Is the iPhone 15 nonetheless price shopping for in 2025? The reply is sophisticated

For some time now, a part of Apple’s modus operandi for making iPhones inexpensive (comparatively talking) has been to maintain at the very 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 may nonetheless purchase the iPhone 15 and

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

Must you truly drop money on an iPhone 15 in 2025? You’ve got most likely already acquired an inclination, however the reply is a bit more complicated than you is likely to be imagining. And even if you would like one, you might want to consider carefully about how, the place, and once you purchase it.

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

Efficiency

The most important distinction is, in fact, processor energy. Whereas each iPhone 16 is supplied with some model of Apple’s A18 chip — the 16e having a four-core GPU, as an alternative 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 working

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

ChatGPT integration
. It is not an enormous deal in the meanwhile (I hardly ever use ChatGPT myself) however AI will inevitably grow to be an even bigger and larger a part of iOS, so you might 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 may tax the A16 to its limits, and most different apps must be silky easy. Certainly, since upgrading to an iPhone 16 Professional, I have been shocked at how hardly ever the A18 is (noticeably) higher than the A15 chip in my previous iPhone 13. Issues set up quicker, and navigation apps are snappier, however the A18 does 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 collection, however the enhance between generations is generally 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 simply most likely 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 assist for spatial photographs and movies you may expertise with a

Vision Pro
, but it surely nonetheless makes use of a 48-megapixel predominant digicam and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide, similar to the 15. Most photographs and movies ought to look equivalent below related situations, except maybe you resolve to experiment with the expanded Photographic Kinds on the 16 and 16 Plus.

The iPhone 15 truly has an edge over the 16e. There is not any ultra-wide digicam on the 16e, so if you happen to’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 focus after the very fact — in addition to another options, like Motion (stabilization) and Cinematic (shallow depth-of-field) modes for video. There is not 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 will 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 apply, nobody makes use of a cellphone 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 typically discover their system working on fumes.

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

By way of 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 will get the perfect speeds from USB charging anyway, so this can be a moot level if you happen to’re nervous about charging in a rush. MagSafe is an enormous deal for different causes too. It is typically one of the best ways of mounting an iPhone, or attaching equipment like wallets and exterior batteries. You’ll be able to stay with out it, naturally, but it surely’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. That will truly be extra vital than MagSafe for some folks, because it makes it simpler to regulate media playback, swap apps, and maintain tabs on Reside Actions like timers and meals deliveries. I exploit it day by day. There aren’t too many different variations to level out, but it surely’s price noting that solely the common 16 helps

Wi-Fi 7
, and that the 16e does not assist the quickest type of 5G, often called mmWave. When you’ve acquired a wise house, neither the iPhone 15 nor the iPhone 16e have a Thread radio for appropriate equipment. The iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16e have a customizable Motion button rather than a hoop/mute swap.

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Must you get an iPhone 15 in 2025?

Possibly, however it is time to go cut price looking

As you’ve got seen, the iPhone 15 holds up surprisingly effectively, if largely as a result of iPhone (and app) evolution has come to a crawl. You would possibly get jealous of the battery life on new fashions, and ultimately remorse the absence of Apple Intelligence, however even these issues will not matter a lot if you happen to’re simply attempting to get to work or browse social media. It is truly a more sensible choice than the 16e if you happen to care about digicam tech, MagSafe equipment, and Dynamic Island controls.

I might strongly advocate towards shopping for a 15 from Apple, nevertheless. Official costs begin at $699, which is not price it for a base-spec iPhone that is practically two years previous. As of this writing, you will get a refurbished one on Amazon for $508, and the 15 Plus is simply barely {dollars} extra. When you’re prepared to purchase a used however non-refurbished system from eBay, you could find an unlocked 15 Professional for round $600.

There’s additionally a time window at play, for the reason that

iPhone 17
is anticipated 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 system — simply relegated to the used/refurbished market, presumably at even decrease value. That is likely to be the chance to strike if worth trumps all different components.

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