CAMERA
The iPhone 15 and its bigger version have benefitted from several features found in last year’s iPhone 14 Pro models. Although still using two cameras, the main camera is now 48MP, allowing for a 2x Telephoto option. Combined with the second camera, users will operate the phone as if it has three cameras, 0.5x, 1x and 2x for the first time on an iPhone dual-camera system.
This really opens up the base models to taking far better images with a quad-pixel sensor and 100 per cent Focus Pixels for fast autofocus. The Main camera gives users a new 24MP super-high-resolution default image using the power of computational photography. This will help manage image quality and file size in one swift process.
For the first time, users can take portraits without having to switch to Portrait mode. When there’s a person, dog, or cat in the frame, or when a user taps to focus, iPhone automatically captures depth information, so users can turn photos into portraits later in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. For greater creative control, users can also adjust the focus point after the photo has been taken.
Night mode is improved with sharper details and more vivid colours. New Smart HDR captures subjects and the background with more true-to-life renderings of skin tones, while ensuring photos have brighter highlights, richer midtones, and deeper shadows when viewed in the Photos app. This advanced HDR rendering is also available to third-party apps.
USB-C
As expected, the iPhone 15 series will ship with USB-C instead of the Lightning Port which has served Apple well for over a decade. Personally, I’m relieved this has finally happened. The Lightning Cable is the one cord I always forget when travelling.
The main reason for that forgetfulness has been the success of MagSafe. I have MagSafe chargers everywhere, so the last thing I think of is packing a Lighting Cable. This will also enables faster speeds when offloading video, something Image Matrix Tech will cover in-depth in the iPhone 15 pro stories.
DISPLAY AND APPEARANCE
Dynamic Island was a clever way to make use of the camera cutout a the top of the display in the iPhone 14 Pro models. Now it’s on the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays of the iPhone 15. The Island expands and adapts so users can see the next direction in Maps; easily control music; and, with third-party app integrations, get real-time updates on food delivery, ride sharing, sports scores, travel plans, and more.
The Super Retina XDR display Peak HDR brightness now reaches up to 1600 nits. When in full sun the peak outdoor brightness reaches up to 2000 nits — twice as bright as the previous series.
For the first time in a smartphone, colour is infused throughout the back glass, which are pink, yellow, green, blue, and black. The back glass is strengthened with an optimised dual-ion exchange process before being polished with nanocrystalline particles and etched to create a textured matte finish. A new contoured edge on the aerospace-grade aluminium enclosure and Ceramic Shield front cover give better protection.
PERFORMANCE
The A16 Bionic chip has two high-performance cores that use 20 per cent less power and four high-efficiency cores that together deliver speed and extended battery life. The 5-core GPU has 50 per cent more memory bandwidth for smooth graphics when streaming videos and playing games. A new 16-core Neural Engine is capable of nearly 17 trillion operations per second, enabling even faster machine learning computations for features like Live Voicemail transcriptions in iOS 17 and third-party app experiences — all while protecting critical privacy and security features using the Secure Enclave.
SAFETY FEATURES
Apple clearly sees the iPhone as a personal safety device. Whether it’s the Apple Watch saving lives by detecting irregular heartbeats or the iPhone with its Emergency SOS via satellite. The good news is the satellite service continues from iPhone 14 which is currently in 14 countries including Australia and NZ. It will will come to Spain and Switzerland later this month.
IPHONE SOS VIA SATELLITE SAVES HIKERS
Apple is miles ahead in this area. I’m excited to see that roadside breakdown assistance is also being rolled out in the United States. This would make a huge impact if available in Australia. As we all know, you don’t have to go far on country roads in Australia or New Zealand to lose mobile phone cell coverage. So let’s make it happen Down Under Apple!
Both models feature the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, enabling two iPhone devices with this chip to connect at three times the range as before. This opens up a new way to use Precision Finding for Find My friends, so iPhone 15 users can share their location and find each other, even in crowds. Precision Finding is built with the same privacy protections that users have come to trust in Find My.
Pricing and Availability
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be available in pink, yellow, green, blue, and black in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities, starting at RRP A$1499 inc. GST and RRP A$1649 inc. GST.
iOS 17 will be available as a free software update on Tuesday, 19 September.
