If a current rumor is true, all iPhones will be given a new design this year, including no sharp edges. Even bigger changes should be reserved for the Pro models.
Apple has only just introduced the iPhone 14 series, but the company will be presenting the new models in around eight months. This means that the functions and design of the devices have already been determined or possible options are now being weighed up and decisions made. Accordingly, the leaks are increasing and, like last year, most of the secrets about the upcoming iPhones could already be revealed by spring. According to the latest rumor, Apple will make smartphones round again.
According to the very accurate leaker ShrimpApplePro, all new models should have rounded edges and corners. The displays should remain flat, but the cover glass should be curved on the sides to allow a smooth transition to the frame. The effect looks similar to the Apple Watch, according to the leaker. In contrast to the standard devices, the Pro variants should also have a narrower edge around the displays.
If Ming-Chi Kuo is right, the Pro models have even bigger design changes. The most successful Apple analyst recently renewed his forecast from last November, according to which the pros will no longer have physical buttons, but the volume and the functions of the power button will be controlled via touch surfaces.
However, users should still have the feeling of pressing real keys. Therefore, according to Kuo, the devices will have vibration motors (taptic engines) on the left and right of the inside of the frame, which work in a similar way to the Touch ID of the iPhone 7 and 8 and the two most recent SE devices.
It is almost certain that the iPhone 15 series will not have Lightning connectors, but USB-C sockets. Kuo expects differences between the Pros and Normalos with this change as well. He anticipates that standard devices will remain at USB 2.0 speeds. This means that the data rate will not increase as a result of the new input, but will remain at 480 megabits per second (Mbit/s). For the pros, on the other hand, the analyst expects at least USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3.0 speed, i.e. 20 or 30 gigabits per second (Gbit/s).
A camera with a periscope telephoto lens, which is said to be reserved exclusively for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, is also hotly traded. A prism or mirror deflects the light beam at a 90-degree angle, which means that the lens does not have to protrude far from the back of the smartphone for multiple optical magnification. In addition to Kuo, the South Korean website The Elec and GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu also recently reported this, according to MacRumors.
