Apple iPhone 15 Leaks, Upgrades and Rumors

Last Updated on September 27, 2022 by Sohail Qaisar

It’s been two weeks after Apple’s September event, and I can already say that this year’s editions are controversial. I’ve combined all trustworthy leaks into one article to give you a glimpse at the future iPhone 15 lineup months before release. And with all existing leaks about next year’s iPhones, we can expect pretty noticeable changes across the board. Let’s look closer at old rumors and leaks and try to find out how everything will change in 2023.

The newly introduced updates to iPhones have a varying degree of necessity. Regular Non-pro models didn’t see any substantial improvement. The camera module remained the same. The design, even the processor, is roughly identical performance wise. This is truly a minor upgrade for cheaper models. Pro iPhones, however, have seen more noticeable improvements; new processor, new 48 megapixel main camera, new screen, Dynamic Island and all that. That’s an upgrade you want to spend money on. Yet next year’s iPhones should be even crazier!

Upcoming iPhone 15 new additions & changes

Let’s look at a major addition that will be seen in all iPhones – USB Type-C finally. I hope you’ve probably heard that Europe has mandated that all gadgets from 2023 should be equipped with a USB type-C charging board. Apple didn’t manage to find a way around that law. No one did. This can mean only one thing. The iPhone 15 will be equipped with a universal USB type-C. This will make a huge difference both for professionals and ordinary users. Since 2023, you will need only one cable, one cable to charge all devices.

One Comparing lightning to USB type-c we can easily see a technical difference that changes everything – the number of pins. The USB type-c simply has more. This means faster charging and increased transfer speeds. Maybe professionals will finally progress in Dolby vision with some degree of comfort. We can only hope for it to be as fast as it is on pro iPads. At least it would be much easier to transfer these files via cable instead of sending them over airdrop which takes ages.

Current charging is limited to 27 watts, but the introduction of Type-c could greatly improve this number and make refueling iPhones less painful and time consuming. Yeah, there are two obstacles that can prevent that from happening; Greed and Magsafe. Apple loves money, right? The main reason for them to leave lightning in iPhones is pure greed. They’re making tons of money from MFI certified cables, so switching to free standard USB type-c will make Apple’s pockets not assembly lighter. That’s where Magsafe comes in.

Maybe I’m getting carried away from the point; but nevertheless, let’s look at less likely happening scenario. How many years have we been hearing about port less iPhones? There is a slight chance that this drastic change can happen in 2023. The MAGSAFE could become a great solution for Apple since it can be MFI certified and is proprietary to iPhones, but it can transfer data. That’s a pity. So Apple could upgrade the charging power of the MAGSAFE and increase the Airdrops’ transfer speeds and eliminate a charging port completely. They will still earn money from more expensive Magsafe cables, thus preserving that source of huge revenue.

But I’m skeptical about that. Portland’s iPhones do sound too surreal, especially for Apple, so it should be pretty obvious that USB type-c is going to be the new big change we’ll see next year. Here is another thing that will make new iPhones great hole-punch. There has been a rumor by Russ Young that the Non-pro iPhone 15 will also get a hole-punch design. This means only one thing. The Dynamic Island will be a central part of Apple’s design language in terms of screens and interfaces. This will be a solid upgrade and the force more users to upgrade. But don’t expect an always on display. It will surely stay the feature only available on pro iPhones.

Base models will stay at 60 hertz, possibly with the same 825 nits’ brightness. There is no concrete proof to back this up, but I do believe that Apple is trying to unify the design as much as possible and make the lineup more coherent. It would be hard to sell a phone with a notch in 2023, when hole-punch has been around for a year. The Notch would remain only in previous gen iPhones like 13 and 14. The reason for me to believe in Ross Young’s words is that he was right about the hole-punch in the 14 pro models long before other leakers have confirmed that.

iPhone 15 Camera Upgrades

The camera system will receive a huge upgrade, but only on pro models. Regular iPhones will have the same 12 megapixel resolution, but with significantly better sensors. It’s a good practice now for Apple to adopt cameras from last year’s pro model into a regular one. It happened with 12 pro and 13, 13 pro and 14 and will definitely happen with iPhone 14, pro and iPhone 15. Pro models, on the other hand, could get all three modules upgraded to 48 megapixels. This will be a great reason to upgrade for all pro users.

The front-facing camera will not get a spec bump, only software improvements. It will shoot better and crisper photos. But I can. Some consider that to be an important improvement to discuss. But what about those rumors about Periscope cameras? It appears to me that Apple has trouble designing such lens systems because they are constantly interfering with existing patents. It would be really difficult to pull it off, but we can dream about improved telephoto. Yet some leakers assume that the Periscope camera will be exclusive only to iPhone 15 pro max, which is unfortunate.

Maybe they will use the same methods as they did with 14 pro dropping the sensor, then bumping up the resolution of a telephoto camera. Up to 48 megapixels will allow for a 6x zoom. This can be a plausible solution, but no cropping can be the optics. Let’s hope for the best, Right?

iPhone 15 Performance Upgrades

The performance will also receive an upgrade. A 17 chip and pro models will be the first apple chip that will use a three nanometer node. This will give a 10-15 percent boost in performance and improve battery life. Regular iPhone 15 models will adopt the A16 chip from iPhone 14 pro. I consider talking about the performance gains to be a redundant activity since iPhones are too far ahead of competitors; these generational leaps in performance are simply unnoticeable during normal usage for regular users. So let’s move on to connectivity.

The new iPhone 15 is rumored to feature Apple designed 5G modem. It’s no secret to anyone that there were certain problems in the past with modems made by Qualcomm, and Apple is trying to eliminate that weak point as soon as possible. With Apple’s custom made 5G modem, we should expect better data transfer speeds, improved power efficiency and range and overall better integration of all components. Additionally, we should expect improvements to satellite connectivity features. The range should get better, the connection stronger and more stable.

iPhone 15 Design Leaks  

The one thing that will probably remain unchanged is the design. Pro iPhones will likely have the same camera layout, but we hope that the base iPhone 15 will get at least smaller changes in that dominion. Change the camera layout, Apple, we’re begging you. Give us something new, tactile and sensational. We are starving for new designs. If you are a tech savvy person, you probably remember the rumors that Apple is working on AR and VR. Leakers expect Apple to release a fully VR headset and air focused glasses in 2023. Those glasses could be an additional device at first, just like it was with the Apple Watch.

So the newest iPhones will be designed to be a perfect companion. I do not think it will bring any additional sensors to the iPhone, but software wise there may be alterations. It seems that Apple is going to bring back the strategy they had with the iPhone 12 series. Pro models will have only slight differences from ordinary ones, and the pro max will be the ultimate beast. It’s important to remember that everything we’ve talked about is rumors and leaks. So take them with a grain of salt. Rumors are rumors, but they’ll have some truth in them.

Should you upgrade from iPhone 14 to iPhone 15?

Okay, let’s sum everything up. Hole-Punch and Dynamic Island on all four iPhones, better cameras on pro models, periscope camera on pro max, improved performance and connectivity USB type-c as standard faster charging and data transfers. Will that be enough for you to ditch your current phone and upgrade?

It looks like next year will be perfect for upgrading your phone. The stuff I said is very plausible to happen, so if you were planning on upgrading, wait another year. There is no point in buying what is essentially the same phone now when you can buy a much better phone next year. If you are an owner of an iPhone 12 and newer, postpone your orders. If you buy an iPhone 14 now you will feel like such a fool. Next year everyone will have type-c and hole-punch screens. While you will be rocking that notch, think wisely about purchasing an iPhone 14 now because the iPhone 15 will get crazy. So stay tuned for updates. We’ll continue to supply you with more high quality content in the future.

Sohail Qaisar

Sohail Qaisar is the founder and managing editor of TechBead, he founded TechBead in 2011. He is a tech geek, social media enthusiast and gaming addict. Contact him on the following email address: contact@techbead.com

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