Apple's iPhone 15 is the company's latest and greatest mainstream iPhone. Unveiled earlier this year at Apple's Wanderlust event, it brings some of the best features from the iPhone 14 Pro lineup to the regular iPhone for 2023 and beyond. That includes an excellent new camera, a new design, and the A16 bionic chip.
It's sits alongside the new larger iPhone 15 Plus, and the more potent iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple also still sells a much cheaper iPhone SE as it's entry-level device for the budget-conscious.
iPhone 15: The headlines
- What is it? Apple's mainstream iPhone.
- Release date: September 22
- Price: From $799
- Headlines: USB-C, 48MP camera, A16 Bionic chip, Dynamic Island
John-Anthony Disotto is iMore's How To Editor and an expert in everything iPhone. As a former Apple employee, John-Anthony brings his consumer expertise as well as his technical knowledge to all of iMore's iPhone content.
iPhone 15 models
Here's a brief overview of all the iPhone 15 models with their headline specs.
iPhone 15 / 15 Plus The people's iPhone without the bells and whistles.
Screen: 6.1- or 6.7-inch
CPU: A16 Bionic
Rear Camera: 48MP
Networking: Wi-Fi 6
Connectivity: USB-C
iPhone 15 Pro Adds the faster A17 Pro chip and a new design with a titanium frame.
Screen: 6.1-inch
RAM: 8GB
CPU: A17 Pro, 3nm
Rear Camera: 48MP
Networking: Wi-Fi 6e
Connectivity: USB-C
iPhone 15 Pro Max Adds a 5X periscope lens for enhanced zoom capabilities.
Screen: 6.7-inch
RAM: 8GB
CPU: A17 Pro, 3nm
Rear Camera: 48MP w/ Periscope lens
Networking: Wi-Fi 6e
Connectivity: USB-C
iPhone 15: Release date
The iPhone 15 was released on September 22, 2023.
iPhone 15: Specs
You'll find all the specs of the iPhone 15 below with comparisons to the iPhone 14. This year's iPhone boasts a faster A16 Bionic chip, better cameras, USB-C charging, and the Dynamic Island, to name just a few improvements from last year's offering.
| Category | iPhone 14 | iPhone 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | iOS 16 | iOS 17 |
| Display | 6.1 inches, 2532 x 1170 (460 ppi) resolution, Super Retina XDR OLED display (iPhone 14) | 6.7 inches, 2778 x 1284 (458 ppi) resolution, Super Retina XDR OLED display (iPhone 14 Plus) | 6.1 inches, 2556 x 1179 (460 ppi) resolution, Super Retina XDR OLED display (iPhone 15) | 6.7 inches, 2796 x 1290 (460 ppi) resolution, Super Retina XDR OLED display (iPhone 15 Plus) |
| Processor | Apple A15 Bionic | Apple A16 Bionic |
| Storage | 128 | 256 | 512GB | 128 | 256 | 512GB |
| Rear Camera | 12MP, 26mm ƒ/1.5, 1.9μm (wide) | 12MP, ƒ/2.4, 1.0μm (ultra-wide) | 48MP, 26mm ƒ/1.6 (wide) | 12MP, ƒ/2.4 (ultra-wide) | 12MP, 52 mmƒ/1.6 (2x Telephoto) |
| Front Camera | 12MP, ƒ/1.9, Autofocus | 12MP, ƒ/1.9, Autofocus |
| Battery | 3,279 mAh (iPhone 14) | 4,325 mAh (iPhone 14 Plus) | All day battery life (exact mAh TBA) |
| Charging | Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W | MagSafe Wireless charging up to 15W | Fast wired charging over Lightning with 20W power adapter | USB-C wired charging, Qi wireless charging up to 15W, MagSafe |
| Water Resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dimensions | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.80mm, 172g (iPhone 14) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.80mm, 203g (iPhone 14 Plus) | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.80mm, 171g (iPhone 15) | 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.80mm, 201g (iPhone 15 Plus) |
| Colors | Starlight | Midnight | Blue | Purple | (PRODUCT)Red | Black | Blue | Green | Pink | Yellow |
iPhone 15: A16 Bionic Processor
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are both equipped with the A16 Bionic chip from the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Apple says the chip has "two high-performance cores that use 20 percent less power and four high-efficiency cores. The 6-core CPU is faster than the previous generation and easily handles intensive tasks while delivering extraordinary battery life."
With a 5-core GPU and a new 16-core Neural Engine, the iPhone 15 will tackle daily tasks with ease, making all of the great new features in iOS 17 incredibly responsive.
iPhone 15: Display & sizes
The 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus both feature Dynamic Island allowing you to have more control over your Live Notifications on your device. The display can reach a peak HDR brightness of 1600 nits and a peak outdoor brightness of up to 2000 nits — that's bright!
