Apple just started selling the new Apple Watch Ultra. A few months ago, the company introduced the M1 Ultra processor. Is it time for Apple to bring this branding to the iPhone, with next year’s iPhone 15 Ultra replacing the iPhone 15 Pro Max?
Apple has been pretty inconsistent while branding its lineups. There are regular versions, “Air,” “Pro,” “Plus,” “Ultra,” “Max,” and “Studio” options that do not necessarily mean the same thing. For example, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is the ultimate smartphone from the company, but the current best Mac available is the Mac Studio, the best display is the Pro Display XDR, the best headphones are the AirPods Max, the best Apple Watch is the Apple Watch Ultra, and the best iPad is the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
With the iPhone 14 out, rumors are now turning to the upcoming iPhone 15. So far, Apple will likely introduce four new models: the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Ultra instead of the Pro Max.
If that’s the case, the “Pro” versions of the upcoming iPhone will have more to differentiate each other than before. Previously, Apple has made the iPhone Pro Max camera module better than the regular Pro version, although it’s now delivering the same device with a display and battery difference only.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman says Apple could adopt this branding next year:
If you have an iPhone 13, I’d wait another 12 months for the iPhone 15. That’s when we’ll see bigger changes, including a potential rebranding of the Pro Max as the Ultra.
iPhone 15 Ultra: What we know so far
While it isn’t clear whether Apple will go with the iPhone 15 Ultra brand, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the iPhone 15 Pro Max would be the only model with a new periscope lens – which might be enough to differentiate a Pro phone against an Ultra phone – although he believes that all Pro models would feature this new lens in 2024. Here’s our previous report on this matter:
(…) The analyst says that the 1/3″ sensor will have 12-megapixel resolution with f/2.8 aperture, sensor-shift stabilization, and up to 6x optical zoom.
Those who prefer smaller phones will have to wait until 2024 to get their hands on an iPhone with a periscope lens, as Kuo notes that both iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have this technology. Unsurprisingly, the mid-range iPhone 15 and 16 models are not expected to have a periscope lens.
DSCC‘s Ross Young believes all iPhone 15 models will have the new Dynamic Island cutout, although only the Pro versions will have an Always-On Display and 120Hz refresh rate. Nikkei reported that Apple will follow the trend and keep the best processor for the Pro phones while the regular iPhone models would feature the last year’s chip. So, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra would have the A17 Bionic chip while the other two versions would have the same A16 Bionic as the iPhone 14 Pro models.
Last but not least, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes all iPhone 15 models will switch to USB-C. This report is from May 2022:
My latest survey indicates that 2H23 new iPhone will abandon Lightning port and switch to USB-C port. USB-C could improve iPhone’s transfer and charging speed in hardware designs, but the final spec details still depend on iOS support.
It’s expected to see existing USB-C-related suppliers of Apple’s ecosystem (e.g., IC controller, connector) become the market’s focus in the next 1-2 years, thanks to vast orders from iPhones and accessories’ adoption of USB-C ports.
How do you like the Ultra branding?
With all of that in mind, do you think Apple will name the next larger iPhone the iPhone 15 Ultra? Vote in the poll and share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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