Apple iPhone 15 release date, price, and features

Apple has unveiled four new iPhone 15 models, following the playbook from the iPhone 14 and previous years.

First is the vanilla iPhone 15, then the iPhone 15 Plus, and then the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. All start at the same prices and have the same storage options, except for the iPhone 15 Pro Max which now starts at a higher $1,200 price, but has 256GB storage in the base version. The rest of the lineup starts with 128GB of storage as a base.

The most affordable among the new releases is the iPhone 15, which starts at $800 and sticks with a 6.1-inch display and two rear cameras. Then, at a $900 starting price you have the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus, which gets a bigger battery, but again only two cameras.

And then, you have the pricier Pro models, which now get new features to differentiate even more than the non-Pro ones. Both the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max have the next-gen A17 Pro chip with a bunch of improvements. The smaller 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro keeps the familiar triple rear camera setup, while the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max is the first iPhone ever with a folded camera with 5X native zoom level, much longer than the current 3X one.

Here is a summary of the 10 biggest new iPhone 15 features:

• USB-C port replaces Lightning 
• All four models use Dynamic Island
• iPhone 15 and 15 Plus powered by older A16 chip
• iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max run on newer A17 chip
• Pro models use titanium instead of stainless steel, which reduces weight
• iPhone 15 Pro models replace mute switch with new programmable Action Button
• Slightly larger battery size
• Only iPhone 15 Pro Max model gets new periscope camera with longer zoom range
• Regular iPhone 15 models get upgraded main camera with 48MP sensor

So these are just the most note-worthy new features… but there are many other smaller improvements that you should also know about. We dive deeper right below, exploring all these new features and more, so read on to find out all about the iPhone 15 family!

• iPhone 15 Announcement: September 12th, 2023
• iPhone 15 Pre-orders start: September 15th, 2023
• iPhone 15 Official release date: September 22nd, 2023

Apple unveiled the new iPhone 15 series on September 12th at a special event it called “Wonderlust”. Along with the new iPhones, we also saw a new Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9, as well as new AirPods with a USB-C port.

Pre-orders for all iPhone 15 models have opened on Friday, September 15th, while the official release date in stores is set for Friday, September 22nd.

Make sure to also check out these iPhone 15 pre-order deals, so you get the best offer available, and don't forget that some models like the Pro Max will be in higher demand so if you want to receive your unit earlier, you should also place your order as soon as possible.

iPhone 15 US prices:

• $799 for 128GB
• $899 for 256GB
• $1099 for 512GB

iPhone 15 Plus prices:

• $899 for 128GB
• $999 for 256GB
• $1199 for 512GB

iPhone 15 Pro prices:

• $999 for 128GB
• $1099 for 256GB
• $1299 for 512GB
• $1499 for 1TB

iPhone 15 Pro Max prices:

• $1199 for 256GB
• $1399 for 512GB
• $1599 for 1TB

As usual, carriers and Apple itself are offering some excellent trade-in deals so you can easier swallow the price of the new phones.

And here are the four new color versions for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max:

Which of these would you go for?

What is the iPhone 15 battery capacity?

The iPhone 15 Pro Max battery size, for example, is 4,422mAh, only 2% larger than the 4,323mAh battery in the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The iPhone 15 Pro ships with a 3,274mAh battery cell, another slight upgrade from the previous generation.

iPhone 15 camera

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models come with two cameras on the back, while the Pro and Pro Max models have three cameras.

If you go for the Pro models, you should know that the smaller 15 Pro model features the familiar 3X zoom lens with some improvements, while the larger 15 Pro Max model uses a new 5X zoom lens instead which gives you a lot more reach (but of course quality in the 3X to 4.9X range will be a bit worse than on the smaller model).

Because of the larger size of that new camera, this year Apple is only using it in the Pro model, while some speculate that next year both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have that new 5X zoom lens.

With the new 48MP sensor on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models, Apple addresses the biggest weakness of these phones – the detail.

You can capture a full resolution 48-megapixel picture, but most of the time you will probably use the new default 24MP resolution. HEIF photos at 24MP have a size of roughly 3MB per photo, compared to 2MB file sizes if you opt for 12MP shots, so the difference is not all that big. 24MP is ultimately a great middle ground and makes a noticeable difference with detail.

The other big news is that you get 2X sensor crop for optical grade quality without an actual telephoto camera. 

All of this enables a next generation Portrait Mode. You can shoot either 1X or 2X portrait mode on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus now. Best of all, you no longer need to manually capture the image in portrait mode as machine learning detects when there is a person or a pet in the image and allows you to turn any picture into a portrait mode photo, right after you capture it. Impressive!

The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max get all of the new camera features of the vanilla models, plus a few additional ones.

They use a slightly larger 48-megapixel main camera sensor with new nanoscale coating that helps reduce the dreaded iPhone lens flare, and the focal length on the Pro models is slightly wider.

The main party trick of the Pro models is that they can now do 1.2X and 1.5X sensor crop, which we have been using a lot.

As for that new 5X zoom lens, it's exclusive on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and it's best used for close-ups, wildlife photos and sports action, but of course you can get creative.

It uses a tetra-prism design, so light reflects four times before hitting the sensor and this creates enough separation for the longer zoom. It has the most advanced stabilization on a phone lens with a brand new 3D sensor shift module, meaning it moves in all three directions.

iPhone 15 battery and charging specs

Apple has slightly increased the battery size on each new iPhone 15 model compared to the previous generation models.

Here are the iPhone 15 battery sizes:

These are very modest improvements but still worth knowing about.

And below, you can find the official Apple battery life numbers for all four models.

Similarly for charging: no changes at all!

Apple lists all iPhone 15 models as supporting 20W charging speeds. Previously, unofficially the Pro model could hit 23W, while the Pro Max model could go as fast as 27W, but we have to test to see if that's the case on the new models.

All four iPhone 15 models support MagSafe wireless charging with no changes to speed, which means you still get 15W charging wirelessly.

The big news in the world of Apple accessories is that Apple is no longer offering a leather case option for the iPhone 15 series. The company is discontinuing the leather in favor of a new more environmentally friendly “FineWoven” material. It feels completely different than leather with a bit of a textile feel, but initial reviews are critical as it scratches easily and those scratch marks remain very visible after that. This new material would probably be just fine if it was used in a cheap case, but not so much in a premium, $60 case.

Of course, third party companies will gladly still offer you leather cases and every other kind, and many people will also want to buy a screen protector.

We have an article where we go in-depth with all the best iPhone 15 cases, so make sure to check it out.

There are already various iPhone 15 deals available. For some, you need to trade-in an eligible device and get a discount, and there are other offers as well.

At carriers, AT&T will cut up to $1,000 off the price of a new iPhone 15 Pro Max with a trade-in, while Verizon offers a trade-in bonus of up to $800. At T-Mobile, you also get similar trade-in offers with discounts of up to $1,000.

• You should get the iPhone 15 if… well, if you want the latest and greatest iPhone of course. The Pro models come with 120Hz ProMotion as well as a telephoto camera, and offer a few pro features like ProRAW and ProRes, as well as faster USB 3 data transfers and a cool new Action Button. The regular models, however, are also excellent value and they have received one of the biggest upgrades ever for a non-Pro model with that new 48MP main camera sensor, and they also feature a Dynamic Island now and a USB-C port.

• You should NOT get the iPhone 15 if you don't care so much about extreme performance or cameras. The battery life and charging speeds have not changed, and the phones still look very much as previous generations.