iPhone 15 leaks and expectations compared to previous iPhone models

There has been a lot of speculation around the new iPhone 15 with leaks emerging and swiftly being hushed over. The new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will certainly have some excellent upgrades - but are they enough to keep Apple's iPhone at the top of the market, like it has been for over a decade?

All new phones obviously come with a better camera, a new design and improved physical features. Before we can contemplate the new iPhone improvements, we have to look at the long journey from the first iPhone which, if you remember, came to us all the way back in 2007.

On 9 January 2007, at the Macworld Conference & Expo, Steve Jobs unveiled the phone that would change the world as we knew it. The very appearance of this revolutionary phone marked the next step into the future: with a 3.5-inch screen, speakers, microphone, 2-megapixel camera, an attractive and eye-catching design (for the time) and, above all, iOS - its own operating system. It went on sale on 29 June 2007.

Time magazine named the iPhone 'Invention of the Year'. Given its impact, it could have actually been a contender for invention of the century. The first iPhone went on sale for $499 and was only available on the AT&T carrier in the United States. An estimated 6 million units were sold.

In 2008, the first update of the iPhone arrived with its 3G version. It came with the iPhone OS 2.0 operating system and, above all, the App Store, which did not exist with the first model. At that time, there were 500 applications available in the App Stores, 25% of which were free. Developers were rubbing their hands with the possibilities offered by this new market.

In 2009, Apple released the iPhone 3GS, the first 'S' (Speed) generation of its popular phone. Instead of launching a new model, they improved the existing one and, in this case, upgraded the camera and included the option to record video. But above all, the iPhone began to be marketed worldwide. The jump in sales was tremendous and, between the two models, 62 million units were sold.

The iPhone 4 introduced in 2010 would be the last one Steve Jobs would show to the world. Curiously, it was also the first to start the 'game of leaks' that continues to this day. It started after an Apple worker forgot it in a bar in Redwood City and it ended up in the hands of Gizmodo. The leak was already done, and with it came the first glimpse of the front-facing camera on an iPhone. The design was sleeker, with a black and white colour scheme, a glass back and a much higher resolution than the previous iPhone.

The iPhone 4S arrived on 4 October 2011 - this is a significant date because it was introduced just one day before Steve Jobs' death. In fact, the iPhone 4S was taken as a tribute to Apple's CEO: "For Steve". It was Tim Cook who took over and he presented the magic that was going to be applied to all future smartphones: the virtual assistant, Siri. The design did not change at all, but the operating system, that was already way ahead of the competition, was improved. By now, the iPhone was the global benchmark and, as such, sold 245 million units of both models.

With the arrival of the iPhone 5, Apple decided to break one of its mottos and increase the screen size to 4 inches. The iPhone 5 was a work of art, with a combination of glass and aluminium that made it the most elegant model on the market. Its storage capacity reached 64GB - quite an achievement at the time.

2013 saw the arrival of the 'S' version of the iPhone 5, but also the new iPhone 5c option. The former came with new features such as fingerprint recognition (to unlock without entering a passcode) and in colours that reflected space, science and technology - grey, gold and silver. The iPhone 5c sought to be the low-cost version of this generation, exchanging noble materials for plastic and offering up to five different colours. The 5S was as successful, whereas the 5c was not. Nevertheless, the total sales of these models reached 325 million units.

The iPhone 6 was the first to challenge Steve Jobs' assumptions. The late CEO wanted the phone to be one-handed, but the market demanded larger sizes and the iPhone 6 and its Plus version were 4.7 and 5.5 inches respectively. The big new model caused a sensation with its design, camera and battery life as it took advantage of the increased size. According to legend, this was the last iPhone model for which Steve Jobs left instructions.

The dynamic of one new model per year worked wonders and, in 2015, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus arrived with notable improvements in performance. The Apple A9 processor, camera improvements and the revolutionary 3D Touch arrived. 258 million units of this generation were sold.

In March 2016, Apple surprised its fandom with a return to the classics. The iPhone SE (Special Edition) was a tribute to the legendary 4-inch iPhone 5S and its aesthetic was copied in its entirety, although a pink version was added, which was a sales hit.

Internally, the iPhone SE shared the features of the iPhone 6S, adapted to those who demanded a smaller model than the last ones presented by Apple. Its starting price was $599.

