iPhone 15: Release Date, Price, Leaks, Features & More

The new iPhone 15 models will be announced by Apple on Tuesday 12th September 2023 with its release date in Australia following shortly after on Tuesday 22nd September 2023. Australians can tune into Apple’s live Wonderlust announcement event at 3 AM (AEST) on Wednesday 13th September at the official Apple Events page.

UPDATE: The iPhone 15 has now been announced. You can check out all the details with our announcement piece.

This week Apple set September 12th (PDT) as the official announcement date for the company’s newest products, including the Apple iPhone 15 lineup and next-generation Apple Watches. The presentation will be streamed online from Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino, California, Apple confirmed this morning via email with the tagline “Wonderlust.”

As per Apple’s traditional release window, these announcements typically precede the official release date by one or two weeks. Fresh iPhone rumours point towards a shorter buffer between announcement and release, so we’re confident that 22nd September is accurate as the day Aussies will be able to buy the iPhone 15.

Apple usually opens up pre-orders for the company’s new iPhone models on the Friday after the official announcement. Given the announcement is on a Wednesday, we’re confident that you’ll be able to jump online a pre-order any of the four iPhone 15 models from Friday, September 15th.

And of course, iPhone 15 rumours have been constantly rolling out, touting dramatic changes in how Apple has approached its latest flagship as the company moves on from last year’s iPhone 14 range. Apple is, unsurprisingly, calling this “the best iPhone ever. The only question is whether this will be the standard iterative update or a meaningful evolution.

Strongest iPhone 15 Rumours So Far (Summary)

These are the strongest iPhone 15 rumours to date, many of which have been pretty much confirmed by numerous sources and notoriously accurate leakers.

• The two base models (iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus) will get a trickle-down effect from last year’s Pro models, so they will come with an A16 chip, Dynamic Island interface and a 48-megapixel camera.
• The two higher-end models (iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max) will get a redesigned frame that swaps stainless steel for titanium, which will make the phones lighter and sturdier.
• The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will also feature thinner borders on the display and a very fast A17 processor made using an advanced 3-nanometer production method.
• The Pro models will be getting a new customisable button to replace the mute switch.
• The Pro Max will not only have a new 6.7-inch display but it will also get a camera with a more advanced optical zoom.
• All four iPhone 15 models will finally be getting a USB-C port to replace Apple’s long-standing reliance on Lightning cables.
• The Pro models will see a significant price bump but the two base models will be competitively priced.

Everything We Know About The iPhone 15 In Australia

iPhone 15 Release Date In Australia

• iPhone 15 Announcement: September 12th, 2023
• iPhone 15 Release Date: September 22nd 2023

The iPhone 15 models should be released on September 22, 2023, assuming Apple follows its traditional September launch timeline.

Apple officially announced the iPhone 14 on Wednesday, September 7th. This was just weeks before shipping started for the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max on Friday, September 16th. The iPhone 14 Plus, which replaced the ‘iPhone mini’ model in the traditional lineup, started shipping in Australia on Friday, October 7th.

Apple has always stuck with September as its major launch window so there’s no reason to assume this year will be any different. As such, we can expect the iPhone 15 to be announced in early September with shipping following just a few weeks later. After a round of iPhone 15 pre-orders opens up, of course.

Pricing is a bit trickier to ascertain. Upon launch, the most expensive iPhone 14 model was the iPhone 14 Pro Max with 1TB storage, coming in at a heavy $2,769. The cheapest – the iPhone 14 (128GB) at $1,399.

As Forbes reported at the top of the year, Apple has turned in disappointing sales for some of the iPhone 14 models. This was especially true for the newly introduced iPhone 14 Plus. This model was designed to replace the ‘mini’ version, which was always well-received critically but never sold as expected. The 14 Plus apparently sold even fewer units so Apple needs to change its strategy to address this.

It has been suggested by industry leaker yuex1122 that Apple’s declining sales analysis of the standard iPhone 14 models will lead to more competitive pricing for the two standard iPhone 15 models. That being said, the price of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max may see an increase. So while the two more affordable models may become even cheaper, the two more expensive models for the new iPhone generation will likely see a price hike.

If we want to predict a specific date for both the iPhone 15 announcement and retail, then it’s worth looking at previous Apple release windows.

iPhone 15 Lineup

The iPhone 15 family will most likely have four models in it as there’s been no reason for Apple to break away from what has been a tradition for the past few generations. And while we do know that having four models is highly likely, what we don’t know is exactly what those four models will be. This is assuming there will be no iPhone Ultra as some rumours suggest.

According to current speculation in alignment with the iPhone 14 lineup, we should expect the following:

• 6.1-inch iPhone 15
• 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus
• 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro
• 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max

How Much Will The iPhone 15 Cost In Australia?

As above, no one knows for sure how much each iPhone 15 model will cost, but we can look towards the launch prices of the previous two generations as a good indicator.

