As we head down the home stretch to Apple's highly anticipated "Wonderlust" event on September 12, it's time to try to put together all the confidential pieces of information revealed by all of the most reliable tipsters, leakers, analysts, and pundits out there on the iPhone 15 family.
Alternatively, we could let TrendForce do precisely that in our place, with the "world leading market intelligence provider" putting all of the most important and trustworthy iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max details in one neat comparison table allowing you to get a better view of the future handset roster's full picture.
Of course, these are still merely predictions based on a few months' worth of gossip from several dozen sources all around the interweb, which means they remain subject to change until Apple confirms (or debunks) them on Tuesday.
That's not such a bad pricing structure
Do you know that rumor from just a couple of weeks ago calling for an exorbitant $1,299 iPhone 15 Pro Max starting price? TrendForce analysts don't seem to buy it, instead expecting Apple to charge as "little" as $1,199 for its most technologically advanced 2023 handset.
That would still be 100 bucks costlier than an entry-level iPhone 14 Pro Max configuration, and some prospective buyers might have a hard time wrapping their heads around the price hike given that the base 128GB storage space is likely to go unchanged after all.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max, which could still end up being called the iPhone 15 Ultra, is tipped to distinguish itself from the non-Max model with an "exclusive high-cost" periscope lens, so naturally, Apple needs to offset those extra production expenses somehow.
With a very familiar-sounding 48 + 12 + 12MP triple rear-facing camera system and no fancy periscope functionality in tow, the iPhone 15 Pro is today projected to start at the exact same $999 price tag as last year's iPhone 14 Pro stateside while offering up to 1TB internal storage just like the 15 Pro Max.
Recommended Stories
The non-Pro iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus could similarly follow the examples of their own predecessors by fetching $799 and $899 respectively with 128GB storage and offering 256 and 512GB upgrades at "typical" premiums. All in all, this is a pretty "stable pricing landscape" forecasted for the iPhone 15 quartet in the eleventh hour, which undoubtedly contributes to an optimistic production expectation compared to the iPhone 14 series.
Any last-minute surprises as far as specifications are concerned?
At least in TrendForce's view, things seem pretty clear-cut and wholly unsurprising on the iPhone 15 family specs front, with no 2TB storage option in sight, no Apple A17 processor for non-Pro variants, and no mention of any substantial display performance or battery capacity upgrades over the iPhone 14 series.
There are of course plenty of reasons to get excited here, from the "dynamic island" adoption and 48MP primary rear-facing shooter of the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus to the 8GB RAM count and super-robust-sounding "titanium-aluminum" construction of the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
Then you have that long overdue switch to USB Type-C connectivity across the board (which you know all of Apple's rivals will viciously mock next week), and perhaps most notably, the same September "release date" predicted for all iPhone 15 models.
While that's not really a firm date, it could mean that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will not be delayed after all, although it's unclear if this is simply wishful thinking on the part of this particular market research firm or a prediction based on some new inside information that other leakers haven't been made privy to just yet.
Either way, TrendForce has sure managed to boost our excitement for the fast-approaching iPhone 15 series announcement with its pricing and availability forecast, which we previously thought was physically impossible.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: