While we’ve heard a lot about the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max lately—from the buttons to the chip and the camera—rumors about the regular iPhone 15 have been pretty quiet. There might be a reason for that: everything new about it is already in the iPhone 14 Pro.
The latest rumor comes from analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors), who claims the non-Pro iPhones will get a 48MP main camera like that on the iPhone 14 Pro. He says the new module will be slightly improved with a new triple-stacked sensor that can capture more light. According to Pu, this new design could possibly result in production delays for the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus.
So that’s yet another iPhone 14 Pro feature that’s making its way to the iPhone 15, joining the Dynamic Island, A16 processor, and LPDDR5 RAM. That basically makes the iPhone 15 a budget iPhone 14 Pro with many of the same features as the current high-end phone. However, it won’t have higher-end display features (ProMotion, always-on) or the “advanced” camera system with telephoto.
But if you’ve had your eye on an iPhone 14 Pro but didn’t want to pay such a high price tag, the iPhone 15 could be a great alternative. While it’ll still be missing some higher-end components, some of the best features—namely the Dynamic Island and 48MP camera—will likely be available for a couple of hundred bucks less in a few months. It’s a smart strategy. Instead of simply selling last year’s Pro model for less, Apple can rebrand it as a new phone and make it even more attractive to buyers.
Apple is also expected to switch to USB-C for its iPhone models this year after a decade of Lightning support. Additionally, it is rumored to get a refined design, slightly slimmer bezels, and some new colors. It’s also possible that Apple cuts the price of the iPhone 15 Plus after disappointing sales of the $899 handset.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.