iPhone 15 Pro renders just revealed USB-C port, curved design and more

iPhone 15 Ultra render with rounded edges — (Image credit: @jonjuhan/Twitter)

Detailed renders of the iPhone 15 Pro have just been published by 9to5Mac (working with leaker Max Weinbach and artist Ian Zelbo), showing off some potential big changes for this year's iPhone model.

The design, apparently based on a CAD model from an iPhone case maker, should apply to regular iPhone 15 too, says ShrimpApplePro, who previously leaked some the design changes that Weinbach and Zelbo have now backed up.

A render of the alleged iPhone 15 Pro (right), compared to the iPhone 14 Pro (Image credit: 9to5Mac)

One of the first things you notice looking at these renders is the phone's curved frame, rounding off what are hard edges on the iPhone 14 series to make a design somewhere between it and the older rounded iPhones like the iPhone 11. Hopefully, this makes the whole iPhone 15 series more comfortable to hold, as well as giving it a bit more identity compared to its near-identical predecessors.

The curves also apply to the rear camera bump, which is also noticeably larger than before, and with thicker lenses. Apple's been increasing its camera system sizes rapidly over the past couple of years, giving users better photo hardware but at the expense of a chunky and sometimes inconvenient block on the back of the phone. The iPhone 15 Pro sure doesn't look like it'll sit flat on a table with a bump like this, but hopefully that'll mean another big camera upgrade in return.

Finally, USB-C is here

Another big change is the USB-C port on the bottom edge. Apple's been using Lightning ports on its mobile devices for the best part of a decade, but with recent legislative efforts in Europe forcing phone makers and other companies to adopt USB-C within the next two years, Apple's apparently decided to get ahead and add the more common connector already.

That said, Apple may still be up to its old tricks with this new port. There are rumors only specially certified cables will work properly with the USB-C iPhone, and that there may be no data transfer speed increase for the basic non-Pro iPhone 15 models from the current Lightning-equipped ones.

Solid state buttons?

The edges of this CAD render also feature redesigned power and volume buttons. It seems likely therefore that these will be solid-state buttons that won't actually "press" like physical switches, but would instead use haptic feedback to help the user know when they're increasing or decreasing the volume, for example.

The mute switch has also seen a rework, getting smaller and thinner from what the CAD shows. It also shows a SIM slot, perhaps indicating that Apple won't be forcing countries outside the U.S. to use only eSIMs as it did with the iPhone 14.

iPhone 15 Pro could have thinner bezels

One last observation is that this iPhone 15 Pro CAD has a thinner display bezel compared to the iPhone 14 Pro. That likely means we'll still get the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch display options on the iPhone 15 series that the iPhone 14 series had, but in slightly smaller frames.

Apple's likely bringing out the iPhone 15 series this September, but if you can't wait that long, more leaks are bound to appear before then. And we'll be gathering them all together for your convenience in our iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra rumor hubs, so check those regularly for the latest news.

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Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.