The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple. They are the seventeenth generation of iPhones, succeeding the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. The devices were announced on September 12, 2023, during the Apple Event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, alongside the higher-priced flagship iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. Pre-orders began on September 15, 2023, and the devices were made available on September 22, 2023.
Like the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, the 15 and 15 Plus are the first iPhones to replace the proprietary Lightning connector with USB-C to comply with European Union mandates. They are also the last iPhones to feature the diagonal rear cameras first introduced in the iPhone 13.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are the last iPhones to feature 6 GB of RAM and the Ring/Silent switch, as the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and later feature the Action Button and 8 GB of RAM.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus were discontinued and removed from Apple's website on September 9, 2025, following the announcement of the iPhone 17 series.
History In September 2021, the European Commission began considering a proposal to mandate USB-C on all devices in the European Union, including iPhones. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Apple would drop its proprietary Lightning connector by 2023. At the time of those claims, Apple was considering switching to USB-C due to the likelihood that the EU proposal would pass. The proposal was passed into law in October 2022, becoming the Radio Equipment Directive. Apple confirmed it would comply with the regulations later that month.
Two weeks prior to the formal introduction of the iPhone 15, it was announced that some of the devices which were made in India would for the first time be sold around the world on the launch day.
Design
The iPhone 15 is the first major redesign since the iPhone 12. The new design features flat sides with soft edges and color-infused back glass. Both iPhone 15 models are available in five colors: blue, pink, yellow, green and black. This makes it the first entry level iPhone since the iPhone XR to not ship with a Product Red variant at launch.
Color Name Blue Pink Yellow Green Black
Hardware Display The iPhone 15 features a display with Super Retina XDR OLED technology at a resolution of 2556×1179 pixels and a pixel density of about 460 PPI with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. The iPhone 15 Plus features a display with the same technology at a resolution of 2796×1290 pixels and a pixel density of about 460 PPI. Both models have an improved typical brightness of up to 1,000 nits, a peak HDR brightness of up to 1,600 nits, and a peak outdoor brightness of up to 2,000 nits. The Dynamic Island feature, previously exclusive to iPhone 14 Pro, is now standard on iPhone 15, replacing the notch that was introduced in the iPhone X.
Ring/Silent switch Unlike the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus do not have the Action Button as Apple initially kept it exclusive to the Pro and Pro Max models only. Therefore, they only feature the classic Ring/Silent switch. Apple never planned to bring haptic buttons to the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus when they were testing Project Bongo, leaving it supposedly only exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max when it was being tested before the project was cancelled entirely and all iPhone 15 models featured physical buttons. However, with the launch of the iPhone 16 series, all models got the Action Button.
Charging and transfer speeds The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus use USB-C with USB 2.0 transfer speeds (up to 480 Mbit/s or 60 MB/s), compared to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max which have faster USB 10Gbps transfer speeds (up to 10 Gb/s or 1.25 GB/s). The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, are the first iPhone models to use USB-C, as well as the first iPhones since the iPhone 5 to switch to a new charging port.
Video output All iPhone 15 models have support for DisplayPort Alternate Mode over USB-C video output with HDR up to 4K resolution.
Previous iPhone models (from iPhone 5 until iPhone 14) had a maximum supported resolution of 1600 x 900 (slightly less than 1080p FHD) with the Lightning Digital AV Adapter due to technical constraints of the Lightning connector.
Battery The iPhone 15 offers users up to 20 hours of video playback and up to 80 hours of audio playback, and the iPhone 15 Plus offers around 25 to 30% more, with up to 26 hours of video playback and up to 100 hours of audio playback. Consumer Reports noted a battery life of 53 hours for the 15 Plus version based on a robotic testing paradigm, placing as the longest battery life out of seventy-three smartphones tested (including newer iPhone models). Paper copy consulted. Starting with iPhone 15, iPhone allows users to limit the battery charge level, in order to help with natural battery aging over time.
Software
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus launched with iOS 17 and are compatible with iOS 27.
Apple announced that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus would not be compatible with Apple Intelligence, first released in October 2024.
iOS 17 brought many new features, including Contact Posters to personalize specific contacts and satellite Emergency SOS for emergency situations.
Consistent with the UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure regulation, it will continue to receive major software updates for a minimum of five years to at least 2028.
