Apple has set the date and time for the launch of the new iPhone. The iPhone 15 event will take place as a hybrid event at 3:00AM on 3 September 2023 for Australians. If you happen to be in Cupertino, that’s a much more civilised September 12 at 10:00AM Pacific Time.
What is Wonderlust?
Apple’s marketing and PR team has made a clever play on words here. The correct term is ‘wanderlust’ – a strong desire to travel. But a simple change of a single letter suggests Apple is seeing the iPhone 15 as a step-change from the iPhone 14.
The iPhone 14 was considered by many to be quite a lacklustre update with very few differences to its predecessor. While the internals of the iPhone were massively changed, it was outwardly identical to the iPhone 13.
I’d suggest the name points to something Apple will consider wonderful. Whether we all agree remains to be seen.
What can we expect from the iPhone 15?
New iPhones will be more repairable
Apple has been responding to the push for improved repairability so we can expect it to continue the trend that started with the iPhone 14 and continued with the HomePod. More recently, Apple has signalled its support for Right to Repair laws in California.
Apple also has a Self Service Repair program that enables users to order spare parts for repairs. And there’s also Apple’s battery replacement program which can greatly enhance device longevity. For many users, it’s the battery that fails before anything else.
Other new laws proposed in the EU are pushing for user-replaceable batteries. Specifically, the new legislation has an objective of getting portable device makers of “Designing portable batteries in appliances in such a way that consumers can themselves easily remove and replace them.”
Apple’s internal redesigns to aid repairability may be a step in that direction.
A new System on a Chip
We can expect the iPhone 15 Pro to get a new A17 Bionic chip (if that moniker continues).
If Apple follow the same pattern as last lear, the iPhone 15 will get last year’s A16 Bionic, creating some performance differentiation between the Pro and base models.
USB-C will come
Changes in laws in the European Union have made USB-C all but mandatory for Apple. While the new laws don’t come into effect till 2024, Apple will need to make the move with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro if it wants to sell new iPhones in the EU next year.
The iPhone 15 Pro may be made of titanium
Apple is expected to continue its focus on using the best materials for its hardware. The Apple Watch Ultra was differentiated from the rest of the Apple Watch range by the use titanium for its casing.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the iPhone 15 Pro could ditch stainless steel and be made from titanium to further differentiate itself from the base models.
The Action Button
Apple introduced a new button for the Apple Watch with the Apple Watch Ultra. This programmable button can be used to trigger a specific app or some other action on the Apple Watch Ultra.
Apple is expected to replace the mute switch with a programmable button.
Universal Dynamic Island
The Dynamic Island, that small, pill-shaped region at the top of the display that dynamically resizes, will be part of all four iPhone 15 models with two 6.1-inch models and a pair of 6.7-inch models.
Camera changes – up periscope
Each successive iPhone generation has boosted camera performance through both hardware and software. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro will be no exception. The top-of-the-range iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to get a periscope camera.
A periscope lens will give the iPhone 15 Pro Max far greater optical zoom capability. Camera users will know that when you zoom in with software, you can lose image quality. A hardware zoom (or telephoto lens), where the magnification is done with lenses rather than software offers far better image quality. Apple has been working with Sony, according to supply chain observers, to create a camera sensor and hardware system that will give the iPhone 15 Pro Max amazing zoom capability.
iPhone 15 Price
The iPhone 14 comes in several different sizes, memory configurations and colours.
| iPhone 14 | iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 14 Plus | iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen (inches) | 6.1 | 6.1 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| Processor | A15 Bionic | A16 Bionic | A15 Bionic | A16 Bionic |
| Capacities (GB/TB) | 128/256/512 | 128/256/512/1 | 128/256/512 | 128/256/512/1 |
| Priced from (AUD) | $1399 | $1749 | $1579 | $1899 |
Predicting prices can be tricky. Apple generally likes to keep prices even across different regions once you allow for exchange rates and local taxes. This is something I wrote about several years ago.
A recent article at Digitimes (subscription required) suggests that there will be a significant price hike with the iPhone 15 Pro Max expected to jump by USD$200 – or about AUD$310. That will tip the flagship model to well over $2000 for the 128GB model. The addition of the periscope lens and use of titanium would account for the increase. There’s also been a slight decline in The Australian exchange rate against the greenback which might add a few dollars.
The iPhone 14 Pro is expected to have a more models just of about USD$100 or AUD$150. So, that would suggest the new range could look like this.
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen (inches) | 6.1 | 6.1 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| Processor | A16 Bionic | A17 Bionic | A16 Bionic | A17 Bionic |
| Capacities (GB/TB) | 128/256/512 | 128/256/512/1 | 128/256/512 | 128/256/512/1 |
| Priced from (AUD) | $1549 | $1999 | $1849 | $2199 |
iPhone 15 Availability
Availability will vary depending on which iPhone 15 model you want. Supply chain analysts say that the new iPhone is already making its way from factories to distribution centres with as many as 80 million units currently in transit.
But the split is unlikely to be even across each model. We can probably expect preorder to open the Friday after the event with availability of some units commencing a week later. So, I’d expect the first iPhone 15 units to be in users’ hands on about 22 September 2023.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is unlikely to be widely available until October 2023.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.