Apple may change its iPhone model name next year. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says the company may name its most extensive and expensive device in 2023, the iPhone 15 Ultra, rather than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, as might be expected given its recent track record. The move will reportedly coincide with the most significant iPhone design update since Apple released the iPhone 12 in 2020. Gurman expects the iPhone 15 to feature USB-C and other “bigger changes.”
Apple’s branding has changed over the past few years. When the company released a major refresh every two years, it designated iterative models with an “S.” Since 2019 and the diversification of the lineup to include separate basic and premium variants, the company has used the “Pro” and “Pro Max” designations to refer to its most advanced phones.
In addition, the Plus brand, which Apple hadn’t used since 2017, was returned earlier this year. Doing away with the Pro Max in favor of the Ultra would make a lot of sense since the Apple Watch lineup now includes the Ultra model.
Rumors about the iPhone 15’s future have already generated some interesting predictions. Gurman previously reported that Apple is testing iPhones with USB-C in anticipation of a European Union law that requires all new smartphones released after 2024 to be equipped with the port. More recently, display analyst Ross Young said the entire iPhone 15 lineup would feature a Dynamic Island display cutout from the iPhone 14 Pro.
Keeping it short, Gurman also said Apple might not hold another event this fall. According to him, the company plans to announce new Mac mini, MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro models before the end of the year. However, since these will be primarily iterative updates to existing devices, Gurman suggests that Apple will “most likely” tell the world about the existence of these products through a series of press releases.
