The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro have officially launched. The biggest change this year is that Apple is finally switching from a Lightning port to a USB-C port, meaning the phones will probably be that much easier to integrate into your charging ecosystem. But the devices have some other notable upgrades as well.
Technology
The iPhone 15 lineup has arrived, and here’s everything you need to know about it
The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro have officially launched. They offer some big upgrades over previous models, including a switch from Lightning to USB-C. Here’s our coverage.
We’ve already learned a lot of fascinating things about the devices, including an entirely new battery setting.
The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max have switched from stainless steel on their exteriors to titanium, and that translates to lighter devices that should be easier to hold in your hand. Apple also replaced the mute switch in the Pro phones with a new Action Button that you can customize to open the camera, turn on the flashlight, and more. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have some notable upgrades, too, including the Dynamic Island that debuted with last year’s Pro lineup and a matte finish on the back glass.
Here’s all of our coverage of Apple’s newest phones.
Highlights
TODAY, Two hours ago
Jay Peters
Make sure to update your iPhone 15 before transferring over data from your old phone
If you’ve just picked up a new iPhone 15 device, before you transfer over your data from an older phone, make sure to update that new phone to iOS 17.0.2 first. An Apple support document says that the update, which came out on Thursday, fixes an issue that “may prevent transferring data directly from another iPhone during setup” (via MacRumors).
Initially, iOS 17.0.2 was only available for the just-launched iPhone 15 phones; the most current software for older iPhones available last week was iOS 17.0.1, which also launched on Thursday and included some big security updates. On September 26th, 9to5Mac reported that Apple released a new build of 17.0.2 with the same release notes available for all iPhones capable of running the current software.
TODAY, 7:04 PM UTC
Richard Lawler
Apple’s Studio Display gets manual controls for its webcam
Apple just released macOS Sonoma, and along with the new 14.0 version of its operating system, there’s an update for its standalone Studio Display monitor that addresses some of our issues with its much-derided webcam (via MacRumors). Now, the Studio Display’s camera offers manual control over framing and zoom, which you can adjust by moving the image back and forth or in and out within the video preview window.
From Apple’s update notes:
Sep 25
Emma Roth
iFixit has good news and bad news about the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s repairability
While Apple may have made the iPhone 15 Pro Max easier to repair physically, a teardown from iFixit reveals it still comes with the same parts pairing constraints as its predecessors.
Like the iPhone 14, iFixit found that the iPhone 15 lineup has a redesigned midframe that you can access by removing the device’s screen or back glass. However, iFixit notes that the internals on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max live behind the screen, rather than the back glass, as is the case with the base iPhone 15 and 15 Plus as well as the iPhone 14 lineup.
Sep 23
Allison Johnson
The iPhone 15 Pro is teaching me to embrace digital zoom
If you want to hear a love story, ask any photographer about their favorite lens.
They’ll probably get a little glimmer in their eye as they tell you about the fast 35mm they carry everywhere or the long portrait lens with the bokeh that hits just right. Camera bodies come and go, but your favorite lens is a lifelong relationship.
Sep 22
Jay Peters
iFixit tears down… Apple’s FineWoven cases
“The new FineWoven iPhone cases are very bad,” according to my colleague Allison Johnson, so you probably shouldn’t buy one. Still, I’ve been curious to learn more about them, and iFixit’s new teardown just gave me even more information than I could have thought to ask for: it put one of the new cases under a microscope, tested how it stood up to things like hot sauce and coffee, and tore the thing apart — and, best of all, photographed every step of the way.
There are some incredible zoomed-in photos of the fabric, for example; that black thing in a post from iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens is a human hair included for scale! Another photo shows how the fibers are affected when cut by a knife — it’s not pretty.
Sep 22
Allison Johnson
Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max review: by the numbers
There are very few surprises from new smartphones these days. Breakthrough new features? Astounding new camera hardware? Get out of here. That’s the stuff of early 2010 mobile technology.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are no exception to recent trends: they’re not seismic shifts; they’re just a bit better than the things that came before them in a lot of small but meaningful ways.
Sep 22
Dan Seifert
This retractable cable can help make the iPhone USB-C transition easier
Did you hear the iPhone 15 has USB-C now? That’s a great thing and long overdue, but it does mean that there will be a period of transition where some of us end up having to deal with both Lightning and USB-C iPhones in our lives, particularly if we live with someone who isn’t buying the new iPhone right away.
