It will be nearly the end of the year before we see Apple’s next phone in person, but the rumour mill started churning pretty early on for the iPhone 15. This week, we’re looking at leaked three-dimensional CAD files rendered at 9to5Mac that supposedly show what the iPhone 15 will look like. Unsurprisingly, it looks very similar to the iPhone 14. But it looks like the base iPhone 15 is going to have the Dynamic Island, which was previously only on the 14 Pro/Pro Max.
The Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max is a sensitive topic. Some people hate it, seeing it as a simple notch rebrand with very minor changes. Other people have embraced it and even developed apps to use that small part of the screen. The good news for the latter group is that they can continue using the Dynamic Island with their favourite first- and third-party apps.
The CAD files also reveal USB-C on the iPhone 15 rather than the proprietary Lightning standard. That’s how the iPhone will plug in to charge and transfer files, thanks to an EU directive that said Apple has to comply with USB-C by 2024. Plenty of reports suggest you can share cables with Android users later this year if you plan to upgrade.
The rear of the iPhone 15 will remain relatively unchanged from the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 series. There are still two lenses in a “stove top” style on the back of the regular models, and three on the Pro models.
If you’re paying attention to what’s coming with the iPhone 15, you may have also seen that Apple will try its hand at capacitive haptic buttons rather than tangible ones. Those were missing from the CAD files, and it’s speculated they’ll come to the Pro models first — just like the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro.