iPhone 15 series: Five key things you should know about Apple's latest devices

After months of speculations, Apple on Tuesday (September 12) finally pulled the wraps of the new iPhone 15 series. Compared to the 2022 iPhone 14 series, the new iterations come with bigger upgrade in several aspects such as build material, design, camera and processor.

There are several firsts in the iPhone 15 series and here are key aspects you should know about the latest Apple devices:

Titanium case

The rumours were spot on about Apple replacing stainless steel for Titanium case in the Pro model. The new aerospace grade Titanium alloy is said to be light but sturdier than surgery grade steel frame we see in the iPhone 14 Pro series.

Titanium is said to highest strength-to-weight ratios of any metal, and this has allowed Apple to produce light-weight Pro lineup. 

Key features of Apple iPhone 15 Pro

Add to that, Apple is using an industry-first thermo-mechanical process. It has managed to bond titanium casing on top of new substructure made from 100 percent recycled aluminum through solid-state diffusion. The aluminum frame helps with thermal dissipation during heavy duty tasks such as gaming. Also, it allows the back glass to be easily replaced. 

Apple iPhone 15 Pro

USB-C port

Even this feature was long rumoured to come in iPhone and the credit has to go to European Union’s 2022 order that mandated all companies to use common connectivity ports in the device. The new USB-C port though made it to the keynote presentation, but was low-key compared to other features. There was hardly few mentions including the one during A17 Pro silicon for iPhone 15 Pro phones. Apple in a bid to make Pro models more distinct from regular variant. It has allow higher 10Gbps data transfer speed only on iPhone 15 Pro, but for iPhone 15, the data speed is capped at 480Mbps.

Action button

This feature is limited to iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max models. The new action button replaces the single-function mute switch, which has been in iPhones for last several years. The mute switch allowed to toggle between ring and silent mode. With the new action button, users programme it to perform custom functions of their choice.

Apple iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Max come with action button

They can set it to trigger camera app or flashlight. Or, he/she can activate Voice Memos, Focus modes, Translate, and other accessibility features like Magnifier. Or, users can use Shortcuts for more options. A press-and-hold gesture with fine-tuned haptic feedback and visual cues in the Dynamic Island ensure the new button launches the intended action.

New display design

The new iPhone 15 and 15 Plus finally embrace the Dyanamic Island display design and have let off the odd notch design, which was first introduced with special tenth generation anniversary iPhone— iPhone X (read 10) in 2017. While some called it obstructive, many embraced it as the camera with FaceID system, set gold standard for facial recognition-based biometric security.

Dynamic Island display on iPhone 15.

The Dynamic Island is small and less obstructive and continue to house FaceID tech. But, it will bring new visual way of delivering real-time data. With software optimization, the area around the front camera module at the top will dynamically change shape to visually deliver information, particularly related to live cab arrival, food order delivery status, and even live sports scores as well.

Whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max models too have Dynamic Island design, but it has slimmest bezel than any mobile in the market. It is razor thin border around the edges, promising to offer better viewing experience on Super Retina XDR display.

Photography

Both the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro models get big camera upgrades.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus come with the all-new new 48MP main camera. It supports shift-sensor OIS (Optical Image Stabliser), f/1.6 aperture, 26mm focal length. The primary camera is supported by 12MP telephoto lens with f/1.6 aperture, up to 52mm focal length and support 2X zoom, a first for regular iPhone models to date. Even after taking the photo, the user can adjust focus point between two subjects.

On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max feature 48MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture, 24mm focal length, 2nd gen sensor shift OIS (Optical Image Stabiliser) and is backed by12MP ultrawide sensor with f/2.2 aperture and 13mm focal length. 

However, the two models differ in terms of telephoto lens. The Pro Max features bigger 12MP Telephoto lens with 5X optical zoom capabilities, up to 120mm focal length and f/2.8 aperture. 

Big 12MP Telephoto lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Whereas the standard 15 Pro model features 12MP telephoto with 3X optical zoom, up to 78mm focal length and f/2.8 aperture.

All the four iPhone 15 series models come with same 12MP TrueDepth camera on the front for FaceTime calling and selfies. But, the regular models don’t support ProRes video recording.

A17 Pro silicon

Apple’s latest A17 Pro chipset is touted to be most advanced silicon for a phone in the market. It promises faster and efficient performance.  It is a 3nm class silicon. The new CPU is up to 10 percent faster with micro-architectural and design improvements, and the Neural Engine is now up to 2x faster, powering features like autocorrect and Personal Voice in iOS 17. The new fully redesigned 6-core GPU is up to 20 percent faster and  promises increased peak performance and energy efficiency.

Also, for the first-time ever, Apple is bringing hardware-accelerated ray tracing — which is 4x faster than software-based ray tracing. It promises to offer smoother graphics, immersive AR applications and true-to-life gaming experiences, which we see on console gadget, on a smartphone, such as Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4, Death Stranding, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus come with older A16 Bionic seen iPhone 14 Pro series. The chipset comes with two high-performance cores that use 20 percent less power and four high-efficiency cores, the 6-core CPU is faster than the previous generation and easily handles intensive tasks and also promises long battery life. 

With 5-core GPU, it has 50 percent more memory bandwidth to deliver smooth graphics when streaming videos and playing games. A new 16-core Neural Engine is capable of nearly 17 trillion operations per second.

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