Apple on Tuesday unveiled its next generation of iPhones – a lineup that will boast better cameras, faster processors and a new charging system for the model. 

As has been the case with Apple and other smartphone makers, the iPhone 15 models aren't making any major leaps in technology. 

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max also will be equipped with what Apple maintains is the equivalent of seven camera lenses. They will include a periscope-style telephoto lens that will improve the quality of photos taken from far distances. The telephoto lens boasts a 5x optical zoom, which lags behind the 10x optical zoom on Samsung's premium Galaxy S22 Ultra but represents an upgrade from the 3x optical zoom on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.

One of the biggest changes that Apple announced is a new way to charge the iPhone 15 models and future generations. The company is switching to the USB-C standard that is already widely used on many devices, including its Mac computers and many of its iPads. 

Apple is being forced to phase out the lightning port cables it rolled out in 2012 because of a mandate that European regulators plan to impose in 2024. 

Although consumers often don't like change, the transition to USB-C ports may not be that inconvenient. That's because the standard is already widely used on a range of computers, smartphones and other devices people already own. The shift to USB-C may even be a popular move since that standard typically charges devices more quickly and offers faster data transfer speeds.

The basic iPhone 15 models have been redesigned to include a shape-shifting cutout on the display screen that Apple calls its "Dynamic Island" for app notifications – a look that was introduced with last year's Pro and Pro Max devices.

In anticipation of next year's release of Apple's mixed reality headset, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will also have a spatial video option designed for viewing on that headset.

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available in four new finishes: black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium and natural titanium. Available in 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch display sizes, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max feature a strong and lightweight titanium design, a first for the iPhones. 

Both models feature a new refined brush texture, contoured edges, and the thinnest borders on iPhone, Apple said. 

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max feature the thinnest borders ever on iPhone, the Ceramic Shield front cover and new contoured edges, it noted. 

The iPhone 15 Pro family is powered by the A17 Pro, the industry's first 3 nanometer chip. The A17 Pro brings improvements to the entire chip, including the biggest GPU redesign in Apple's history. The new CPU is up to 10 percent faster with microarchitectural and design improvements, and the Neural Engine is now up to 2x faster, according to the company.

All the new models will be available in stores September 22, with pre-orders beginning this Friday.

Besides its new iPhones, Apple also announced its next generation of smartwatches, a product that made its debut nearly a decade ago. 

The Series 9 Apple Watch, available in stores on September 22, will include a new gesture control that will enable users to control alarms and answer phone calls by tapping their thumb and index finger together twice.

As part of Apple 2030 and the company's broader environmental efforts, Apple has also ended the use of leather across all of its product lines, announced its first entirely fiber-based packaging for the new Apple Watch lineup and continued to expand the use of recycled materials in iPhone.

Apple said the company has adopted a clear and rigorous approach to product decarbonization that prioritizes reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the three biggest sources across the product life cycle: electricity, materials and transportation.

(With input from agencies)