Hello, iPhone 15! Here’s what you need to know

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By Heather

Travel & Tech Writer

Apple-iPhone-15-excitement

iPhone 15 is so close, we can practically feel its smooth finish resting our palms.

Team Pastel or Team Titanium? You get to choose between four models and nine colors!

During Apple’s exciting launch event on Sept. 12, we got our first glimpses of the new iPhone 15 lineup, and it’s just as gorgeous as we knew it would be. We’ll spare you the tech-talk and just run through the biggest news, including when you can get your hands on an iPhone 15 …

iPhone 15 preorder process

When can I preorder an iPhone 15?

You can preorder your very own iPhone 15 starting on Friday, September 15. Apple has separate checkout pages for the iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Plus models and the iPhone 15 Pro models.

What are the different iPhone 15 models?

The four newest members of the iPhone family are the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

How much does an iPhone 15 cost?

iPhone 15 is starting at $799 USD ($1,129 CAD), iPhone 15 Plus is starting at $899 USD ($1,279 CAD), iPhone 15 Pro is starting at $999 USD ($1,449 CAD), and iPhone 15 Pro Max is starting at $1,199 ($1,749 CAD).

When can I get my iPhone 15?

All iPhone 15 models will begin shipping on Friday, September 22.

All about the iPhone aesthetic

How big are iPhone 15 screens?

iPhone 15: 6.1 inch screen

iPhone 15 Plus: 6.7 inch screen

iPhone 15 Pro: 6.1 inch screen

iPhone 15 Pro Max: 6.7 inch screen

What are the iPhone 15 colors?

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be available in four pastel shades (pink, yellow, green, blue) and classic matte black. For the first time ever, the color is actually infused throughout back glass that has a durable protective layer and a matte finish.

Apple-iPhone-15-excitement

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are going to be available in four brand-new colours: black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium. They all have a funky metallic finish.

iPhone-15-Pro-colours

Are they all made from titanium?

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the very first iPhones made from lightweight titanium, and it’s actually a material used in spacecraft! It’s got one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of any metal, according to Apple.

Can I get an iPhone 15 eSIM?

Yes! Just like the iPhone 14 lineup before it, iPhone 15 models sold in the United States will be eSIM-only. They will not have physical SIM card trays, and can only accept eSIMs (digital SIM cards).

If you’re buying an iPhone 15 outside of the United States, you’ll still have a physical SIM card tray. But these models will also be eSIM compatible (as long as they’re sold in countries that support eSIM), so you can pair a physical SIM card with an eSIM for more network options when you travel.

How do I get an iPhone 15 eSIM?

Just like with all eSIM-compatible phones, you can get an eSIM for an iPhone 15 by shopping at an eSIM store, then going through the iPhone 15 eSIM installation steps to add it to your phone. Once you arrive at your destination, you can activate your iPhone 15 eSIM data package and start using the data immediately.

How much does iPhone 15 eSIM cost?

Prepaid iPhone 15 eSIM data packages typically start at $4.50 USD for 1 GB of data that lasts for up to seven (7) days. You buy the data package upfront, and then the data is yours to use whenever you’re ready. With an iPhone 15 eSIM, there no roaming charges. (And it’s easy to avoid carrier roaming charges on your primary SIM, if you have one.)

Okay, so what’s new with iPhone 15?

We’re gonna need some new charge cords

Remember when Apple switched from those clunky white 30-Pin cables to Lightning cables? And we were like ‘Oooh, these are nice!’ Well, pretty soon it will be the Lighting cables cluttering up junk bins in the basement.

iPhone 15 uses USB-C charging, a.k.a. the thicker-ended cord you might also use for your MacBook. This is an iPhone first. And if you’re anything like our household, you probably have 13,592 Lightning cables floating around, so this is going to be an adjustment for sure.

(New cords mean changes to headphones, too.)

The new AirPods Pro will have the same USB-C charging case, so you’ll need to use the new style of cord to charge ’em. If you prefer wired EarPods (earbuds), Apple will be shipping a version with a USB-C end so they can plug into an iPhone 15.

The cameras are SICK (especially on the iPhone 15 Pro Max)

Most of us have “real” cameras collecting dust in the closet because our phone cameras are just so dang good, and Apple continues to make iPhone cameras even better.

There are a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo details about the awesome camera features for iPhone 15, if you understand those things, but all you really need to know is: Super high-def! Sharper details! Crisper colours! Better night mode! Improved Portrait mode for better selfies and profile pics!

When you’re taking those crisp, gorgeous vacation photos, be sure to use an iPhone 15 eSIM data package to post them on social and send them friends and family.

Gamers will reallyyyyy like the iPhone 15 Pro

No, playing games on your phone isn’t limited to the cheesy animated ones in the App Store. (Two members of my four-person household are obsessed with Idle Minor.) If you get an iPhone 15 Pro, you’ll get to play games like look like something you’d see on a full-fledged gaming system. (Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil Village, Death Stranding, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.)

Pro models won’t have the clicky mute switch on the side

We’re used to have a dedicated switch for putting our iPhone into Silent Mode, but that’s not part of the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max. Instead, we’ll have a customizable “Action Button” that can do different things. (The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 plus will keep the mute switch.)

We’ll see some changes to the “island” at the top

You know that rounded black area at the top of your iPhone, where your front camera probably lives? Well, now you’ll see a “dynamic island,” which is a fun way of saying it’s not quite stuck to the top of the screen, and it’s going to change to show details — like if your AirPods are connected, or if your iPhone is charging. (This was also on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, if you had either of those iPhones.)

We can’t wait to get our hands on an iPhone 15 and explore it in more detail. For now, we’ll just longingly admire the photos and count down until the first ones are released on Sept. 22.