Apple will be launching the iPhone 15 sometime in mid-September this year, which means we are not that far away from learning what the new generation will improve on compared to the iPhone 14. Last year we did not see too big of a jump in terms of performance and design with the base versions, so the question is whether that would be the same case this time around.Well, based on the leaked information that has come to light so far, the iPhone 15 should come with hardware that is new for the base iPhone models, making them better than what the company offered last year. What new hardware you ask? Well probably the most exciting of all is iPhone 14 Pro’s 48MP main camera.

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Apple hasn’t made any crazy design changes in a while, and things are not any different with the iPhone 15. Unlike the Pro models, there haven’t been many leaks regarding the dimensions of the iPhone 15, but we expect them to be more or less the same as those of the iPhone 14. The jury is still out on whether you would be able to fit the same cases and screen protectors though.

Rumors say the overall look of the entry-level 2023 iPhone will be the same as that of last year’s model, including the glass back, aluminum frame, and buttons. Thankfully, though, one of the main new attractions that debuted with the iPhone 14 Pro is coming to the 15 — the Dynamic Island. We finally say goodbye to the notch that lived on iPhones ever since the iPhone X.

The Dynamic Island is one of the two main design changes on the iPhone 15 that differentiates it from the iPhone 14, and the other one is the transition to USB-C. Yes, there is a very good possibility that we will finally see Apple adopt the universal charging port that all other phones have been using for years. Don’t get too excited, though, as word has it this will not result in quicker charging speeds compared to the iPhone 14.

As for protection from the elements, the iPhone 15 is said to have an IP68 water and dust protection rating, just like its soon-to-be predecessor.

What about the colors? They are always a big part of a new iPhone launch. Sadly, unlike with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, we still don’t have an idea of the color options the iPhone 15 will come in. So stay tuned and come back here to check again in the near future, as we will include them if any leaks before the announcement.

Lastly, we anticipate the boxing experience of the iPhone 15 to be mostly identical to that of the iPhone 14, meaning the device itself, a charging cable (now USB-C to USB-C), and no charging brick. Yeah, you would think changing the charging port so late in the game might mean Apple adds a charger in the box just this one time, but no, highly doubtful.

The iPhone 14 already comes with a great display. It gets very bright, contrast levels are superb thanks to the OLED panel, and the color calibration is one of the best in the game (if not the best), meaning you get accurate colors throughout all content. That being said, it lacks one major aspect, which many Android phones have — a high refresh rate.

Sadly, the iPhone 15 is not rumored to come with a higher refresh rate than the regular 60Hz. This is arguably the biggest disappointment about the phone. Even a 90Hz (Pro models have 120Hz) would have been a nice upgrade to see here, but it seems Apple thinks it would bridge the gap between the Pro and non-Pro models too much. Besides the camera system, a higher display refresh rate is very likely one of the main reasons users opt for the more expensive models after all.

There is some possibility that the iPhone 15 would come with a higher peak brightness compared to the iPhone 14, though, so there’s that.

As mentioned earlier while talking about the design of the phone, the notch is expected to finally leave its long-lasting reign and be replaced by the Dynamic Island that first appeared with the iPhone 14 Pro. This is one of the more significant differences between the iPhone 15 and 14.

Last year Apple equipped the iPhone 14 with basically the same chipset that the iPhone 13 series  came with, which was a controversial topic. This time around the company is doing the same thing, with the leaks pointing at the iPhone 15 rocking the company’s A16 Bionic chipset, which the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max also have.

Now this might sound like a total disappointment at first, as we are still used to getting the latest processors with flagship phones, but there might be a blessing in disguise here. You see, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will very likely come with the A17 Bionic, which would be the first chipset built on the 3nm process (extremely compact, more power efficient, and powerful). However, that upgrade is also the main culprit for the rumored $100 price hike the new Pro models are expected to receive.

Given that the A16 is already a perfectly powerful chipset even by today’s standards, it might not be so bad that the regular iPhone 15 is keeping it alongside the same price the iPhone 14 went for in 2022.

As for RAM, the iPhone 15 is said to keep the same 6GB that the iPhone 14 has, albeit the more capable LPDDR5 (iPhone 14 has LPDDR4X).

Software-wise there is not much to be said that would be considered new or an upgrade, besides all the additional UI functionality and features that come with the Dynamic Island, which the iPhone 14 simply does not have. There is also the fact that the iPhone 15 will get one year more of major OS updates and security patches since it is one year newer in comparison. Otherwise, both phones will be practically the same when it comes to the user experience.

The iPhone 14 comes with a 12MP main camera that does quite well, but the iPhone 15 is said to adopt the 48MP camera that came with the iPhone 14 Pro (the first jump from 12MP on an iPhone in years). What does this mean?

Well, it could mean a 65% larger sensor, which offers superb image quality and allows the phone to achieve much better photos taken at 2x zoom, as it achieves them by cropping in on the main sensor.

Some sad news here, however, is that Apple probably won’t give iPhone 15 users the ability to shoot 48MP ProRAW photos, despite having the bigger and much better image sensor. That feature has always been exclusive to the more premium models, and the chances it would trickle down to the base version are quite slim.

Thankfully, there are third-party apps that allow you to shoot in a RAW format and therefore give you more detail in the image file, which can result in an image that has far better quality. The only downside to the RAW format is its significantly larger file size.

Besides the main camera, the ultra-wide and selfie shooters on the iPhone 15 are expected to remain the same as those on the iPhone 14.

Apple’s iPhones are known for having some of the best speakers you can find on a phone. That statement stands true for the iPhone 14, and it should stand true for the iPhone 15, as it is expected to come with the same pair of speakers — one firing from the bottom of the phone’s frame, and one embedded in the earpiece.You can expect a balanced audio audio signature with clarity and a respectable amount of bass given that we are talking about phone speakers.

As for haptics, there is nothing mentioned so far to indicate any surprises. The Taptic Engine that Apple has used in its phones for years has always been top-notch, so there isn’t much to expect here, and both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 should offer the same experience in that regard.

The battery size of the iPhone 15 should remain the same as the iPhone 14, which is to say 3,279 mAh. Despite the new A16 chipset, there shouldn’t be much of a difference in terms of power consumption, as it is not that different on that front when compared to the A15.

Also, yes, a USB-C charging port is expected on the iPhone 15, but the charging speeds will most probably remain as those on the iPhone 14. The 15W MagSafe wireless charging is also predicted to remain the same.

So, at the end of the day, pitting the iPhone 14 to the iPhone 15 feels like comparing it to the iPhone 14 Pro. Most of the improvements on the iPhone 15 have been directly adopted from the Pro models Apple launched last year. In fact, it is actually a little worse, as you don’t get the 120Hz refresh rate or the telephoto camera on the back.

When you take a bird’s eye view of this comparison, the only truly new thing is the USB-C charging port, which, mind you, would very likely not offer any real advantages in the case of the iPhone 15.

So, the question is why not buy an iPhone 14 Pro? If you find it with some hot offer or even used it almost certainly is the better option. Then again, we can never know for sure until Apple makes the announcement on stage or in a Hollywood level pre-shot video, so there is always room for surprises.