presentation of new iphone 15

Apple event 2023 recap: iPhone 15 price, colors announced; Apple Watch Series 9 unveiled

Apple unveiled its latest products, including the new iPhone 15 models and Series 9 Apple Watch , during its annual September event in Cupertino, California, on Tuesday.

The standard iPhone 15 will start at $799, while the larger 15 Plus starts at $899. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, and the larger iPhone Pro Max starts at $1,199.

All four iPhone models will be available for preorder Sept. 15 and available in stores Sept. 22.

The Series 9 watch will also go on sale Sept. 22 and be priced at $399.

The keynote presentation, which was called "Wonderlust," was held on Apple’s campus at the Steve Jobs Theater. The event has become an annual staple on the tech calendar, dating back to the debut of the original iPhone in 2007.

Here's what was announced at Apple's 2023 event:

iPhone 15 price, features

Apple debuted the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max Tuesday.

The standard iPhone 15 will start at $799, while the 15 Plus will start at $899. The iPhone 15 will have a 6.1-inch display, and the 15 Plus will have a 6.7-inch display. 

The phones will have Dynamic Island, a redesigned notch at the top of the screen that takes up less visual space. The feature was first added to the iPhone 14 Pro models last year as a tool to track ongoing activity, like directions or the music you're listening to. 

The iPhone 15 base models will get the A16 chip used in the iPhone 14 Pro models.

What does the iPhone 15 look like?

Iphone 15 release date.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will be available for preorder on Sept. 15, and they will be available online and in stores on Sept. 22.

iPhone 15 camera

The standard iPhone 15 models will have an improved camera system that will allow for greater optical zoom, switching from a 12-megapixel main camera sensor to a 48-megapixel version. 

The new camera has the same resolution as the camera on the iPhone 14 Pro.

iPhone 15 colors

The iPhone 15 will debut in five colors – black, blue, pink, white and yellow.

iPhone 15 Pro price, features

The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, while the iPhone Pro Max starts at $1,199.

The iPhone 15 Pro will have titanium sides, which replaces the stainless steel used since the iPhone X. The iPhone 15 Pro models will also have the faster A17 chip that the company claims will improve the mobile gaming experience.

iPhone 15 Pro camera

The iPhone 15 Pro models will have three cameras, similar to previous models, and a 48-megapixel main camera sensor.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max camera will have several new and updated features, including 5X optical zoom.

iPhone 15 Pro colors

The iPhone 15 Pro models will come in black, dark blue, dark gray and light grey.

Apple Watch Series 9 price, 'double-tap'

Apple also announced the newest model for the Apple Watch: the Series 9.

The primary upgrade comes from a new processing chip, called the S9 SiP, which the company claims will be faster than the one introduced in 2020.

The Series 9 will look similar to previous models, but it will have updated colors including pink, starlight and silver.

The Series 9 will also have a new feature called "double tap." The feature allows users to answer a call or control any number of actions in an app by tapping their index finger and thumb together, twice.

The watch will go on sale Sept. 22 and be priced at $399.

More about Apple Watch: How to get it

Apple Watch Ultra 2 price

Similar to the Series 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will also have the "double tap” feature and have the S9 SiP processor.

The Ultra 2 will have on-device Siri, enabling faster, more accurate responses thanks to the S9 SiP.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be $799.

APPLE WATCH ULTRA SERIES 2: OUTDOOR SMARTWATCH BUGALOO

Apple USB-C charger

Apple confirmed that its phones will move away from the company's Lightning charging system to a USB-C port . The changes will begin with the iPhone 15 line and AirPod charging case.

The change comes on the heels of regulations passed by the European Union to standardize the charging ports for electronic devices sold on the continent.

New iPhone 15 will use USB-C chargers: What to know about Apple's charging cord switch

Apple events through the years

More than 30 million people watched Apple’s 2022 event on YouTube.

Apple  unveiled the iPad in 2010 , the  Apple Watch in 2014  and the  AirPods in 2016 .

With more than 1.2 billion iPhones sold, Apple has “become a core part of people's lives around the world," Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives told USA TODAY. 

Apple generated more than $394 billion in net sales last year, and since its January 2007 unveiling of the first iPhone, the company's share price has risen more than 5,000%.

Apple: 16 years after the iPhone's launch, why Apple continues to play a huge role in our lives

Watch CBS News

Apple event reveals new iPhone 15. Here are the biggest changes — and its surprising new price.

By Aimee Picchi

Updated on: September 12, 2023 / 4:33 PM EDT / MoneyWatch

Apple unveiled its latest iPhone lineup today at the company's annual launch in Cupertino, California, where the tech giant also introduced a new Apple watch.

The event is an important showcase for Apple, which wants to spur consumers to upgrade their older iPhones in favor of its latest devices. This year is especially important given that the company is struggling to break out of a slump that's led to a sales drop in three consecutive quarters. 

"These are the best and most capable iPhones we've ever made," Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the Tuesday event.

Here's what to know about today's event. 

What is new about the iPhone 15? 

Here are some of the changes announced by Apple on Tuesday:

• The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will come in five colors: Pink, yellow, green, blue and black 
• The iPhone 15 Pro models will come in black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium or a natural titanium finish
• The Pro includes an A17 bionic chip that will improve speed and performance, according to Apple
• All models iPhone 15 models have the "Dynamic Island" for app notifications — a look that was introduced with last year's Pro and Pro Max devices
• The phone comes in two sizes: Either a 6.1-inch base model or 6.7-inch screen Plus model
• The iPhone 15 has an improved, 48 megapixel camera

When will the iPhone 15 be available for purchase?

The Apple iPhone 15 will be available for preorder on Friday, September 15, and will be on sale in stores on September 22.

What will the iPhone 15 cost?

Apple is keeping the price of many iPhone 15 models the same as the 14. 

• The iPhone 15 will start at $799, while the 15 Plus will start at $899, with 128GB of internal storage. That's the same price as for current iPhone 14 models
• The iPhone 15 Pro will start at $999, which is the same price as the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple said
• The Phone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199, up $100 from the 14 Pro Max

Apple also said it will have "excellent offers" for consumers who want to upgrade, including up to $800 off when you trade in an iPhone 11 or newer.

Is the iPhone charger moving from Lightning? 

Apple is phasing out its Lightning port cables, which were rolled out in 2012 with the iPhone 5, because of a mandate from European regulators that all phones use the USB-C charging port starting in late 2024. 

Apple said its iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will have USB-C ports, but can also be charged with MagSafe, which is a magnetically attached power connector. 

The transition may not be too inconvenient for most consumers. That's because USB-C cables already are so widely used on a range of computers, smartphones and other devices that many people may already own them. 

The shift to USB-C cables may even prove popular since that standard typically charges devices more quickly and also offers faster speeds for data transfers.

What is new with the Apple Watch?

Besides its new iPhones, Apple introduced the new Apple Watch — a product that made its debut nearly a decade ago. 

The Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399, while the Apple Watch SE starts at $249, Apple said on Tuesday.

One new Apple Watch feature is something called "double tap," a command users can deploy to answer calls or play or pause music with one hand. By tapping your index finger and thumb twice on your watch hand, the watch will respond to the gesture, Apple said.

The double tap gesture could be useful for someone walking their dog or carrying items, allowing them to send commands to their Apple Watch with one hand, the company said.

Should I upgrade my iPhone?

About 25% of Apple's 1.2 billion iPhone users haven't upgraded their phones in four years, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. Some of those 300 million people with older iPhones may be wondering if it's time to open their wallets and get a new device this year. 

Still, it can be tough to determine when it's time to retire your old phone and switch to the latest iPhone. Much of that decision could depend on what type of handset you currently use, with owners of newer models having less of a reason to upgrade, Olivier Blanchard, a research director at tech research firm The Futurum Group, told CBS MoneyWatch

"The company's products remain amazing, but with the innovation curve of the whole smartphone category flattening there just isn't much the company can do to distinguish each generation of iPhone from its predecessors when it comes to technical features, making price the critical variable in driving sales," Wall Street analyst Adam Crisafullo of Vital Knowledge told investors in a report.

But if you have a smartphone that's older than the iPhone 12, the iPhone 15's new chip, improved camera features and USB-C port could be a big step up. 

—With reporting by the Associated Press.

Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.

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• Phone Finder

Watch the Apple iPhone 15 announcement live here

• Post your comment
• Comments (149)

Yordan 11 September 2023

Today is the day tech geeks and mobile phone enthusiasts are looking forward to – the Apple iPhone 15 announcement is finally upon us.

The series' announcement will be live-streamed an all major social media platforms, beginning at 10 AM PDT/17:00 UTC/22:30 IST. We embedded a YouTube video below, so you can tune in and follow the announcements live.

The event will bring four new smartphones – iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max . All of them will have USB-C ports for charging, and the Max will arrive with a periscope lens, which might delay shipments until October.

You can head this way to know what to expect from the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus , and here for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max . We are also going to see the new Watch 9 series and Watch Ultra 2 with better battery life but an unchanged design.

Reader comments

• TheLastOracle
• 15 Sep 2023

Not AI, but Computational Photography and much faster and better sensors.

Only dinosaurs use DSLRs. You mean mirrorless/DSLM? I have for professional work. For better travel photography one needs more camera and sensor development in smartphones.

• Nick Tegrataker
• 13 Sep 2023

I love how utterly wrong your wishful delusion turned out to be. Yeah, the iPhone 15 Pro supports ProRes Log recording. Now get out of my face.