With an elegant design and continuity with the iPhone 6, the new generation of smartphones finally arrived and, above all, the mini-jack cable was eliminated (which many were exceedingly unhappy with at the time!). The Lightning era began its exclusive journey, but so did protection against water and dust.

The iPhone 7 Plus was the first iPhone to feature a dual camera. With it came the famous Portrait Mode and regular use of the zoom function. A total of 211 million units of these models were sold.

Curiously, the iPhone 7 was left without its S version and Apple jumped directly to the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. A model that, to this day, is the brand's most widely used. It didn't have too many changes with respect to its predecessor, but why change something that works and is incredibly popular with the world as it is?

The only notable change was that glass became the dominant construction material. The reason is, that glass would finally allow QI wireless charging of the device, something that was already present in other competing models. 86 million units of the iPhone 8 were sold in its two versions.

The tenth anniversary of the iPhone was celebrated at Apple. The option of launching a SJ (Steve Jobs) iPhone was even considered to mark the occasion, but in the end, the iPhone X arrived. A revolutionary model that eliminated the edges, introduced an OLED screen but, above all, cleaned up the screen, leaving only the famous and controversial notch that all manufacturers would end up embracing.

Another revolution brought by the iPhone X was Face ID, a facial recognition system that the competition had been unable to match. The camera also took a leap in quality, adding portrait mode to the internal camera. A year later, in 2018, came the XS, XS Max and XR versions. All iPhone X models collectively surpassed 188 million units.

The iPhone 11 arrived in 2019 in response to requests from a lot of Apple customers. For starters, many wanted a range of colours similar to that of the XR, which was so popular in its day. In addition, the dual camera took a spectacular leap in quality, adding a night mode, a wide-angle lens and the Deep Fusion photo processor.

The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max were the first pro generation of Apple's smartphone. Tremendous battery life, OLED display, triple camera and, above all, a telephoto lens and the revolutionary A13 Bionic chip. 120 million units of the iPhone 11 models were sold.

When no one expected it, and in the midst of the pandemic, Apple launched the second generation of its best-selling iPhone SE. With a modern design and similar features to the iPhone 11, the SE model aimed to appeal to those who still use smaller phones (4.7 inches) and at a more affordable price than other models (from $399).

Available in black, white and red, the iPhone SE retains the design of the iPhone 11, but with the A13 Bionic chip of the iPhone 11 Pro and the cameras of the iPhone XR. A full-featured hybrid at the most affordable price point in iPhone history.

October 2020 arrived, with coronavirus devastating the world, but Apple did not miss its appointment with a renewal of the iPhone. Its iPhone 12 was presented in four formats: iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Many new features, but above all one that annoyed customers to no end: the headphones were removed and the electric charger was withdrawn. All this as well as raising prices in the middle of the economic crisis.

In exchange, the iPhone 12 went up to 6.7 inches, boasted the OLED screen and Super Retina technology, as well as implementing the beastly A14 Bionic Chip. Between the different models, the iPhone 12 is available in up to nine colours.

The now 'new generation' arrived with the iPhone 13, which had gradually begun to reduce the size of the protruding lenses, by increasing the camera bump size. With four models available, the two entry-level options were the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini, with a base storage of 128 GB and a starting price of $955.

A wow-factor Super Retina XDR display, this model was up to 50% faster than the competition thanks to the A15 chip and also comes with a significant increase in battery life. In addition, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max delivered the leap in quality that Apple's smartphone camera had been asking for for years. The iPhone 13 put Apple Park at Cupertino back among the elite in photography and video.

The latest version incorporated a new range of operations capable of even saving lives. As if this were not enough, it includes a new 48 MP camera and an A16 Bionic chip. It adds new functionalities such as Dynamic Island, a new screen incorporated in the Notch area that shows which song is playing, FaceTime calls or connections with other devices.

The latest version may hit the shelves as close as August 2023 but the iPhone 15 is, of course, expected to be an improvement on the previous. However, many Apple fans were expecting something revolutionary and it seems the new model has made a few upgrades, but isn't the groundbreaking update many were hoping for.

The latest model is supposedly meant to have a much better battery life as well as, physically, a super strong and super light titanium chassis. Of course, let's not forget, all new iPhone models will change from Lightning to USB-C wired charging. The fans' opinion pre-launch? Wait until the iPhone 16...