Apple Unveils Upgraded iPhones with Enhanced Chips, Cameras, and Charging Ports
On Tuesday, Apple introduced its latest series of iPhones, which will feature improved cameras, faster processors, a new charging system, and an increased price for the most advanced model.
The presentation at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, as the company tries to reverse a mild slump that has seen sales decline from last year for three consecutive quarters. The malaise is a key reason why Apple’s stock price has fallen nearly 10% since mid-July, pushing the company’s market value below the $3 trillion threshold it first reached earlier this summer.
Investors were apparently unimpressed with what Apple released on Tuesday. The company’s stock fell almost 2% during afternoon trading.
As with Apple and other smartphone manufacturers, the four iPhone 15 model types aren’t making big leaps in technology. But Apple added enough new bells and whistles to the top model — the iPhone 15 Pro Max — to raise its price by $100, or 9 percent, from last year’s version to $1,200.
Apple keeps the price line for the rest of the collection: the basic iPhone 15 is sold for $800, the iPhone 15 Plus for $900, and the iPhone 15 Pro for $1,000.
All new models will be available in stores on September 22nd, with pre-orders starting this Friday.
One of the biggest changes Apple announced is a new way to charge iPhone 15 models and future generations. The company is moving to the USB-C standard, which is already widely used in many devices, including its Macs and many iPads.
Apple will be forced to phase out the Lightning port cables it introduced in 2012 as European regulators plan to impose a 2024 mandate.
Although consumers often don’t like the change, switching to USB-C ports may not be that inconvenient. This is because the standard is already widely used in many computers, smartphones and other devices that people already own. The move to USB-C may even be popular, as this standard typically charges devices faster and also offers faster data transfer speeds.
The base models of the iPhone 15 have been redesigned to feature a shape-shifting cutout in the screen that Apple calls a “Dynamic Island” for app notifications — a look introduced on last year’s Pro and Pro Max devices. The base models also get a faster chip that was used in last year’s Pro and Pro Max models, while the next-gen premium iPhone 15s runs on an even more advanced processor.
According to Apple, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will also be equipped with seven camera lenses. They come with a periscope-style telephoto lens that improves the quality of photos taken from a distance. The telephoto lens has a 5x optical zoom, which lags behind the 10x optical zoom of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S22 Ultra, but represents an upgrade from the 3x optical zoom of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
Apple encases the premium models in titanium, which it says is the same alloy used in some spacecraft.
In addition to its new iPhones, Apple also unveiled its next-generation smartwatch — a product that debuted nearly a decade ago. The Series 9 Apple Watch, which hits stores on September 22, includes a new gesture control that lets users control alarms and answer calls by double-clicking their thumbs with a finger.
