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Apple unveiled and released the iPhone 15 series in September 2023 with tons of new features that elevate the experience in comparison with the previous iPhone 14 series and set the stage for the upcoming iPhone 16 series. With improved cameras, a unified Dynamic Island design across all iPhone 15 models, faster chips (including the first 3nm Apple A17 Pro chipset), and mostly unchanged pricing in comparison with the previous iPhone 15 generation, the iPhone 15 family is the new benchmark on the phone market.
Summary: iPhone 15 series at a glance
Apple has unveiled four new iPhone 15 models, closely following the previous iPhone 14 release to the dot. We got an iPhone 15, an iPhone 15 Plus, an iPhone 15 Pro, and the top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro Max. All iPhone 15 models this year start with 128GB of native storage, except for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which has 256GB of storage in the starting version.
As we mentioned, the iPhone 15 pricing is mostly unchanged in comparison with the iPhone 14 series that was released in 2022. The base iPhone 15 is the most affordable one, starting at $799, while the iPhone 15 Plus is slightly larger and starts at $899. The more premium iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, while the top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro Max sells for $1,199. That's slightly more than last year's iPhone 14 Pro Max, but the storage is doubled on the new model, too.
Here is a summary of the 10 biggest new iPhone 15 features:
USB-C port replaces Lightning on all iPhone 15 models
All four iPhone 15 models use the Dynamic Island cutout
iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are powered by the older A16 chip
iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max run on the newer 3nm A17 chip
The Pro models use titanium instead of stainless steel, which reduces weight
iPhone 15 Pro models replace the mute switch with a new programmable Action Button
Slightly larger battery size, better battery life in contrast with iPhone 14 series
(iPhone 15 Pro Max only) A new periscope camera with longer zoom range
Regular iPhone 15 models get an upgraded main camera with a 48MP sensor
iPhone 15 Official market release date: September 22nd, 2023
The Wonderlust event: Apple unveiled the new iPhone 15 series on September 12th at a special event it called "Wonderlust". Along with the new iPhones, we also saw a new Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9, as well as new AirPods with a USB-C port.
Just as expected: Overall, this iPhone 15 timing falls in line with the company's yearlong tradition to unveil new iPhones in early September and release them the next Friday after the announcement week, so Apple sticks with its tried and true plan.
Official market release: Pre-orders for all iPhone 15 models opened on Friday, September 15th, while the official release date in stores took place on Friday, September 22nd. Ever since then, all iPhone 15 models have been available both at Apple's own stores and multiple other online and brick-and-mortar retailers and distribution partners.
No changes, except for the iPhone 15 Pro Max: Apple didn't change the pricing strategy for its latest devices. Despite the rumors, prices remained unchanged. Only the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199, which is $100 more than the iPhone 14 Pro Max cost at launch. However, the iPhone 14 Pro Max came with 128GB of base storage, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max model comes with 256GB of storage, so the price increase is justified in this situation.
Price hike rumors: In the lead-up to the event, multiple rumors claimed Apple will increase prices, but luckily this has not happened. Honestly, rumors about an iPhone price hike are usually the norm rather than the exception before the release of new iPhones, so these rumors are always expected.
Multiple ways to save money: Although iPhones don't always get price discounts on the regular like other phones, there are still ways to save. For the most recent ways to save on any of the iPhone 15 models, feel free to check out our regularly updated iPhone 15 deals roundup.
Pricing breakdown by model and storage: Below you will find the breakdown of the iPhone 15 pricing depending on the model and available native storage.
Apple iPhone model
128GB of storage
256GB of storage
512GB of storage
1TB of storage
iPhone 15
$799
$899
$1099
-
iPhone 15 Plus
$899
$999
$1199
iPhone 15 Pro
$999
$1099
$1299
$1499
iPhone 15 Pro Max
-
$1199
$1399
$1599
iPhone 14
$799
$899
$999
-
iPhone 14 Plus
$899
$999
$1099
-
iPhone 14 Pro
$999
$1099
$1299
$1499
iPhone 14 Pro Max
$1099
$1199
$1399
$1599
iPhone 15 Specs
Slowly evolving hardware: Apple doesn't like surprises. That's why the majority of hardware and technical specification are mostly similar to the iPhone 14 models that were released before that.
iPhone 15 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Plus — Is it worth spending $300 more on the Pro Max when the iPhone 15 Plus has received a number of big upgrades that almost close the gap? We investigate.
iPhone 15 Pro Max vs 14 Pro Max — What are the differences between the new iPhone 15 Pro Max and the previous 14 Pro Max model? And should you upgrade?
