With just weeks to go before Apple announces the next generation iPhone 15, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman believes the new mobile handset is one step closer to being Apple’s “dream iPhone design.
” With improvements to the overall manufacturing process, the handset’s screen promises a smaller bezel, faster performance, and final adoption of USB-C for faster transfer rates.
Image Credit – Apple
“Apple Inc. designers have long dreamed of an iPhone that is truly all-screen,” writes Gurman in his Power On newsletter, “with no borders around the display and no cutouts for cameras or sensors … the iPhone 15 this fall will take another step toward that goal.”
Gurman states that Apple began the process in 2017 with the iPhone X, which extended the screen right to the edge at the top and bottom.
With the iPhone 12, the bezels were thinned out even more, while the iPhone 13 Pro brought a smaller “notch” to the party. Finally, with the iPhone 14, Apple introduced the Dynamic Island which made the notch nearly non existent.
With the iPhone 15, however, Apple seeks to change the game even more by employing a new low-injection pressure over-molding (LIPO) process, which promises to shrink the border size of the bezel even further, down to 1.5 millimeters.
The LIPO process was first tested on the Series 7 Apple Watch, which allowed the watch to enjoy a larger display and thinner borders, with plans to adopt the LIPO process on iPads next.
In addition to a slight improvement in screen real estate, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will get a boost in performance with the adoption of the A16 chip featured in the iPhone 14 Pro. This will free Apple’s pro-level iPhone 15 to move to the 3 nm chip process, which will make the phone’s performance noticeably faster.
Mobile content creators will enjoy a major redesign to the iPhone’s camera, which, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, may feature a periscope-like optical zoom for increased focal length.
The camera upgrades will also include improvements to the phone’s lenses and improved image sharpness and resolution.
[Analysis] Apple’s camera supply chain will enter a two-year high-speed growth cycle thanks to iPhone 15’s adoption of a high-ASP periscope design / Apple相機供應鏈將因iPhone 15採用高單價潛望鏡設計而進入連續兩年高速成長週期 @mingchikuo https://t.co/CfUiUe7JQH
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) July 14, 2022
The iPhone 15 will also become more robust with titanium replacing the stainless steel exosketeton, making the phone stronger and lighter. The titanium will also make the phone less prone to fingerprints, while a new frosted glass back will have rounder edges connecting the display and back end.
And in a surprise development, the rumor mill has it that Apple has actually designed the iPhone 15 to be easier to repair with a redesigned chassis borrowed from the iPhone 14.
Gurman also notes that there is talk that Apple has revisited its touch sensitive button design, which includes haptic feedback for volume controls, the mute/ring switch and the power button.
Codenamed project “Bongo,” the design will use software and a trackpad-like haptic function to reduce the number of breakable components on the phone itself.
Lastly, Apple has finally adopted USB-C, leaving behind their “courageous” lightning connector in favor of faster data transfer speeds and faster recharge times.
Gurman does state that some users will be annoyed with this change, considering the investment in a host of Lightning based accessories, but it is largely in response to the European Union’s requirement that the iPhone adopt the standard.
Pricing and availability
Gurman says that users should expect the iPhone 15 to increase in price due to these changes, at least for the higher-end iPhone 15 Pro line, with Apple adding at least $100 to the price of their titanium-based Apple Watch last time around.
While Gurman doesn’t have an official word on when the iPhone 15 will be announced, he does state that an event is “just weeks away.” In retrospect, the previous iPhone 14 was announced in late September 2022, therefore users can expect a similar window for this year.
[source: Mark Gurman, Bloomberg/Ming-Chi Kuo, Twitter]
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