MacRumors

Apple will begin accepting pre-orders for the new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max this Friday, September 15 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time. As usual, the Pro models have a long list of new features, including a USB-C port, lightweight titanium frame, customizable Action button, and much more.

Below, we have highlighted 12 new features on the iPhone 15 Pro models:

• Lightning has been replaced with a USB-C port for a more universal charging standard and faster data transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps.
• All four iPhone 15 models support DisplayPort for up to 4K HDR video mirroring and video output to an external display or TV with a supported USB-C to DisplayPort cable, according to Apple's tech specs for the devices.
• A new titanium frame results in the iPhone 15 Pro models weighing up to 10% less than the iPhone 14 Pro models with a stainless steel frame.
• A customizable Action button replaces the traditional mute switch on previous iPhones. By default, the button is set to toggle between Ring and Silent modes, but it can also be assigned to a different action for quick access to the camera, flashlight, Voice Memos, Shortcuts, Focus modes, and more.
• The new A17 Pro chip enables up to 10% faster CPU performance and up to 20% faster GPU performance compared to the A16 Bionic chip.
• The devices are equipped with 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB in the iPhone 14 Pro models. Along with the new A17 Pro chip, extra RAM benefits overall system performance, particularly for multitasking.
• There are thinner bezels around the screen compared to the iPhone 14 Pro models.
• Like the latest Macs and iPad Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro models support Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz) for faster wireless speeds and less signal interference. Remember, you'll need a Wi-Fi 6E router in order to take advantage of this functionality.
• The iPhone 15 Pro Max exclusively features up to 5x optical zoom.
• The devices are equipped with a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip. Apple says two iPhones with this chip can connect from 3x farther away.
• The devices feature a more repairable internal design, with a redesigned frame that allows for the back glass panel to be easily removed from the devices. This change was first made to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus last year.
• New colors: Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium.

For more details about the devices, read our iPhone 15 Pro roundup.

In addition to updating the AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case, Apple has made its wired EarPods headphones available with a USB-C connector for use with the new iPhone 15 models. The earbuds are $19 on Apple's online store.

Apple now sells three versions of EarPods, including ones with a USB-C connector, Lightning connector, and a 3.5mm headphone plug.

Released in 2012, the EarPods have become far less popular since Apple launched wireless AirPods in 2016. Starting with the iPhone 12 series in 2020, Apple stopped including EarPods and a charger in the box with new iPhones in order to be more environmentally friendly, a decision that was controversial at the time.

Apple released its original iconic white earbuds in 2001 alongside the launch of the first iPod, and they received a major redesign and the EarPods name in 2012.

While the Apple Vision Pro headset is not launching until early 2024, some developers have access to the device in order to develop visionOS apps. Through Feedback Assistant, Apple is collecting opinions on the Vision Pro "Persona" that is created for each person for use with FaceTime.

The Persona is a digital representation of the user, with Apple using the headset's cameras to recreate the face and hands. While the ‌FaceTime‌ call is ongoing, the Persona is able to make the same facial expressions and hand movements as the user, so that ‌FaceTime‌ calls feel more like a person-to-person interaction.

There is likely some degree of uncanny valley with this experience, so it is no surprise that it is a feature that Apple is working to refine. Apple is asking developers a number of questions about the Persona experience.

• How do you feel about your Persona?
• To what extent do you feel this Persona represents your appearance?
• To what extent do you feel your Persona responds to your facial expressions?
• What do you like most about your Persona?
• What do you like least about your Persona?
• What do you like/not like about this Persona?

Respondents are given multiple choice answers for most of the questions, with the last one being an open feedback form. For the "How do you feel about your Persona?" question, for example, responses include "Very Happy - I'm excited to use it," "Happy - I would be okay using it," "Unhappy - I would be hesitant to use it," and "Very Unhappy - I would never use it."

Apple does not plan to release the Vision Pro headset until early 2024, so it still has several months of software refining and hardware tweaking to do before the device needs to be mass produced in order to sell.

The headset will be priced at $3,500 when it launches, and it will first be available in the United States before expanding to other countries.

In iOS 17, Apple has made sharing files and media easier than ever, thanks to a cool new AirDrop proximity feature that does most of the work for you.

In prior versions of iOS, transferring a file or photo between Apple devices involves opening the file in question, tapping the Share button, selecting AirDrop, then choosing the nearby device you want to send the file to.

