iPhone 15 Brings Dynamic Island To Apple's More Affordable Phone

At Apple's highly anticipated September 2023 event, the company announced the Apple iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus, the entry-level offerings in the company's smartphone lineup. The newest iPhone model features several updates over the iPhone 14, with the most significant one being the move to the USB-C wired connectivity standard, thereby ditching the archaic Lightning port.

The iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus — despite looking identical to its predecessor — get several minor design updates that include a contoured edge design and thinner bezels. While the contoured design promises better grip while holding the device, the thinner bezels give the device a more seamless look. The iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus models also get a textured matte finish and come in five color options: pink, yellow, green, blue, and black.

In addition to these changes, the vanilla iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models now support the Dynamic Island and SOS Emergency features that were only available with the Pro models from 2022, including a new Roadside Assistance via Satellite feature that will be offered for free for the first two years. Apple also confirmed that the iPhone 15 now gets a larger battery compared to its predecessor, thereby letting users eke out even better "all-day" battery life on the device. It comes powered by the same Apple A16 Bionic chip that powered the Pro series iPhones from last year.

The iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus are the same size as last year and feature the same display sizes as before. This means that the iPhone 15 gets a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 15 Plus gets a 6.7-inch panel. Both panels support Dolby Vision and are now much brighter than the outgoing models with a peak HDR brightness of 1,600 nits, going up to 2,000 nits in sunny conditions

The iPhone 15 gets a dual camera setup at the rear consisting of a 48 MP main camera, with a 26mm focal length, f/1.6 aperture, and support for sensor-shift OIS. The secondary 12 MP camera is mated to a 52mm telephoto lens, and gets the same f/1.6 aperture as the main camera, while also retaining support for iOS, thereby promising better video and low-light imaging capabilities. Apple has also improved several aspects of the camera, including an improved portrait mode that now offers better focus and depth controls. An interesting new addition is how Apple uses a cropped section of the 48 MP sensor (bringing it down to 24 MP) enabling 2x zoom and super high-resolution photos. Both devices will debut with iOS 17 with all the new features it brings to the table.

Apple has retained last year's pricing for the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus. Prices for the iPhone 15 start at $799 for the 128 GB variant and $899 for the iPhone 15 Plus (128 GB). Both devices will be up for preorder in the U.S. and 40 other countries beginning at 5 a.m. PDT on Friday, September 15, with availability beginning Friday, September 22.