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All the rumors about this year’s iPhone 15 lineup

• 

  Apr 10

  Jay Peters

  Want to get an idea of what the iPhone 15 Pro might look like in your hands?

  A user on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) shared a video of what looks to be a dummy model of the iPhone 15 Pro (via MacRumors), and it provides a decent look at how big the phone might be in real life. The dummy appears to match up with 9to5Mac’s detailed iPhone 15 Pro renders shared last week. The cameras are enormous.

  

  That’s a big camera bump.Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

• Mitchell Clark

  Is this the iPhone 15 Pro?

  9to5Mac says it’s gotten more details on the iPhone 15 Pro via a “detailed CAD” file and other sources, and it’s showing us what the upcoming phone could look like. We’ve heard a lot of the rumors before — titanium frame, USB-C, thinner bezels, a great new color — but the renders really bring this story to life.

  Exclusive: iPhone 15 Pro design reveals new buttons, giant camera bump, colors, and more

  [9to5Mac]

• Mar 20

  Jay Peters

  New iPhone 15 Pro renders show that rumored mute button.

  The fancier iPhones will apparently switch from a mute switch to a mute button this year, and new renders in a video spotted by leaker ShrimpApplePro reveal that it, well, looks like a button. If this is the real deal, I’m curious if it will be an improvement over the switch, which has been an iPhone staple since the very first one.

  In the video, you can also see the iPhone 15 Pro’s rumored unified volume button and that the iPhone 15 will apparently keep the mute switch and separate volume buttons.

• Feb 26

  Emma Roth

  The iPhone 15 Pro Max (Ultra?) could have a more subdued camera bump.

  That’s according to leaker Ice Universe, who shared renders of what’s supposed to be the iPhone 15 Ultra, which 9to5Mac later corroborated.

  In addition to a USB-C port, smaller bezels, and a buttonless design, the image shows a much less obnoxious camera bump when compared to the one we saw on the render of the iPhone 15 Pro.

• Feb 25

  Jay Peters

  And here’s the iPhone 15 Plus, apparently.

  9to5Mac’s latest renders depict the iPhone 15 Plus, which seems to still be in the works despite reportedly poor sales of the iPhone 14 Plus. The Plus phone looks to also be switching over to a Dynamic Island and USB-C, but if I had to pick an iPhone 15 model based on what we know now, I think I’d go with the rumored Pro red.

  Renders of the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus.Image: 9to5Mac

• Feb 23

  Jay Peters

  The iPhone 15 Pro’s special color might be a good-looking red.

  9to5Mac has the details. I usually just get a black phone, but I’d seriously consider getting this nice red.

  Image: 9to5Mac

• Feb 23

  Thomas Ricker

  Pretty iPhone pictures.

  Those supposed CAD files of the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro published by 9to5Mac last week have been turned into more aesthetically pleasing renders by Ian Zelbo. USB-C, curvier edges, and a big boy camera bump, now in color.

• Feb 18

  Allison Johnson

  Apple, please don’t take all of the buttons away

  Take a good, long look at these buttons. It might be the last time you see them.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

  Look, I know it’s probably too late, but since reports have been surfacing for a while now that Apple is planning to remove the physical buttons from the iPhone 15 Pro, replacing them with solid-state “taptic” buttons. Some new, alleged renders of the iPhone 15 published by 9to5Mac seem to confirm the news: it’s time to bid the physical volume rocker and power switch goodbye, at least on some upcoming models. Surely it is too late to change anyone’s mind in Cupertino, but I’m going to make the case anyway. Please don’t take the buttons away, Apple.

  For starters, there’s just no haptic button that feels as good or reassuringly clicky as a physical button. This is a completely objective observation based on data gathered by one individual: me, a person who has been pressing buttons for several decades. They rule.

