Why You Shouldn’t Get Too Excited About the iPhone 15 (Or AirPods Pro Rumours)

We may earn compensation from reviewed products. Learn about our editorial policies.

We’re entering peak iPhone rumour season.

I know. Hold onto your trousers, etc.

This happens every year leading up to Apple’s big announcement. Two or three months out, the rumours begin to gain weight and benefit from increased legitimacy thanks to precise supply chain details, case manufacturer slip-ups, and good, old-fashioned common sense.

By now, we pretty much know what’s coming. There’ll be a surprise or two, of course; Apple has done an amazing job of battening down the hatches when it comes to the super-secret stuff. But on the whole, I think we all know what the iPhone 15 lineup is going to look like – and what features it’ll have over the current range.

The only thing that’s really up for debate is the colour choices.

I can smell the boredom from here. In fact, it is clearly strewn across the tech press who are having to forcefully drag their fingers across the keyboard while reporting on anything iPhone 15 related.

That’s how I feel today.

The problem with the iPhone

As time draws on, smartphones become less interesting unless they flip, fold, or needlessly flashlights on their rear casing.

The iPhone 15 is the epitome of this. It will sell like hotcakes and continue to take Apple way beyond that three-trillion dollar valuation – but it will also be one of the company’s most boring releases of the year.

Think about it: this year, we’ve had a brand-new MacBook Air form factor, the most exciting Mac mini to date (the one with the M2 Pro chip inside), and the announcement of what Apple hopes will be the next generation of computing in the form of visionOS.

The iPhone 15?

Yeah.

Anyone fancy a pint?

The only iPhone 15 rumour that matters

The iPhone 15 lineup will have the same display size options as the current devices.

The distinction between the regular iPhones and the Pros will remain.

There’ll be new colours.

The mini isn’t returning.

It’s likely that all models will receive the Dynamic Island.

The Pro devices will probably get periscope zoom lenses.

I don’t think I’ve left anything out, have I?

Apple will make a big deal about any new feature that hits the iPhone 15. That’s their job, and it’s one at which they’re incredibly adept. They’ll invent new marketing names for features which are, when you peel back the layers, nothing more than remixes of what we’ve seen elsewhere. We’ll be hit with unfathomably big and complicated numbers and manufacturing techniques for the new camera system. The chip powering the iPhone 15 will be the fastest and most capable one they’ve ever made. Machine learning will play a central role in everything these new devices can do.

Just don’t mention AI.

Despite this, there’s just one iPhone 15 rumour which is not only guaranteed to bear fruit – it’s the only update that’ll create meaningful headlines.

Apple’s proprietary charging and data port is on its deathbed. When the iPhone 15 launches later this year, it won’t come with a Lightning cable; it’ll be USB-C from here on.

The European Union has mercifully set a deadline for all mobile devices sold in Europe to be equipped with USB-C charging by the end of 2024. This has forced Apple to finally adopt the most common charging and data port for the iPhone.

Although, arguably, so has its own technology. If you’re one of the twelve people who is still waiting for a five-minute ProRes video file to transfer from your iPhone via Lightning 12 months after initiating it, you’ll no doubt be first in the queue for an iPhone 15.

The iPhone 15’s most important update is also its most mundane. Apple knows this, which is why it’ll get the least stage time in September; I wouldn’t be surprised if it only appears on the ‘feature quilt’ slide, to be honest.

AirPods Pro 2 to get USB-C charging

The iPhone 15 isn’t alone in receiving a long-awaited port switch. The rumours are strong enough now to all but confirm that AirPods Pro 2 will come armed with a USB-C charging case later this year.

Unfortunately, this may not be the AirPods Pro update you’ve been waiting for.

There has long been talk about Apple significantly upping the game of its noise-cancelling earbuds by including a bunch of health sensors. One day, they’ll apparently be able to read our body temperature (a far more accurate method than doing so via the wrist, which is only possible via the Apple Watch at the moment), and detect possible hearing issues with a bunch of tests.

That day isn’t today though, I’m afraid. The most we’re getting this year for AirPods Pro is a swap from Lightning to USB-C for the charging case.

Mark my words, though – this is ridiculously overdue. As someone who reviews countless headphones and earbuds each year, Apple’s resolute determination to be the odd one out never fails to irritate me.

Regardless, for someone who lost his AirPods Pro 2 a few weeks ago, Apple’s decision to finally get with the picture and offer the same charging option as every other headphone manufacturer on the planet does at least give me the excuse to buy them. Again.

Wrap up

I’m not down on the iPhone at all. I still think it’s the best all-rounder on the market and benefits from the most useful digital ecosystem on the planet.

Whenever I pitch an Android competitor against the iPhone, there’s always one element which ensures the latter remains a constant in my personal and professional life – Apple knows exactly what it’s doing.

Unfortunately, we’re also reaching the end of the line when it comes to genuinely new, innovative, and exciting iPhone features. That’s fine, too – and I’m not suggesting that Apple needs to work harder to come up with new stuff. Because they can’t.

If Tim Cook has played his cards right, the era of spatial computing is upon us and, if all goes to plan, it will one day replace the need for a smartphone entirely. However, that’s still some way off which means, for now, we’ll have to make do with the most important updates also being the most boring.

Before you go

Join my Substack newsletter for tips on becoming a profitable, happy online creator!