• Read all comments

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The 6 biggest announcements from Apple’s iPhone 15 event

Every year brings something new, and that’s doubly true for smartphones. Summer is on the way out, and while the retreat of the sun is bad news for many, there’s a bright silver lining on this cloud: The release of the Apple iPhone 15 . Apple has brought the basic iPhones into line with the Pro models, giving even the cheapest flagship models access to the Dynamic Island and the design refresh that we loved in last year’s Pro iPhones. But that isn’t all, as the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max were also revealed, with improvements of their own.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

Iphone 15 pro and pro max, apple watch series 9, apple watch ultra 2, sustainability updates.

But the iPhone 15 wasn’t the only announcement we heard about today. While the new phones were the centerpiece of Apple’s announcements, we were also treated to the new Apple Watch Series 9 smartwatch and the upgraded Apple Watch Ultra 2 .

• Why you should buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max instead of the iPhone 15 Pro
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You’ve unfortunately missed the chance to watch the announcements as they unfolded, but don’t worry, because we saw it all. Here’s the list of everything Apple announced at the iPhone 15 event.

But before we dive into the Apple iPhone 15, let’s touch on the change we all knew was coming: USB-C.

There’s a new port in town as Apple is getting ahead of the curve where EU legislation is concerned, and so it’s replacing the Lightning port with the standardized USB-C port. That’s the same port you’ll find on most modern iPads, laptops, and Android smartphones, and it will be a relief for anyone who travels with a number of devices. Unfortunately, it does mean the end of Apple’s Lightning port, but with USB-C being capable of much faster charging and data transfer speeds, it’s a change worth getting used to.

Apple is also releasing new USB-C versions of the AirPods  ( they support wireless lossless audio now, too! ), Earpods, and other accessories that previously used a Lightning port. Apple also took a moment to remind everyone that MagSafe exists, so you don’t need to worry about USB-C if you really don’t want to.

The release of a new iPhone every year has long stopped being a surprise, but the Apple iPhone 15 took our breath away anyway. The Apple iPhone 15 comes in a series of stunning pastel colors, including black, blue, green, yellow, and pink. The color has been infused into the iPhone 15’s rear glass, giving it the diffuse look of frosted glass. It’s a striking look and is probably the most visually colorful iPhone since the iPhone XR .

But while the new colors are impressive, the biggest changes can be found around the front of the phone. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus now have the redesign that debuted with the iPhone 14 Pro, and that means they also have access to the Dynamic Island. While the Dynamic Island still has a lot to prove , this change now gives the flagship iPhone range a unified look, even if the Pro models are clearly going their own way with color — more on that later.

The OLED Super Retina XDR display has smaller bezels than before and reaches 1600 nits (with a peak brightness of 2000 nits), making it brighter and easier to see in sunlight. The iPhone 15 has a 6.1-inch display, while the 15 Plus has a 6.7-inch display, unchanged from last year. Android fans should note that, unlike the Pro models, the new iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are still limited to a 60Hz refresh rate .

The iPhone 15 sports a dual-lens rear camera setup, and it’s seen some major tweaks. The main camera lens packs 48 megapixels, which offers some additional flexibility. If you want incredible high fidelity, then shoot in 48MP mode. Or, if you’re a bit worried about lighting, the iPhone 15 can instead combine four pixels together with pixel binning to maximize light. This results in combined 12MP images, which also helps to keep file sizes down. The high megapixel count also means the 48MP lens can use its inner 12MP as a 2x optical zoom, bringing you closer to the action without sacrificing quality. Portrait mode is getting better too, and the iPhone 15’s camera app will use machine learning to predict if a shot should be in portrait mode or not. You can even change the point of focus and bokeh blur in postprocessing.

Unfortunately, the iPhone 15 will stay a step behind the Pro model where performance is concerned. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus use last year’s A16 Bionic processor, and while this is still an incredibly powerful chip, it’s slightly disappointing to see Apple keep the basic iPhone model a year behind. However, the battery is bigger than ever, which is always a bonus. The iPhone 15 also has a new Ultra Wideband chip, so you can use it to find your friends — as long as they have a compatible iPhone, too, of course.

Apple loves machine learning, so it’s no surprise it’s been improved again. Voice Isolation is a new feature for phone calls that identifies your voice and removes all other background noise. So if you’re constantly making calls in a noisy environment, this feature is for you. Remember the satellite support from last year ? The iPhone 15 range gets further satellite support, including Roadside Assistance, which will use satellites to get you help while you’re on (or unfortunately off) the road, so you don’t need to worry about being stuck in the sticks without a signal. You’ll get access to these satellites for free for two years with the iPhone 15.

Preorders open on September 15, and the phones release on September 22. The Apple iPhone 15 starts from $799, while the iPhone 15 Plus starts from $899. You’ll be able to trade in an iPhone from the iPhone 11 and newer to get up to $800 off your purchase when purchased through specific carrier deals on monthly payment plans.

Read more about the Apple iPhone 15 and 15 Plus

Is the Apple iPhone 15 Pro an afterthought after the huge upgrades to the iPhone 15? You can bet your bottom dollar it isn’t. Where the iPhone 15’s new pastel colors bring whimsy and light, the new Pro is serious and strong. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are both made from titanium, a material that’s lighter and stronger than standard steel. But this isn’t just any titanium. It’s grade 5 titanium, an alloy which is even stronger than pure titanium — a truly premium material for a premium phone. The brushed finish adds a darker tone to each of its colors, marking a stark contrast with the iPhone 15.

Slimmer bezels also mean the Pro models are slightly smaller in footprint while retaining their 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays. Those displays are Super Retina XDR OLED panels, and these continue to be the only iPhones offered with the ProMotion technology that allows for a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

There’s big news for longtime Apple fans, too: the mute switch is gone. This beloved feature has been replaced by the Action button. But don’t worry, Apple was quick to point out that it still fulfills the same function. Push and hold the button to mute your phone and you’ll feel a distinct haptic vibration, so you can do it in a pocket. The Action button offers more, though, as you can choose from a different number of shortcuts to trigger with a press. This can include opening the camera, starting a timer, turning on the flashlight, and more.

We always expect new silicone, and Apple hasn’t let us down this year. The iPhone 15 Pro is powered by the Apple A17 Pro, the industry’s first 3-nanometer chip. It has two high-performance cores, four high-efficiency cores, and a six-core GPU. The neural engine has 16 cores, making machine learning even faster and more powerful. It’s a stupendously powerful processor, and incredibly, it can handle console-level games like Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village , with Assassin’s Creed Mirage coming to the iPhone 15 Pro as well. It can even handle ray tracing , a jaw-dropping feat for a smartphone.

The iPhone 15 Pro’s 48MP main lens is similar to the one you’ll find in the iPhone 15, but with a few additional tweaks. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the model that’s getting the most love, though, with the introduction of a periscope zoom lens with a 5x optical zoom. While not as long as the periscope zooms offered by Samsung , it will offer a lot of extra variety for photography lovers. It’s a shame it’s only coming to the Pro Max model, though. The iPhone 15 Pro gets the same 3x optical zoom as last year, which, while a strong lens, is still a disappointment for those who might have wanted a long zoom in a more compact phone.

The Apple iPhone 15 Pro starts from $999, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts from $1,199. You’ll be able to trade in an iPhone from the iPhone 11 and newer for up to $1,000 off your new iPhone Pro when purchased through a carrier contract. Preorders launch on September 15, and phones will ship on September 22.

Read more about the Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max

As everyone expected, there’s a new top smartwatch in town, and it’s called the Apple Watch Series 9 . In the last few years, Apple’s smartwatch has gone from a notable notification slinger to a vital health monitor for millions. Apple hasn’t massively expanded on health and safety this year, but it has added some features worth paying attention to.

The biggest new addition is, er, one that technically already existed. Formerly buried in the accessibility settings, Double Tap has been brought to the forefront and expanded in utility. It’s an easy concept to grasp: tap your index finger and thumb together twice to control your Apple Watch. Double Tap interacts with the primary button on any app, so it can be used to pick up or hang up calls, scroll through widgets on your watch face, or even stop and start exercises. You can even use it to snooze an alarm, a worrying development for those of us with overactive muscle memory and a propensity to oversleep.

The Apple Watch Series 9 also includes the improved Ultra Wideband chip and can now be used to find your iPhone or display Now Playing controls for nearby HomePods. The display brightens to 2000 nits, making it easier to see in bright sunlight, and it drops all the way down to 1 nit for dark rooms.

All those new features need some extra power, so it’s good it came prepared. The new Apple Watch Series 9 is powered by the S9 processor, which Apple claims is 30% faster than the S8 in the Apple Watch Series 8 . While your Apple Watch isn’t likely to need to run anything demanding, it makes sure requests through Siri and other everyday tasks are able to be completed faster. Speaking of Siri, Apple’s digital assistant can now interact with your health data. As such, you can ask Siri how long you slept or vocally log your weight to your assistant.

The new Apple Watch Series 9 was also key to Apple’s presentation on sustainability. The new Apple Watch uses as many recycled materials as possible, including recycled cobalt for the first time ever. The Sport Loop band is made from recycled material, and all Apple Watch manufacturing will be powered by renewable electricity. Apple’s not stopping there: user charging represents a big pull on sustainability, so Apple is investing in green electricity across the world to offset those expected emissions.

The new Apple Watch even comes in a smaller box, allowing Apple to ship more watches per shipment. All of this has made the Apple Watch Series 9 Apple’s first fully carbon-neutral product.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is available for preorder from today and will be released on September 22. Prices start from $399.

