iPhone 15 Pro Max renders based on multiple leaks
05/30 update below. This post was originally published on May 27th
The iPhone 15 leaks have revealed a number of surprising design decisions, including a unique Pro Max periscope camera and new action button controls. But perhaps the biggest shocker is that they’re shaping up to be the most open standard iPhones ever released.
According to a new leak from ChargerLab, a power specialist website with a solid track record, all iPhone 15 models will support 15W fast wireless charging using the Qi2 open standard. If correct, that’s a major reversal because Apple previously limited open wireless charging standards to 7.5W, with only Apple-licensed MagSafe accessories getting the full 15W.
Combine high-speed, open-standard wireless charging with the iPhone 15’s adoption of USB-C wired charging, and this is completely new territory for Apple smartphones. And the good news doesn’t end there.
ChargerLAB has confirmed from the supply chain that Apple’s MagSafe module’s wholesale price at around $16, absorbs most of the cost, resulting in higher retail prices, the site explains. The price of the new Qi2 wireless charging module is less than a third of Apple’s MagSafe module, and the manufacturer does not need to be a member of MFi. This way there will certainly be cheaper and faster wireless charging accessories on the market.
Qi2 builds on Apple’s MagSafe standard, right down to support for the same halo-shaped ring of magnets that snap chargers into place. That said, it was far from a given that Apple would support Qi2’s full charging speeds, given the considerable bite it will now likely take from Apple’s official MagSafe licensing program as accessory makers flock to the cheaper standard.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max renders from leaked CADs showing the new USB-C port
Additionally, the leak further highlights an unprecedented willingness from Apple to work with open standards on the iPhone. Yes, EU law will force Apple to adopt USB-C, but not until December 2024. So Apple could have released iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 (probably September 2023 and 2024 launches, respectively) with Lightning, but instead they are proactively moving to USB-C two generations earlier than required.
Additionally, iOS 17 is expected to allow sideloading of apps through third-party app stores. Once again, the European Union lobbied for Apple to open the App Store, but not for another year. Apple is embracing change.
Whether all of these changes are just a sign of Apple’s confidence in its increasingly dominant market position or a reluctant acceptance of the inevitable remains to be seen. Either way, it gives potential iPhone 15 upgrades something to look forward to, even as doubts were being sown. Especially with bigger changes coming to iPhones in 2024.
Update 05/29: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman confirmed leaks that Apple will increase the size of iPhone Pro and Pro Max models in 2024 in its latest Power on news bulletin.
Gurmans’ source lines up with consistently accurate display analyst Ross Young, who said last week that Apple will increase the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max displays to 6.3-inches and 6.9-inches, respectively. inches (links below). This has also been endorsed by respected anonymous leaker Unknownz21, who has provided consistently accurate information for the last two generations of iPhones.
Speculation is already mounting about Apple’s reasons for making its 2024 iPhones bigger before the 2023 models arrive. One credible technical explanation is that Apple plans to bring a periscope optical zoom lens to the smaller iPhone 16 Pro next year. after several leaks revealed that this year it will be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, due to the size limitations of the 6.1-inch display. iPhone 15Pro.
Given Apple’s determination to showcase its iPhone Pro models closely, this makes a lot of sense. Periscope-sporting rival smartphones are also all larger models, like the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Indeed, if Apple equips the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro with a periscope lens, as it is, it will be the smallest smartphone to achieve this feat. That said, the age of the premium and compact smartphone now seems very much dead.
Update 05/30: If you thought the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max leaks were anticipated, respected display analyst Ross Young today not only leaked more details about the models, but also Apple’s 2025 plans for the iPhone 17 range .
Tackling 2024 models first, Young States that the iPhone 16 Pro models will have a slightly taller 19.6:9 aspect ratio (versus 19.5:9 in current models) due to the larger display size. It provides precise dimensions for these, revealing that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max displays will measure 6.27 inches and 6.86 inches, up from their previously leaked round numbers of 6.3 and 6.9 inches (which Apple probably will use to market them).
For comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max (like the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max) will measure 6.12 inches and 6.69 inches, which Apple markets as 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively.
Moving to 2025, Young says Apple will bring these larger display sizes to the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus models. Additionally, 2025 will finally be the year that Apple equips its standard models with a 120Hz ProMotion display and panels energy-efficient variable refresh rate LTPO that support them.
Apple introduced ProMotion with the iPhone 13 Pro in 2021, and high refresh rate displays have become increasingly common on rival mid-range models, so it’s probably long overdue. Interestingly, some argue that the ProMotion name is to blame, a branding mistake by Apple that tied the feature to Pro devices.
Finally, Young adds that the iPhone 17 Pro models will be the first iPhones to support Face ID technology under the display, something that would signal the end of the pill-shaped cutout introduced by the iPhone 14 Pro models. A circular cutout would still be required. for the front-facing camera (Young makes no reference to under-display cameras in his leaked Apple roadmap), but the transition would still increase Dynamic Island’s notification space.
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