According to Macworld, the iPhone 15 Pro Max could see a $200 increase on its predecessor while the iPhone 15 Pro will jump up $100. The iPhone 15 Plus, on the other hand, will only increase by $50. But again, these are rumours.

iPhone 14 Price

• 128 GB – $1,399
• 256 GB – $1,579
• 512 GB – $1,899

iPhone 14 Plus Price

• 128 GB – $1,579
• 256 GB – $1,749
• 512 GB – $2,099

iPhone 14 Pro Price

• 128 GB – $1,749
• 256 GB – $1,899
• 512 GB – $2,249
• 1 TB – $2,599

iPhone 14 Pro Max Price

• 128 GB – $1,899
• 256 GB – $2,099
• 512 GB – $2,419
• 1 TB – $2,769

So if the $200 increase for the iPhone 15 Pro Max is accurate we can expect the new top-tier flagship to be priced from $2,099 for the 128 GB model. That means the 1 TB model could cost a whopping $2,969.

Latest iPhone 15 Rumours

RELATED: The Best Smartphones Under $1,000 In 2023

As of 24th August, just weeks before the official iPhone 15 announcement, new rumours suggest the iPhone 15 Pro’s storage will top out at 2TB. That is two thousand gigabytes. If that’s true, the iPhone 15 Pro Max 2 TB model could start from $3,195 in Australia.

The other latest iPhone 15 rumour is that the Pro models will get a considerable boost in performance and speed with the A17 Bionic chip. The headline here is that the new Apple silicone has been built using a 3nm manufacturing process. Basically, the smaller nanometer, the more dense and efficient the processor will be.

To compare, the A16 Bionic chip was produced using a 4nm fabrication process. The different is quite large, with 3nm theoretically representing the most substantial boost in speed that Apple has seen since 2020.

The A16 bionic will reportedly be used for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.

Will There Be An iPhone 15 Ultra?

A few months ago, rumours started swirling about a potential iPhone 15 Ultra, replacing the iPhone 15 Pro Max in the lineup and exclusively sporting an A17 Bionic chip. It has been backed by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is known as one of the more reliable Apple industry experts when it comes to predictions and leaks.

If Apple does go ahead with the iPhone 15 Ultra (the release date in Australia would likely be the same as the standard version), then expect the top-tier model to switch from a stainless steel chassis to titanium, which is typically 3-4x stronger than stainless steel at the same weight.

Apple introduced the Apple Watch Ultra last year so it stands to reason that the company might want to bring ‘Ultra’ in as a distinction from ‘Pro’ for its new flagship.

However, some other rumours have so far suggested that the ‘Ultra’ will be introduced in a future generation – most likely the iPhone 16 in 2024. The jury is very much out on this.

iPhone 15 Features

Dynamic Island

It seems Apple’s approach to its new generation flagship smartphones is always to take one major feature of the previous year’s Pro models and make it available on all four new iPhones.

Apple released the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models in September 2022, with one of the most significant changes from previous iPhones being the introduction of the Dynamic Island notch. This finally made the notch – the black bar at the top of the display – a functional part of how the iPhone works, as opposed to just an ugly vehicle for Face ID biometrics. 

One of the most persistent rumours about the new iPhone 15 is that the Dynamic Island will now be available on all models. Last year, Dynamic Island was only found on the Pro models, whereas the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus missed out on the new feature. 

That’s all well and good. However, I can’t think of the last time I actually used Dynamic Island on my iPhone 14 Pro. It’s likely Apple will be adding more functionality to the feature in order to make Dynamic Island something worth having. Right now, it’s not something worth paying extra for.

USB-C

It seems Apple is finally catching up with the benefits of USB-C. To date, Apple has stubbornly stuck with using Lightning cables as its primary source of charging, despite many requests to ditch the port. USB-C is infinitely more universal and offers a higher power delivery rate than Lightning, meaning faster charging under the same voltage.

It has already been confirmed that Apple will make the switch to USB-C to comply with a European Union law, it’s just a question as to whether or not it will be this year or next. Most Apple leakers tend to agree that the iPhone 15 will finally introduce USB-C ports, marking a significant change so you can finally throw out those fragile Lightning cables.

Design

Apple has always banked big on design and iPhones are generally more aesthetically pleasing than some of their Android competition.

While we can definitely expect a bunch of internal changes to the iPhone 15, we can also expect a few iterative changes on the outside.

Some rumours suggest that thinner bezels are on the cards, while others suggest that titanium will be used for all new iPhone 15 models. The latter is highly unlikely, seeing as if this happens it would be an iPhone 15 Ultra exclusive. However, thinner bezels to create a more attractive Super Retina XDR display wouldn’t be a surprise.

Curved edges and a larger camera bump have also been thrown around as rumours in the past, but honestly, I’d just be happy with slimmer bezels. It may not seem like much, but more screen real estate makes a huge difference.