Read more about the Apple Watch Series 9

The Apple Watch Series 9 isn’t your only choice in smartwatch, and if you’re really into outdoor pursuits, especially diving and climbing, you should check out the Apple Watch Ultra 2 . While it’s still clear that the Ultra 2’s design is primarily meant for divers and explorers, Apple took a moment to highlight that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 works equally well with the new features for jogging and cycling. You certainly won’t struggle to see the screen during any outdoor activity, thanks to a display that can reach 3,000 nits in brightness.

Thanks to also including the same S9 system in a package (SiP) as the Apple Watch Series 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 also has access to the new Double Tap feature and improved Siri features. The battery life will really appeal to those who spend hours outdoors, thanks to the 36 hours of battery life and 72 hours in low-power mode. The case is made from 95% recycled material, and if paired with a recycled Sport Loop, it’s also carbon neutral.

Like the Series 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 releases on September 22, with preorders opening today. It will cost $799.

Read more about the Apple Watch Ultra 2

Apple is serious about sustainability, and it took a moment to update us on its vision for carbon neutrality, Apple 2030 . All plastic will be eliminated from packaging by the end of 2024, with recycled plastics playing a big part in Apple’s watch straps going forward. Apple is making big use of recycled materials as a whole, using 100% recycled aluminum in MacBooks, Apple TVs, and Apple Watches. The Apple Watch Series 9 makes significant use of recycled materials, such as copper, gold, and even cobalt.

Incredibly, Apple also made a big announcement on leather. Namely, Apple won’t be using leather in any new products. It’s being replaced by FineWoven, a 68% recycled material that feels like suede and should help to cushion the blow for fans of leather. Hermes and Nike’s bands will also include a large amount of recycled materials, removing yet more plastic from the ecosystem.

Apple also runs off 100% clean electricity, including its offices, stores, and data centers, and over 300 suppliers have also agreed to only use renewable electricity. Apple is also serious about reforestation and has planted several new forests in Paraguay and Brazil, as well as grasslands in Kenya, and helped to restore mangroves in Colombia. It has also reduced its water usage by 63 billion gallons.

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Last November, Apple made a surprise announcement when it confirmed that RCS was coming to the iPhone in 2024. It's something iPhone and Android phone users alike have been waiting years for, but there was just one small problem: Apple never said when in 2024 RCS was coming. Thanks to Google, of all companies, we now have a better idea of when RCS is heading to the iPhone.

As spotted by 9to5Google, the Android website was recently updated with a new page dedicated to Google Messages. If you click on the "See more features" button for the section talking about RCS, there's a section titled "Better messaging for all" with the following text: "Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024. Once that happens, it will mean a better messaging experience for everyone."

Out with the old and in with the new. Spring is finally here, kicking out old man winter and breathing some color back into nature. Plus, the National Cherry Blossom Festival has started in Washington, DC, so if you’re lucky enough to be in the area, take advantage of those gorgeous cherry blossoms!

For those of us who aren’t around for one of the biggest spring celebrations in the U.S., there are other ways to commemorate the season. For example, Mophie recently released a limited edition Cherry Blossom color for its 3-in-1 Travel Charger with MagSafe.

Apple iPhone 15 Plus (left) and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

You rely on your iPhone 15 for everything. That includes music, movie, and TV show streaming, banking, smart home controls, calendars, reminders, and timers — which is only scratching the surface. Apple’s iOS namesake is faster, more durable, and packed with plenty of power, but that doesn’t mean it can’t run into trouble now and then. Not to worry though: for when a smartphone presents an issue, there’s usually a way to fix it. 

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: the best just got better

A big screen, fantastic cameras, and a winning look and feel.

TechRadar Verdict

In virtually every respect, the iPhone 15 Pro Max raises the bar not only for the iPhone family but for smartphones in general. From the new materials to some of the best smartphone cameras we've ever used, Apple's big flagship ticks box after box. It falls marginally short of perfection thanks to a slightly higher price tag than the last model, the lack of true fast charging, and Apple's frustrating insistence on presenting 5x optical zoom as the apex of smartphone telephoto technology. Still, these end up being minor quibbles that don't detract meaningfully from what is a broadly exceptional iPhone experience.

Gorgeous albeit subtle redesign

Excellent photography

Fantastic performance & gaming

Pricier baseline (but more storage)

If you want big zoom capabilities, look elsewhere

Charging should be faster

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Editor's Note

• Price & availability
• Performance
• Battery life
• Should I buy?
• Also consider
• How I tested

• Original review date: September, 2023 • Apple keeps improving iOS 17 • Spacial video is now possible with Apple Vision Pro

Update: April 2024. Apple continues to show the rest of the smartphone world how to update phones, and iOS 17 has added new features to the iPhone 15 Pro Max as well as every iPhone released in the last five years. With new discovery features, Apple's new Journal app, and plenty more, iOS 17 is the gift that keeps on giving. The iPhone 15 Pro Max also now has the capability to record videos with an added depth component. These videos take advantage of Apple's spatial computing platform, Apple Vision Pro, and give you a more realistic, 3D look at whatever you record, as long as you watch the videos while wearing Apple's new headset. 

iPhone 15 Pro Max: Two-minute review

Leave it to Apple to make titanium sound sexy, while also putting me in mind of my somewhat aging joints. 

I know, Apple enthusiastically told us how the iPhone 15 Pro Max (and Pro) uses the same titanium as was used by NASA on the Mars rover. I buy that, and it sounds impressive; but when I think of titanium, I usually think of hip or knee replacements. The low-corrosion, lightweight, and high-strength material is favored by surgeons for those properties, and it's for those same reasons that it makes perfect sense as the new frame material for the iPhone.

Patients sporting new titanium knees and hips will likely never get to touch the metal, but if you buy an iPhone 15 Pro Max or – as I did – test it, you'll find that it's smooth yet solid, with a brushed surface that feels cool but not cold. Holding the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max is a distinctly different experience compared to handling the iPhone 14 Pro Max ; it's lighter, and the titanium feels a little warmer than the polished steel of its predecessor.

It's not just the titanium, though; Apple has made a small yet subtle change to the frame, removing just enough metal to add contoured edges all around. It's one of the smallest yet most impactful changes I've seen a smartphone manufacturer make to a design, and it truly changes how the phone feels in the hand.

Staying with the frame, Apple's retirement of the silence / ring button is one of the most welcome and useful changes. It takes a dull, one-trick-pony analog feature and transforms it into a sleek, customizable button that can be almost anything you want it to be.

The biggest change for some iPhone fans, though, will be the introduction of the USB-C port in place of Lightning. I know there's a fair amount of frustration over the change (all those now-useless cords in your home, office, and car) but it doesn't change the operation of the phone, and at least Apple supplies you with a woven USB-C-to-USB-C cable. I will miss the old port, but believe we'll all soon forget it.

Naturally, if those external changes were the only differences between this phone and its predecessor, the iPhone 15 Pro Max might be a disappointment. However, this is a significantly more powerful phone than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, with Apple's all-new A17 Pro silicon that, for the first time ever, brings console-quality gaming to the iPhone line. Granted, console games like Resident Evil: Village were not designed for a 6.7-inch display, even Apple's high-definition Super Retina XDR OLED panel, although at least that display now benefits from the smallest iPhone bezels I've seen.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max's triple-camera array looks unchanged from the iPhone 14 Pro Max's, but looks can be deceiving – there are upgrades both inside and out that help to deliver one of the best photography experiences you'll find on any phone.

While Apple appears to have used the same 48MP primary camera sensor as in last year's Pro Max, it's basically rebuilt its image processing pipeline.

There's a new 24MP default image size that cannily combines 12MP of pixel-binned image data with full-sensor 48MP information for images that are, in almost all instances, true-to-life (Apple may be over-blueing the sky a little).

The new setup is more versatile too. I never had to decide if I wanted to shoot portrait mode now or later – in most instances, if the iPhone 15 Pro Max could read depth information, it stored all the detail I'd need to change a photo to portrait mode and choose the focus subject post-shoot.

If you were hoping for 10x optical zoom on an iPhone, though, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will disappoint you (though not as much as the 3x optical iPhone 15 Pro). I was frustrated when Apple announced that it had only raised the maximum optical zoom on its largest smartphone to 5x; after all, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has an excellent 10x optical zoom, plus the wild, AI-assisted 100x Space Zoom (which may add too much 'artificial' information for my taste, but it's an option if you need it).  Apple does do a remarkably good job of competing with just half that zoom range, largely because the image quality at that extended focal length is simply excellent, rivaling and sometimes beating Samsung 's best camera.

The combination of its new 3nm chipset, a display that can stop down to a power-sipping 1Hz, and smart power management may account for excellent full-day-plus battery life; though your experience will depend on how you use the iPhone.

In short (this is my two-minute review, after all), this is my favorite iPhone ever. I usually don't like Apple's largest iPhone, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max is lighter (and a tiny bit smaller) than the iPhone 14 Pro Max which – along with the new contoured edges – makes it feel comfortable in my hand. Add to all that excellent photography, fast performance, and seemingly unlimited potential and you've got a lock for a place at or near the top of our best phone list.

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: Specs

Iphone 15 pro max review: price and availability.

• Starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,199
• You now pay more for Apple's best iPhone
• There's more starting storage (and memory)

Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 Pro Max alongside the iPhone 15 , iPhone 15 Plus , and  iPhone 15 Pro at its 'Wonderlust' event on September 12. Since then I've been putting all the new handsets through their paces, so when you're done here be sure to check out my iPhone 15 review ,  iPhone 15 Plus review , and iPhone 15 Pro review .  

The iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,199 , which is a price hike over its predecessor – the iPhone 14 Pro Max – but you do get twice the storage in the base model: 256GB. This also puts the iPhone 15 Pro Max in line with the starting price of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (both now start at 256GB). 

The iPhone 15 Pro Max became available to buy in-store and online on September 22, 2023, and if you're interesting in picking one up, head over to our  iPhone 15 Pro Max deals  page for a roundup of all the best offers available now.

It's not entirely accurate to say Apple raised the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max (from the iPhone 14 Pro Max base price) because what it actually did was remove a tier and settle on the 256GB storage and $1,119 as the new base model. This makes the iPhone 15 Pro Max a little less affordable (no less so than the similarly configured Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra) but, as I see it, 256GB should really be the base storage on all smartphones nowadays, especially as we continue to shoot higher resolution photos and videos (and manage our lives on them).

If storage is your jam, you can pack the iPhone 15 Pro Max (or iPhone 15 Pro) with up to 1TB of storage and pay $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,899 for the privilege. What you won't get for that price, though, is more memory. While the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra raises the RAM level to 12GB – starting with its 512GB model, the iPhone 15 Pro Max seemingly sticks with 8GB through all tiers.

There's no getting around that this is Apple's most expensive iPhone, but at least there are numerous payment options, including those from Apple which can start as low as $33 a month in the US. As for whether or not the iPhone 15 Pro Max is worth the money, its design, build, quality, and exceptional capabilities convince me it is. Even at this price, I suspect it will be Apple's best-seller.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: Design

• Contoured edges make it a pleasure to hold
• It's lighter and slightly smaller
• Exquisite build

In case you haven't heard, Apple's 2023 Pro-level iPhone has traded in its shiny stainless steel frame for a brushed titanium one. It's tough (though not necessarily harder than steel), corrosion-resistant, and – perhaps most importantly for your hands, pockets, and bags – a lighter material.

Apple made a handful of other changes that give the phone a new look and feel beyond changing up the outer metalwork, however. First are the new contoured edges. It's true that this iPhone can, at a glance, look almost exactly the same as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but close inspection reveals rounding along the sides that give the phone a softer look and make it – especially at this size – much more comfortable to hold. Additionally, the Super Retina XDR display looks larger (and the Dynamic Island looks smaller), thanks to a noticeably thinner bezel.

The phone feels different because the dimensions and weight are different. Where the iPhone 14 Pro Max was 77.6 x 160.7 x 7.85mm, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 76.7 x 159.9 x 8.25mm. That means it's just a hair smaller than the last model, a fact I confirmed when I tried slipping the iPhone 15 Pro Max into an iPhone 14 Pro Max leather case (Apple is no longer selling leather accessories) and it was loose inside it. It is worth noting that the new phone is almost a millimeter thicker than the last model.

However, thanks to the titanium body and new recycled aluminum frame, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 19 grams lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max (221g vs. 240g). That's a noticeable difference.

Another major design change is actually a functional one: the new USB-C port. It's a little bit larger than the departed Lighting port but will – if you have the right cable – bring some 10Gbps high-speed data transfer capabilities (the cable Apple ships with the iPhone is not a high-speed one).

The body is covered on the front and back with what Apple calls "tough glass-based materials", and on the front is also their Ceramic Shield, designed to protect the glass from damage. I'm not in the business of dropping my phones, so I could not tell you much about the strength of these glass materials. I did, though subject the phone to a dunk in a water fountain. The IP68-rated phone handled it just fine. That was just for a moment, but the phone is rated to handle swimming in up to six feet of fresh water for 30 minutes. If you dunk your phone, just remember that you can't plug it into a charger again until it's completely dry.

Apple didn't mess with the power/sleep/Siri button or the pair of volume buttons but right above that is Apple's other big design/functionality change: the new Action button, which is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro.

This tiny little button replaces the long-surviving silence/ring switch (still available on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus ). Instead of a single-function switch, the Action button is programmable via one of Apple's most high-designed utility interfaces ever.

The Action button defaults to ring/silence control but instead of a switch, it takes a press to check the status of your phone (ring or silent) and a long press to change it. Many people may leave well enough alone here, but then they'd be missing out on all the hidden utility. Action button can enable a preferred Focus Mode (with detailed controls inside the Action button settings page), turn the flashlight on and off, launch voice memos, turn your phone into a digital magnifying glass, run your favorite Shortcut, offer instant access to accessibility features, launch the camera, or even turn off all Action button features (a waste, really). If you miss the ring/silent control you can still find it under the updated Control Center too.

After trying out the Action button in default mode, I quickly switched it to control the camera. From there, I could use a long-press to instantly open the camera and then use a quick press to take a picture.

The only downside to this new button is that if you are in the habit of taking a lot of screenshots by simultaneously pressing the power and volume up buttons, you may accidentally press the new Action button instead because, well, it's now the top button on the left side of the phone. I expect this to become an iPhone 15 Pro Max meme ("When you press Action instead of Volume Up").

In total, I think the iPhone 15 Pro Max design retains what was good about the last model while making ergonomic and functionality tweaks that move the familiar into the future, with a lighter chassis, smoother lines, a bigger screen, and more functional buttons and ports.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: Sustainability

Over the years, Apple has been rethinking its packaging and, increasingly its products, with an eye toward sustainability. I can still remember when Apple started using biodegradable packaging on its EarPods. The corn-based material would dissolve in water. Now, Apple's efforts extend to its Apple Watch Series 9 (Apple claims the product is now carbon neutral) and iPhones.

This iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 100% recycled aluminum interior and uses recycled cobalt in its battery. Beyond the phone, Apple is whittling away at its carbon footprint by using more earth-friendly materials. In past years, I would usually get leather cases to protect my iPhone test unit but leather is not exactly carbon-friendly. This year, Apple is using a new material, FineWoven, on cases and MagSafe Apple Wallets.

Those cases, by the way, still feel luxurious. My wife thought they were faux suede, but I pointed out the ultra-fine weave.

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: Display

• 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED
• Surrounded by ultra-thin bezels
• Unchanged resolution. Still supports ProMotion adaptive refresh rate
• Always-on display

If you liked the 6.7-inch display on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, you'll probably like the iPhone 15 Pro Max's screen just that little bit more.

Apple shaved millimeters off the black bezel surrounding the Super Retina XDR OLED screen to make it seem larger (this also makes the Dynamic Island look smaller). Between that and the newly-curved edges, it really looks as if the screen extends all the way to the outer edge of the phone.

To be clear, the screen is slightly larger but the resolution, 2796 x 1290 and 460ppi is unchanged from the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Essentially, this iPhone is just giving those pixels a little more breathing room.

It remains a beautiful and bright screen, with a maximum brightness of 2000 nits, which means I had no trouble using it outdoors in bright sunlight. Its wide color gamut means visuals are rich and the 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio endows it with support for the inkiest of blacks. Looking at everything from photos to games, apps, websites, and videos on this display is a pleasure.

ProMotion support means the iPhone 15 Pro Max is as adept at handling web page scrolling as it is at videos and gaming. All motion looks smooth. Plus, the phone's ability to stop down to 1Hz means that, when it needs to, it sips power while still providing you information; ideal for always-on functionality.

I put the iPhone 15 Pro Max on a Belkin Boost Charge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless charge stand with MagSafe, which automatically puts the phone in iOS 17's new Standby mode , and then set it up on my nightstand. Overnight, the Always-On display was just bright enough that I could glance at it in the middle of the night and see the time.

This is still an excellent smartphone display, though I wonder why, now that Samsung's flagship has an integrated pen and supports not only touch but stylus input, Apple can't finally add Apple Pencil support to its biggest and best smartphone. Even so, I understand that not everyone needs or wants pen input and that may be something Apple intuits as well.

Basically, what you have is Apple's top-notch screen technology, slightly embiggened and now supported by some excellent new iOS 17 functionality.

• Display score: 4.5 / 5

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: Cameras

• Dedicated 5x optical zoom camera
• New 48MP primary sensor
• Impressive new portrait photography capabilities

If you read the iPhone 15 Pro Max's specs, see 48MP, and think little has changed since the iPhone 14 Pro Max, you would be mistaken.

Before I dig in, take a look at those specs:

• Main: 48MP f/1.78 w/ OIS
• Ultra-wide: 12MP f/2.2 w/ 120º FoV
• Telephoto: 12MP, f/2.8 w/ 5x optical zoom & 3D sensor shift OIS
• Front-facing TrueDepth: 12MP f/1.9

Leaving aside the obviously-different 5x optical zoom camera (even the iPhone 15 Pro doesn't get that new snapper), let's look at the leading 48MP sensor. It's not the same one as was introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro Max (or the new iPhone 15). It's larger and, reportedly a Sony -made IMX903. And Apple is using this sensor in ways it has never done before.

Every default image I shot with the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes rendered at 24MP resolution. Yes, that's a new resolution for iPhones and Apple manages it by first pixel binning 48 megapixels-worth of data into the best possible 12 megapixel still and then combining that with the full detail of the 48MP sensor. The only downside is that 24MP images will be larger than 12MP stills (by about a megabyte). Apple mitigates the storage cost a bit by automatically storing photos in HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) format. You can also shoot in 48MP RAW format for uncompressed imagery, ready for editing.

The result is some truly eye-popping images. The colors are brighter and, with the exception of maybe a just too-blue sky (possibly a result of more aggressive use of smart HDR ), the most accurate I have ever seen from a smartphone. Even in direct comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the iPhone 15 Pro Max won. The colors in flowers are perfect and the sharpness is startling. My macros are levels above what I gathered with the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. The skin tones are exact. It didn't matter the skin tone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max understood it and reproduced it. I, for instance, look just as pale and freckled as I do in real life. 

Apple has stuffed this iPhone full of more pro-level photography tools than ever before. In particular, you can now choose physical camera-like digital lenses, from 13mm to 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 48mm, and 120mm for the 5x zoom.  You can see these measurements in the camera app by holding down on one of the main magnification levels. You can also go into settings and set one of the lenses as a default.

For most consumers, though, this might be more control than they want or need. It might help to understand what millimeters (mm) in lenses actually mean. The mm defines the degree of magnification and field of view. Lower mm means a wider field of view and lower magnification. Obviously, you can ignore this or act like a pro photographer and start switching up digital lenses during a shoot.

Apple's decision to use just a 5x optical zoom is a source of frustration but I can't really argue with the result. The lens, which uses an unusual tetraprism (four turns of the light between the lens and the image sensor), captures some lovely images. So while this is a long way from 10x optical zoom, I think Apple fans will still be pleased with this result. You can zoom quite a bit further with digital zoom but these images never hold up upon close examination.

Working in conjunction with that zoom is the new 3D sensor shift optical image stabilization which does a much better job of keeping shots stable, especially on digitally zoomed videos. I was impressed with the stabilization when I was capturing a video of a robin who was perched up in swaying branches at least five yards away from me.

The entire iPhone 15 line essentially refines portrait photography. There's still a specific mode, but you no longer need to use it to get the same result. As long as the iPhone 15 Pro Max's cameras can capture depth information, you can turn almost any photo into a portrait shot after the fact, even if it was shot with only the main camera.

You can tell if the camera is seeing any depth while you shoot because a little "Portrait f" will appear in the upper righthand corner. You can tap on it and then select Portrait (On or Off) to see what the photo would look like in portrait mode. it doesn't always work because, if the camera does not 'see', say, a person, or pet or fails to capture any useful depth information, then you can't change a photo to portrait mode; in my experience, most photos were convertible, however. As with traditional Portrait Mode shots, you can set the depth of field but additionally, you can now also tap on different subjects to change the focus point. This works just as advertised and makes you feel like a god of portrait photography.

Portrait photography – including that taken with the front-facing TrueDepth camera – got a huge upgrade with access to Apple's Photonic Engine (I know, Apple, loves it's tech labels) that just makes portrait photography look more authentic and less computational than ever.

Apple has made some leaps in low-light and night photography. The iPhone 15 Pro Max's ISPs (image signal processors) collect more light and make better use of it in even the most challenging situations. It's not vastly better than what you get with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but I think Apple achieves parity.

Night photography is better, too. I noticed less green in the star photography and more stars. The one thing I still can't do as easily as I can with the Galaxy S23 Ultra is take star trail photography (without a third-party app).

The iPhone remains a great video capture tool, with a wide variety of lens options, Action mode for shooting your child's soccer game without nausea-inducing judder, and Cinematic mode for when you want to shoot auteur-quality video. The last, by the way, works just like portrait mode photography in that you can, while capturing video, shift focus from one subject to another with just a tap (in filmmaking, this is the job of the focus puller). What the iPhone 15 Pro Max can do that you can't with the traditional film is change the focus point of the video after shooting. It's more than a neat trick and could be useful if you happen to forget to focus on the right subject during the initial shoot.

iPhone 15 Pro Max: Camera samples

The phone now maxes out at shooting 4K 60fps ProRes, while I'd say leaving out 8K video shooting capabilities (which some rivals support) could only be a problem if I thought anyone actually had an 8K TV in their home.

Even as Apple dips its toes further into the pro-level smartphone photography waters, its camera app does not yet feel as deep and versatile as Samsung's, which may go a bit too far and accidentally bury some really useful features.

Again, I think Apple knows its consumers better than most and is being careful about what it presents to iPhone users; not wanting to confuse them while also not holding them back, either. It's a delicate balance. In the end, Apple mostly pulls it off and the real proof is in the fantastic image quality, which should make any smartphone owner envious.

• Camera score: 5 / 5

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: Performance

• Hello new A17 Pro
• More base storage (for a price)

Ever since Apple launched Apple silicon, it's been pushing the boundaries of what's possible, with system-on-chips (SoCs) in laptops, desktops, and mobile that rival and often beat the competition, and sometimes they even take generational leaps.

I think it's fair to call the A17 Pro a leap forward from the A16 Bionic in the iPhone 14 Pro Max (the chip now also powering the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus). As compared to the A16 Bionic, the A17 Pro is built on an even-smaller 3nm process, which should improve efficiency (think battery life), with a CPU that is 10% faster and a six-core GPU that's not only 20% faster but supports on-hardware Ray Tracing.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max Geekbench 6 results support Apple's performance claims. It shows that the A17 Pro is running at a 3.78GHz clockspeed, as compared to 3.46GHz for the A16 Bionic and 3.36GHz for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Numbers, naturally, only tell part of the performance story. For me, it's what I can do with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. One of the promised experiences is playing console-quality games natively. Not gonna lie, I was skeptical. Console gaming is not mobile gaming and never the twain shall meet – until they do on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Capcom gave me test flight access to the ported version of Resident Evil: Village. It was a large file that I needed to download at home on WiFi. Once it loaded up I immediately saw a problem. The game is designed for consoles and their controllers. Without one, Resident Evil put the controls on-screen – all the buttons you would usually find on a console controller were crowding the 6.7-inch display. I realized I needed a physical controller, so I borrowed one of my son's extra Xbox controllers and connected it to the phone via Bluetooth.

I'm not much of a gamer, but the visuals, especially on the cut scenes, look quite good on the 6.7-inch display. Still, on such a small console gaming screen, losing even a little bit of space to the Dynamic Island is frustrating.

The graphics never stuttered or tore. I only noticed one spot of pixelation early in the game, where a shadow didn't quite hold together on the snow. This was a repeatable experience which makes me wonder if it's less about the A17 Pro and more about the game port from console to mobile.

The game was otherwise responsive and the sound was excellent. When I put in my AirPods Pro, I was presented with a really captivating and immersive experience; an experience good enough for me to proclaim that console-quality gaming has finally arrived on the mobile phone.

Outside of gaming, every action on the iPhone 15 Pro Max was as responsive as I expected and wanted it to be. I tried editing multiple 4K 60fps clips in iMovie and found no issues with it or the output. The speed of the latter was no faster on the A17 Pro than it was on the A16 Bionic on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

As with last year's iPhone 14 Pro Max (pictured above) in the US, my test unit was eSIM-only. It's incredibly easy to transfer your phone number from an existing phone to these new eSIM variants, but it also means you can no longer easily swap in and out SIM cards without carrier assistance and support.

This is also a 5G phone, though your 5G experience will depend largely on the proximity of cell towers and how many people are sharing them. Lately, 5G speeds are making me pine for still-under-development 6G .

Call quality is good. My wife remarked I sounded good, clear, and "younger". I don't know if that's a product of the connection or if the iPhone 15 Pro Max includes a time machine for free; if it's the latter, Apple should adjust its marketing to place a little more emphasis on that particular upgrade.

This is also Apple's first Wi-Fi 6E iPhone, which is good news if you have a Wi-Fi 6E router in your home or office. In my anecdotal tests, the iPhone 15 Pro Max had consistently faster download and upload speeds (as measured by Google's online Speet Test ) than the WiFi 6-supporting iPhone 15 and my iPhone 14 Pro (also WiFi 6).

There's also a new Ultra Wide-band chip (across all iPhone 15 models) that should help with precision finding of not only your Apple stuff but other friends carrying iPhones too.

Apple is also expanding its integrated Satellite services support beyond Emergency SOS to free (for two years) roadside assistance. The idea is that in areas where cell service is poor or non-existent, the system can guide you to connect with an orbiting satellite and then message nearby road services.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: Software

• iOS 17 out the box
• Nice quality-of-life improvements
• No major changes otherwise

iOS 17, which will come pre-installed on your new iPhone 15 Pro Max is, in total, a relatively lightweight update to what is already a very rich and deep platform, of which I suspect most iPhone owners barely scratch the surface.

The StandBy feature turns the iPhone 15 Pro Max into one of the best bedside clocks and at-a-glance-info hubs around. New Contact Posters are a nice extension of some of the features first found in the impressive Lock Screen update. I also like the new Name Drop feature, which utilizes AirDrop to instantly share contact information with another iPhone placed next to it. Just know that this feature is on by default and if you have two phones near each other with this enabled it might automatically connect. If and when you get your iPhone 15 (of any model), I'd suggest you go into settings and turn this off until you learn how and when to use it.

When I made a FaceTime call – which looked fantastic, by the way – I used iOS 17's new gestures to send thumbs ups and balloons, some of which appeared behind me; it was a neat effect.

• Software score: 4.5 / 5

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: Battery life

• Same quoted battery life as iPhone 14 Pro Max
• Marginally larger capacity YoY
• USB-C charging (and data speeds up to 10Gbps)
• Power adapter not included
• MagSafe for iPhone

Apple never shares the battery capacity and one can only assume that the iPhone 15 Pro Max battery is at least as big as the one in the iPhone 14 Pro Max ( independent sources suggest it's fractionally larger ). Battery size, though, is only part of the story. Managing battery life is a product of mAhs (milliampere-hours), processor efficiency, and onboard intelligence (often AI-based), to manage battery consumption.

