Hands-on: What the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro will look like

Before the launch of new iPhones, case makers invest big money in getting leaked details about updated designs to be the first to come up with the right cases. This often results in mockups that are exact replicas of future iPhones, like the iPhone 15 mockups we’re sharing today.

We managed to get our hands on a bunch of dummy models that represent the ‌iPhone 15‌, ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max, also known as the four new iPhones that we expect Apple to release in September 2023. We have already heard endless rumors about ‌iPhone models. 15‌, but it’s helpful to be able to see all the changes and design updates in person.

At first glance, the ‌iPhone 15‌ and ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ look similar to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, but there are noticeable differences when you look closely. For example, there are no more Lightning ports, as Apple is adopting USB-C this year. USB-C ports are located on the bottom of each device, allowing for charging with the same USB-C cable that can be used to charge a recent Mac or iPad.

On the surface, the USB-C ports on the ‌iPhone 15‌ and ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ look identical, but we expect the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ models to support faster data transfer speeds with possible support for Thunderbolt. There have also been hints that Apple will limit some functionality to Made for ‌iPhone‌ cables, but we can’t tell if that’s the case with dummy models.

There have been multiple rumors about a minor design change to the corners of the ‌iPhone 15‌ models, which you can already see. It’s a subtle shift, but the corners are more rounded than before, which feels much more comfortable in the hand.

Rumors suggest that the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ models will use titanium instead of stainless steel, but this is a feature that we can’t see in the dummy models. Instead of the glossy finish of the mockups, we’ll likely see a more sophisticated matte finish. All Phantom models feature a frosted glass back, which in the past was limited to the Pro models. We’ve heard rumors that frosted glass will be used across the board, but it’s an odd choice.

All four iPhones in 2023 are also expected to have a Dynamic Island instead of a notch, and this will effectively mark the end of the notch in Apple’s flagship ‌iPhone‌ lineup. For now, ‌Dynamic Island‌ is limited to the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ and Pro Max, but even the lower-priced ‌iPhone 15‌ will get the updated design in 2023.

The ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ and Pro Max mockups feature a unified volume button, but this design tweak may have been changed at the last minute. It was rumored that Apple is implementing solid-state technology in the volume buttons, but there were a lot of bugs to work out, so the function was held up until the iPhone 16. Because of this, we may see the traditional two-button layout instead of the combined button.

What’s more certain is that Apple has eliminated the mute switch, which turns into a button. We’ll have a button above the volume buttons, and it could be an action button instead of a dedicated mute button, similar to the action button on the Apple Watch Ultra. The action button will be programmable and able to do more than just mute the iPhone‌.

The cameras look almost the same and you won’t notice major external changes, but the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max is expected to get a new periscope lens with up to 6x optical zoom. And the implementation of this technology takes a lot of space inside the phone, so it will be limited to Pro Max.

We’re about four months away from the debut of the ‌iPhone 15‌ models, which means the design is finalized and Apple will soon begin mass production. We’ll hear more about the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models closer to launch, compiling everything we know in our dedicated roundup.