With WWDC behind us and summer in full swing, it won’t be long before the iPhone 15 is upon us. It’s still about two months away, but the rumor mill is already giving us a good idea of what to expect. Just as we have had for the last few years, we expect a standard iPhone 15 in regular and Plus sizes (6.1 and 6.7 inches, though slimmer bezels may make the displays ever-so-slightly larger), and the iPhone 15 Pro in nearly identical standard and Max sizes.

At the low end, pricing is expected to be similar to current iPhone 14 models: $799/£849 for the standard iPhone 15 and $899/£949 for the larger Plus model. At the high end, prices could jump by $100, with some rumors suggesting that the largest Pro model will be rebranded as the iPhone 15 Ultra and have an even higher price hike.

So why should you pay so much more? What do you get when you spring for one of the iPhone 15 Pro models? Based on the best available rumors so far, here are the differences that Apple hopes will entice you to spend hundreds more.

The A17 chip

For the last two years, Apple has put a different chip in the Pro model iPhones. The iPhone 13 Pro had an A15 Bionic like the iPhone 13, only the higher-end phone had 5 GPU cores instead of 4. With the iPhone 14, Apple went further and made the A16 Bionic exclusive to the Pro models–the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus got the A15 again (with 5 GPU cores).

If you want the A17 and all the benefits it brings, you’re going to need to buy the iPhone 15 Pro or Max. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are going to get the A16 found in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. That’s still a very fast chip, but we have high hopes that the new 3nm process will allow Apple to really push the A17 design in new ways instead of just making it 15-20 percent faster.

The titanium body

The iPhone 15 Pro’s enclosure may be made of titanium instead of stainless steel, just like the Apple Watch Ultra. That would be the first time Apple used a new material in the iPhone Pro since the model launched in 2019.

Steel tends to be a little stronger and harder than titanium (it varies widely depending on the exact composition and heat treatment of the steel), but titanium is still very strong and hard and weighs about half as much as steel. That means a much lighter and more comfortable iPhone–especially the largest Max/Ultra model, which currently tips the scales at 240 grams.

The telephoto camera

The regular iPhones have a standard (wide) and an ultrawide camera. The Pro models include a telephoto camera–currently a 12MP camera with 3x zoom in the iPhone 14 Pro.

Some say the iPhone 15 will have the same big 48MP wide-angle camera as the iPhone 14 Pro, which could be a reason to not buy the Pro model. But consider this: the non-Pro iPhones have thus far not supported the ProRAW format, which is required to capture full-sized 48MP photos–in standard HEIF or JPG formats you only get pixel-binned 12MP photos. Since ProRAW likely isn’t coming to the non-Pro iPhone 15, we assume iPhone 15 photos will be limited to 12MP images, so you’ll still need an iPhone 15 Pro to take full advantage of the 48MP camera.

Regardless, the iPhone 15 Pro is sure to have a telephoto camera that the iPhone 15 doesn’t have. And if you’re looking at a larger phone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is said to feature a new periscope lens telephoto camera with an optical zoom of 5x-6x and a digital zoom of at least 20X, both substantially better than they the iPhone 14 Pro.

Furthermore, the Pro iPhones also have LiDAR sensors, which is good for AR apps and for improving focus and portrait mode in dark environments. It also might be useful when the Vision Pro ships next year.

The Action button

With the iPhone 15 Pro models, Apple is rumored to finally replace the mute switch, which has been with us since the original iPhone, with a button. This so-called “Action button” would perform different functions depending on how you’re using your phone. For example, when locked it will mute or unmute your iPhone, but perhaps when using the Camera app, it could take on another function like quickly switching between video and photo modes. Maybe a double-tap of the button from your home screen will perform a shortcut from a list of options, similar to the “back tap” accessibility feature?

There’s no reason that mute needs to be a toggle switch rather than a button, and a button provides a lot more flexibility. Plus, it means cases without awkward cutouts. And it look like you’ll only get it on the Pro phones.

