There’s no iPhone 15 Ultra, but there is an iPhone 15 Pro Max, says Apple expert Mark Gurman of Bloomberg in a rundown of what to expect at the Apple September event on September 12.
The iPhone 15 series, with its base, iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro models, have basically never been in doubt. But as long ago as the iPhone 14’s launch, there were suspicions (including from Gurman) that Apple would soon retire the Pro Max title in favor of the Ultra name it began using for the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple M1 Ultra chip that launched last year.
Now though, on the eve of the iPhone 15’s likely announcement, Gurman’s saying that the first Ultra-branded iPhone could appear in 2024 instead. That leaves us with one more year of Pro Max.
Plenty of big upgrades rumored
You’d be forgiven for thinking this year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max was an Ultra model though, since there have been some big rumored upgrades. Like the iPhone 15 Pro, the Pro Max is tipped to get titanium side rails, a new Action button in place of the mute switch, and a more powerful A17 Bionic chipset. But on top of that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is also thought to be getting a periscope camera that will allow for enhanced zoom photography, and an unfortunate price hike up to a starting price of $1,199.
A few iPhone 16 are already emerging over a year ahead of its assumed launch date. For one, the Pro and Ultra models could be getting larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays respectively, with both of these phones also in line for a periscope zoom, instead of just the larger of the two.
But back to the present day. Tomorrow is the Apple September event, titled “Wonderlust,” and it’s the day that Apple should be confirming all the iPhone 15 rumors we’ve been hearing in recent months, including, of course, the exact names of the devices. Other likely Apple gizmos to appear during the show are updated AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case, the Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the iPad mini 7.
