At its iPhone launch event in September, Apple did an interesting thing: it barely upgraded the “regular” iPhone 14, but made big changes to the iPhone 14 Pro. The two lines of devices, which were once quite similar, have now grown truly separate both in terms of design and features.
This diversification among iPhone models launched in the same year might grow even bigger in 2023. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple plans to call its largest new phone the iPhone 15 Ultra instead of the customary iPhone 15 Pro Max, echoing the name of the new Apple Watch Ultra.
Gurman didn’t share any of the new features coming to the iPhone 15 line, though said he expects Apple to make “bigger changes” to the devices, compared to what we’ve seen in 2021 and 2022.
It’s hard to say whether this change of branding for the largest “Pro” model will also mean it will get the most upgrades. This year, Apple launched a 6.7-inch variant of the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and called it the iPhone 14 Plus without giving it many additional features beyond the size. On the other hand, the Apple Watch Ultra is very different and far more advanced than the regular Apple Watch Series 8.
Even though the launch is a year away, there are already other rumors about the upcoming iPhone 15 lineup. Gurman predicts the new models will come with a USB-C instead of Lightning port, an understandable change given the European Union demands it of all phone makers.
Another rumor, coming from display analyst Ross Young, says that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will get the Dynamic Island-style cutout, just like the Pro (and Ultra?) iPhone 15 models. Young added that the regular iPhone 15 models are unlikely to get the 120Hz display though, as the supply chain probably won’t be able to support it.
It’s still very early for iPhone 15 rumors, so take all of the above with a grain of salt. Some rumors never materialize and often they completely miss key features; for example, none of the iPhone 14 rumors predicted the announcement of Dynamic Island, which is the most important new feature of the iPhone 14 Pro. As always, we’ll know for sure when Apple launches the actual devices, which probably won’t happen until Sept. 2023.
