02/21 update below. This post was originally published on February 18th
The design of the Apple iPhone 15 Pro has been fully revealed after the CAD models used to manufacture the phone were leaked. And they revealed that Apple is planning some of the most significant design changes in years, including one big shocker.
leaky 9to5Mac Provided by a 3D designer Ian ZilboModels show that the iPhone 15 Pro will indeed switch from Lightning to USB-C, and will be almost more rounded than its predecessor with thinner bezels, and feature a bump on the rear camera that will make jaws drop.
It is this camera bump that will divide iPhone fans. Like Zilbo Highlights, “The iPhone 15 Pro camera bump is massive.” Leaks claim that Apple is developing larger sensors for the upcoming iPhones, and the move from a dual camera hump to a triple layer all confirms this.
Upgrades are always welcome, but for casual photographers, the size of the rear camera bump can get out of hand now. After all, the iPhone 14 Pro already has a much larger camera hump than the iPhone 13 Pro, and now the cases will have to get thicker to protect the iPhone 15 Pro’s huge rear cameras.
Update 02/20: An anonymous ShrimpApplePro insider, a consistently trusted source over the past 18 months, has supported 9to5Mac CAD leaks after getting a ‘yes’ from its source.
In addition, the leaker says that this new curved design language will also appear on the standard iPhone 15 models. Something that was called into question after Apple restricted the width of the pill-shaped notch on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models. Looking at iPhone 14 Plus sales, in particular, at a later date It was disappointingIt looks like Apple will be giving buyers of the standard iPhone 15 models more parity this year.
Separately, a fellow Apple influencer has the Unknownz21 leak published Series and manufacturer names of the full iPhone 15 range:
- iPhone 15 – D37 – Spider
- iPhone 15 Plus – D38 – Shasta
- iPhone 15 Pro – D83 – Preference
- iPhone 15 Pro Max – D84 – Veyron
The leaker adds that the D38 will be made by Luxshare, while the D37, D83, and D84 will be made by Foxconn. Poor iPhone 14 Plus sales may lead some to believe that Apple is offloading the iPhone 15 Plus to a secondary partner because it is no longer a priority. But what I’ve read is that it would simply allow Apple to better adapt to customer demand by having a specialized factory this time around.
02/21 Update: ShrimpApplePro has it subscriber More comments about the leaked iPhone CADs and renders that stemmed from them. The most controversial element of the CADs is the iPhone 15 Pro’s massive new rear camera hump, which appears to be around 50% thicker than the iPhone 14 Pro’s.
This shocked a lot of iPhone fans because the iPhone 14 Pro camera bump was already much larger than the iPhone 13 Pro bump. This added to concerns about the need for thicker cases and whether the latest increase will significantly improve camera performance, given the increased gains between the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro.
In response to the offers, ShrimpApplePro gave some good news to potential upgraders, Mentionsed“,” I don’t think the plastic lens cap will stand out much. Exactly how much savings “that much” is, given the monstrous size of the iPhone 15 Pro’s camera, any savings would be welcome.
Hopes are also fading for the iPhone 15 Ultra this year, along with its colleague Unknownz21 adding It is unlikely that Apple will release a new flagship model this year that sits on top of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The insider admitted that it is possible that Apple will rebrand the Pro Max as the Ultra. But with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stating that Apple will now keep the Ultra through 2024, Apple seems happy to wait to make a big splash with a model that features the best technology the company can offer, at a higher price. Nothing we’ve seen before.
Other design changes are less controversial. Like the recent MacBook Air and MacBook Pro redesigns, the CADs show that the iPhone 15 Pro will have rounded corners and Hint The 2.5D circular glass on the (amazingly bright) front screen makes it stand out. The end result will likely be a phone that feels more comfortable in hand.
The CADs also indicate that rumors that Apple will introduce capacitive power and volume buttons for the iPhone 15 Pro models are correct, as they appear to be molded into the sides of the chassis. If done well, the phones should be more durable and water resistant.
The final big revelation about CAD is the switch to USB-C. This has been delayed for some time but by no means certain, since a much-publicized EU rule doesn’t go into effect until late 2024. Apple also could have circumvented the ruling by opting for only the MagSafe design, though it It may still come with a proprietary bite in the tail.
While the CADs only show the iPhone 15 Pro, all of these changes should be reflected by the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It remains to be seen if the two phones also share Apple’s price hike.
More on Forbes
“Writer. Amateur musicaholic. Infuriatingly humble zombie junkie. General internet maven. Bacon enthusiast. Coffee nerd.”