB) | $2,049 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus (128GB) | $1,649 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus (256GB) | $1,849 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus (512GB) | $2,199 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro (128GB) | $1,849 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro (256GB) | $2,049 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro (512GB) | $2,399 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro (1TB) | $2,749 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB) | $2,199 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (512GB) | $2,549 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (1TB) | $2,899 |