All of this, I would say, is done well on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which managed 28 hours of mixed-use. This is an anecdotal measure and your results will vary depending on what you do with the phone. Remember that part of my time with the phone was not using it while I slept for five hours (I did not charge it).

Apple says the iPhone 15 Pro Max can recharge to 50% in 30 minutes with an optional 20W USB-C adapter. Mine charged 47% in that time. It took another hour and a half for it to fully charge. I'm not sure why Apple can't get fully on board with faster wired charging.

As for how you charge the iPhone 15 Pro Max, now you'll use the new USB-C port and the included USB-C cable. I was surprised to see that the cable is now woven – as opposed to the classic plastic/rubber protective jacket. This is similar to MacBook and HomePod cables and may prove more durable than the old cables.

The phone also supports Qi and, obviously MagSafe charging (and accessories).

• Battery score: 4 / 5

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: Verdict

The iPhone 15 Pro Max raises the bar, not only for the iPhone family but for smartphones in general. From the new materials to some of the best smartphone cameras we have ever used; Apple's big flagship satisfies your smartphone needs in virtually every aspect. It falls just short of perfection thanks to a slightly higher price tag than the last model, the lack of true fast charging, and Apple's frustrating insistence in presenting 5x optical zoom as the apex of smartphone telephoto technology.  Still, these end up being minor quibbles for a broadly exceptional iPhone experience. 

Should I buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max?

Buy it if....

You want the best iPhone ever

There's now a difference between the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max that goes beyond size and battery life. The best possible collection of cameras is on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

You like your phones big Apple's 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display is one of the best in the smartphone business. It's fast, flexible (thanks to the 1Hz-to-120Hz ProMotion display) and works as a great canvas for productivity, entertainment and gaming.

You want excellent photos The quality of photos the phone's 48MP main sensor produces is a new benchmark for smartphone photography.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a budget Apple didn't so much raise the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max as it took away a slightly more affordable option. If money is an object, look at the iPhone 15 or last year's iPhone 14 Pro.

You want more zoom If 10x optical zoom is a must-have for your smartphone needs, then look to the still-excellent <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-s23-ultra" data-link-merchant="techradar.com"">Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, instead.

You want faster charging The iPhone 15 Pro Max offers reassuringly-solid battery life and functionally-fine charging, but rivals from every angle offer much faster speeds. Apple still hasn't caught on, though.

iPhone 15 Pro Max review: also consider

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra   If the myriad of mentions didn't give it away, the most like-minded rival to the 15 Pro Max right now remains Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra. It can zoom further, boasts a larger battery and stylus support too.

Google Pixel 7 Pro* Google's current flagship boasts and excellent similar-sized display, a clean take on Android, designed by Google itself and a camera experience that stands ahead of its competitive price tag. *The caveat is that the Pixel 8 Pro is set to arrive on October 4.

iPhone 14 Pro Max Some phones don't hold up the further from launch you get, but Apple's previous flagship will not only cost you less but still deliver a great all-round experience.

How I tested the iPhone 15 Pro Max

I tested the iPhone 15 Pro Max for four days, using it to take pictures, play games, watch videos, listen to music, and do a variety of other mobile tasks. I ran anecdotal battery tests and various benchmarks, but I have also included benchmark and battery results from Future Labs.

I bring almost 20 years of phone testing experience and 32 years of technology media experience to my review work and have tried or reviewed almost every iPhone since Apple first released them in 2007.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2023

A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist , Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Ryan, the Today Show , Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC. 

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iPhone 15 —

Invitation sent: apple will debut the iphone 15 in september livestream, apple's new flagship phones will make their debut on september 12..

Samuel Axon - Aug 29, 2023 5:47 pm UTC

As previously rumored, Apple plans to reveal the next iteration of the iPhone and the Apple Watch on September 12 in a livestream. The company confirmed the date with invitations sent out to members of the press this morning.

The invitation named the date, included (as usual) a cryptic image, specified that the event would be broadcast from Apple Park, and included the word "Wonderlust" as a teaser.

Further Reading

The invitation doesn't specifically say that the event will focus on the iPhone and Apple Watch. That said, Apple has announced its iPhone and Apple Watch lineup at events in the first week or two of September for years, and leaks and insider reports have made clear that we can expect that again.

Some of those same leaks and reports have given us a sense of what to expect from the new iPhone lineup, too: a move from Lightning to USB-C, chip upgrades, the Dynamic Island on the non-Pro models, and a switch from stainless steel to titanium for the Pro models.

Less is known about new Apple Watch updates; other than that, we can probably expect relatively minor changes.

Ars Technica will again be liveblogging the event when it happens, so check back on September 12 for all the updates.

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What to expect from Apple’s iPhone 15 event

The launch of the iphone 15 is right around the corner — here’s what you should know..

By Emma Roth , a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

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Apple is holding its next big event in September to take the wraps off the iPhone 15, new Apple Watches, and more.

Here, we’ll go over how and when you can watch the event, along with the new product announcements we’re expecting to see from Apple.

When is the iPhone 15 showcase?

The iPhone 15 event will take place on September 12th, 2023, at 1PM ET / 10AM PT. As shown in the invite sent out by Apple, the company has named the event “Wonderlust.” It will take place live from Apple Park in Cupertino, California.

How to watch Apple’s iPhone 15 event

As is the case with past events, Apple will likely stream the iPhone 15 showcase on its website and YouTube channel . You can also watch it from the livestream embedded at the top of this article.

The Verge is also live blogging the event. Our team is at Apple’s HQ in Cupertino and will be covering the announcements with up-to-the-second updates right here .

• iPhone 15 event live blog: all the news from Apple’s keynote

An iPhone 15 lineup that’s finally compatible with USB-C

One of the biggest changes coming to this year’s iPhone lineup is the addition of USB-C. For the first time, the iPhone 15 is expected to come with the widely used port instead of Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as Apple confirmed last year that it would make the change to USB-C to comply with the European Union’s incoming regulations.

Although reports indicate that all phones in the iPhone 15 lineup will get the USB-C port, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says only the Pro and Pro Max will benefit from higher data transfer rates. Both premium models will come with “at least” USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3, while the base iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will support USB 2.0, according to Kuo. Either way, 9to5Mac reports that all iPhone 15 models should have faster 35W charging rates thanks to the switch.

Additionally, supply chain analyst Ross Young reported last year that all models of the iPhone 15 will come with the Dynamic Island . That’s a change from what Apple currently offers, as it only includes the pill-shaped cutout on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max . The entire iPhone 15 lineup is expected to get an ultra wideband chip, too.

This time around, the most significant changes coming to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are reported to be a titanium frame, thinner bezels, and a more repairable aluminum chassis that we first saw with the iPhone 14 , according to Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman . The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max might also have a faster A17 chip built using the 3nm process, while the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will likely come with the A16 chip included in the iPhone 14 Pro.

Both premium models may come with an Action Button similar to the one on the Apple Watch Ultra, as reported by MacRumors and 9to5Mac . This button is supposed to replace the mute toggle and could allow you to assign shortcuts to different apps and utilities. You can see how the Action Button may look in leaked photos and a video of upcoming iPhone 15 Pro cases. And while early rumors suggested that Apple will replace the volume rocker and the power button on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max with solid-state toggles, recent reports from Kuo and leaker Unknownz21 suggest they’ll stay the same for now.

There have been rumors about an iPhone 15 Pro Max rebranding as well. While Gurman reported last year that Apple could change the name to the “Ultra,” he recently reversed that prediction, saying it will keep the Pro Max moniker. Oh, and there is one change that the iPhone 15 Max — or Ultra — may exclusively get: a periscope lens with up to 6x optical zoom . All those updates could result in a potentially more expensive price. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives predicts the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will cost $1,099 and $1,199 respectively, marking a $100 price increase for both models.

We also may see some changes to the colors Apple includes in its iPhone 15 Pro line as well. According to 9to5Mac , Apple could swap its gold finish for a “titan gray.” The company may reveal a new dark blue option as well, which it might be teasing with the color scheme it included in its event invite. In addition to dark blue and gray, the iPhone 15 Pro is also expected to come in black and white. Meanwhile, the standard iPhone 15 is rumored to feature black, blue, yellow, white, and pink variants.

An incremental update to the Apple Watch lineup

In addition to the iPhone 15, Apple is also likely to reveal its latest smartwatch lineup — and so far, we’re not expecting many major changes. Not much is known about the update to the premium Apple Watch Ultra besides that it will reportedly retain its 49mm size and come with a new darker titanium case . But other rumors indicate that the Watch Series 9 will come with an updated S9 processor.

According to Gurman , the S9 chip is based on the A15 processor that Apple introduced with the iPhone 13. This could allow for more efficiency and better battery life when compared to its predecessor, which comes equipped with the S8 chip that’s based on the same tech as the processors in the previous two Watch models. Gurman also predicts that Apple’s watch lineup could come with an ultra wideband chip, along with “various sensor and internal component upgrades,” such as an updated optical heart rate sensor.

Other smaller updates expected to come with the Watch Series 9 include a pink color option and the option of a band with a magnetic buckle . Additionally, some are speculating that Apple will use 3D-printed materials in some of its upcoming smartwatches. We likely won’t see a new Watch SE during this year’s event, as the product appears to be on a two-year refresh cycle and was just updated last year.

AirPods Pro with a USB-C-equipped charging case

The iPhone 15 isn’t the only Apple device that’s expected to get the USB-C treatment. Gurman reports that Apple plans on releasing a pair of AirPods Pro with USB-C during its event in September.

That tracks with a prediction from Kuo last year, who said Apple would launch AirPods with a USB-C charging case in 2023. It’s not clear whether Apple will actually make any updates to the AirPods Pro themselves , however — it may just update its charging case.

In January, Kuo said Apple could ship its fourth-gen AirPods in the second half of 2024 or the first half of 2025, along with a second generation of its over-the-ear AirPods Max — both of which may also come with USB-C . Other rumors suggest Apple may launch a new pair of cheaper $99 AirPods as well. If that’s the case, we’re a full year or more away from big updates.

However, the AirPods Pro are still set to get some new features through an upcoming software update. That includes Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and better automatic device switching.

More info on iOS 17, macOS Sonoma, and more

With a new iPhone and watch coming, we’ll probably get the release dates for iOS 17 and watchOS 10 during Apple’s upcoming event. As for iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma, we might not see them until later this fall, in line with Apple’s recent pattern of launching them in October.

But the betas for each of these operating systems have been out for some time now, giving us a peek at what we can expect. While iOS 17 comes with a number of small but meaningful upgrades, including StandBy mode , voicemail transcriptions , and a Journal app , macOS Sonoma adds widgets , a game mode, and profiles on Safari .

As for iPadOS 17, Apple is adding personalized lock screens , interactive widgets, the Health app, and support for external USB webcams and cameras . Apple is launching an update to Stage Manager as well, which finally lets you customize the sizes and orientations of each window on your screen.

Lastly, watchOS 10 will also incorporate widgets (seeing a trend yet?) that should give you quick access to various apps. There are also new topographic mapping features, mood logging, and a couple of new watchfaces.

Is there anything else?

There are a few other things Apple is rumored to be working on that likely won’t make an appearance at its iPhone 15 event. That includes some new Macs and iPads, which Apple usually holds an event for in October.

This fall, we’re expecting a new iMac, a 13-inch MacBook Air, and a 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by Apple’s new in-house M3 chip. On the iPad side of things, rumors suggest that we might see the release of the seventh-gen iPad Mini .

But even with all these exciting launches on the horizon, all eyes are still on the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro , which is set for release early next year. We’re likely to see some updates in the months leading up to its launch.

In the meantime, make sure to stay tuned to The Verge ’s coverage of Apple’s iPhone 15 event.

Update August 30th, 8:17AM ET: Added a rumor about AirPods with USB-C.

Update September 5th, 1:30PM ET: Added Apple’s link to the livestream.

Update September 7th, 9:38AM ET: Added iPhone 15 Action Button and pricing rumors.

Update September 8th, 9:52AM ET: Added iPhone 15 and Apple Watch rumors.

Update September 11th, 4:54AM ET: Added an Apple Watch design rumor.

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iPhone 15 Technical Specifications

Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink

Aluminum design Ceramic Shield front Color-infused glass back

2.82 inches (71.6 mm)

5.81 inches (147.6 mm)

0.31 inch (7.80 mm)

6.02 ounces (171 grams)

3.06 inches (77.8 mm)

6.33 inches (160.9 mm)

7.09 ounces (201 grams)

• Super Retina XDR display
• 6.1‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display
• 2556‑by‑1179-pixel resolution at 460 ppi

The iPhone 15 display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design, and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 6.12 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less).

• 6.7‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display
• 2796‑by‑1290-pixel resolution at 460 ppi

The iPhone 15 Plus display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design, and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 6.69 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less).

• Dynamic Island
• HDR display
• True Tone
• Wide color (P3)
• Haptic Touch
• 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)
• 1000 nits max brightness (typical); 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR); 2000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529

• A16 Bionic chip
• 6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
• 5‑core GPU
• 16‑core Neural Engine
• Advanced dual-camera system
• 48MP Main: 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor‑shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP)
• 12MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view
• 12MP 2x Telephoto (enabled by quad-pixel sensor): 52 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels
• 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range
• Digital zoom up to 10x
• Sapphire crystal lens cover
• True Tone flash
• Photonic Engine
• Deep Fusion
• Smart HDR 5
• Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control
• Portrait Lighting with six effects
• Panorama (up to 63MP)
• Photographic Styles
• Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos
• Lens correction (Ultra Wide)
• Advanced red‑eye correction
• Auto image stabilization
• Photo geotagging
• Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG
• 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
• 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
• 720p HD video recording at 30 fps
• Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
• Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps
• HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps
• Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
• Time‑lapse video with stabilization
• Night mode Time-lapse
• QuickTake video
• Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video (Main)
• Digital zoom up to 6x
• True Tone flash
• Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
• Continuous autofocus video
• Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video
• Playback zoom
• Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264
• Stereo recording
• 12MP camera
• ƒ/1.9 aperture
• Autofocus with Focus Pixels
• Retina Flash
• Animoji and Memoji
• Lens correction
• Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps
• Enabled by TrueDepth camera for facial recognition
• Pay with your iPhone using Face ID in stores, within apps, and on the web
• Send and receive money in Messages with Apple Cash 4
• Complete purchases made with Apple Pay on your Mac
• Pay for your ride using Express Transit 5

Learn more about Apple Pay

Learn more about Apple Cash

• Credit card created by Apple, designed for iPhone
• Get unlimited 3% Daily Cash at Apple and select merchants, 6 2% with Apple Pay, and 1% everywhere else
• Use the Wallet app to apply for, manage, and use Apple Card
• Titanium, laser‑etched physical credit card for use where Apple Pay is not accepted yet
• Share with up to five people, 13 years or older, in your Family Sharing 7 group to track expenses and manage spending

Learn more about Apple Card

• Emergency SOS via satellite 8
• Crash Detection 9
• Roadside Assistance via satellite 8

Model A2846 * Model A2847 *

• 5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n66, n70, n71, n75, n76, n77, n78, n79)
• 5G NR mmWave (Bands n258, n260, n261)
• FDD‑LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71)
• TD‑LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 53)
• UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
• 5G (sub‑6 GHz and mmWave) with 4x4 MIMO 10
• Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA 10
• Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip 11
• NFC with reader mode
• Express Cards with power reserve
• GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
• Digital compass
• Wi‑Fi
• iBeacon microlocation
• FaceTime video calling over cellular or Wi‑Fi
• FaceTime HD (1080p) video calling over 5G or Wi-Fi
• Share experiences like movies, TV, music, and other apps in a FaceTime call with SharePlay
• Screen sharing
• Portrait mode in FaceTime video
• Spatial Audio
• Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes
• Zoom with rear-facing camera
• FaceTime audio
• Voice over LTE (VoLTE) 10
• Wi‑Fi calling 10
• Supported formats include AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos
• Spatial Audio playback
• User‑configurable maximum volume limit
• Supported formats include HEVC, H.264, and ProRes
• HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG
• Up to 4K HDR AirPlay for mirroring, photos, and video out to Apple TV (2nd generation or later) or AirPlay‑enabled smart TV
• Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 4K HDR through native DisplayPort output over USB-C or USB-C Digital AV Adapter (model A2119; adapter sold separately) 13
• Use your voice to send messages, set reminders, and more
• Activate hands‑free with only your voice using “Siri” or “Hey Siri”
• Use your voice to run shortcuts from your favorite apps

Learn more about Siri

Volume up/down

Ring/Silent

Side button

Built‑in stereo speaker Built‑in microphone

USB-C connector

Built‑in microphones

Built‑in  stereo speaker

• USB-C connector with support for:
• DisplayPort
• USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s)

Video playback Up to 20 hours

Video playback (streamed) Up to 16 hours

Audio playback Up to 80 hours

Video playback Up to 26 hours

Video playback (streamed) Up to 20 hours

Audio playback Up to 100 hours

• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W 16
• Qi2 wireless charging up to 15W 16
• Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W 16
• Fast-charge capable: Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes 17 with 20W adapter or higher (available separately)
• Wireless charging up to 15W 16
• Magnet array
• Alignment magnet
• Accessory Identification NFC
• Magnetometer
• Face ID
• High dynamic range gyro
• High-g accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• Dual ambient light sensors
• iOS 17 iOS is the world’s most personal and secure mobile operating system, packed with powerful features and designed to protect your privacy.

See what’s new in iOS 17

Built-in accessibility features supporting vision, mobility, hearing, and cognitive disabilities help you get the most out of your iPhone.

Learn more

• Voice Control
• Switch Control
• AssistiveTouch
• RTT and TTY support
• Closed Captions
• Live Captions
• Personal Voice
• Live Speech
• Type to Siri
• Spoken Content
• Dual eSIM (two active eSIMs; stores eight or more eSIMs) 18
• iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus use eSIM technology and are not compatible with physical SIM cards.