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro — What's new in the smaller iPhone 15 Pro model when compared against the previous generation 14 Pro?
iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 — What are the differences between the two compact iPhones, the Pro and the non-Pro version? And is the $200 difference between the two justified?
iPhone 15 Plus vs iPhone 14 Plus — We compare the new Plus model against its predecessor and explore how a new chip, new camera, a Dynamic Island and USB-C change the equation.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 14 — A comparison between the vanilla iPhone 15 and the previous generation iPhone 14.
iPhone 15 vs iPhone 13 mini — The iPhone 13 mini is now discontinued, but for those looking to upgrade we explore all the differences with the new iPhone 15 which is the most likely replacement.
iPhone 15 vs Galaxy S23 — We pit the regular Galaxy S23 against the iPhone 15. These are sold at the same price, but does one have an advantage over the other when it comes to features?
In what colors is the iPhone 15 available?
Below, you can find all the new color options for the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus:
iPhone 15 and 15 Plus color options - black, blue, green, yellow, pink (from left to right)
Black
Blue
Green
Yellow
Pink
And here are the four new color versions for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max:
iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max color options
Natural Titanium (lighter gray)
Blue Titanium
White Titanium
Black Titanium
Which of these would you go for?
What is the iPhone 15 battery capacity?
iPhone 15 series
iPhone 14 series
iPhone 15: 3,349 mAh (+2.1%)
iPhone 14: 3,279 mAh
iPhone 15 Plus: 4,383 mAh (+1.3%)
iPhone 14 Plus: 4,325 mAh
iPhone 15 Pro: 3,274 mAh (+2.3%)
iPhone 14 Pro: 3,200 mAh
iPhone 15 Pro Max: 4,422 mAh (+2.3%)
iPhone 14 Pro Max: 4,323 mAh
Increased battery capacity: All four iPhone 15 models come with slightly larger battery sizes when compared to the previous iPhone 14 generation models. However, the changes are marginal and negligible, ranging between 1.3 and 2.3% on all models. Still, this helps them achieve excellent battery life nonetheless.
The largest battery on an iPhone ever: The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a 4,422mAh battery, the largest among all iPhones ever released thus far. It surely helps this premium iPhone model last a long time, outclassing its predecessors in terms of battery life. The iPhone 15 Plus ships with a slightly smaller 4,383mAh battery compared to the 15 Pro Max.
Compact but durable: The iPhone 15 Pro ships with a 3,274mAh battery cell, another slight upgrade from the previous generation. Finally, the vanilla iPhone 15 model has a 3,349mAh battery, up from a 3,279mAh battery size on the iPhone 14.
What this means for you: Naturally, having a larger battery and more efficient chipsets means that the iPhone 15 models will last longer on a single charge, which is always a welcome outcome.
Still rather slow charging: All four iPhone 15 models officially support 20W charging speeds, but unofficially the Pro models can charge slightly faster at up to 25 watts. All four models also support MagSafe wireless charging as well as Qi wireless charging, but keep in mind that wireless charging is slower compared to wired charge.
iPhone 15 camera
24MP 1X photos, or double the resolution on all four models
New automatic Portrait mode (if you have a person or pet in a photo)
iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models get a new and larger than before 48MP sensor, as well as 2X (52mm) sensor crop
iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max get new 1.2X (28mm) and 1.5X (35mm) sensor crop modes
Exclusive for iPhone 15 Pro Max: New 5X (120mm) tetraprism zoom camera
Recording video directly to an external drive via USB-C
Dual versus triple cameras once again: The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models come with two cameras on the back, while the Pro and Pro Max models have three cameras. This differentiating factor has been around since the iPhone 11 days and is unlikely to change soon.
Don't make a mistake: If you go for the Pro models, you should know that the smaller 15 Pro model features the familiar 3X zoom lens with some improvements, while the larger 15 Pro Max model uses a new 5X zoom lens instead, which gives you a lot more reach (but of course quality in the 3X to 4.9X range will be a bit worse than on the smaller model).