This is particularly cumbersome if you share a vehicle and want to use CarPlay in it — you’ll need a way to hook up your new USB-C iPhone and maintain a Lightning connection for the other person using the car. You could do this with multiple cables, of course, and switch it every time you get in the car, but who needs that hassle? For the past couple of years, I’ve used this three-headed cable to use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the same vehicle, depending on who is driving, no cable swap necessary. (It also comes with a Micro USB port on one side, but I can’t say I’ve ever used it.)
Sep 22
Jay Peters
The iPhone 15’s latest update is iOS 17.0.2, and Apple says it fixes an issue that “may prevent transferring data directly from another iPhone during setup” (via MacRumors). Take a few minutes to update your new phone before setting up that transfer to avoid issues.
(By the way, the latest update for older iPhones iOS 17.0.1, so don’t look for iOS 17.0.2 on those devices.)
[Apple Support]
Sep 22
Chris Welch
Apple’s faster Haptic Touch is as close to a 3D Touch comeback as we’re gonna get
As excited as I am to pick up a new iPhone 15 Pro Max later today, every release day for Apple’s latest phones brings back a nagging feeling: I still miss 3D Touch. Introduced on the iPhone 6S and lasting through the XS and XS Max, this feature could determine how much pressure you were applying to the screen with each finger press, and software could respond differently based on the level of force.
I remember having my mind blown by the live wallpaper animations, which would play (and then rewind back in reverse) based on how hard or softly I was pressing down. 3D Touch also brought other useful tricks like “peek” and “pop,” which let you preview a link or other content with a light press and then fully open it with a firm one.
Sep 22
Richard Lawler
In an interview with Brian Tong on the Apple Blitz XL podcast, Apple VP of sensing and connectivity Ron Huang explains that while the second-gen AirPods Pro earbuds also have the H2 chip just like its new USB-C model, the new ones are capable of communicating at 5GHz instead of just 2GHz.
He says that’s why the new USB-C AirPods Pro earbuds have enough bandwidth to do lossless audio wirelessly when combined with the upcoming Vision Pro.
Apple:
The H2 chip in the latest AirPods Pro and Apple Vision Pro, combined with a groundbreaking wireless audio protocol, unlocks powerful 20-bit, 48 kHz Lossless Audio with a massive reduction in audio latency
Sep 22
Jay Peters
Seriously, he had to unlock the door to greet customers. Amusing start to iPhone 15 launch day.
Sep 22
Dan Seifert
Smelt it dealt it.
(The app to do it is call Thwip.)
Sep 22
Allison Johnson
The iPhone 15 Pro is shipping today and I want to know what y’all are doing with the Action Button. Mine runs a shortcut that orders my favorite fall coffee beverage — but what will you do with your one, wild, and precious Action Button? Set it to dispense treats from your automatic pet feeder? Program it to unleash the robot vacuums?
Reply in the comments on this quickpost or hit me up on Threads, and I’ll round up Verge readers’ best, most unhinged Action Button shortcuts next week.
Sep 22
Allison Johnson
You asked, and we answered your burning iPhone 15 questions
Ever since our reviews for the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro went up on Tuesday morning, you’ve had a ton of questions to ask about the phones — in comments, on The Vergecast, on Threads, an Instagram App, and in a live Q&A.
So we thought we’d put all that information together in a nice little smorgasbord of nerdy tidbits and philosophical pondering and pick out a few favorites in the process.
Sep 21
Jay Peters
According to an Apple support document, you just need to wipe the edges with a lint-free cloth to get things looking good again (via MacRumors):
For iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the oil from your skin might temporarily alter the color of the outside band. Wiping your iPhone with a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth will restore the original look.
Sep 21
Jay Peters
The iPhone 15 has a new optimized charging setting — here’s how it works
Apple has detailed how the iPhone 15’s new 80 percent charging limit setting works in an update to a support document.
Here’s Apple’s explanation of what you can expect if you enable the setting:
Sep 21
Emma Roth
An early iPhone 15 Pro teardown looks inside Apple’s new flagship phone
Want to get a look at the inside of the iPhone 15 Pro? The flagship handheld hasn’t even started shipping yet, but the folks over at PBKreviews have already taken apart the device, revealing the redesigned midframe chassis, along with all the components nestled beneath the iPhone 15 Pro’s screen and glass backing.
The video starts with the careful removal of the display using a screen disassembly device and a plastic pick. From there, PBKreviews disconnects the screen from the body of the phone and removes a series of cables. That’s when we get a good look at the iPhone 15’s camera assembly, which has three Phillips screws holding it down.
Sep 21
Allison Johnson
How to customize the iPhone 15 Pro’s Action Button
If you pick up an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you’ll notice one thing missing: the mute switch. It’s been a fixture on iPhones since the very beginning, but the 15 Pro models have swapped it out for a new button that’s dubbed the Action Button.
