As expected, the annual “Tech Spring Festival” — Apple’s autumn launch event, is set to take place next month.
As in previous years, leading up to the launch event, rumors about the latest generation of iPhones, including spy photos and specifications, flood the internet from various sources.
This year’s leaks mainly focus on the mute button, body frame, and the almost confirmed switch from Lightning to USB-C.
Let’s take a look at each of these.
According to the currently leaked phone case designs, the volume button on the iPhone 15 Pro will be slightly lower than that on the iPhone 14 Pro, and the original two-part mute switch has been changed to a button format.
The image below shows the iPhone 15 Pro model.
In the code of the iOS 17 Beta 4 version provided to developers, someone discovered that Apple has set nine different customizable functions for this new button.
These include camera launch, flashlight, focus mode, translation, recording, shortcuts, accessibility, magnifier, and mute switch.
Hey? Aren’t these just the customizable shortcut buttons on Smartisan phones? Could it be that the parent company is sharing technology?
Additionally, Apple has made a subtle corner transition on the edge of the frame, improving the hand-cutting issue that has existed since the iPhone 12’s flat edge design.
Screenshot source: Xiaobai Review
Tony believes this optimization is good news for those who use their phones without cases; it shouldn’t affect those who use cases much.
For case users, the changes in the iPhone 15 series cases will be more direct.
Due to the change in the mute button and the charging port switching from Lightning to USB-C, the dimensions of the case openings will be larger than those of the previous generation.
If you try to use an iPhone 14 case on an iPhone 15, the button positions will be misaligned.
But finally, under pressure from the EU, Apple has switched from the Lightning port, which has been in use for over a decade, to the same USB-C port as Android devices!
iPhone users will no longer face the awkwardness of borrowing a power bank and only being able to get a USB-C cable…
Although it is a switch, based on the current information, Apple’s approach still has some nuances.
It is a switch, but not the kind you might think.
Firstly, many foreign media speculate that the iPhone 15 series may upgrade the previously inherited 27W charging speed to 35W, and there is a possibility of providing even higher speeds for the Pro models.
If this is the case, 35W would not even match the wireless charging speeds of current Android devices…
However, according to Twitter user @lipilipsi’s leaks, Apple has provided three different specifications of USB-C components for the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, and 15 Pro.
The differences here can easily lead to speculation.
It is important to note that with the switch to USB-C, not only is the charging speed affected, but more importantly, the data transfer speed is also improved.
Compared to the Lightning port, which is stuck at USB 2.0 speeds of only 480Mbps, the current USB-C supporting USB 4 can achieve transfer speeds of up to 40 Gbps, which is a significant leap.
Meanwhile, Apple and Intel are the Thunderbolt standard developers, and in recent years, Apple has increasingly catered to the productivity needs of professionals with its Pro line of iPhones.
Tony reasonably speculates thatApple will categorize USB interface speeds: the standard iPhone will only support USB 2.0 speeds; the Plus version will support USB 3.0; and the Pro version will support Thunderbolt 4.
The reasoning is as follows.
In the past, after organizing a large number of files, photos, and videos on the iPhone, transferring them to other Apple devices could be done via AirDrop, but there was never a good way to quickly transfer data to a PC.
After all, not everyone uses the entire Apple ecosystem in their workflow.
Who understands the speed of iTunes…
However, if the iPhone can quickly transfer data with just a cable, it would undoubtedly be a significant advantage for a productivity tool.
But those familiar with Apple know that achieving “productivity” is not so easy.
Because this feature not only requires the device’s port to support it but also depends significantly on the cable used.
The new USB-C cable included with the new iPad Pro fell short in this regard.
In fact, the new iPad Pro supports USB 4, but unfortunately, the USB-C cable included last year was downgraded from supporting 100W charging power to 60W, and the E-Marker chip was also removed.
This cut did not affect the charging speed of the iPad Pro, as it could not reach 60W, let alone 100W.
The real impact was that after removing the E-Marker chip, this cable only retained USB 2.0 transfer speeds.
If there are external displays or high-speed data transfers, Apple’s solution is to purchase an official Thunderbolt 3 standard USB-C cable for 320 yuan.
Ahem, I digress.
From my perspective, I am still very pleased that the iPhone is switching to USB-C, unifying the largest measurement standard in the digital world.
However, eliminating the Lightning port does not mean Apple will abandon the MFi certification revenue stream; the USB-C cables will still require certification.
On the other hand, for everyday iPhone users, the cost of upgrading to a new phone is not just the price of the phone itself, but also the cost of replacing all the Lightning cables at home, in the car, and at work with USB-C cables.
From this perspective, those who might switch to a new iPhone for USB-C could actually be more Android users.
Overall, Tony believes that the specifications of data cables and the downscaling of refresh rates will be major highlights of this year’s Apple launch event.
If you are considering upgrading to a new iPhone later this year, Tony thinks it might be a good time to start evaluating your needs.
Written by: Bunana Edited by: Mianxian Design by: Huanyan
Image and data sources:
Twitter: @lipilipsi
MacRumors: iPhone 15 Might Support Charging Speeds Up to 35W
BGR: Third-party case maker confirms iPhone 15 Pro design changes
Xiaobai Review: “Xiaobai” iPhone 15 Series! Model Experience: Ultra Imaging Protrusion? All Series on Island?
