iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus might score the iPhone 14 Pro's 48MP camera system
The iPhone 15 might score a rather significant camera upgrade later this year, says Jeff Pu of Haitong Intl Tech Research. The analyst expects that the high-res 48MP camera that debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max in 2022 will trickle down to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, which are expected in September 2023.
iPhone 15 & iPhone 15 Plus: the latest rumors
This will be a major paradigm shift for the next iPhone, given how minuscule the differences between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 were; both generations have essentially the same set of camera hardware with some software additions in the newer model. However, don't expect a telephoto camera or LiDAR sensor on any of the upcoming "affordable" iPhones, also says Jeff Pu. His claims are based on supply chain sources close to the matter.
The 48MP main camera on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max is a fairly new developing in the iPhone camera world, but will most certainly become a mainstay on future iPhones and score multiple improvements and revisions down the road. In regular camera mode, an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max utilize quad-binning to output 12MP photos, which in theory should give much better light sensitivity and dynamics. If the user explicitly desires, they can take a 48MP RAW image, of course, which gives a lot of leeway for further post-processing and editing.
Our reviews of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max generally loved the camera experience, but agreed that the jump in camera quality in comparison with the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max was more of a hop.
Another iPhone 15 insight by Jeff Pu corroborates on the already widely anticipated switch from the Lightning port to USB-C, which was commanded by changes in EU law. In general, this change was also confirmed by Apple executive Greg Joswiak, though it was not explicitly said that this would happen with the iPhone 15 in particular.
What about iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra?
Apple seemingly has a lot planned for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra. Word on the street is that we could be getting a titanium frame instead of a stainless steel one, no hardware buttons for volume and power, a 12MP 6X periscope lens joining the fray at the rear camera assembly, the Apple A17 Bionic chipset built on a 3nm node, USB-C, and more.
Just like the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are expected to arrive in September 2023 with the Apple A16 Bionic chipset, currently powering the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra would most certainly come with an Apple A17 Bionic chipset, will be built on TSMC's enhanced 3nm manufacturing node, known as N3E, which would bring performance and efficiency gains.
Thus, chipset segregation seems like it would be a mainstay for Apple's iPhones going forward—the super-premium models will score newer and faster chipsets while the more affordable iPhones will only get last year's best Apple chip.
iPhone 15 release date rumors
Jeff Pu believes the iPhone 15 family will be available in Apple Stores on September 23, 2023. As is the tradition, this would mean that an Apple hardware-centric event should take place ten days prior, on September 13. That's the second Wednesday of the month, and while Apple usually favors the second Tuesday of September for its iPhone events, it also loves breaking this unwritten rule as well. Last year, for example, the iPhone 14 family was announced on September 7, the first Wednesday of the month.
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