Like the Action Button on the Apple Watch Ultra series, you can customize it to do almost anything you want. It can open up a specific mode on your camera, turn on your flashlight, and, if you’re crafty, even order your favorite seasonal beverage from your neighborhood Starbucks.
Sep 21
Thomas Ricker
Apple’s failure to develop its own modem detailed in new report
Apple recently extended its deal for Qualcomm modems despite years of effort to develop its own — now we know why. According to a detailed report from the Wall Street Journal, Apple’s attempt to develop its own in-house 5G modem has been stymied by issues resulting from the iPhone maker underestimating the complexity and technical challenges of the task, and a lack of global leadership to guide the separate development groups siloed in the US and abroad.
Apple’s motivation to develop its own modems is reportedly two-fold. First, developing its own silicon had helped improve device performance and increase profit margins. Second, the company wanted to break from Qualcomm, which Apple sued in 2017 over excessive patent fees. “They hate Qualcomm’s living guts,” says Edward Snyder, a wireless industry expert and managing director of Charter Equity Research, in comments reported by the WSJ. After settling its dispute with Qualcomm in 2019, Apple quickly acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business, along with a few thousand engineers to help advance its development efforts.
Sep 20
Allison Johnson
The new FineWoven iPhone cases are very bad
Folks, what you’ve heard so far is true. Apple’s new FineWoven iPhone cases and accessories are bad. Like, really bad. I’ve been puzzling over them for the past week, looking at them from different angles. Picking them up, setting them down, petting them. Seven days later, I still can’t make sense of them and have no other choice but to say it out loud: FineWoven is very bad.
FineWoven is a new fabric option you’ll find on iPhone 15 cases, AirTag holders, and MagSafe wallets. Apple calls it a “luxurious and durable microtwill.” It’s silky, almost slippery to the touch, and costs $59 for any of the phone cases, $35 for an AirTag holder, and $99 for one of the new watch bands — not the most expensive phone cases you can buy, but pretty darn pricey.
Sep 20
Emma Roth
Marques Brownlee shows off this capability in his iPhone 15 unboxing video, where he uses the device to charge a Lightning-equipped iPhone, another iPhone 15, and even a Pixel Fold and Galaxy device — it’s just a bit more inconsistent on non-Apple devices.
Sep 20
Wes Davis
The iPhone 15 will now tell you how many charge cycles are on its battery
The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro have several features that aren’t on past iPhones, and now we can add new battery information and control features to the list. As pointed out in this post by @Tech_Reve, a new section in the iOS 17 “About” screen shows how many charge cycles your battery has been through as well as its manufacturing date and when it was first used (via MacRumors).
Those on older phones still have third-party options like CoconutBattery for the Mac to get more information about the battery, but it would be nice to just, you know, have it already there. iOS Shortcuts are also an option for accessing this information, though Verge editor Dan Seifert says the one he’s been using for years no longer works after updating his phone to iOS 17.
Sep 19
Richard Lawler
In response to a question from MacRumors writer Joe Rossignol during our iPhone 15 Pro Q&A, our reviewer Allison Johnson listed off the options from their charging menu, including one clearly labeled “80 percent limit,” which you’d think would mean a hard stop to reduce wear and tear on the battery.
However, in our testing so far, the new phones still don’t always stop charging once they reach 80 percent, even with the setting enabled. We’ve contacted Apple about the behavior and are doing some more tests — we’ll let you know what we find out.
Sep 19
Wes Davis
That’s according to today’s update notes for Final Cut Pro and other video-editing apps — even iMovie! (via MacRumors).
The iPhone 15 Pro’s log-encoded video is ideal for video editors because it has no baked-in color profile. That means it records washed-out, low-contrast video, but you can tune the color to your liking in post.
Here, let The Verge’s Vjeran Pavic show you.
Sep 19
Jay Peters
Resident Evil Village on the iPhone 15 Pro actually looks pretty good
In a recent interview with IGN, an Apple executive claimed that the iPhone 15 Pro was “going to be the best game console.” I was skeptical; although Apple boasted about the capabilities of its new GPU in its A17 Pro chip and said high-fidelity games like Resident Evil Village, the Resident Evil 4 remake, and Death Stranding would all be coming to the iPhone 15 Pro, I didn’t believe they would run very well in practice.
But after actually seeing footage of Resident Evil Village in action on an iPhone 15 Pro, I’m coming around to the idea that Apple’s vision isn’t as far out as I thought.
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