Cameras

The surest thing about any new iPhone (or any new phone in general) is that Apple will use both software and hardware changes to improve photography.

Cameras have always been one of the biggest selling points for smartphones and current rumours suggest that the iPhone 15 camera will be headlined by ‘periscope’ technology, allowing for six times the optical zoom over what’s currently possible on the iPhone 14 Pro models.

Periscope basically means that the primary lens will capture the photo as normal and then use an angled prism to reflect light towards a second lens, sending a better overall image to the sensor. The caveat here is that this would require more space, so will likely only be available on the Pro Max.

This would then mean the Pro Max has more than just a bigger battery to distinguish it from the 6.1-inch Pro. In previous generations, the Pro and Pro Max were pretty much identical, just with the Pro Max having a bigger battery due to its bigger overall size.

Now if the 15 Pro Max is the only Apple flagship to feature a periscope zoom, then that would likely help Apple move more units of the larger model.

Improved quality with the periscope zoom lens should help move units for the top-tier iPhone 15. Rumours also suggest that both the base model iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be getting the 48MP rear lenses with a three-stack rear sensor to capture more light, aligning them more with last year’s Pro models.

Processor

It’s starting to look like Apple will use the new A17 Bionic chip for the iPhone 15 Pro models, while the base models will get the A16 Bionic chip seen in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. This makes sense and aligns with Apple’s approach to previous generations, meaning faster processing overall.

In February 2023, Taiwanese supply chain research firm TrendForce reported that Apple has upped its RAM order for the iPhone 15 Pro models. This means that these two more expensive iPhones will be much more efficient at multitasking without any lags – a godsend for gamers.

Buttons

Finally, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has successfully predicted many Apple iPhone developments over the years, last year tweeted that Apple will move away from mechanical buttons towards solid-state buttons.

(1/6)
My latest survey indicates that the volume button and power button of two high-end iPhone 15/2H23 new iPhone models may adopt a solid-state button design (similar to the home button design of iPhone 7/8/SE2 & 3) to replace the physical/mechanical button design.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) October 28, 2022

A solid-state button is more like a trackpad as opposed to the volume and home buttons we have become accustomed to. This would significantly change the way the iPhone 15 looks, leaning more on haptic feedback when the power and volume buttons on either side of the iPhone are engaged.

Some other rumours have stated that while Apple ultimately wants to replace physical buttons with haptic feedback buttons, designers have run into a few issues for this generation. Therefore, it’s looking like the iPhone 15 could just have the physical buttons we all know and love anyway.

And in mentioning buttons, there is a persistent rumour that Apple may remove the mute switch entirely. Previous models have always had a mute switch so this would be the first time Apple has made such a drastic design change for its new iPhone lineup.

Reportedly, the mute button will be replaced with a standard “smart” button that’ll be completely customisable and can be programmed to do anything with the software. In that case, I’m going to simply call it the utility button until Apple makes its official iPhone 15 announcement.

My Thoughts On The iPhone 15 Rumours

While of course nothing has been confirmed by Apple as of yet, it’s looking like the iPhone 15 could represent a nice little shake-up for the company. There’s been some truly tough competition from Samsung and Google over the past year, so Apple will need to pull out more than just a USB-C port to help keep people from jumping over to Android.

A titanium chassis would be a very nice move for Apple’s top-tier iPhone, although I’m not quite sure many would be willing to fork out even more just to keep up to speed with the new generation.

Apple is going to have to significantly improve the cameras and the software in order to present anything more than a lazy iterative upgrade.

Hardware is nice, and it counts for a lot, but if Apple doesn’t have the software required to maximise its big ideas then we’re just looking at going through the motions of yet another iPhone generation without any real, meaningful changes.

Solid state buttons would be a nice, futuristic touch, and of course, the overdue move to USB-C will be great to see. I’m not quite sure a periscope zoom will be enough to satisfy people like me who find the iPhone 14 cameras slightly disappointing when compared with the Android competition.

I’m hoping that Apple is able to dial in a much better portrait mode at the very least and work the sensors so that they pull in much more light. Right now, Samsung and Google are far ahead when it comes to photography. Apple really needs to work some magic to catch up.

As for Dynamic Island. Well, it was exciting when it was first announced and it’s much better than having a dead notch taking up valuable display real estate.

I hardly notice the utility, though. The most I would use the Dynamic Notch for is to quickly switch to Spotify, saving me the one second it takes to toggle apps regularly. Hardly something worth raving about.

Still, I appreciate how Apple takes some major features from the previous Pro models and makes them available for the base models in each subsequent generation.

Other Apple Announcements

In addition to speculation around the iPhone 15 release date in Australia, Apple recently announced some great new features coming as part of iOS17 as well as some other new features which help make the iPhone more than just another smartphone. Check them out below.

• Apple Vision Pro + iOS17
• Your iPhone Will Now Use AI To Recreate Your Own Voice
• Apple Announces Emergency Via SOS Feature

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