USB-C, periscope camera, solid buttons

According to display industry insiders, and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, this system will come to all iPhone 15 models, meaning the notch will be well and truly gone. Such a move would make sense, as relatively few apps currently support custom Dynamic Island interactions outside of Apple’s own, and putting it on all phones rather than just the Pro could help encourage more development.

There have, however, been no strong indications that the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be getting the advanced LTPO displays that power the iPhone 14’s always-on display. Which could mean that all iPhone 15 models will get the Dynamic Island, you’ll still need a Pro device to check it at a glance when the phone’s idle.

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Pro design changes

And speaking of Pro exclusive features, the more expensive iPhones are widely rumoured to be getting a very minor facelift this year. Through a combination of leaked CAD files and panels purportedly from Apple’s supply chain, we can see a more rounded glass with much smaller display bezels, meaning the useable display of the phone goes much closer to the edge of the glass.

Rumours as early as last year predicted that the iPhone 15 Pro would have a titanium outer frame, as distinct from the stainless steel used for the iPhone 14 Pro, but then again that’s been rumoured before and didn’t end up going anywhere.

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Analysts are divided on reports that Apple will replace the mute switch and volume buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro with solid state rather than mechanical units. These units are reported to be touch and pressure sensitive and will vibrate to simulate mechanical action; the button replacing the mute switch is said to be customisable to do different things depending on how hard you press, while the volume controls work with pressing or sliding your finger. Some analysts, including Kuo, say Apple has ditched those plans at the last minute. Others maintain it’s still happening.

Periscope lens

Finally, it’s been widely rumoured that Apple will adopt a periscope lens for much longer optical zoom in the iPhone 15 Pro. Samsung, Google and others already use these kinds of cameras, which sit inside the body of the phone and use angled mirrors to peer out, thus allowing for a longer lens.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra for example has a wide and ultra-wide lens, then a traditional telephoto lens at 3x optical zoom, then a periscope lens at 10x optical zoom. This allows for perfectly clear 10x zoom photos, and decent quality zooms up to 30x or so. But since the iPhone 15 Pro appears to be sticking with a three-lens setup, it will likely be closer to what we’ve seen on the Pixel 7 Pro; a wide, an ultrawide and a periscope at 5x optical zoom. Either way, it will be an upgrade over the 14 Pro’s 3x optical zoom.

One potential caveat here is that multiple analysts believe an improved zoom lens will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with the smaller Pro getting a similar setup to last year.

Get news and reviews on technology, gadgets and gaming in our Technology newsletter every Friday. Sign up here.

According to display industry insiders, and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, this system will come to all iPhone 15 models, meaning the notch will be well and truly gone. Such a move would make sense, as relatively few apps currently support custom Dynamic Island interactions outside of Apple’s own, and putting it on all phones rather than just the Pro could help encourage more development.

There have, however, been no strong indications that the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be getting the advanced LTPO displays that power the iPhone 14’s always-on display. Which could mean that all iPhone 15 models will get the Dynamic Island, you’ll still need a Pro device to check it at a glance when the phone’s idle.

Loading

Pro design changes

And speaking of Pro exclusive features, the more expensive iPhones are widely rumoured to be getting a very minor facelift this year. Through a combination of leaked CAD files and panels purportedly from Apple’s supply chain, we can see a more rounded glass with much smaller display bezels, meaning the useable display of the phone goes much closer to the edge of the glass.

Rumours as early as last year predicted that the iPhone 15 Pro would have a titanium outer frame, as distinct from the stainless steel used for the iPhone 14 Pro, but then again that’s been rumoured before and didn’t end up going anywhere.

Loading

Analysts are divided on reports that Apple will replace the mute switch and volume buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro with solid state rather than mechanical units. These units are reported to be touch and pressure sensitive and will vibrate to simulate mechanical action; the button replacing the mute switch is said to be customisable to do different things depending on how hard you press, while the volume controls work with pressing or sliding your finger. Some analysts, including Kuo, say Apple has ditched those plans at the last minute. Others maintain it’s still happening.

Periscope lens

Finally, it’s been widely rumoured that Apple will adopt a periscope lens for much longer optical zoom in the iPhone 15 Pro. Samsung, Google and others already use these kinds of cameras, which sit inside the body of the phone and use angled mirrors to peer out, thus allowing for a longer lens.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra for example has a wide and ultra-wide lens, then a traditional telephoto lens at 3x optical zoom, then a periscope lens at 10x optical zoom. This allows for perfectly clear 10x zoom photos, and decent quality zooms up to 30x or so. But since the iPhone 15 Pro appears to be sticking with a three-lens setup, it will likely be closer to what we’ve seen on the Pixel 7 Pro; a wide, an ultrawide and a periscope at 5x optical zoom. Either way, it will be an upgrade over the 14 Pro’s 3x optical zoom.

One potential caveat here is that multiple analysts believe an improved zoom lens will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with the smaller Pro getting a similar setup to last year.

Get news and reviews on technology, gadgets and gaming in our Technology newsletter every Friday. Sign up here.