More expensive iPhone and other clues: what to expect from Apple in 2023

But some things will continue, such as Apple’s partnership with Qualcomm to produce the 5G chips that should be inserted into the new iPhone. The company was unable to produce its own component, meaning the partnership is expected to last for some time. Find out the expectations about Apple and the iPhone in the lines below.

? Discover the selection with the best mobiles of 2022

? What if the Internet goes down while updating iOS? Watch it on the TechTudo Forum

New iPhone 15 models

The flagship of Apple products, the iPhone 15 should be presented to the market in four versions, following the same pattern as the launch of the current generation. The expectation is that in addition to the traditional 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus, the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Ultra will be announced, which it should replace the Pro Max. The change in nomenclature would not be a surprise, since recently Apple added the Ultra name to the new version of the Apple Watch and even to the M1 Ultra processor.

Significant changes must also occur in the design. Rumors point out that the mobile will arrive on the market with a titanium structure, glass back and a format more similar to that of the iPhone 5C, more rounded than the straight iPhone 14. Another point is the addition of a new volume button, with tactile technology, working under pressure. The new component would be located on the side of the mobile phone and would work with a vibration motor with Apple’s Taptic Engine technology, mimicking the click sensation when vibrating.

On cameras, the iPhone 15 Pro is expected to carry the company’s first periscope lens, in partnership with Sony. This piece should support a greater optical zoom, up to 6x, thanks to a 90-degree mirror system. In a rare speech, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, revealed the partnership between the two companies in the production of iPhone lenses. Finally, Dynamic Island could be standard on all iPhone 15 models, not just the Pro and Pro Max/Ultra models.

Perhaps the most significant change for iPhone models is the end of the Lightning connector on their products. This year, the European Union passed legislation bringing about changes to the USB-C standard charger port on cell phones and other electronic devices sold in Europe. Companies, especially Apple, will have until 2024 to adapt, which raises expectations that the iPhone 15 will be the first mobile phone from the manufacturer to have a USB-C input.

Despite this, even with the pressure for change, there are still questions about how Apple will handle mobile phone manufacturing. Models with a USB-C input can only target the European region, as the company does with its eSIM-capable smartphones, sold exclusively in the United States, as is the case with the iPhone 14. The only certainty is that the manufacturer must follow block requirements.

The partnership with Qualcomm for the 5G chip continues

There was market expectation that Apple would finally be able to develop its own 5G modem chip to no longer depend on Qualcomm as a supplier. However, things ended up not going as planned. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, development of the chip has stalled and Qualcomm will continue to supply 5G parts for 2023 iPhone models.

While previously it was believed that they could be responsible for only 20% of the component supply, now the expectation is that Qualcomm will supply 100% of the chips for the new ‌iPhone‌ next year. Still following the analyst, the partnership between the two companies is expected to last for at least two more generations of ‌iPhone‌.

While Qualcomm’s attempt at independence hasn’t been very successful, other elements on Apple’s mobile phones must remain proprietary, as is the case with processors. The iPhone 15 models may be the first to feature an A-series chip built with 3 nanometers, made by TSMC. It is expected that with the arrival of this technology, the processing performance of the iPhone 15 will increase by 10% to 15%, while reducing power consumption by up to 30%.

What may prevent this is TSMC’s production cutback. Recent rumors have indicated that chip supplier Apple is halting production after Intel backpedaled on a chip order with the technology. It’s unknown how this outage will affect Apple’s 3nm chip production, but the 3nm A17 processor is expected to be featured in the next iPhone launch.

Another change that may encourage serious tech enthusiasts looking for more powerful performance on the brand’s mobile phones is the possible increase in RAM on the iPhone 15 Pro models. The phone can go from 6GB to 8GB of RAM, according to the Taiwanese research firm TrendForce.

The iPhone’s unique messaging app, also called iMessenger, is expected to undergo a makeover in its look and functionality. According to the website MacRumors, the company would be working on a completely new version of the messenger, with a new home view, chat rooms, video calls and much more. The revised app is expected to offer new augmented reality (AR) chat capabilities and is expected to launch alongside Apple’s new mixed reality headset.

Still speaking of software, if the company follows the traditional calendar, Apple is also expected to announce iOS 17 during its WWDC conference in June 2023. However, there are still no clues as to what the Cupertino giant has planned for its operating systems (OS) iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14 and watchOS 10. Details should be released in the coming months as the event approaches.

No more “Hey Siri”

Rumors indicate that Apple would be working on a project to make Siri easier to use next year. The Apple company would be devising ways to retire the “E, ai, Siri” (Hey, Siri, in English) and transform it into “Siri”. While it may seem like a minor change, transforming your virtual assistant’s wake word involves a significant amount of Artificial Intelligence (AI) training.