3 reasons to buy the iPhone 15 if you already own one of the best iPhones
The rumored iPhone 15 upgrades are few, but significant
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We recently published an article highlightingthree reasons not to buy the iPhone 15if you already own one of thebest iPhones, but what about the case in favor of upgrading your existing iPhone in 2023?
We’ll level with you: based on everything we’ve heard so far, theiPhone 15and its siblings won’t be must-have devices if you’re already rolling with, say, aniPhone 14 ProoriPhone 13 Proin your pocket (there’s a reason we published that aforementioned piece, after all).
However, if you’re someone who’s perennially tempted byApple’s annual iPhone offerings, then the iPhone 15,iPhone 15 Plus,iPhone 15 Pro,andiPhone 15 Pro Maxwill, of course, all bring a host of worthwhile upgrades to the smartphone table, and in this article, we detail three of the biggest.
1. USB-C charging port leads design refresh
TheEU has told Apple that it must add USB-C ports to all iPhones sold in Europe from 2024, butall signs point towardsthe company adopting this new charging standard a year early – and across the globe – with the iPhone 15 line.
As well as allowing for more cross-charger compatibility – in 2023, every new phone and laptop features USB-C charging – Apple’s adoption of the USB-C standard will bring tangible improvements to data transfer speed and security on its newest iPhones. For instance, theiPhone 15 Pro will reportedly offer data transfer speedsof either 20Gbps or 40Gbps, marking a hefty improvement over the 480Mbps maximum transfer rate of the current best iPhones.
But the addition of a USB-C port in place of Apple’s traditional Lightning port – which has remained a fixture of every iPhone since theiPhone 5– isn’t the only design change heading to this year’s iPhones.
All four iPhone 15 models are rumored to get iPhone 11-style curved edges, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, specifically, are reportedly in line fortitanium sides, which will make them lighter and more durable than their predecessors. The latter two phones could getdisplay bezels that measure just 1.5mm thick, too, as well as an all-new,multi-function Action button.
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In other words, if you own an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro, you can expect this year’s Pro-grade iPhones to be lighter, stronger, and more practical (from a charging perspective) than the device you’re currently using. Oh, and if you’re an iPhone 13 Pro owner who likes the look of Apple’s Dynamic Island, you’ll be pleased to hear that every iPhone 15 model – including the standard and Plus variants – is rumored to get the feature this year.
2. Better battery life for every model
The iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, and their respective Max siblings offer pretty good battery life considering the brightness of their displays – you’ll get just over a full day of use from all four devices – but rumors suggest thatthe entire iPhone 15 lineup will feature significantly larger batteriesacross the board.
Specifically, the iPhone 15 will reportedly pack an 18% larger battery, the iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 15 Pro a 14% larger battery, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max a 12% larger battery. In theory, then, these capacity improvements should translate to longer battery life for every model.
If you’re interested in the actual numbers, we’ve detailed the rumored battery capacities of each iPhone 15 model below:
The chip upgrades heading to each iPhone model should positively compliment these battery size increases, too. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are tipped to inherit the A16 Bionic chip used by the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max – which should bring familiar efficiency improvements – while theiPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will almost certainly benefit from an even-more-efficient A17 Bionic chipset. The bottom line: expect better battery life from every iPhone 15 model.
Reports also indicate that Apple’s aforementioned move to USB-C on the iPhone 15 line could facilitate up to35W charging on some iPhone 15 models. At present, the standard iPhone 14 is limited to 20W charging, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max is capped at 27W. The latter takes around two hours to recharge to full capacity, so we’ll gratefully accept any improvements on that figure for the iPhone 15 line.
3. Camera upgrades for the iPhone 15 Pro Max
Each year, Apple’s latest iPhones bring customary camera improvements to the table – but in 2023, the worthwhile upgrades seem designed for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, exclusively.
Sure, both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are rumored to get a 48MP main sensor, but the iPhone 14 Pro already has one of these, and animproved Sony sensor– one that captures more light – looks set to be the only real camera upgrade heading to the iPhone 15 Pro. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, however, could be a different beast entirely.
For starters, theiPhone 15 Pro Max could be getting a telephoto camera with a variable zoom lens, of the sort rumored to feature on theSamsung Galaxy S24Ultra. Variable optical zoom cameras are exceptionally rare among today’s smartphones – theSony Xperia 1 IVuses one, but it’s only capable of zooming between 3.5x and 5.2x – so the addition of such a sensor on an iPhone would be significant.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is also rumored to ship with a supersizedSonyIMX903 sensor, which – at a whopping 1/1.14 inches – would mark thebiggest camera sensor ever used in an iPhone. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to boastmore advanced image processing skillsthan its standard sibling, too, whilea dual-lens front-facing cameracould likewise be on the cards.
More iPhone 15 stories
Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.
Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.
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