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4 features that are all but confirmed for the iPhone 15

Published Jul 17th, 2023 6:23PM EDT
iPhone 15 Pro Ultra

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Less than two months from now, Apple will unveil the iPhone 15 series. While BGR has heard and reported on plenty of rumors over the past year, there are a few features we’re all but certain Apple will bring to the iPhone 15. Here are four of them:

Dynamic Island is coming to every model

According to display analyst Ross Young, Apple will bring the Dynamic Island to every iPhone 15 model. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman agree. That said, it doesn’t mean each model will have Always-On display technology or ProMotion. Young believes these two features will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro series.

Analysts, in general, believe adding Dynamic Island to the base models will help Apple boost sales, as the standard iPhone 14 models are selling worse than their predecessors.

Different processors for different lines

Gone are the days when Apple offered the same processor for every new iPhone. A trend that started in 2022 will continue in 2023, the upcoming A17 Bionic chip will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models, while an “enhanced” A16 Bionic chip will power the base iPhone 15 versions.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to “aggressively upgrade hardware specifications” for the iPhone 15 Pro as part of its effort to create an ecosystem for the Vision Pro. A previous report by Bloomberg said the new A17 Bionic chip would use TSMC’s new 3nm process, which offers better performance while requiring about 35% less power.

Periscope lens exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro Max

After years of rumors claiming a periscope lens would eventually come to the iPhone, it seems the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the first to get this new feature. Trendforce, Jeff Pu, and Ming-Chi Kuo are among the sources that believe a periscope lens will come to Apple devices with 5x or 6x optical zoom.

Interestingly enough, there have been reports that a periscope lens will be available on next year’s iPhone 16 Pro. Apple plans to increase the display size and rearrange the phone’s internal components, meaning this technological improvement is here to stay.

Goodbye, Lightning port

When the iPhone’s Lightning port was introduced a decade ago, Apple said the proprietary technology would power its devices for the next ten years. With the clock ticking, it’s time for the company to switch from Lightning to USB-C.

Rumors say that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will have Thunderbolt 4 port speeds. In contrast, the base models will have a standard USB-C data transfer capability. Still, one thing is for sure: All four models will add this new format. This happened sooner than expected because there’s a new legal obligation that Apple must comply with in the European Union.

José Adorno Tech News Reporter

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.