Apple announces iPhone 15 with USB-C, Dynamic Island

Apple has announced the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus today. The biggest change in the iPhone 15 lineup is the switch to USB-C connectivity, bidding farewell to Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector which was introduced in 2012.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus measure 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches in screen size, respectively. With the Dynamic Island on top, the standard iPhones no longer have a notch; the Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped cutout that debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro last year for viewing notifications. Apple says the Super Retina XDR display supports Dolby Vision content, with 1,600 nits of brightness and 2,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness.

Powering the iPhone 15 is the A16 Bionic chip, which also powers last year’s iPhone 14 Pro lineup. There’s a new ultra wideband chip for precision finding as well; the one that’s on the Apple Watch Series 9. Plus, the new USB-C port on the iPhone 15 supports bidirectional charging, meaning it can charge the Apple Watch and the latest AirPods case, too.

The camera system is getting an upgrade to a 48-megapixel main sensor, which debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro last year, while the 12-megapixel ultra wide lens does telephoto. Apple says the dual cameras produce super-high-resolution photos at 24 megapixels by default, using computational photography. In addition to a new portrait mode, which is automatically enabled when it detects a person or pet in the frame, there are improvements to night mode and HDR captures, among others.

Starting at $799 for the iPhone 15 and at $899 for the iPhone 15 Plus, the handsets come in five different colors: pink, yellow, green, blue, and black. They will be available beginning September 22, with preorders starting September 15 this week.