iPhone 15 Ultra: Release date, price, features, and news

 Apple iPhone 15 Ultra

The iPhone 15 Ultra is expected to be the successor of the iPhone 14 Pro Max. It is rumored to come with 6.7-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and Apple A17 Bionic processor.

iPhone 15 Ultra release date

 

We expect that Apple will announce the iPhone 15 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro as well as the rest of the iPhone 15-series on September 12, 2023, and release the devices to the market on September 22, 2023.

iPhone 15 Ultra price

We anticipate that the iPhone 15 Ultra will score a significant price difference in comparison with the Pro models, and cost at least $100 more than the iPhone 14 Pro Max did at launch, bringing its starting price to $1,199, or even up to $1,299. 

iPhone 15 Ultra camera

Now that Apple has finally got rid of the constraining 12MP sensor it used for years and switched to a brand new 48MP camera system with the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max, the future looks quite bright for the iPhone 15 Ultra. In particular, we have very high hopes for some exceptional camera improvements. 

Rumor has it that the iPhone 15 Ultra could introduce a 6X or 10X periscope zoom for ultra-long throw and achieve zooming ranges similar to what Samsung, Xiaomi, and others have been rocking for years. On top of that, there's chatter about 8K video recording coming to the iPhone 15 Ultra, as well as a new and improved 8-element main lens, which would improve its overall optical quality and possibly lead to superior image quality (but also possibly introduce even more reflections and flaring in certain situations).

Late in 2022, LG Innotek unveiled a rather compact 4X-9X periscope camera module with actual moving parts inside that preserves optical image quality throughout the whole zoom range. Who knows, this could very well be the periscope module that makes its way to the iPhone 15 Ultra.

There are also rumors about dual-selfie cameras on the iPhone 15 Ultra, but we can say these aren't very believable. There certainly is space in the Dynamic Island for an extra camera, which could either be a ultra-wide one or a depth sensor for improved portrait photography. 

iPhone 15 Ultra storage

It's too early to outline the storage capacity versions of the iPhone 15 Ultra, but we don't really see Apple changing up its Pro-level storage tiers too much. Thus, we will probably see the return of 128GB-1TB storage spread for yet another year. 

iPhone 15 Ultra battery

A battery with a capacity in the ballpark of the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max will likely grace the iPhone 15 Ultra. Think something in the ballpark of 4,300mAh, or even more, if the wishful rumors for a larger overall phone turn out to be true.

Charging is another field in which we'd love to reap some improvements. Apple's smartphones have never been known for their speedy charging, and despite certain speed improvements in the last few years, iPhones still lag behind the competition when it comes to raw charging speed. The iPhone 15 Ultra could address that, and hopefully Apple gives us faster charging that would still put battery chemistry first and not be detrimental to the device's battery health.

iPhone 15 Ultra features and software

iOS 17 will be the software of choice on the iPhone 15 Ultra. The beta version of the upcoming software will be released shorty after Apple's very next WWDC developer summit, which traditionally takes place in late May/early June. Hopefully, we'll get some improvements to the overall functionality of iOS in the form of improved customization and features, with a good focus on privacy and security as well.