Is the iPhone 15 nonetheless value shopping for in...

For some time now, a part of Apple’s modus operandi for making iPhones inexpensive (comparatively talking) has been to maintain at the least one older mannequin on sale. The result’s that whereas there are 4 variations of the

iPhone 16
accessible, together with the

iPhone 16e
, you’ll be able to nonetheless purchase the iPhone 15 and

15 Plus
, which initially shipped in 2023. They could be tempting for some consumers, provided that Apple tends to help its telephones for a very long time, and the 16e is not actually meant to be a flagship — it is a substitute for the budget-priced iPhone SE.

Must you really drop money on an iPhone 15 in 2025? You’ve got in all probability already bought an inclination, however the reply is a bit more advanced than you could be imagining. And even if you would like one, it’s possible you’ll want to think twice about how, the place, and whenever you purchase it.

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How does the iPhone 15 stack up towards the iPhone 16 and 16e?

Efficiency

The foremost distinction is, after all, processor energy. Whereas each iPhone 16 is provided with some model of Apple’s A18 chip — the 16e having a four-core GPU, as a substitute of the common 16’s five-core unit — each the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are caught with the A16. Which means they’re incapable of operating

Apple Intelligence
, together with the whole lot from notification summaries to Visible Intelligence and

ChatGPT integration
. It is not a giant deal in the meanwhile (I not often use ChatGPT myself) however AI will inevitably grow to be an even bigger and greater a part of iOS, so it’s possible you’ll miss out on key options as iOS 19 and its successors roll out.

In any other case, the A16 continues to be a really succesful processor. There are few video games that can tax the A16 to its limits, and most different apps must be silky clean. Certainly, since upgrading to an iPhone 16 Professional, I have been shocked at how not often the A18 is (noticeably) higher than the A15 chip in my outdated iPhone 13. Issues set up quicker, and navigation apps are snappier, however the A18 would not make a lot distinction to apps like Cronometer or Reddit.

It must be famous that the iPhone 15 solely has 6GB of RAM, versus 8GB with the iPhone 16 sequence, however the improve between generations is usually for the sake of Apple Intelligence. It might make a distinction in another areas — notably high-end 3D video games like Resident Evil: Village — however Apple’s {hardware} and software program is so tightly optimized that you just in all probability will not discover more often than not.

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Digicam tech

Functionally, the iPhone 15 digicam system is nearly equivalent to the iPhone 16 lineup. The usual 16 does have benefits like macro pictures, Visible Intelligence, and help for spatial photographs and movies you’ll be able to expertise with a

Vision Pro
, nevertheless it nonetheless makes use of a 48-megapixel most important digicam and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide, similar to the 15. Most photographs and movies ought to look equivalent beneath related circumstances, except maybe you determine to experiment with the expanded Photographic Types on the 16 and 16 Plus.

The iPhone 15 really has an edge over the 16e. There isn’t any ultra-wide digicam on the 16e, so in case you’re a fan of capturing vistas, structure, or tight areas, the 15 is a greater possibility. The 16e additionally lacks Focus Management — which lets 15 and 16 homeowners change a portrait’s point of interest after the very fact — in addition to another options, like Motion (stabilization) and Cinematic (shallow depth-of-field) modes for video. There isn’t any wind noise discount on the 15, thoughts, or any

smart audio mixing
choices.

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Battery life, wi-fi charging, and different options

One space the place the bottom iPhone 15 is soundly trounced is battery life. You may get about 20 hours out of it based mostly on Apple’s testing, whereas the usual 16 will get 22 hours, and the 16e will get 26 hours, only one wanting my iPhone 16 Professional. In follow, nobody makes use of a telephone the way in which Apple does, and you will be charging all of those units in a single day — however the 16e could possibly be preferable for vacationers or different individuals who usually discover their machine operating on fumes.

The 15 Plus matches the 16e, so that could be the way in which to go if you would like each glorious battery life and a bigger 6.7-inch display screen with out spending on a 16 Plus. Each different telephone on this comparability (excluding my iPhone 16 Professional, after all) has a 6.1-inch show.

When it comes to wi-fi charging, the iPhone 15 sits within the center. It does have MagSafe, which mechanically places it above the torpid 7.5W Qi speeds of the 16e, but it is capped at 15W versus the iPhone 16’s 25W. You may get the perfect speeds from USB charging anyway, so this can be a moot level in case you’re frightened about charging in a rush. MagSafe is a giant deal for different causes too. It is usually one of the best ways of mounting an iPhone, or attaching equipment like wallets and exterior batteries. You may reside with out it, naturally, nevertheless it’s frankly superb that Apple felt it could possibly be sacrificed, given the cash it makes from the accent market.

One other factor the 16e lacks is Dynamic Island multitasking. Which will really be extra vital than MagSafe for some folks, because it makes it simpler to manage media playback, change apps, and preserve tabs on Dwell Actions like timers and meals deliveries. I exploit it day by day. There aren’t too many different variations to level out, nevertheless it’s value noting that solely the common 16 helps

Wi-Fi 7
, and that the 16e would not help the quickest type of 5G, referred to as mmWave. For those who’ve bought a wise house, neither the iPhone 15 nor the iPhone 16e have a Thread radio for suitable equipment. The iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16e have a customizable Motion button rather than a hoop/mute change.

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Must you get an iPhone 15 in 2025?

Perhaps, however it is time to go discount searching

As you have seen, the iPhone 15 holds up surprisingly nicely, if principally as a result of iPhone (and app) evolution has come to a crawl. You may get jealous of the battery life on new fashions, and finally remorse the absence of Apple Intelligence, however even these issues will not matter a lot in case you’re simply making an attempt to get to work or browse social media. It is really a more sensible choice than the 16e in case you care about digicam tech, MagSafe equipment, and Dynamic Island controls.

I would strongly advocate towards shopping for a 15 from Apple, nonetheless. Official costs begin at $699, which is not value it for a base-spec iPhone that is almost two years outdated. As of this writing, you will get a refurbished one on Amazon for $508, and the 15 Plus is just barely {dollars} extra. For those who’re keen to purchase a used however non-refurbished machine from eBay, yow will discover an unlocked 15 Professional for round $600.

There’s additionally a time window at play, because the

iPhone 17
is predicted to launch in September. The iPhone 16 will drop to the iPhone 15’s present worth, and manufacturing of the 15 will cease solely. The excellent news on that entrance is that the iPhone 15 will proceed to be a related machine — simply relegated to the used/refurbished market, presumably at even decrease price. That could be the chance to strike if worth trumps all different components.

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