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Apple’s iPhone 15 Event Recap: New Phones, New Watches, and USB-C
Apple’s annual fall product-launch event brought few surprises but still delivered big news: The company unveiled four iPhone 15 models—which trade in Apple’s proprietary Lightning charging port in favor of USB-C—two new Apple Watches, and a fresh AirPods Pro pair that also moves to USB-C. Here’s everything that Apple announced at its Wonderlust event.
iPhone 15 and 15 Plus
The new 6.1-inch iPhone 15 and 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus run on Apple’s A16 processor, which allows for faster performance and better multitasking in comparison with last year’s models, but the most obvious difference at first glance is the addition of the Dynamic Island display cutout, which was limited last year to the pricier iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.
The Dynamic Island houses the iPhone’s camera and depth sensors. There you’ll also find your active calls, audio playback, and other interactive elements, and the area expands to show relevant information as needed. This is mostly a neat visual feature rather than a functional one, but we found it useful enough in last year’s premium iPhones.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus also get an improved, f/1.6 48-megapixel main camera and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with up to 2x optical zoom. Apple is introducing its tougher Ceramic Shield display to the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, as well, and the screen will feature an increased peak display brightness of up to 2,000 nits.
However, the biggest—and most potentially controversial—change is the iPhones’ charging cable. Say goodbye to the Lightning port and all of your old Lightning cables, because Apple is finally switching to USB-C, bringing the iPhone in line with the rest of its devices.
Apple has also partnered with AAA for iPhone-based roadside assistance via satellite, which comes included with each new iPhone for two years. In addition, Apple is continuing to push its sustainability initiatives; the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus’s frames consist of 75% recycled aluminum, while their internals use 100% recycled copper and the battery uses 100% recycled cobalt.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will come in pink, yellow, green, blue, and black color options made of aluminum with color-matched back glass. The phones go on sale September 22.
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
Apple also took the wraps off the titanium-framed iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The shift to titanium from stainless steel was designed to make the Pro models lighter, and titanium is more resistant to fingerprint smudges. The titanium models come in four shades: black, white, blue, and a “natural” finish.
The new Pro models also sport a thinner bezel, which provides more screen area than on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max despite basically identical dimensions of 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively.
The iPhone 15 Pro models reimagine the classic ring/silent switch, turning it into an action button. You can now press and hold the button to turn on the volume or toggle it off, but the button can also trigger customizable actions such as launching the camera, starting a voice memo, or further personalizing the action button with the Shortcuts app.
The 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max run on Apple’s custom A17 Pro chip, which Apple calls “the fastest chip ever on any smartphone.” It delivers faster USB 3 transfer speeds and hardware-accelerated ray tracing for playing games on your iPhone, which will enable games to come to the iPhone 15 Pro that were previously available only on consoles, including newer titles such as the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Many people upgrade to an iPhone Pro model because Apple typically saves its best camera features for the priciest iPhones, and that hasn’t changed with the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. The Pro camera lenses have a new coating to reduce lens flare, and you can choose custom focal-length defaults in the Pro Camera app. The 15 Pro Max offers 5x optical zoom in its telephoto lens plus up to 120mm focal length, and the ultra-wide camera lens provides improved night-mode and macro photography.
And, like the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are switching from Apple’s proprietary Lightning charging port to the more common USB-C standard.
To make Apple’s forthcoming headset, the Apple Vision Pro, more compelling, Apple is enabling a new video feature that lets you shoot “spatial videos” later this year on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
Apple Watch Series 9
The Apple Watch Series 9 runs on the new S9 watch chip, which Apple promises will make animations “super smooth.” Siri requests are also now processed on the watch itself instead of in the cloud, which Apple says will produce faster responses. You can also ask Siri for your health stats or input your health info with your voice in a new feature rolling out later this year. Battery life remains unchanged at 18 hours.
The Series 9 has a second-generation ultra-wideband chip that will help you track down your iPhone when you misplace it (if it’s nearby). This feature will work only if you have a 2023 Apple Watch and an iPhone 15, however.
The Series 9 has a much brighter screen that can go much dimmer—from 2,000 nits to 1 nit. That’s double the brightness of the Series 8. Apple is also introducing a new double-tap feature with the Series 9, which activates when you tap your thumb and index finger together twice; the gesture triggers actions such as answering or ending a phone call. The feature will be available next month, Apple said.
The Series 9 comes in five shades of aluminum, including a new pink, as well as stainless steel.
Apple also announced that it’s phasing out leather in all of its accessories, starting today. The company introduced a FineWoven material for Apple Watch bands that is made of 68% recycled materials and has a suede-like feel. Apple is working with Hermès and Nike to make new bands in more eco-friendly materials.
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Like the Apple Watch Series 9, the newly announced Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets the advanced S9 chip and features such as the new double-tap gesture, on-device Siri, and the new ultra-wideband chip for precision-finding your iPhone. It features an even brighter display, capable of up to 3,000 nits. You’ll also find a new Modular Ultra watch face and new cycling features.
The Ultra 2 has the same battery life as the first-generation model, 36 hours of regular use and 72 hours in low-power mode. The design remains unchanged.
The watch goes on sale September 22.
USB-C AirPods Pro
Apple is also introducing a new version of the second-generation AirPods Pro earbuds with a carrying case that has a USB-C port instead of Lightning. (The AirPods Max and the cheapest AirPods are not yet making the jump to USB-C.) In addition, Apple is updating its classic wired EarPods so that those headphones connect through USB-C rather than a Lightning port.