Both displays feature the Ceramic Shield front cover for added toughness so your fancy new Super Retina XDR displays don't scratch easily.
iPhone 15: Design
The new look iPhone 15 brings curves back to the iPhone. Despite being minimal in comparison to the curves of the iPhone X, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are said to feel "even nicer in users' hands" than the iPhone 14. The color is infused throughout the back glass and strengthened with " an optimized dual-ion exchange process before being polished with nanocrystalline particles and etched to create a luxurious, textured matte finish."
Apple mentioned that its goal as a company is to reach 2030 with every new product completely carbon neutral. In order to achieve this, the new iPhone 15 is produced "with 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery and 100 percent recycled copper in the main logic board, copper wire in the Taptic Engine, and copper foil in the inductive charger in MagSafe — all firsts for iPhone. Both models also include 75 percent recycled aluminum in the enclosure, 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, and 100 percent recycled gold in the USB‑C connector as well as the gold plating and tin soldering in multiple printed circuit boards."
iPhone 15: USB-C
Goodbye Lightning. Hello USB-C. Apple has finally moved on from its proprietary Lightning charging port and now the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have USB-C. In what was probably the worst kept secret in recent times, we've finally got confirmation that you'll be able to use any USB-C cable to charge your iPhone.
Both models also support MagSafe and Qi wireless charging.
iPhone 15: Cameras
The iPhone 15 gets a new 48MP Main camera that will take stunning photographs without breaking the bank for the Pro model. Surprisingly, the iPhone 15 also uses clever hardware and software to allow users to use a 2x Telephoto camera with " three optical-quality zoom levels — 0.5x, 1x, 2x — for the first time on an iPhone dual-camera system."
Portrait mode on the iPhone 15 will also see improvements thanks to the new chip and camera lenses. "For the first time, users can take portraits without having to switch to Portrait mode. When there’s a person, dog, or cat in the frame, or when a user taps to focus, iPhone automatically captures depth information, so users can turn photos into stunning portraits later in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac."
There are also improvements to Night Mode with sharper details and more vivid colors which benefits 48MP Main camera, Ultra Wide camera, and TrueDepth front camera.
iPhone 15: Battery
Not too much to report on the battery life of the new iPhones. Apple says the iPhone 15 will get up to 20 hours video playback, up to 16 hours streamed video playback, and up to 80 hours audio playback.
For the 15 Plus, you'll get up to 26 hours video playback, up to 20 hours streamed video playback, and up to 100 hours audio playback.
We'll have to wait to get these devices in hand to see how they truly compare to last generation. On paper, not much has changed.
iPhone 15: Colors
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus come in Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Pink.
This year there are more pastel colors for the new design but after seeing the first official images they look far nicer than the dummy models we saw prior to the event.
iPhone 15: Storage
No changes to storage. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
iPhone 15: Price
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| 128GB | $799 | $899 | $999 | n/a |
| 256GB | $899 | $999 | $1,099 | $1,199 |
| 512GB | $1,099 | $1,199 | $1,299 | $1,399 |
| 1TB | Row 4 - Cell 1 | Row 4 - Cell 2 | $1,499 | $1,599 |
Amazingly there will be no price increases this year, and you'll be able to pick up an iPhone 15 starting from $799 just like the iPhone 14 last year. After rumors of price hikes all summer this is a welcome surprise.
iOS 17
iOS 17 has an official release date, and you'll be able to use the latest operating system from September 18. iOS 17 is bringing some cool updates to the Phone, FaceTime, and Messages apps, as well as AirDrop and autocorrect. There's a great new mode called StandBy that works as a widget hub, a new Journal app to help your mental health and changes to Safari.
iPhone 15: Questions and answers
Which iPhone should I buy in 2023?
The best iPhone you can buy right now is the iPhone 15 Pro, closely followed by the iPhone 15. The iPhone SE 3 is also a superb option for those on a budget or for people who like the old Touch ID/Home Button design.
When is the iPhone 15 coming out?
The iPhone 15 releases on September 22 with preorders starting on September 15.
Will iPhone 15 have USB-C?
Yes, both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro will include USB-C.
Will there be an iPhone 16?
Absolutely, Apple has stuck to a yearly iPhone release cycle for a number of years now. Rumored early features of the iPhone 16 include under-display Face ID and improvements to the camera. Apple is also expected to make its own 5G chip for connectivity, rather than using a Qualcomm component.
How much will the iPhone 15 cost?
The iPhone 15 will start at $799.
Will the iPhone 15 be bigger?
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are identical in size to the iPhone 14 lineup. Likewise, the Pro and Pro Max will be the same size as the current models.
What colors will the iPhone 15 come in?
Apple will offer the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus in Pink, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Black.
Which month is iPhone 15 coming out?
The iPhone 15 will be released in September.
Is it worth waiting for the iPhone 15?
At this point, absolutely. Even if you have decided the iPhone 15 isn't for you after the Apple event, it is worth waiting until it launches to get older phones for cheaper than beforehand.
Will the iPhone 15 have the Dynamic Island
Yes! The iPhone 15 will have all the bells and whistles from the Dynamic Island used on the iPhone 14 Pro.