With iOS 17, this procedure still exists for sharing between Apple devices, but if you're transferring between iPhones then you can cut out some of the typical sharing steps by using AirDrop's new proximity feature.

To initiate a transfer, select the photo or file that you want to share with someone. From there, simply bring your unlocked ‌iPhone‌ next to the other person's unlocked ‌‌iPhone‌, and your device will pop up a share interface without you having to tap on the Share Sheet.

Tap the Share button that pops up to send the photo or file to the person next to you, and it will be received on the other device automatically, with permission granted through their proximity.

Note that sharing files this way works even if AirDrop receiving is turned off or limited to contacts, so it offers a way to share a file with someone without having to change your overall AirDrop settings.

Enable or Disable AirDrop Proximity Sharing

We're used to AirDrop working with someone in the same room and involving a few manual steps, but the proximity sharing feature makes transfers between two devices virtually effortless. Of course, if you don't like the idea of proximity sharing, you can turn it off. Here's how it's done in iOS 17.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap through to General -> AirDrop.
3. Toggle the switch next to Bringing Devices Together on or off.

That's all there is to it. Note that disabling this setting will also prevent the sharing of contacts via NameDrop. To learn about how contact sharing has also become easier than ever in iOS 17, check out our dedicated NameDrop how-to.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 replaces the first-generation model that was introduced last year in Apple's smartwatch lineup, but how different are the two successive smartwatch generations?

In 2023, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Ultra, introducing a more durable design and titanium casing, a larger and brighter display, additional speakers and microphones, considerably longer battery life, and more. The first-generation Apple Watch Ultra has now been discontinued by Apple, and as a year-old model, prices at third-party resellers are falling. As such, some customers may be weighing up whether to upgrade to a first- or second-generation Ultra‌.

The two Apple Watch Ultra models share the overwhelming majority of their features, so should you consider buying or sticking with the first-generation to save money? This breakdown also serves as a way to see all the differences that the Ultra 2 brings to the table.

Apple Watch Ultra (first-generation)	‌Apple Watch Ultra 2‌
Retina display with up to 2,000 nits of brightness	Retina display with up to 3,000 nits of brightness, Apple's brightest display ever
Flashlight	Flashlight boost via Digital Crown
	Double Tap gesture to stop timers, play and pause music, snooze alarms, answer and end phone calls, take photos with the Camera Remote, open the Smart Stack, and scroll through widgets, all without touching the display
S8 chip (based on A13 Bionic chip)	S9 chip (based on A15 Bionic chip: 60% more transistors, 30% faster)
Neural Engine	4-core Neural Engine (up to twice as fast)
Siri processed in the cloud via internet connection	‌Siri‌ processed on-device for requests that do not need information from the internet, resulting in quicker and more reliable responses
	‌Siri‌ can access health and fitness data
Dictation	25% more accurate dictation
First-generation Ultra Wideband chip	Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
	Precision Finding for iPhone 15 models, providing distance and direction, as well as visual, haptic, and audio guidance to a misplaced iPhone
	HomePod integration: When a user gets within four meters of a playing ‌HomePod‌, the Apple Watch launches Now Playing to control playback. If nothing is playing, media suggestions appear at the top of the Smart Stack.
32GB storage	64GB storage

Overall, the ‌Apple Watch Ultra 2‌ is a very minor upgrade over the first-generation model, with the S9 chip, Double Tap, and Precision Finding for ‌iPhone 15‌ models being the most significant changes. As a result, it is very difficult to recommend upgrading.

Most users of the existing Apple Watch Ultra will not be able to justify upgrading to the Ultra 2, but some customers coming from an older Apple Watch or those who do not have one at all could still have good reason to prefer the latest model, namely those who heavily use a ‌HomePod‌, plan to buy an ‌iPhone 15‌ model and can take advantage of Precision Finding, need additional storage for downloaded media, or think one-handed use with the Double Tap gesture would be useful.

The ‌Apple Watch Ultra 2‌ is very similar to the first-generation model, so most customers who are interested in buying an Ultra model may prefer to look for a discounted first-generation model. If the original device can be found for a substantially lower price, it remains a solid buy. The Ultra 2 is priced at $799, so if you are not interested in its new features and can find the original model for less than ~$650, it may be worth getting that instead.

