Only a single month has passed since the release of the iPhone 14, and iPhone 15 news is already coming in.
Besides a performance boost and conceptually impressive design, there seems to be a bit of bad news — the iPhone 8P primary camera likely won’t adorn the 2023 device.
No iPhone 8P Cameras in 2023?
Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known and respected analyst, suggested that it might be too soon for an iPhone 8P camera. He stated that “the rumored iPhone 15 Pro series' adoption of an 8P lens won't likely come true.”
I think the rumored iPhone 15 Pro series's adoption of an 8P lens won't likely come true.
— éƒæ˜ŽéŒ¤ (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) October 30, 2022
As a reminder, iPhone just got a 7P primary camera for the first time with the release of the 14th generation of devices.
While certain industry analysts like TrendForce have suggested that the iPhone 8P camera is coming in 2023, it’s highly unlikely to happen.
The reasoning behind rumors that iPhone 8P is coming with iPhone 15 models is that Apple will want to spread the gap between iPhone 15 Pro and the supposed iPhone 15 Ultra.
While that reasoning is sound, it still feels a bit too early for such an upgrade.
Kuo has been wrong in the past, so TrendForce’s speculations just might turn out to be true.
iPhone 8P lenses would allow wider apertures to be used and the amount of light that can be gathered, resulting in higher-quality pictures in all conditions.
Taptic Engine Returns
In other news, the iPhone 15 might come without physical volume and power buttons.
Instead, Apple leaks suggest they may be replaced with solid-state buttons that rely on haptic motors to provide feedback. These taptic engine units (as Apple refers to its haptic tech) mean the iPhone 15 won’t have any physical buttons.
“My latest survey indicates that the volume button and power button of two high-end iPhone 15/2H23 new iPhone models may adopt a solid-state button design (similar to the home button design of iPhone 7/8/SE2 & 3) to replace the physical/mechanical button design,” Kuo said.
The project, codenamed “Bongo,” has interesting repercussions for future iPhone app development and could provide DualSense-like feedback in games.
Taptic engine motors have been a staple of MacBooks since 2015, and smaller versions of it powered the 3D Touch of iPhones 6s through XS Max.
All iPhone 15 Trims to Switch to USB-C
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stated that Apple will unwillingly switch to USB-C starting with iPhone 15 across the entire range of devices, not just as a Pro/Ultra exclusive.
Emphasis on “unwillingly,” as the EU Parliament has voted on enforcing a common charger standard for all mobile devices by 2024.
“While Apple appears to be bitter that a government is intervening in its product road map, the move from Lightning to USB-C is actually a good thing for consumers,” Gurman elaborated.
“You can bet that when Apple announces the iPhone 15, the change won’t be described as government intervention. It will be presented as a way to simplify charging across iPhones, iPads and Macs.”
Lightning ports were revolutionary at the time, given the impracticalities of micro-USB.
However, that’s no longer the case with USB-C.