The display

The iPhone 15 is expected to have an OLED display with the Dynamic Island, as found on the iPhone 14 Pro today. But even so, the Pro models are still far superior, with features like higher peak and outdoor brightness, always-on display, and ProMotion. And that always-on display will get even more useful in iOS 17 thanks to the new StandBy feature.

The USB-C port

All iPhone 15 models are expected to ditch the Lightning connector in favor of USB-C. The European Union’s new laws require it on future products. The rumors suggest that we can expect USB 2.0 data transfer speeds on the regular iPhone 15 (480 Mbits per second, just like Lightning), while the iPhone 15 Pro will get USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3 support, giving data transfer speeds of up to 20 or 40 Gbits per second.

Faster charging speeds are a possibility, though some rumors suggest that those higher speeds will be limited to special USB-C cables that have authentication chips in them like Lightning cables do today.

iPhone

For a product that isn’t debuting until 2024, Apple has said a lot about the Vision Pro, its mixed reality headset. Apple spent nearly an hour in the WWDC keynote discussing it. It has rolled out developer tools for visionOS, which has given us even more clarity about what visionOS can and can’t do.

And yet I remain firmly convinced that Apple hasn’t told us the whole story. The WWDC keynote was the time to make a first impression–but there’s half a year to go before the final story is told. As a result, Apple emphasized the features of the device that it felt would best represent the device. It emphasized the fact that it’s an augmented-reality product that keeps you connected with people around you as a way to blunt criticism that Apple’s trying to use its technology to wall people off from each other.

With the Vision Pro, there’s more to come. Here’s where I think Apple will have a much larger story to tell.

Yes, it’s really a VR headset

By defaulting to a view of the world around you and requiring that the user dial reality out via the Digital Crown, Apple sends the signal that the Vision Pro is an augmented-reality headset. But the truth is, it’s a VR headset that emulates AR, and that emulation can be dropped easily. If you don’t want to work in the very spacious rooms on display in Apple’s demo video, you can just as easily work in a virtual-reality environment.

But even more than that, app developers can create entire VR experiences within their apps. While Apple will strongly encourage apps to work in augmented reality–and if you want to walk around objects, it’s required–that won’t stop the ability for apps that do what we think of as “traditional” VR experiences.

In other words, Apple didn’t talk about VR games, the most popular category of software in existing VR hardware, but VR games will absolutely be a part of the Vision Pro experience. No, we don’t know how good Apple’s hand- and eye-tracking technology will be when it comes to the needs of various VR games. But we will certainly find out.

Yes, there will be fitness apps

Apple didn’t announce any Vision Pro integration with its Fitness+ service, which I admit was a bit of a surprise. On Meta’s headsets, apps like Supernatural and Beat Saber have gained huge followings as ways to spice up the drudgery of regular workouts.

I can’t say whether Fitness+ will appear on Vision Pro at launch–Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests it won’t–but if Apple doesn’t fill the gap, someone else will. Savvy app developers will try to be the next Beat Saber. And no matter how heavy or awkward the Vision Pro might be, no matter how much sweat the Vision Pro’s 3-D-knit headband might soak in, people will try to use VR for workouts. It’s going to happen.

Yes, there will be Memoji

Apple wanted to impress everyone with the Digital Persona, a replica of your face created via an in-depth initial scan that’s animated by Vision Pro sensors looking at your eye, face, and body gestures. I found them creepy, and I definitely wasn’t the only person who used the Vision Pro at WWDC who thought so.

I’m pretty sure Apple has never intended the Digital Persona to be the only option for users who need a proxy for interaction with other people when wearing the Vision Pro. It’s technology Apple was proud of, so it showed it off as a way to boast–as well as a way of explaining how the EyeSight feature was created.

But it can’t be the only option. Let’s start with the fact that not everyone will feel comfortable using a representation of themselves as they are if they can help it. There’s a good reason why Apple’s Memoji creation interface lets you choose a wide range of characteristics, including many that don’t even exist in human beings! Or you can choose to be an animated emoji character.

And really, if we’re being honest, it’s highly likely that the entire Memoji project was an early move in the direction of avatars for the Vision Pro. Do we really think Apple’s going to insist on Digital Personas for everyone, even if they’d rather just be an elephant? Not gonna happen.

Yes, Siri will be involved

Apple’s film about the Vision Pro shows a user reading out a website address via voice at one point. It’s pretty much the only example of Apple’s voice assistant being shown with the headset. But it’s almost inconceivable that voice control won’t be a major portion of the device’s interface.

When I used the Vision Pro, there were numerous moments when I realized that rather than manipulating a virtual interface via hand gesture, I’d probably be better off just issuing a voice command. But Siri wasn’t active on our demo headsets, probably because it’s just not good enough–and because if Apple leaned into it too much, it would make the rest of the Vision Pro interface work the company has done look a little less special.

A reliance on voice control by all of those people in solitary environments, sprawled on couches or sitting in chairs, might also reinforce the antisocial nature of these devices–if you’re comfortable constantly interjecting to Siri, that implies that nobody else is within earshot–and that’s very much not the impression Apple wants to give right now.

But there’s just no way that visionOS is a platform that isn’t strongly linked to voice commands. It just makes too much sense.

Yes your other Apple devices will play a role

The Vision Pro appears to be a peer to the iPad and iPhone, capable of running iOS apps itself without any connection to those devices. Still, we didn’t see much direct integration between Apple’s most popular product and the Vision Pro.

Perhaps it won’t be there on day one, but I have a hard time believing that the iPhone won’t work tightly with Vision Pro. In macOS Sonoma, Apple’s introducing the concept of iPhone widgets that are projected right onto your Mac desktop. Why not extend that to Vision Pro? What about launching apps on your iPhone and viewing them right within Vision Pro? Maybe even more than one at a time?

Sure, you can look down and use your iPhone while using Vision Pro, but that’s always going to be a pretty limited experience. I have to think that Apple is working hard to figure out the best ways to use Continuity features to attach all of its devices to the Vision Pro–but most especially the iPhone.

The Vision Pro won’t be here for some time yet. We’ve heard Apple’s opening sales pitch, but it isn’t nearly time for the company to close the deal. There’s more to this story than we’ve heard so far. Stay tuned.

Virtual Reality

With WWDC behind us and summer in full swing, it won’t be long before the iPhone 15 is upon us. It’s still about two months away, but the rumor mill is already giving us a good idea of what to expect. Just as we have had for the last few years, we expect a standard iPhone 15 in regular and Plus sizes (6.1 and 6.7 inches, though slimmer bezels may make the displays ever-so-slightly larger), and the iPhone 15 Pro in nearly identical standard and Max sizes.

At the low end, pricing is expected to be similar to current iPhone 14 models: $799/£849 for the standard iPhone 15 and $899/£949 for the larger Plus model. At the high end, prices could jump by $100, with some rumors suggesting that the largest Pro model will be rebranded as the iPhone 15 Ultra and have an even higher price hike.

So why should you pay so much more? What do you get when you spring for one of the iPhone 15 Pro models? Based on the best available rumors so far, here are the differences that Apple hopes will entice you to spend hundreds more.

The A17 chip

For the last two years, Apple has put a different chip in the Pro model iPhones. The iPhone 13 Pro had an A15 Bionic like the iPhone 13, only the higher-end phone had 5 GPU cores instead of 4. With the iPhone 14, Apple went further and made the A16 Bionic exclusive to the Pro models–the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus got the A15 again (with 5 GPU cores).

If you want the A17 and all the benefits it brings, you’re going to need to buy the iPhone 15 Pro or Max. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are going to get the A16 found in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. That’s still a very fast chip, but we have high hopes that the new 3nm process will allow Apple to really push the A17 design in new ways instead of just making it 15-20 percent faster.

A titanium body

The iPhone 15 Pro’s enclosure may be made of titanium instead of stainless steel, just like the Apple Watch Ultra. That would be the first time Apple used a new material in the iPhone Pro since the model launched in 2019.

Steel tends to be a little stronger and harder than titanium (it varies widely depending on the exact composition and heat treatment of the steel), but titanium is still very strong and hard and weighs about half as much as steel. That means a much lighter and more comfortable iPhone–especially the largest Max/Ultra model, which currently tips the scales at 240 grams.

A telephoto camera

The regular iPhones have a standard (wide) and an ultrawide camera. The Pro models include a telephoto camera–currently a 12MP camera with 3x zoom in the iPhone 14 Pro.

Some say the iPhone 15 will have the same big 48MP wide-angle camera as the iPhone 14 Pro, which could be a reason to not buy the Pro model. But consider this: the non-Pro iPhones have thus far not supported the ProRAW format, which is required to capture full-sized 48MP photos–in standard HEIF or JPG formats you only get pixel-binned 12MP photos. Since ProRAW likely isn’t coming to the non-Pro iPhone 15, we assume iPhone 15 photos will be limited to 12MP images, so you’ll still need an iPhone 15 Pro to take full advantage of the 48MP camera.

Regardless, the iPhone 15 Pro is sure to have a telephoto camera that the iPhone 15 doesn’t have. And if you’re looking at a larger phone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is said to feature a new periscope lens telephoto camera with an optical zoom of 5x-6x and a digital zoom of at least 20X, both substantially better than they the iPhone 14 Pro.

Furthermore, the Pro iPhones also have LiDAR sensors, which is good for AR apps and for improving focus and portrait mode in dark environments. It also might be useful when the Vision Pro ships next year.

An Action button

With the iPhone 15 Pro models, Apple is rumored to finally replace the mute switch, which has been with us since the original iPhone, with a button. This so-called “Action button” would perform different functions depending on how you’re using your phone. For example, when locked it will mute or unmute your iPhone, but perhaps when using the Camera app, it could take on another function like quickly switching between video and photo modes. Maybe a double-tap of the button from your home screen will perform a shortcut from a list of options, similar to the “back tap” accessibility feature?

There’s no reason that mute needs to be a toggle switch rather than a button, and a button provides a lot more flexibility. Plus, it means cases without awkward cutouts. And it look like you’ll only get it on the Pro phones.

A better display

The iPhone 15 is expected to have an OLED display with the Dynamic Island, as found on the iPhone 14 Pro today. But even so, the Pro models are still far superior, with features like higher peak and outdoor brightness, always-on display, and ProMotion. And that always-on display will get even more useful in iOS 17 thanks to the new StandBy feature.

Faster USB-C

All iPhone 15 models are expected to ditch the Lightning connector in favor of USB-C. The European Union’s new laws require it on future products. The rumors suggest that we can expect USB 2.0 data transfer speeds on the regular iPhone 15 (480 Mbits per second, just like Lightning), while the iPhone 15 Pro will get USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3 support, giving data transfer speeds of up to 20 or 40 Mbits per second.

Faster charging speeds are a possibility, though some rumors suggest that those higher speeds will be limited to special USB-C cables that have authentication chips in them like Lightning cables do today.

iPhone

For a product that isn’t debuting until 2024, Apple has said a lot about the Vision Pro, its mixed reality headset. Apple spent nearly an hour in the WWDC keynote discussing it. It has rolled out developer tools for visionOS, which has given us even more clarity about what visionOS can and can’t do.

And yet I remain firmly convinced that Apple hasn’t told us the whole story. The WWDC keynote was the time to make a first impression–but there’s half a year to go before the final story is told. As a result, Apple emphasized the features of the device that it felt would best represent the device. It emphasized the fact that it’s an augmented-reality product that keeps you connected with people around you as a way to blunt criticism that Apple’s trying to use its technology to wall people off from each other.

With the Vision Pro, there’s more to come. Here’s where I think Apple will have a much larger story to tell.

Yes, it’s really a VR headset

By defaulting to a view of the world around you and requiring that the user dial reality out via the Digital Crown, Apple sends the signal that the Vision Pro is an augmented-reality headset. But the truth is, it’s a VR headset that emulates AR, and that emulation can be dropped easily. If you don’t want to work in the very spacious rooms on display in Apple’s demo video, you can just as easily work in a virtual-reality environment.

But even more than that, app developers can create entire VR experiences within their apps. While Apple will strongly encourage apps to work in augmented reality–and if you want to walk around objects, it’s required–that won’t stop the ability for apps that do what we think of as “traditional” VR experiences.

In other words, Apple didn’t talk about VR games, the most popular category of software in existing VR hardware, but VR games will absolutely be a part of the Vision Pro experience. No, we don’t know how good Apple’s hand- and eye-tracking technology will be when it comes to the needs of various VR games. But we will certainly find out.

Yes, there will be fitness apps

Apple didn’t announce any Vision Pro integration with its Fitness+ service, which I admit was a bit of a surprise. On Meta’s headsets, apps like Supernatural and Beat Saber have gained huge followings as ways to spice up the drudgery of regular workouts.

I can’t say whether Fitness+ will appear on Vision Pro at launch–Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests it won’t–but if Apple doesn’t fill the gap, someone else will. Savvy app developers will try to be the next Beat Saber. And no matter how heavy or awkward the Vision Pro might be, no matter how much sweat the Vision Pro’s 3-D-knit headband might soak in, people will try to use VR for workouts. It’s going to happen.

Yes, there will be Memoji

Apple wanted to impress everyone with the Digital Persona, a replica of your face created via an in-depth initial scan that’s animated by Vision Pro sensors looking at your eye, face, and body gestures. I found them creepy, and I definitely wasn’t the only person who used the Vision Pro at WWDC who thought so.

I’m pretty sure Apple has never intended the Digital Persona to be the only option for users who need a proxy for interaction with other people when wearing the Vision Pro. It’s technology Apple was proud of, so it showed it off as a way to boast–as well as a way of explaining how the EyeSight feature was created.

But it can’t be the only option. Let’s start with the fact that not everyone will feel comfortable using a representation of themselves as they are if they can help it. There’s a good reason why Apple’s Memoji creation interface lets you choose a wide range of characteristics, including many that don’t even exist in human beings! Or you can choose to be an animated emoji character.

And really, if we’re being honest, it’s highly likely that the entire Memoji project was an early move in the direction of avatars for the Vision Pro. Do we really think Apple’s going to insist on Digital Personas for everyone, even if they’d rather just be an elephant? Not gonna happen.

Yes, Siri will be involved

Apple’s film about the Vision Pro shows a user reading out a website address via voice at one point. It’s pretty much the only example of Apple’s voice assistant being shown with the headset. But it’s almost inconceivable that voice control won’t be a major portion of the device’s interface.

When I used the Vision Pro, there were numerous moments when I realized that rather than manipulating a virtual interface via hand gesture, I’d probably be better off just issuing a voice command. But Siri wasn’t active on our demo headsets, probably because it’s just not good enough–and because if Apple leaned into it too much, it would make the rest of the Vision Pro interface work the company has done look a little less special.

A reliance on voice control by all of those people in solitary environments, sprawled on couches or sitting in chairs, might also reinforce the antisocial nature of these devices–if you’re comfortable constantly interjecting to Siri, that implies that nobody else is within earshot–and that’s very much not the impression Apple wants to give right now.

But there’s just no way that visionOS is a platform that isn’t strongly linked to voice commands. It just makes too much sense.

Your other Apple devices will probably be more involved

The Vision Pro appears to be a peer to the iPad and iPhone, capable of running iOS apps itself without any connection to those devices. Still, we didn’t see much direct integration between Apple’s most popular product and the Vision Pro.

Perhaps it won’t be there on day one, but I have a hard time believing that the iPhone won’t work tightly with Vision Pro. In macOS Sonoma, Apple’s introducing the concept of iPhone widgets that are projected right onto your Mac desktop. Why not extend that to Vision Pro? What about launching apps on your iPhone and viewing them right within Vision Pro? Maybe even more than one at a time?

Sure, you can look down and use your iPhone while using Vision Pro, but that’s always going to be a pretty limited experience. I have to think that Apple is working hard to figure out the best ways to use Continuity features to attach all of its devices to the Vision Pro–but most especially the iPhone.

The Vision Pro won’t be here for some time yet. We’ve heard Apple’s opening sales pitch, but it isn’t nearly time for the company to close the deal. There’s more to this story than we’ve heard so far. Stay tuned.

Virtual Reality