Apple announced its iPhone 15 lineup this week with some significant upgrades, the biggest and most obvious of which is the long-rumored switch from a Lightning connector to USB-C. But that doesn't mean every prediction panned out. Here are some of the iPhone 15 rumors and guesses from the tech community that didn't come true.
1. They're (Mostly) Not More Expensive
In July, Barclays analyst Tim Long predicted that the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max would possibly cost $100 to $200 more than the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. When the dust settled on Apple's "Wonderlust" event, however, only the iPhone 15 Pro Max got a price hike over its predecessor, coming in at $100 more to start at $1,199. Long also predicted that the iPhone 15 would cost the same as the iPhone 14, and that turned out to be true.
Apple iPhone 15
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)2. USB-C Isn't Thunderbolt 4
The iPhone is moving to USB-C, but that doesn't mean it's getting the fastest connections available. ChargerLab last month reported on a rumor that said the newest iPhones would have Thunderbolt/USB4 chips like on the iPad Pro. Alas, even the Pro models of the iPhone 15 have mere USB 3 USB-C ports with maximum speeds of 10Gbps, a quarter of Thunderbolt 4. And even for that, you'll need to buy a USB 3 cable, since the phones only come with USB 2 cables.
3. No 'Ultra' Version of the iPhone 15
A long-shot speculation from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last year said the 2023 iPhone lineup would replace the Pro Max with an Ultra model to match the Apple Watch Ultra. He followed that up in February to debunk his own rumor and say Ultra models probably wouldn't make an appearance until 2024, and that proved to be the case. For now, the Pro Max lives on.
(Credit: Apple)4. The iPhone 15 Pro's Camera Bump Isn't Massive
The iPhone 15 cameras got big upgrades in resolution and—for the Pro models—lenses, but not in size. 9to5Mac's Ian Zelbo wrote in April that the iPhone 15 Pro would have a fairly huge, protruding camera bump. While it might be slightly deeper than the iPhone 14 Pro's camera stack, its use of a periscope lens seems to have removed the need for a chunkier, multi-level main camera lens. The iPhone 15 Pro is less than half a millimeter thicker than the 14 Pro.
5. No 2TB iPhone 15 Pro
MacRumors also found Korean and Chinese social media posts that claimed the iPhone 15 Pro would double the maximum storage available compared with the iPhone 14 Pro, to two terabytes. That wasn't the case, and the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max both top out at 1TB. (Instead, we get two new iCloud+ plans: 6TB for $29.99 per month and 12TB for $59.99 per month, effective Sept. 18.)
6. Charging Isn't Faster
A 9to5Mac report in August said some iPhone 15 models would be chargeable at 35W, matching Apple's latest dual USB-C charger. According to Apple's specs, every iPhone 15 still tops out at 50% charges in 30 minutes with 20W or higher adapters but with no claims for 35W charging, just like the iPhone 14.
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)7. No Wi-Fi 7
This wasn't strictly a rumor, but it's a notable omission. Wi-Fi 7 is the newest Wi-Fi standard, and while it's still very rare compared with Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, it can provide faster speeds, lower latency, and more stable connections. The iPhone 15 and Pro models don't have Wi-Fi 7, but to be fair neither do the iPad Pro or MacBook Pro. And Wi-Fi 7 routers are much more expensive than Wi-Fi 6E routers, which are still very fast.
Still Plenty of Upgrades
The newest iPhones still have loads of new tech, including higher-resolution cameras, the previously Pro-only Dynamic Island feature now on the standard iPhone 15, and (for the 15 Pro) a titanium body with an Action Button replacing the sliding switch. Read our hands on for our first impressions of the new phones.