The tech community widely considers September as ‘Techtember,’ the month when new iPhones and Apple Watches are released each year. And now given that we are already halfway through August—the hype surrounding the new iPhone 15 models has begun to build.
This year, the event is expected to take place on September 12, as per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman—who has a fairly accurate record of predicting details. However, as we inch closer to the launch date, many are in a dilemma about whether to purchase the iPhone 14 Pro right now or await the release of the iPhone 15 Pro.
If you consider yourself a tech enthusiast, you are more likely to wait until next month to purchase a new phone. However, for the average consumer—buying what is available now is often the simplest option. The iPhone 14 Pro is a solid and reliable device that will continue to serve you well for even half a decade. However, if you can wait a month, should you? Read on to find out.
Price Hike Rumoured
Before we discuss the features, let’s talk about pricing. This year, several analysts—including Ming-Chi Kuo—have predicted that the Pro models’ prices may rise. The iPhone 15 Pro is expected to start at $1,099, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to start at $1,199. If this turns out to be true—it will be the first time since the iPhone X was released in 2017 for $999 that the Pro models will see a $100 price increase. The pricing of the Pro iPhones has remained the same in the US ever since.
Therefore, if you are not happy to hear this and want a cheaper phone, even if it is only $100 cheaper—you may want to buy the iPhone 14 Pro right now, as Apple has a history of discontinuing the Pro models shortly after new launches, likely to prevent cannibalization of new sales.
While it is not certain that the price of the iPhone 15 Pro models will increase, it is certainly possible given the features and hardware upgrades that are expected.
iPhone 15 Series: New Features, Hardware Upgrades Expected
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are expected to have a number of changes over the iPhone 14 Pro–including the shift to USB-C and the new ‘action button.’ The use of USB-C on the new iPhones would be a departure from Apple’s outdated Lightning connector—which was first introduced with the iPhone 5 in 2012. This would not only make charging easier, but also more convenient for users who own other recent Apple products like MacBooks and iPads—all of which have switched to USB-C.
Additionally, code snippets discovered in the fourth developer beta of iOS 17 suggest the existence of a new ‘Action Button’ and how it might be used with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The alleged Action Button may support nine different options that users can personalize and assign to different actions. These include Accessibility, Shortcuts, Silent Mode, Camera, Flashlight, Focus, Magnifier, Translate, and Voice Memos.
Moreover, the new iPhone 15 Pro models are also expected to have a brushed titanium frame instead of a stainless steel one. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the iPhone 15 Pro smartphone models will have a titanium frame and thinner bezels— which will reduce the size of the black border by about a third.
Notably, the Apple Watch Ultra already offers titanium as the case material—so it is possible that Apple will unveil the new iPhone models with titanium finishes this September. Titanium is a much stronger and more durable material than stainless steel, and could contribute to the safety of the devices if this turns out to be true.
On the specifications front, the iPhone Pro models are going to feature Apple’s next-generation A17 Bionic chipset, which as per leaks could have a clock speed of 3.70 GHz and be based on a new 3nm process—compared to the 4nm process used by the A16 Bionic. The chipset is also expected to be paired with 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM.
iPhone 15 Pro: Should You wait?
If I were you, I’d wait, as simple as that, but if you are in no position to wait for a month—buy the iPhone 14 Pro—it is still going to be a reliable purchase.
Also, if you are planning to buy the iPhone 14 models—you should hold off as well—as Apple may bring the Dynamic Island to all models. If the upgrade is not up to your expectations, Apple is expected to relaunch the iPhone 14 models with USB-C—replacing the Lightning connector. In the past, Apple has always kept the vanilla models in the lineup at a lower price, so a discount plus the potential switch to USB-C could make the vanilla iPhone 14 an even better deal, but only if you wait.
