Apple iPhone 15 and 15 Plus Official Prices in the Philippines, Announced

In a groundbreaking announcement at around 1AM today, September 13, 2023 Philippine Time, the Cupertino company unveiled its highly anticipated Apple iPhone 15 and Apple iPhone 15 Plus models, showcasing a slew of innovative features and design enhancements.

Both devices sport an industry-first color-infused back glass, boasting a visually striking, textured matte finish, and a fresh contoured edge meticulously integrated into the aerospace-grade aluminum enclosure. These smartphones introduce the captivating Dynamic Island, a transformative interface - absent on the Apple iPhone 14 and 14 Plus - that adapts seamlessly to essential alerts and Live Activities, ensuring a magical and intuitive user experience.

Available in two size variants, 6.1-inch on the Apple iPhone 15 and 6.7-inch on the Apple iPhone 15 Plus, this duo features the Super Retina XDR display that's perfect for consuming content, streaming Apple Fitness+ workouts, and indulging in immersive gaming experiences. With peak HDR brightness reaching up to an astonishing 1600 nits and an extraordinary 2000 nits in direct sunlight, these devices set a new standard for display brilliance.

What's truly remarkable is the advanced camera system integrated into the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. A robust 48MP Main Camera captures stunning photographs and videos while preserving intricate details, thanks to its quad-pixel sensor and 100 percent Focus Pixels for swift autofocus. Employing the power of computational photography, the Main camera features a default 24MP super-high-resolution mode, optimizing image quality for storage and sharing. Furthermore, users can now enjoy a versatile 2x Telephoto option, granting access to three optical-quality zoom levels – 0.5x, 1x, and 2x – a groundbreaking feat for an iPhone dual-camera system. The evolution continues with next-generation portraits, promising sharper details, richer colors, and enhanced low-light performance. For the first time, Portrait mode is seamlessly integrated, eliminating the need for mode-switching. When capturing subjects in varying lighting conditions, the enhanced Smart HDR ensures realistic skin tones, brighter highlights, and more vivid midtones, delivering exceptional results both in the Photos app and when shared across third-party platforms.

Under the hood, the iPhones are powered by the Apple A16 Bionic chip, a technological marvel that not only propels the Dynamic Island and computational photography capabilities but also underpins various other features. Boasting a 6-core CPU with two high-performance cores that consume 20 percent less power and four high-efficiency cores, these smartphones deliver superior performance while optimizing battery life. The 5-core GPU presents 50 percent more memory bandwidth, ensuring smooth graphics performance during video streaming and gaming. Adding to its prowess, the A16 chip features a 16-core Neural Engine, capable of a staggering 17 trillion operations per second, facilitating rapid machine learning computations. This newfound power drives features like Live Voicemail transcriptions in iOS 17, all while upholding the highest standards of privacy and security.

The iPhone 15 models also feature the versatile USB‑C connector, providing a universal charging and data transfer solution compatible with iPhone, Mac, iPad, and the updated AirPods Pro (2nd generation). This convenience extends to charging AirPods or Apple Watch directly from the iPhone through the USB‑C connector. Moreover, both devices incorporate the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, enabling extended-range connectivity for Precision Finding in the Find My app. This feature enhances location sharing and finding friends, even in crowded spaces, all while maintaining the highest privacy standards.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus come with the latest iOS 17, introducing a plethora of features that enhance personalization and usability. The Phone app receives significant updates, including Contact Posters, allowing users to tailor their appearance for contacts, and Live Voicemail, leveraging the A16 Bionic's real-time on-device transcription capabilities. Messages sees improvements in sticker integration, enhanced search functionality, audio message transcriptions, and the innovative Check In feature, which automatically notifies friends and family of your safe arrival at your destination. NameDrop simplifies sharing contact information and content via AirDrop, while StandBy offers a customizable full-screen experience, perfect for viewing critical information when the iPhone is charging and resting on its side.

Lastly, Apple's commitment to sustainability shines with the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, incorporating recycled materials and clean energy practices to align with the company's 2030 goal of achieving carbon neutrality. Both models incorporate recycled cobalt and copper, 75 percent recycled aluminum, 100 percent recycled rare earth elements, and recycled gold in various components. The packaging reflects Apple's eco-friendly ethos, with over 99 percent of it being fiber-based, moving the company closer to its objective of eliminating plastic entirely from its packaging by 2025. Furthermore, Apple takes a significant step towards sustainability by discontinuing the use of leather in new products and offering alternatives like the FineWoven Case and Wallet with MagSafe, made from microtwill with a reduced carbon footprint compared to leather.

Right after the official announcement of the Apple iPhone 15 Series at the "Wonderlust" media event in the US, the Cupertino company updated their official website in the Philippines to include the new iPhone models as well as their official suggested retail prices.

Apple iPhone 15 and 15 Plus come in Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green and Black Colorways. Here are the SRPs on the Apple Philippines website:

Apple iPhone 15

128GB - PHP 56,990

256GB - PHP 63,990

512GB - PHP 75,990 

Apple iPhone 15 Plus 

128GB - PHP 63,990

256GB - PHP 70,990

512GB - PHP 82,990

The Apple iPhone 15 Series will hit store shelves in the company's key markets around the world starting on September 22, 2023. No official word yet its official release date in the Philippines. However, based on the local launch date of the previous iteration, I'm guessing that the Apple iPhone 15 Series will become available here around mid-October 2023 via network carriers and official retail parnets. Stay tuned for updates.