One of the biggest leaks about the iPhone 15 has just appeared, in the form of an actual photo that purports to be of the iPhone 15 Pro.
This photo was shared by @URedditor (opens in a new tab) on Twitter (via WCCFTech (opens in a new tab)), it doesn’t give us a full look at the phone, but it reveals what could be the biggest design change we’ll see with the upcoming model.
In particular, the bottom edge of the phone is shown, which contains the USB-C port. This is something that has long been talked about for the iPhone 15 and something Apple will have to add to iPhones in the next few years due to new EU regulations. This is the closest confirmation so far that we will see this change as early as this year.
The source additionally claimed that MacRumors (opens in a new tab) that USB-C will be used in all four iPhone 15 models and that Apple plans to replace the Lightning E75 controller with an E85 port controller for the iPhone 15 series.
No explanation has been given as to what this will mean, but it does suggest that only Apple-approved chargers and accessories will work with the port, as rumors have recently circulated.
While the USB-C port is the focus of this leaked image, there are a few other details to note as well. Firstly, the phone shown appears to have a brushed metal finish which is different from the one found on the iPhone 14 series. This may be due to rumors of a switch to titanium on the Pro models of the iPhone 15 series.
Finally, the frame is slightly more curved at the edges than on current models, which is something else we’ve previously heard that might be planned.
Of course, we’d take this leak with a grain of salt, especially since the source doesn’t have many achievements yet, but it certainly looks like it could be the real deal.
Analysis: Switching to USB-C is a good move – if done right
The move to USB-C could allow for much higher data transfer speeds than supported by Lightning, and also mean that the millions of USB-C cables and plugs most people already have will be compatible with their iPhones. But none of these things are guaranteed.
Apple would have to decide to support higher transfer speeds, and current leaks suggest that while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max – or iPhone 15 Ultra as you might call it – will indeed offer higher speeds, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus won ‘T
As for the move to USB-C offering wider compatibility with charging cables, well, there may be limitations and restrictions as well, as leaks suggest Apple may not support all USB-C chargers and accessories.
It will be interesting to see how much control the new EU rules actually allow Apple to have, but we could find ourselves in a new port that – especially for non-Pro models – brings very few tangible improvements. It would be a pity, because it could be an easy way for Apple to significantly improve the current top iPhones.