The iPhone 15 Pro has been left behind: Because of the larger size of that new camera, this year Apple is only using it in the Pro model, while some speculate that next year both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have that new 5X zoom lens.
Camera Specs
Specs
Wide camera
48MP on 15 and 15 Plus *f/1.6 aperture *2X sensor crop
48MP on 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max *f/1.78 aperture *new 1.2X and 1.5X optical quality focal lengths
Ultra-wide
12MP, f/2.4 on 15 and 15 Plus
13.4MP, f/2.2 on 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
Telephoto
12MP, f/2.8, 3X zoom *on 15 Pro
Telephoto #2
12MP 5X zoom periscope *on 15 Pro Max
Front camera
12MP, f/1.9, auto-focus
The affordable iPhones finally get some love: With the new 48MP sensor on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models, Apple addresses the biggest weakness of these phones - the detail.
You can capture a full resolution 48-megapixel picture, but most of the time you will probably use the new default 24MP resolution. HEIF photos at 24MP have a size of roughly 3MB per photo, compared to 2MB file sizes if you opt for 12MP shots, so the difference is not all that big. 24MP is ultimately a great middle ground and makes a noticeable difference with detail.
Zoom on the affordable iPhones, sort of: The other big news is that you get 2X sensor crop for optical grade quality without an actual telephoto camera. Behind the scenes, a new Smart HDR modes helps improve dynamic range too.
All of this enables a next generation Portrait Mode. You can shoot either 1X or 2X portrait mode on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus now. Best of all, you no longer need to manually capture the image in portrait mode as machine learning detects when there is a person or a pet in the image and allows you to turn any picture into a portrait mode photo, right after you capture it. Impressive!
Of course, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the cream of the crop: The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max get all of the new camera features of the vanilla models, plus a few additional ones. They use a slightly larger 48-megapixel main camera sensor with new nanoscale coating that helps reduce the dreaded iPhone lens flare, and the focal length on the Pro models is slightly wider. The main party trick of the Pro models is that they can now do 1.2X and 1.5X sensor crop, which we have been using a lot.
Finally a longer zoom: As for that new 5X zoom lens, it's exclusive on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and it's best used for close-ups, wildlife photos and sports action, but of course, you can get creative. This unlocks multiple shooting scenarios that were previously unavailable on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, so if you're willing to maximize the versatility in terms of photography, then the iPhone 15 Pro Max is for you.
Vastly improved optical stabilization: It uses a tetra-prism design, so light reflects four times before hitting the sensor and this creates enough separation for the longer zoom. It has the most advanced stabilization on a phone lens with a brand new 3D sensor shift module, meaning it moves in all three directions.
What are the best iPhone 15 accessories?
You can buy iPhone 15 cases and other accessories from Apple or many other third party companies.
The big news in the world of Apple accessories is that Apple is no longer offering a leather case option for the iPhone 15 series. The company is discontinuing the leather in favor of a new more environmentally friendly "FineWoven" material. It feels completely different than leather with a bit of a textile feel, but initial reviews are critical as it scratches easily and those scratch marks remain very visible after that. This new material would probably be just fine if it was used in a cheap case, but not so much in a premium, $60 case.
Of course, third party companies will gladly still offer you leather cases and every other kind, and many people will also want to buy a screen protector.
We have an article where we go in-depth with all the best iPhone 15 cases, so make sure to check it out.
What are the best iPhone 15 deals?
There are already various iPhone 15 deals available. For some, you need to trade-in an eligible device and get a discount, and there are other offers as well.
At carriers, AT&T will cut up to $1,000 off the price of a new iPhone 15 Pro Max with a trade-in, while Verizon offers a trade-in bonus of up to $800. At T-Mobile, you also get similar trade-in offers with discounts of up to $1,000.
Should I get the iPhone 15?
You should get the iPhone 15 if... well, if you want the latest and greatest iPhone of course. The Pro models come with 120Hz ProMotion as well as a telephoto camera, and offer a few pro features like ProRAW and ProRes, as well as faster USB 3 data transfers and a cool new Action Button. The regular models, however, are also excellent value and they have received one of the biggest upgrades ever for a non-Pro model with that new 48MP main camera sensor, and they also feature a Dynamic Island now and a USB-C port.
You should NOT get the iPhone 15 if you don't care so much about extreme performance or cameras. The battery life and charging speeds have not changed, and the phones still look very much as previous generations.
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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.
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