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• Emma Roth

  Apple could introduce a pricier iPhone ‘Ultra’ in 2024

  Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

  Apple’s exploring the possibility of launching a more expensive iPhone “Ultra” above the iPhone Pro and Pro Max models, according to Apple tracker Mark Gurman. The high-end device could arrive as soon as 2024 with the iPhone 16 lineup.

  Last September, Gurman predicted that an “Ultra” model could replace the Pro Max branding with this year’s iPhone 15, but his latest theory suggests that Apple wants to establish a more powerful — and more expensive — tier of iPhones. That means the device could have an even higher price tag than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which starts at $1,099.

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• Jan 27

  Jay Peters

  Apple reportedly halted work on a custom-designed Wi-Fi chip for iPhones.

  That’s according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who also says the iPhone 15 will support Wi-Fi 6E. (That’s not too surprising, given the newest iPad Pros, Mac Minis, and MacBook Pros support Wi-Fi 6E, too.)

  However, Apple is still working on its own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

• Jay Peters

  Apple is reportedly making an all-in-one cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth chip

  The chip would be a major addition to Apple’s lineup.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

  Apple is working on a new in-house chip that would power cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth functionality on its devices, according to a report from Bloomberg. The company is also developing its own chip that would replace the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip it currently uses from Broadcom, Bloomberg says, which it wants to begin using in devices in 2025.

  Bloomberg also shared some new information about Apple’s efforts to develop its own cellular modems to replace Qualcomm’s. While Qualcomm recently said during its Q4 2022 earnings that it expects to have the “vast majority” of 5G modems for 2023 iPhones, Bloomberg says Apple will use its own modems “by the end of 2024 or early 2025.” Apple will apparently start by using its custom modem in one product and fully transition them over the course of approximately three years.

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• Dec 8, 2022

  Jon Porter

  EU sets December 28th, 2024, deadline for all new phones to use USB-C for wired charging

  Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

  We finally have a final official deadline for when new phones sold in the European Union — including future iPhones — will have to use USB-C for wired charging: December 28th, 2024.

  That’s because the EU’s new USB-C legislation has just been published in the bloc’s Official Journal, making it formally binding. Now we know the rules will officially enter into force in 20 days’ time, and individual EU member states will then have a maximum of 24 months to apply them as national law.

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• Nov 17, 2022

  Mitchell Clark

  Only the iPhone 15 Pro will get a speed upgrade with USB-C, says analyst

  A longstanding criticism of the pro phones is that it takes forever to get data off of them.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

  The iPhone 15 Pro models are in line for a massive upgrade to their wired transfer speeds with the switch to USB-C, according to noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Unfortunately, he doesn’t believe that benefit is coming to the regular 2023 iPhones. He predicts that the 15 and 15 Plus will also swap in USB-C ports but, just like the 2022 10th-gen iPad, they’ll be stuck with the same USB 2.0 speeds they had with Lighting.

  Kuo made the prediction in a series of tweets on Wednesday and says the information is from his “latest survey.” (The analyst is known for getting information from supply chain sources.) He specified by predicting that the “15 Pro & 15 Pro Max will support at least USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3.” If that’s true, that’d mean they could transfer data at speeds up to 40 Gbps — a boon for people who actually use the Pro phones to shoot a lot of ProRes video and raw photos, where even fast WiFi and cloud uploads aren’t really a good substitute.

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• Oct 29, 2022

  Emma Roth

  iPhone 15 Pro models could ditch mechanical volume and power buttons

  Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

  The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max could swap mechanical volume and power buttons for solid-state toggles that use haptic feedback instead. That’s according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who says the buttons could function like the solid-state home button first released on the iPhone 7 that you can’t physically press down but vibrates in response to touch.

  The iPhone 8, as well as the second and third-generation models of the budget-friendly iPhone SE also feature a solid-state home button, which is powered by Apple’s Taptic Engine. Apple utilizes this same technology to enable haptic keyboard presses in iOS 16, as well as with the Force Touch trackpads it uses on its MacBooks.

