iPhone 15 looks to be a pretty great update, at least for the Pro. Personally I have been holding out for a USB C iPhone so I was going to upgrade whenever that happened but there are some other things that look good as well.
I know it will never happen, but I would love a USB C Mini.
Tis a shame the mini’s weren’t popular enough.
Viewing this article from a mini right now. I love the thing,
Same, the size it’s just perfect. My 6 year old niece thinks otherwise, laughed at me for having such a tiny phone. I was like wtf you are 6 years old why do you care?
Love my 13 mini.
Second this. I also have a 13mini and my plan is to keep it as long as possible.
Same! It’s such a good size.
I switched to an iPhone after years on Android specifically because of the iPhone Mini. Really wish they would bring it back as there are so few options for a smaller phone that isn’t handicapped by a “budget” feature-set.
Same here. I will treasure my Mini as long as I can keep it alive ❤️
I’m an Android user but considering moving to iPhone because I also use a mac. Could you elaborate on the features that you’re most excited about?
I have an iphone 12 mini and hope to upgrade to a 15 Pro this year.
What I’m looking forward to:
- Better battery life. The 12 mini’s battery isn’t that great and the 1st gen 5G chips were quickly improved upon.
- USB C. Means all my chargeable devices would be on a single cable.
- The upgraded camera that was introduced in the 14.
- The A17 SoC in the 15 is expected to be the first major upgrade in a while. The SoC in the 14 was held back by TSMC’s N3 being delayed, and the SoC in the 13 was a decent but not great upgrade.
None of those particularly apply to you. I was on android before my 12 mini and what I like most about the change is: the interface is snappier, most apps are built for ios first and android second and generally that means you can rely on having a working version of the app. Also the biggest reason for me to make the switch: Apple supports their phones for 5+ years will full updates, not just security. I think android has seen improvement on that front since I switched, but still isn’t at the same level of software support.
As a fellow 12 mini owner I’ll be sad to let go of having a reasonably sized phone, but glad I’ll at least be trading it for a reasonable charge port
There are dozens of us, dozens!
I’m definitely going to be disappointed in getting a larger phone. Sad that the minis sold so poorly. They’re the perfect phone size I think.
Hopefully the standard size doesn’t go up even further from here, or they lock more than the telephoto lens into the Ultra / Pro Max size.
I loved the size and feel of the mini, if they had stuck 3 cameras on a “pro” version of it I would have bought one instantly!
Periscope camera for higher zoom, moving to titanium instead of stainless steel metal will save weight, and the mute switch is supposed to become a button that might be customizable to control more than just silence which would be nice since I only ever keep mute switch on silence.
Thanks very much! Still struggling to decide if I’m going iPhone this time. :)
Periscope camera for higher zoom
If the rumors, that this feature is Pro Max exclusive, are true, I‘ll be so mad. Imagine paying likely over 1000 USD for a regular Pro and only getting the second best.
Tl;dr: I’m going to be mad.
So is the USB C port happening or still a rumor?
My guess is that we get USB-C but it stays locked down like the iPad Pro.
Almost certainly happening based rumors and supply chain leaks, but we won’t know for sure to Apple officially announces it.
Technically the law doesn’t apply until late December 2024 so the 15 and 16 could both be lightning still if Apple wanted to do that.
Apple pretty much confirmed it due to EU regulations.
On a side note, I think that level of regulation is dumb. Who decides when it’s time to move on from USB-C when a suitable replacement is made by someone? This isn’t 30 years ago. There’s effectively 2 charger types left. Silly to dictate that one standard needs to be used when the market sorted that out long ago.
Regular updates: the Commission would be required to regularly review and amend requirements for wired and wireless charging, ‘in line with scientific and technological progress, consumer convenience and environmental developments’ (article 3(4)4a RED)
Yeah when phones moved from micro USB to USB c the regulations were fluid enough to handle it without any fuss. When we have the next standard I’d expect the same.
Micro usb was never mandated but all the manufacturers moved to it because they expected the EU to eventually mandate it. But by the time the law was voted, the mandated port became the usb-c.
No iPhone Mini :(
a small model that can actually be held normally, mini was the best model by far
USBC advocates who talk about “a single cable”. Do y’all really only charge one device at a time? Or will y’all be traveling with 2, 3, or 4 USBC cables when iPhone transitions?
I have two USB-C cables on my desk plus a Lightning cable.
Those two cables will charge my two laptops, my mouse, my PS5 controller, my iPad Pro, and my battery packs. I rarely find a scenario where I need to charge more than 2 at once.
Meanwhile the Lightning cable is only ever for my phone.
Yes, you want more than one cable, but USB-C means you can just have a couple of identical chargers that are big enough for your largest device but can charge anything. No more trying to find the right charger for the right device.
I travel a ton for business and would prefer to just travel with fewer cables. I already have to bring two lightning cables in case one breaks so I can charge my phone and my Magic Mouse. Would be super happy to just carry two usb c cables with me.
I recently bought a 67W charging brick with 2 USB-C slots and I’m so happy with it, I’ve had the same experience of being able to charge any device I use with the same USB-C to USB-C cable: from MacBook Pro to iPad Mini (love it, it’s just the perfect size), also the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch. At this point I hate having to go grab the lightning cable specifically to charge my iPhone
It’s not about the number of cables, but the number of cable types. The combinatoric explosion sucks. I’ve got cables for A-to-B, A-to-mini, A-to-micro, A-to-C, A-to-Lightning, C-to-C (some capable of TB3), C-to-Lightning. Apple already went all-in on USB-C with their laptops years ago, to the extent that they ditched every other port for a while. The sooner they do the same on the iPhone, the sooner we can leave behind the inconvenience of having the wrong cable or lacking a dongle.
Try this cable. Only comes in 3’ length, but Walmart sells this one that is basically the same thing in 6’ length. A- to micro, C, and Lightning. It’s not perfect, but it definitely cuts down on the number of cables you need to carry.
That’s crazy that it goes micro to others. You’d think it would be USB C to others.
that’s not what I’m reading in the comments here. ;)
When I travel, I usually have only one charger now a days.
But the biggest advantage has been that anywhere I go I can get my device charged. Even if I forget my cable at home.
I remember years back when each device had a different port. Accidentally forget my charger, had to run around a new city at night searching for open store so that I could find the right cable.
I charge with a magsafe charger, and this switch means nothing to people like me.
I’ll probably finally upgrade from my XR as long as it has USB-C. One less cable to carry around with me
Sort of sad I only recently upgraded to the 14… I mean I needed a new phone so I didn’t have much choice. But man I really want that USB C port
so per 9to5mac, these features are “worth the wait”
- possible “dynamic island” availability in non-pro versions
- higher photo quality via increased mega pixels
- greater optical zoom with new “periscope lens system”
- weight reduction due to change in materials
- change to mute switch via a customizable button
- change from lighting to USB-C
- increased cost of iPhone 15 (lol this is a feature? good journalism, 9to5mac)
Don’t really care for this stuff to be honest. Repairability of iPhones is getting worse every year. From proprietary hardware and software locks on components which disable features if those flags are not reset by an Apple technician.
I would consider upgrading if finger print recognition was brought back. Maybe embed the sensor under the screen like I have seen on some other phones.
For now, my XS Max still going strong.
Camera upgrades are so damn boring. I hardly use or care about the camera
Lighting? Also no, repairability isn’t getting worse every year - the iPhone 14 brought much easier to remove back glass
When I bought the 14 Pro Max I knew they would releasee USB C on the next iPhone. However, I can’t wait that long.
I got the battery on my iPhone 8 replaced so I could hold out for 15.
My iPhone 7 could not wait any longer.
Don’t really care about USB-C aside from the transfer rate, backing up and such is dog slow right now with “lightning” cables. Don’t care at all about charging, my 13 Pro Max battery still lasts the entire day even under very heavy use. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had to re-charge it mid-day.