Specifications ModeliPhone 15 PlusiPhone 15PictureInitial release operating systemiOS 17.0DisplayScreen Size (diagonal) (diagonal)Backlightcolspan=2 Multi-touchcolspan=2 TechnologySuper Retina XDR Display all-screen OLEDResolution2796 x 12902556 x 1179Pixel Density (ppi)460460Aspect Ratio~19.5:9Typical Max brightness ( )1,000HDR Max brightness ( )1,600Outdoor Max brightness ( )2,000Contrast ratio (typical)2,000,000:1Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coatingcolspan=2 Full sRGB Displaycolspan=2 Wide Color Display (Display P3)colspan=2 True Tone Displaycolspan=2 Night Shiftcolspan=2 colspan=2 Always-On Displaycolspan=2 HDR Displaycolspan=2 HDR 10 Contentcolspan=2 Dolby Visioncolspan=2 Dynamic Island colspan=2 TapticHaptic TouchProcessorChipApple A16 BionicTechnology Node4 nm (N4P)Total Cores6High-Performance Cores2 x EverestEnergy-Efficiency Cores4 x SawtoothClock Speed3.46 GHzBit64-bitMotion CoprocessorEmbedded in SoCBus width64-bitGraphics ProcessorFifth generation Apple designed 5-core GPUNeural EngineFifth generation Apple designed 16-core Neural Engine (15.8 TOPS)Storage128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GBStorage TypeNAND Flash driven by NVMe-based controller that communicates over a PCIe connectionRAM6 GBRAM TypeLPDDR4X 2133 MHz (34.1 GB/s)ConnectorUSB-C (with DisplayPort support)ConnectivityWi-Fi (802.11)Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax)MIMOcolspan=2 NFCcolspan=2 Express Cardscolspan=2 BluetoothBluetooth 5.3Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awarenesscolspan=2 CellularGSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA/Gigabit-class LTE/5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave (some models))VoLTEcolspan=2 Assisted GPScolspan=2 GLONASS/GNSScolspan=2 BeiDoucolspan=2 SIM card form-factorDual SIM with one Nano-SIM and one eSIM, supports dual eSIM No physical SIM card form factor in U.S. modelsDual Nano-SIM in mainland China, Hong Kong and MacauSecure AuthenticationTouch IDcolspan=2 Face IDcolspan=2 SafetyEmergency SOScolspan="4" Crash Detectioncolspan="2" SensorsLiDAR sensorcolspan="2" Proximity sensorcolspan="2" Three-axis gyrocolspan="2" Accelerometercolspan="2" Ambient Light Sensorcolspan="2" Barometercolspan="2" Rear CameraCamera48 MP Main 12 MP Ultra WideAperturef/1.6 (Wide) f/2.4 (Ultra Wide)Pixel Size for Main camera1 μm (48 MP) 2 μm (quad pixel 12 MP)Sensor Size for Main camera1/1.56"Optical Image Stabilizationcolspan="2" Auto Image Stabilizationcolspan="2" Element LensSeven-element lens (Main) Six-element lens (Ultra Wide)Night Modecolspan="2" Deep Fusioncolspan="2" Photonic Enginecolspan="2" Apple ProRAWcolspan="2" Macro modecolspan="2" Photographic Stylescolspan="2" Optical Zoom0.5x, 1x, 2xDigital ZoomUp to 10xAutofocuscolspan="2" PanoramaUp to 63 MPPortrait Modecolspan="2" Portrait Lightingcolspan="2" Lens CoverSapphire crystal lens coverBurst Modecolspan="2" FlashAdaptive True Tone flashLive Photoscolspan="2" Wide Color Capturecolspan="2" HDR for photoscolspan="2" Video Recording4K at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps 1080p HD at 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fpsCinematic video recording with shallow depth of fieldcolspan="2" Extended Dynamic Range Videocolspan="2" Dolby Vision HDR Videocolspan="2" ProRes Videocolspan="2" Optical Image Stabilization for Videocolspan="2" Action Modecolspan="2" Optical Video Zoom0.5x, 1x, 2xDigital Video ZoomUp to 6xSlow-motion video1080p at 120 fps or 240 fpsAudio Zoomcolspan="2" QuickTake Videocolspan="2" Time-lapse video with stabilizationcolspan="2" Cinematic video stabilizationcolspan="2" Stereo Recordingcolspan="2" Front CameraCamera12 MP TrueDepthAperturef/1.9Autofocuscolspan="2" Portrait Modecolspan="2" Portrait Lightingcolspan="2" Night modecolspan="2" Deep Fusioncolspan="2" Photonic Enginecolspan="2" Photographic Stylescolspan="2" Animoji and Memojicolspan="2" Live Photoscolspan="2" Wide color capturecolspan="2" Retina Flashcolspan="2" Video Recording4K at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps 1080p HD at 25 fps, 30 fps or 60 fpsSlow-motion videocolspan="2" Extended Dynamic Range Videocolspan="2" Dolby Vision HDR Videocolspan="2" ProRes Videocolspan=2 HDR for photoscolspan="2" Cinematic video stabilizationcolspan="2" Auto Image Stabilizationcolspan="2" FaceTimecolspan="2" AudioPlaybackSpatial AudioDolby Atmoscolspan="2" 3.5 mm Jackcolspan="2" HAC RatingM3, T4Compatible with Made for iPhone Hearing Aidscolspan="2" Live Listencolspan="2" MaterialsFrontAll models have black glass frontBackGlass backSideAluminumColors Fast Chargingcolspan="2" Wireless Chargingcolspan="2" Resistantcolspan="2" DimensionsHeightWidthDepthWeightAnnounced DateSeptember 12, 2023Released DateSeptember 22, 2023Discontinued DateSeptember 9, 2025Unsupported DateSupported
Criticism Overheating Some owners claimed that their iPhone 15s were experiencing overheating issues, reportedly reaching temperatures as high as . Apple later stated that there were several reasons why the phones heat up, mainly hinting at a software issue. It was stated that it would be fixed with an update to iOS 17.0.3. The overheating issues were reported to persist after the update.
See also List of iPhone models History of the iPhone Timeline of iPhone models
References
External links – official website