Following the announcement of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro at this week's "Wonderlust" event, carrier discounts and offers have quickly emerged for the latest generation of iPhone. In this article we're highlighting all of the best carrier deals you can expect ahead of pre-order day on Friday.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Remember that for all of the links and deals below, you won't be able to add the iPhone 15 to your cart and get the discounts until pre-orders go live at 5 a.m. Pacific Time on September 15. The smartphones will then launch on September 22.

Like years past, most of the carriers are all offering similar discounts. Apple even mentioned these sales during its keynote, stating it was working with multiple carriers to offer customers as much as $1,000 off the new iPhone 15 Pro Max.

AT&T

AT&T has the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models at no cost when you trade in an eligible smartphone and put the new device on an unlimited data plan. All of AT&T's new deals are available for both new and existing customers.

You can get the iPhone 15 Plus for up to $830 off and the iPhone 15 Pro Max for up to $1,000 off, both with an eligible smartphone trade in on a qualifying installment agreement. There's also a $35 activation/upgrade fee that comes with the new smartphones.

For every AT&T offer, you'll receive the discounts in the form of bill credits. You'll get up to $1,000 in bill credits on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max with a smartphone trade in value of $230 or more.

You'll get up to $830 in bill credits with a smartphone trade in value of $130 to $229. Additionally, you'll get up to $350 in bill credits with a smartphone trade in value of $35 to $129.

AT&T has Apple Watch deals, allowing customers to buy one and get another for $300 off without any trade in required.

Finally, AT&T is marking down the iPhone 14 family of smartphones to as low as $15/month for 14 and 14 Pro, and $20/month for 14 Pro Max. No trade in is required to get the deals on these previous generation devices, which also includes the ninth generation iPad.

Verizon

New and existing Verizon customers can get up to $1,000 off any iPhone 15 model with any iPhone trade-in, which means you can get the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro at no cost. Existing customers upgrading can get up to $830 off the new iPhone 15 lineup on Unlimited plans.

You can also get the Apple Watch Series 9 for less than $6/month or an Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $14/month when purchased alongside select iPhones with a qualified watch trade-in.

Lastly, Verizon is one of the only carriers hosting a notable accessory sale on iPhone launch day. You can get 25 percent off MagSafe chargers and 20 percent off select cases, chargers, and screen protectors for iPhone 15 devices.

T-Mobile

Similar to other carriers, T-Mobile has up to $1,000 off iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro devices. The carrier said that this means you can get the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro at no cost.

You'll need to trade in an eligible smartphone on the Go5G Plus or Go5G Next cellular plans in order to get these discounts. T-Mobile also has a BOGO deal on the new iPhone 15, where you can get $700 off the second model after you purchase the first and add a line on an existing plan.

You can get up to $650 off any iPhone 15 series device on the Magenta MAX plan, $350 off on Go5G and Magenta, and $200 off on nearly all other T-Mobile plans.

Lastly, if you buy any new Apple Watch you can get $300 off a second model when adding a new watch line on an existing cellular plan.

Visible

Verizon-owned Visible has two unlimited plans on offer this season, starting at $25/month. When you join Visible and purchase a select smartphone, you'll also save up to $240 via monthly service credits.

This deal requires you to add a new line of service, purchase a new device on device payment or at full retail price, and purchase the $45/month Visible+ plan. You can also get the Apple Watch Series 9 and save $5/month for a year when added to a cellular plan.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

As widely expected, all four iPhone 15 models are equipped with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port. Apple also made the AirPods Pro available with a USB-C charging case, and released wired EarPods with a USB-C connector.

Nevertheless, there are a handful of Apple devices and accessories that are still sold with Lightning, which debuted on the iPhone 5 back in 2012:

• iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE
• Ninth-generation iPad
• Second-generation and third-generation AirPods
• AirPods Max
• First-generation Apple Pencil
• Magic Keyboard (Mac version)
• Magic Mouse
• Magic Trackpad
• Various cables and adapters

Apple did discontinue its MagSafe Battery Pack and MagSafe Duo Charger accessories with Lightning following the iPhone 15 event.

Some of these products will likely be updated with USB-C in the future, such as the AirPods Max and the trio of Magic accessories for the Mac, while previous-generation products in the list like the older iPhones, iPad, and Apple Pencil will eventually be discontinued. Until then, the Lightning era of Apple is not completely over.

Have you ever been into an Apple Store to purchase something small, like a new iPhone case or Apple Watch band, but passed by that colorful iMac or pixel-perfect Studio Display along the way and just couldn't resist buying one?

For those spur-of-the-moment purchases, Apple today announced a new solution called Easy Pay Online Ordering that gives customers the option to have the products they purchase in store delivered to their home. Apple said its retail stores are also now able to sell out-of-stock items to customers that are delivered to their home at a later date.

This new option means that customers will no longer have to drag heavy, large-boxed products to their vehicle in the parking lot or on public transportation. Alternatively, ordering via Apple's online store remains an option to avoid this dilemma as well.

Apple's plans to offer Easy Pay Online Ordering were reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in July, and the company officially announced the feature today.

The iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus are Apple's latest standard iPhone models, sporting some bigger upgrades than seen in recent years, but how different really are the two successive ‌iPhone‌ generations?

In 2022, Apple unveiled the ‌iPhone‌ 14 as the successor to the popular ‌iPhone‌ 13, offering 2GB more memory, longer battery life, the Photonic Engine, Action mode, Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection, and more. As devices that are more affordable than the "Pro" models, but more full-featured than the low-cost ‌iPhone‌ SE, the ‌iPhone 15‌ and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus will likely be the most popular option for many customers, starting at a price of $799 for the 128GB model. The ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus continue to be available from Apple for $699 and $799, respectively.

As the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone 15‌ share the overwhelming majority of their features, should you consider buying or sticking with the ‌iPhone‌ 14 to save money? Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two ‌iPhone‌ models is best for you, and serves as a way to clearly see the differences that the ‌iPhone 15‌ brings to the table. This article focuses on the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone 15‌, Apple's standard ‌iPhone‌ models, but to understand the differences between the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro, see our other buyer's guide:

• iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro Buyer's Guide: 30+ Upgrades Compared

The ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone 15‌ both feature the same display sizes, battery life, 12-megapixel ultra wide camera, and more. Nevertheless, the ‌iPhone 15‌ still offers a number of substantial upgrades, such as the Dynamic Island, USB-C port, and 48-megapixel camera.

‌iPhone‌ 14	‌iPhone 15‌
Aluminum chassis with squared-off edges	Aluminum chassis with contoured edges
Glossy glass back	Color-infused frosted glass back
"Notch" TrueDepth camera array	‌Dynamic Island‌
800 nits max brightness (typical)	1,000 nits max brightness (typical)
1,200 nits peak brightness (HDR)	1,600 nits peak brightness (HDR)
	2,000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)
A15 Bionic chip	A16 Bionic chip
5-core GPU	5-core GPU with 50% more memory bandwidth
12-megapixel main camera with ƒ/1.5 aperture	48-megapixel main camera with ƒ/1.6 aperture
0.5x and 1x optical zoom options	0.5x, 1x, and 2x optical zoom options
	24- and 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos
Smart HDR 4	Smart HDR 5
Portrait mode with Focus and Depth Control	Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control
Night mode and Night mode portraits	Improved Night mode and Night mode portraits
	Improved audio quality on phone calls
First-generation Ultra Wideband chip	Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (connects from 3x further away)
	Precision Finding for Find My friends
Lightning port	USB-C port
Support for Qi wireless charging	Support for Qi2 wireless charging
	Setting to prevent charging above 80%
	Battery manufacture date, first use, and cycle count information in Settings
Yellow, Blue, Purple, (PRODUCT)RED, Starlight, and Midnight color options	Yellow, Blue, Pink, Green, and Black color options

The ‌iPhone 15‌'s upgrades over the ‌iPhone‌ 14 are fairly substantial, offering a more refined and appealing design with contoured edges, frosted back glass, and the ‌Dynamic Island‌. Features like the brighter display and USB-C port are meaningful quality-of-life enhancements that all users will be able to take advantage of. The 48-megapixel main camera, 2x optical zoom option, next-generation portraits, Smart HDR 5, and improved Night mode also make for a significant overall camera improvement for average users. Iterative changes like the A16 Bionic and support for Qi2 are also welcome refinements.

Depending on what sort of user you are, it may not be worth upgrading from an ‌iPhone‌ 13 or ‌iPhone‌ 14 model to the ‌iPhone 15‌ unless you actively want several of the new features, but the ‌iPhone 15‌ and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus seem to be an unusually large upgrade for Apple's non-Pro iPhones. As a result, a large number of users with one of these older devices may be able to justify upgrading to an ‌iPhone 15‌ model. Those with an ‌iPhone‌ 11 or older will definitely receive a major upgrade by purchasing an ‌iPhone 15‌.

For everyday users, it is worth noting that the switch to USB-C on the ‌iPhone 15‌ will make any Lightning cables and accessories you have redundant, meaning you'll need to purchase a $29 adapter or use a new cable. If you're coming from a much older device, you will also likely need to buy a new power adapter. If you are unhappy about this change, then it may be worth sticking with what you have for another year, but it is worth highlighting that the switch to USB-C is beneficial in the long term since it is a standard port used across a wide range of devices.

Since the ‌iPhone 15‌ is a mostly noteworthy upgrade, it is generally not worth buying an ‌iPhone‌ 14 model instead, unless it can be found for a significantly lower price. The ‌iPhone‌ 14 and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Plus are only a year old and still very good devices, but the ‌iPhone 15‌ has a range of improvements that are likely to make it age better and be slightly more useful over time, which warrants its higher price.

The all-new Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available to order in the U.S. and more than 40 other countries, with pricing set at $799. The high-end Apple Watch will launch in stores and begin arriving to customers on September 22, but some configurations are already facing lengthy shipping delays as of late Wednesday.

A quick spot check of Apple's online store in the U.S. reveals that models with an Alpine band in Blue in Medium/Large sizes face 2-3 week shipping estimates for orders placed on late Wednesday, while models with the Trail Loop in Orange and Beige for both S/M and M/L sizes face an even lengthier 6-7 week delay at this time. That said, there are still at least a half-dozen band options available with September 22 launch day delivery overall.

The second-generation Apple Watch Ultra offers all of the features of the original Ultra, plus a faster new S9 SiP chip, a new double tap gesture, Apple's brightest display ever, expanded altitude range, quicker on-device Siri, Precision Finding for iPhone 15, and new capabilities for water adventures.

Apple Watch Ultra is advertised as having up to 36 hours of battery life per charge during normal usage, and up to 72 hours of normal usage with Low Power Mode enabled – up 12 hours from the previous generation.

Following its iPhone 15 event on Tuesday, Apple released a few related accessories, including a USB-C to Lightning adapter and a one-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable. It turns out the company has also made available a new 60W 1-meter USB-C Charge Cable ($19) and a 240W 2-meter USB-C Charge Cable ($29), designed for charging iPhone 15 models, iPads, and Macs.

Apple advertises the new woven charge cable with USB-C connectors on both ends as "ideal for charging, syncing, and transferring data between USB-C devices." It supports charging of up to 240 watts and transfers data at USB 2 rates.

Compatible with all iPhone 15 models and Apple's latest iPad and Mac models, the cable can be paired with a compatible USB-C power adapter to charge the devices from a wall outlet and take advantage of fast-charging capabilities.

While the new standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are equipped with a USB-C port, data transfer over a cable remains limited to USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps, which is equal to the Lightning port on previous iPhones.

The higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are also equipped with a USB-C port, but those devices support USB 3 data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps over a cable. For this reason, Apple made its previously-existing Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable available in a shorter one-meter size for $69.

(Thanks MacRumors forum member BeatCrazy!)

Alongside iPhone 15 price drops in the United Kingdom compared to last year's iPhone 14 models, Apple has also reduced the cost of its iPhone Battery Servicing program for several earlier models.

The biggest savings can be found for ‌iPhone‌ 14 models. Prior to Tuesday's iPhone 15 announcement, Apple charged £105 for ‌iPhone‌ 14 battery replacements, whereas now it lists £95, or a £10 reduction.

New batteries for ‌iPhone‌ XR through ‌iPhone‌ 13 models are now £85 compared to £89 previously, and new batteries for ‌iPhone‌ SE through ‌iPhone‌ X models are now £65 instead of £69.

Apple's new battery replacement charges for all models offered through its ‌iPhone‌ Battery Servicing program are as follows:

• ‌iPhone‌ 14 models - £95
• ‌iPhone‌ 13 models - £85
• ‌iPhone‌ 12 models - £85
• ‌iPhone‌ 11 models - £85
• ‌iPhone‌ XS models - £85
• ‌iPhone‌ XR models - £85
• ‌iPhone‌ X - £85
• ‌iPhone‌ 8 - £65
• ‌iPhone‌ 7 - £65
• ‌iPhone‌ SE - £65

With the exception of the starting price of the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max, Apple on Tuesday made UK prices of the newly announced ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max models at least £100 cheaper across all configuration options than the equivalent ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models when they were launched last year. Similar reductions were also reported across other European countries.

In addition, Apple cut the price of AirPods Max, from £549 down to £499, as well as updated second-generation AirPods Pro, from £249 down to £229.

In the US, the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max was the only device to see a price increase, rising $100 to $1,199 because of Apple's decision to drop its 128GB storage option and make 256GB the new minimum storage configuration. Apple increased prices more aggressively for the phones in some other markets, including Canada and India.

The first Geekbench scores for the iPhone 15 Pro have confirmed Apple's performance improvement claims for its new A17 Pro chip over last year's A16 Bionic chipset found in the iPhone 14 Pro.

As spotted by MySmartPrice, the benchmarking platform has recorded an ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro tested in the wild with the model number iPhone 16,1 and a six-core CPU with a base frequency of 3.78GHz.

In the test result, the device scored 2,908 and 7,238 points in the single-core and multi-core tests, while last year's ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro scored 2,642 and 6,739, respectively.

Meanwhile, an ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max with the model number iPhone 16,2 scored 2,846 and 7,024 points in the single-core and multi-core tests respectively. That also compares favorably to last years ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max, which scored 2,546 and 6,631 points in the same respective tests.

The Geekbench results also recorded 8GB of RAM for both ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models, compared to 6GB of RAM in last year's Pro models, corroborating previous reporting.

Apple's A17 Pro chip is made with a first-of-its-kind 3-nanometer process. The A17 Pro has a six-core CPU, for 10% faster CPU performance and 20% faster GPU performance. It also has a two-times faster 16-core neural engine to accelerate machine learning such as more accurate autocorrect or pulling a subject from an image. It can process up to 35 trillion operations per second.

In addition, the A17 Pro contains a brand new GPU with an Apple-designed shader architecture. Apple says it is the biggest redesign in the history of Apple GPUs, with a focus on performance and efficiency, running complex applications, and new rendering features.

The ‌‌iPhone 15‌ Pro‌ starts at $999 for 128GB of storage, while the ‌‌iPhone 15‌ Pro‌ Max starts at $1,199 for 256GB of storage. All of the new ‌iPhone 15‌ models are available to pre-order starting Friday, September 15, and will launch on Friday, September 22 in more than 40 countries and regions around the world.

The new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all support DisplayPort for up to 4K HDR video mirroring and video output to an external display or TV, according to Apple's tech specs for the devices.

DisplayPort support is built into the USB-C port on all iPhone 15 models, meaning that the devices can output video at up to 4K/60Hz natively to a DisplayPort-equipped external display or TV with a supported USB-C to DisplayPort cable. Alternatively, you can use Apple's $69 USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter to mirror video from any iPhone 15 to an HDMI-equipped TV or display at up to 4K/60Hz, but HDR is not supported this way.

On previous iPhones with a Lightning port, video mirroring is limited to 1080p with Apple's Lightning-to-HDMI or Lightning-to-VGA adapters.

Unfortunately for fans of the Stage Manager feature on select iPad models, the iPhone does not yet offer an extended display mode.

The new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are equipped with a customizable Action button that replaces the traditional mute switch on previous iPhones. By default, the button is set to toggle between Ring and Silent modes, but it can also be assigned to a different action for quick access to the camera, flashlight, Voice Memos, and more.

One of the options for the Action button will be the Translate app, allowing you to quickly start translating between two languages without having to open the app. However, fine print on Apple's website says the Translate option will not be available for the Action button until later this year, suggesting that it will be enabled in a future iOS 17 update.

A recap of the other options that will be available for the Action button immediately:

• Ring/Silent
• Focus
• Camera
• Flashlight
• Voice Memos
• Magnifier
• Shortcuts
• Accessibility

You must press and hold the Action button to launch the assigned action.

iPhone 15 models can be pre-ordered starting Friday, September 15 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, and will launch on Friday, September 22.

In iOS 17, Apple is overhauling its entire offering of ringtones and text tones, debuting more than 20 new sounds that can be used for phone calls, texts, alarms, and more. Almost all of the Ringtones listed in the Sounds & Haptics menu are new, so there are plenty of options to choose from.

The new ringtones include Arpeggio, Breaking, Canopy, Chalet, Chirp, Daybreak, Departure, Dollop, Journey, Kettle, Mercury, Milky Way, Quad, Radial, Scavenger, Seedling, Shelter, Sprinkles, Steps, Storytime, Tease, Tilt, Unfold, and Valley. Reflection continues to be the default ringtone option.

Compared to the old ringtones, many of the new ringtones are longer in length and sound more modern. Apple has moved all of the prior ringtones to the "Classic" section so they are still accessible for those who prefer options like Illuminate, Night Owl, Constellation, and Twinkle.

Ringtones activate when the iPhone rings and the mute function is disabled, plus they can be set as alarm sounds. You can have different ringtones for each person in your Contact app, and you can use separate ringtones if you have multiple lines on one ‌iPhone‌.

Apple has also introduced more than 10 new Text Tones that can be used for incoming text messages. The Text Tones also replace the prior options, with those older sounds moved to the Classic interface. The updated Text Tones can be used for New Voicemail, New Mail, Sent Mail, Calendar Alerts, and Reminder Alerts in addition to texts.

With the iOS 17 release candidate that came out yesterday, Apple added a new "Grid Forecast" section to the Home app. The feature is designed to use your location to tell you when "clean" energy is available to use, so you can be mindful of when you're using energy.

According to Apple, the energy sources that are used to power a home can change throughout the day. When the forecast reads "Cleaner," it means that the available energy sources may have lower carbon emissions. When it reads "Less Clean," available energy sources that are powering the grid may emit more carbon into the atmosphere.

Apple suggests that users can take advantage of this forecast to decide when to use electricity in situations where energy usage can be timed. Choosing to run the washing machine, the dryer, or the dishwasher during the "Cleaner" time will cut down on carbon emissions.

The Grid Forecast is based on each person's location, and Apple says that it is relative to the energy sources available on the grid in a particular place. According to Apple, even in areas with limited renewable generation, relatively cleaner energy may still be available. Apple does not provide information on where its energy information is sourced.

You can get to the Grid Forecast in iOS 17 by opening up the Home app and tapping on the "Energy" option at the end of the top navigation bar. You will see the current energy status and a time when it will shift. A Grid Forecast icon is also available at the top right of the Home app.

Grid Forecast is not a metric that is available in Automations, so it cannot be used to activate smart home devices at select times. The Grid Forecast is available on all Apple devices in the Home app, including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.

Alongside the iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models, Apple yesterday debuted a new version of the AirPods Pro 2 with a USB-C charging case. The swap to USB-C instead of Lightning is the primary new feature, but Apple also updated audio quality in a way that may upset some of its customers.

As we highlighted yesterday, the new ‌AirPods Pro‌ feature additional dust resistance and support for 20-bit 48kHz lossless audio when connected to the Vision Pro headset. At the time, it seemed unusual that Apple would limit a key audio feature to the new ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 when the original version is just a year old, but that's exactly what Apple has done.

According to the latest PowerOn newsletter from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple confirmed that Lossless Audio will not be available on the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 with Lightning charging case, and it is indeed a feature limited to the new USB-C ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2.

Apple in a press release announcing the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 with USB-C charging case touted the new audio feature, calling it the "perfect true wireless solution" for Vision Pro.

AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C) will enable Lossless Audio with ultra-low latency to deliver the perfect true wireless solution with Apple Vision Pro. The H2 chip in the latest AirPods Pro and Apple Vision Pro, combined with a groundbreaking wireless audio protocol, unlocks powerful 20-bit, 48 kHz Lossless Audio with a massive reduction in audio latency.

When Apple Vision Pro is available early next year in the U.S., customers will be able to enjoy the most advanced wireless audio experience in the industry with the new AirPods Pro for exceptional entertainment, gaming, FaceTime calls, and so much more.

Customers who want to be able to use Lossless Audio with Vision Pro for this audio experience will need to purchase the new ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2, which are available for $249. The Vision Pro headset itself is set to be priced at $3,500.