Let’s face it. We probably know just about everything there is to know about the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro line.
Apple will announce the iPhone event on August 29 or September 5. The phones will be officially unveiled on September 12. Pre-orders will go live on September 15. New phones will start reaching customers on September 22.
But it’s fun to speculate about what could happen, and this year there’s more than enough to speculate over.
Code decipherer @aaronp613 shared findings this week that pointed to multiple unreleased iPhone models that are not part of the upcoming iPhone 15 line.
As we mentioned on Tuesday, the most enticing theory is that Apple could be planning to refresh some existing iPhones with USB-C.
We already know that the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the first new models to switch from Lightning to USB-C. We also know that the decision to change charging ports isn’t entirely up to Apple.
Without diving into the minutia of global regulation, it seems plausible that Apple could make the effort to swap the Lightning port on a few existing iPhones to continue selling them for years to come.
Sure, it’s unprecedented for the iPhone, but so is this iPhone charging regulation. The Apple TV remote is only slightly less complex than an iPhone (kidding!), and it managed to pull off the port switch.
If Apple actually is planning to refresh some existing phones for an all USB-C lineup, which phones would make the cut?
Back to code decipherer @aaronp613, who shared his own speculation today in a fun graphic:
Prior to this added layer of new A15 iPhone speculation, I supplied my prediction for what next month’s iPhone lineup would look like on Monday:
- iPhone 15 Pro Max (from $1199)
- iPhone 15 Pro (from $1099)
- iPhone 15 Plus (from $899)
- iPhone 15 (from $799)
- iPhone 14 Plus (from $799)
- iPhone 14 (from $699)
- iPhone 13 (from $599)
- iPhone SE 3 (from $429)
My guess included no iPhone 13 mini. Why? Because Apple dropped the iPhone 12 mini despite keeping the iPhone 12 around in the current lineup.
A note about the table above: iPhone 16,X refers to A17 models, iPhone 15,X refers to A16 models, and iPhone 14,X refers to A15 models.
Given my prediction around the iPhone 13 mini going away, I can’t will myself to speculate that the iPhone 13 mini will go USB-C. I would sooner suggest that an iPhone SE with USB-C would fill that slot.
But that’s the weird thing. iPhone SE 3 already has an A15 chip inside. Would a charging port change warrant a new model identifier?
If so, perhaps Apple is planning to plop a USB-C port on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus instead. Those are both A15-powered iPhones, and Apple will certainly want them to stick around in the lineup another couple years.
Top comment by Manbearpig
My wifi loves her 12 mini and will hold on to it until it dies or stops getting updates. A 13 mini with usb-c however would be an instant purchase.
Aaron speculates otherwise, guessing that this lineup would discontinue the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Here is as good a time as any to remind everyone that this is all speculative based on code.
We can probably all agree, however, that it’s equally if not more likely that these unreleased iPhone model references are just red herrings.
In that case, there would be no USB-C iPhones that we weren’t already expecting. Red herring would make for an interesting name for the rumored crimson-colored iPhone 15 Pro…
What are your guesses? Let us know in the comments!
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