Learn more about eSIM

Learn more about traveling with eSIM

M3, T4

.jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel); .zip; .ics; .usdz (USDZ Universal)

• Apple ID (required for some features)
• Internet access 19
• Syncing to a Mac or PC requires:
• macOS Catalina 10.15 or later using the Finder
• macOS High Sierra 10.13 through macOS Mojave 10.14.6 using iTunes 12.8 or later
• Windows 10 or later using iTunes 12.12.10 or later (free download from apple.com/itunes/download )

32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)

−4° to 113° F (−20° to 45° C)

5% to 95% noncondensing

tested up to 10,000 feet (3000 m)

English (Australia, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional – Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Spain), Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Kazakh, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese – Simplified (Handwriting, Pinyin QWERTY, Pinyin 10-Key, Shuangpin, Stroke), Chinese – Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Pinyin QWERTY, Pinyin 10-Key, Shuangpin, Stroke, Sucheng, Zhuyin), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Kana, Romaji), Korean (2-Set, 10-Key), Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Ainu, Albanian, Amharic, Apache (Western), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Armenian, Assamese, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Belarusian, Bodo, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cantonese – Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Phonetic, Stroke, Sucheng), Catalan, Cherokee, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dhivehi, Dogri, Dutch, Dzongkha, Emoji, Estonian, Faroese, Filipino, Finnish, Flemish, Fula (Adlam), Georgian, Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin, Transliteration), Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Kannada, Kashmiri (Arabic, Devanagari), Kazakh, Khmer, Konkani (Devanagari), Kurdish (Arabic, Latin), Kyrgyz, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Maithili, Malay (Arabic, Latin), Malayalam, Maltese, Manipuri (Bengali, Meetei Mayek), Māori, Marathi, Mongolian, Navajo, Nepali, Norwegian (Bokmål, Nynorsk), Odia, Pashto, Persian, Persian (Afghanistan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Punjabi, Rohingya, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Sanskrit, Santali (Devanagari, Ol Chiki), Serbian (Cyrillic, Latin), Sindhi (Arabic, Devanagari), Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Swahili, Swedish, Tajik, Tamil (Anjal, Tamil 99), Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tongan, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek (Arabic, Cyrillic, Latin), Vietnamese (Telex, VIQR, VNI), Welsh, Yiddish, Akan, Bangla (Transliteration), Chickasaw, Choctaw, Chuvash, Gujarati (Transliteration), Hausa, Hmong (Pahawh), Ingush, Japanese (Handwriting), Kabyle, Kannada (Transliteration), Liangshan Yi, Malayalam (Transliteration), Mandaic, Marathi (Transliteration), Mi’kmaw, N’Ko, Osage, Punjabi (Transliteration), Rejang, Tamazight (Standard Moroccan), Tamil (Transliteration), Telugu (Transliteration), Urdu (Transliteration), Wancho, Wolastoqey, Yoruba

Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Bangla, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cherokee, Chinese – Simplified (Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese – Traditional (Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese – Traditional (Zhuyin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, Dutch (Belgium), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin, Transliteration), Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Japanese (Kana), Japanese (Romaji), Korean (2-Set, 10-Key), Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Marathi, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk), Persian, Persian (Afghanistan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic), Serbian (Latin), Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Swedish, Tamil (Anjal), Tamil (Tamil 99), Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese (Telex)

English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Cantonese (Traditional), Dutch, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin), Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Russian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Polish, Romanian

English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese – Simplified (Pinyin), Chinese – Traditional (Pinyin), French (France), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (Switzerland), German (Germany), German (Austria), German (Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Romaji), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Hindi (Latin), Vietnamese, Polish, Romanian, Turkish

English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Hindi (Devanagari), Hindi (Latin), Russian, Swedish, Portuguese (Brazil), Turkish, Vietnamese

English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese (Traditional Pinyin QWERTY), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Swedish, Vietnamese, Arabic, Hebrew, Korean, Polish, Romanian

English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Chile, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese (Japan), Korean (Republic of Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish (Finland), Hebrew (Israel), Malay (Malaysia), Norwegian (Norway), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Türkiye)

English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, UK, U.S.), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Arabic (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Romanian, Russian, Shanghainese (China mainland), Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

English (UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional – Hong Kong), Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Bulgarian, Catalan, Greek, Malay, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian

Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese – English, Cantonese – English

Arabic – English, Bangla – English, Chinese (Simplified) – English, Chinese (Traditional) – English, Czech – English, Dutch – English, Finnish – English, French – English, French – German, German – English, Gujarati – English, Hindi – English, Hungarian – English, Indonesian – English, Italian – English, Japanese – English, Japanese – Chinese (Simplified), Korean – English, Polish – English, Portuguese – English, Russian – English, Spanish – English, Tamil – English, Telugu – English, Thai – English, Urdu – English, Vietnamese – English, English – Greek, English – Malay, English – Swedish

English (UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified)

English (Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Arabic (Najdi), Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Netherlands, Belgium), Finnish, Greek, Hindi (Devanagari), Hungarian, Irish Gaelic, Norwegian (Bokmål, Nynorsk), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Telugu, Turkish, Vietnamese

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China mainland, 20 Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Guernsey, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, U.S., Vatican City, Vietnam

• iPhone with iOS 17
• USB-C Charge Cable (1 m)
• Documentation

iPhone and the Environment

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are designed with the following features to reduce their environmental impact: 21

See the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus Product Environmental Report

Progress toward Apple’s 2030 carbon neutral goal

• 23% recycled or renewable content 22
• 25% emissions reduction against baseline 23
• Over 30% of manufacturing electricity is sourced from supplier clean energy projects 24

Made with better materials

• 75% recycled aluminum in the enclosure
• 100% recycled cobalt in the battery 25 — a first for Apple
• 100% recycled copper foil in the main logic board and — in a first for Apple — the MagSafe inductive charger
• 100% recycled copper wire and 100% recycled tungsten in the Taptic Engine
• 100% recycled gold in the wire of all cameras, the plating of multiple printed circuit boards, and the USB‑C connector
• 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, representing 100% of the rare earth elements in the device 26
• 100% recycled tin in the solder of multiple printed circuit boards
• 35% or more recycled plastic in multiple components

Energy efficient

• Exceeds U.S. Department of Energy requirements for battery charger systems 27

Smarter chemistry 28

• Arsenic-free glass
• Mercury-, BFR-, PVC-, and beryllium-free

Green manufacturing

• No established final assembly sites generate waste sent to landfill as part of Apple’s Zero Waste Program
• All final assembly supplier sites are transitioning to 100% renewable energy for Apple production

Responsible packaging

• 99% or more fiber-based packaging 29
• 100% of virgin wood fiber comes from responsibly managed forests 30

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Trade in your eligible device for credit toward your next purchase, or get an Apple Gift Card you can use anytime. 31 If your device isn’t eligible for credit, we’ll recycle it for free.

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We’re committed to making our products without taking from the earth, and to become carbon neutral across our entire business, including products, by 2030.

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With Apple Trade In, you can get credit toward a new iPhone when you trade in an eligible smartphone. 31 It’s good for you and the planet.

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Join the iPhone Upgrade Program to get the latest iPhone every year, low monthly payments, and AppleCare+. 32

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New Mid-Cycle iPhone 15 Color Looking Less Likely This Year

Apple's usual strategy of introducing a new mid-cycle iPhone color in the spring is unlikely to be replicated for the iPhone 15 this year, if a new rumor out of Asia is anything to go by.

Apple has used the tactic frequently in recent years. In 2017 and 2018, it released red mid-cycle versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 lines, respectively. Then in 2021, Apple added a purple color to the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini models for the spring season in late April.

In March 2022, the iPhone 13 lineup received new green finishes, and in the same month last year, Apple released the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in a new yellow color . Each new color launch has been accompanied by a significant ad campaign to attract new customers and upgraders who did not make a purchase when the latest iPhone series was originally launched in the fall. This year could be different, however.

According to Chinese Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital , there is no new spring color scheme on the cards for the iPhone 15. It's also worth noting that Apple has already launched several iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands in refreshed color options . The refreshed accessories arrived when Apple released the new MacBook Air in early March. In previous years, such a move has often been accompanied by a new iPhone color.

Why Apple would forego the opportunity to boost sales in the middle of an iPhone cycle is not entirely clear, so it is worth taking the latest rumor with a pinch of salt for now. Production delays have reportedly pushed the release of new iPads into May , and Apple is not expected to hold a launch event to announce the devices, but the debut of a new iPhone color could always come separately in the form of a press release, which Apple has opted for in the past.

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Top Rated Comments

New Mid-Cycle iPhone 15 Color Looking Increasingly Unlikely This Year

Why this bizarre phrasing which, in numerous minor variations, is widespread, "increasingly unlikely"? Making the adverb (more or less positive) clash with the adjective (more or less negative). Why not "decreasingly likely"? Or, and I'm sure this is far too simple, "less likely"? Time was, headline writers were desperately trying to shorten and simplify, not lengthen and mangle.

Pointless, expensive and wasteful marketing ploy. I don’t see how these mid-cycle additions help. I only upgrade every 2-3 years as it is, and I’ve only ever bought a black iPhone… what would releasing a yellow iPhone now do for me? I’m waiting until September to *think* about upgrading my 14 Pro to a 16 Pro, and that’s only a maybe at this point.

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TechCrunch Minute: Apple’s stance on right to repair changes with new iPhone policy

Apple’s stance on the right to repair has now become more accommodative, with the company now supporting used parts for iPhone 15 repairs that can include the camera, display and battery. Components that did not require “configuration,” TechCrunch reports, already worked in a similar fashion.

While Apple’s move is welcome to many, it does answer a series of questions: If your iPhone breaks, should you have the right to fix it? If you want to fix your iPhone, should you be able to do that yourself, or be forced to go to the manufacturer? And if you are going to fix your iPhone yourself — or pay a third-party to help — should you be able to use whichever parts will work? The answer is increasingly yes to those queries.

Long gone are the days when fixing something you bought was possible with a wrench and some grit. Modern electronics are incredibly complex, and are often built in such a way that prevents certain elements of consumer choice . Repair has therefore become more difficult, and therefore easier to control. Consumers having more authority over fixing their iPhones, regardless of what it is and who built it, moves some of the gravity of control to the purchaser over the manufacturer, which many will cheer.

Apple pushed back vocally against criticism of parts pairing, and has recently backed laws in several states that enshrine consumer repair options. Regardless of how you view Apple’s prior stance and if it was disconsonant with its present posture — it seems that momentum has shifted in the market back toward more consumer choice, and control. Viva la device owners.