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• Oct 28, 2022

  Thomas Ricker

  An iPhone without buttons or ports draws near.

  Ming-Chi Kuo, the Apple blogosphere’s favorite analyst, says next year’s iPhone 15 models might feature solid-state volume and power buttons that mimic mechanical presses just like Mac trackpads, alongside new USB-C ports he’s mentioned before. 

  Any bets on when Apple will also ditch the mute switch and move to wireless charging exclusively to make the portless and buttonless iPhone of Jony Ive’s dreams?

• Oct 26, 2022

  Mitchell Clark

  Apple confirms the iPhone is getting USB-C

  Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

  Apple has given its most direct confirmation yet that a USB-C-equipped iPhone will happen now that the European Union is mandating that all phones sold in its member countries use the connector if they have a physical charger.

  When asked by The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern if the company would replace Lightning, Apple’s senior VP of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, answered by saying: “Obviously, we’ll have to comply; we have no choice.”

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• Sep 25, 2022

  Emma Roth

  The iPhone 15 ‘Ultra’ could replace the Pro Max

  The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

  Apple could introduce a new naming scheme when it releases the iPhone 15 next year, replacing the current “Pro Max” branding with “Ultra.” This is according to Apple tracker Mark Gurman, who also expects the iPhone 15 to come with some “bigger changes,” including USB-C.

  The Pro Max name first appeared with the iPhone 11 in 2019, and adding Ultra branding to the iPhone lineup wouldn’t be all that surprising. Apple already launched the new Watch Ultra with the moniker earlier this month, and added the name to its M1 Ultra processor. Apple also introduced a minor change to its naming scheme with the iPhone 14, bringing back the seemingly retired “Plus” name to the iPhone 14 Plus.

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• Sep 18, 2022

  Emma Roth

  The Dynamic Island might come to all iPhone 15 models

  The Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

  The iPhone 14 has only been out for a few days, but that isn’t stopping the rumor mill from churning out predictions about Apple’s next iPhone. Supply chain analyst Ross Young says on Twitter that he expects Apple to include the Dynamic Island — the notch successor that currently only comes on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max — on all iPhone 15 models, not just the Pro variations (via MacRumors).

  If true, this would make the Dynamic Island the standard across all new iPhones, allowing it to fully replace the notch that Apple first introduced with the iPhone X in 2017 (at least until Apple comes up with another design). Young also indicates that the base iPhone 15 still won’t come with an 120Hz LTPO display that enables the iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display and snappy ProMotion feedback, citing that the “supply chain can’t support it.”

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• May 13, 2022

  Jay Peters

  Apple is reportedly testing iPhones with USB-C

  Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

  Apple is testing iPhones that swap the Lightning port for USB-C, according to a new Bloomberg report from Apple whisperer Mark Gurman. But you shouldn’t expect to see it in this year’s iPhone lineup, as the changeover wouldn’t happen until 2023 “at the earliest,” Gurman says. The report follows reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s tweets this week indicating Apple would swap to USB-C in the second half of 2023, which is presumably when that year’s iPhone lineup will be released.

  The switch would be a big one, though it’s not a complete surprise. Apple has already moved the iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad Mini to USB-C. And the EU revealed a proposal in September that would require many devices, including smartphones, to include USB-C ports — Gurman says that this legislation was “a key reason” for Apple’s move to consider the change. There are also technical benefits to moving to USB-C, which is capable of faster transfer speeds than Lightning.

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• May 11, 2022

  James Vincent

  Apple will drop iPhone Lightning port in favor of USB-C in 2023, claims analyst

  

  Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

  Apple is preparing to swap the proprietary Lightning port on its iPhones next year for the nearly universally-embraced USB-C, claims company analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

  In a pair of tweets, Kuo said Apple was going to make the change in 2023, basing this claim on an unspecified “survey” (presumably of component manufacturers, from whom Kuo seems to get a lot of his information for predictions about future Apple products).

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