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

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
out there, together with the

iPhone 16e
, you possibly can nonetheless purchase the iPhone 15 and

15 Plus
, which initially shipped in 2023. They could be tempting for some patrons, on condition 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.

Do you have to really drop money on an iPhone 15 in 2025? You’ve got most likely already received an inclination, however the reply is a bit more complicated than you may be imagining. And even if you would like one, you could want to consider carefully about how, the place, and while you purchase it.

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

Efficiency

The key distinction is, after all, processor energy. Whereas each iPhone 16 is supplied 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 working

Apple Intelligence
, together with all the things from notification summaries to Visible Intelligence and

ChatGPT integration
. It isn’t an enormous deal in the mean time (I hardly ever use ChatGPT myself) however AI will inevitably grow to be an even bigger and larger a part of iOS, so you could 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 stunned 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 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 collection, 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 most likely will not discover more often than not.

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Digital camera tech

Functionally, the iPhone 15 digital camera system is just about an identical to the iPhone 16 lineup. The usual 16 does have benefits like macro pictures, Visible Intelligence, and assist for spatial pictures and movies you possibly can expertise with a

Vision Pro
, nevertheless it nonetheless makes use of a 48-megapixel important digital camera and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide, similar to the 15. Most pictures and movies ought to look an identical beneath comparable situations, until maybe you resolve to experiment with the expanded Photographic Kinds on the 16 and 16 Plus.

The iPhone 15 really has an edge over the 16e. There is no ultra-wide digital camera on the 16e, so when you’re a fan of taking pictures vistas, structure, or tight areas, the 15 is a greater choice. The 16e additionally lacks Focus Management — which lets 15 and 16 house owners 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 no 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 primarily based on Apple’s testing, whereas the usual 16 will get 22 hours, and the 16e will get 26 hours, only one in need of my iPhone 16 Professional. In apply, 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 typically discover their gadget working on fumes.

The 15 Plus matches the 16e, so that could 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 telephone on this comparability (excluding my iPhone 16 Professional, after all) has a 6.1-inch show.

By way of wi-fi charging, the iPhone 15 sits within the center. It does have MagSafe, which robotically 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 very best speeds from USB charging anyway, so this can be a moot level when you’re apprehensive 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 possibly can stay 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 important 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 take advantage of it day-after-day. There aren’t too many different variations to level out, nevertheless it’s price noting that solely the common 16 helps

Wi-Fi 7
, and that the 16e would not assist the quickest type of 5G, often called mmWave. For those who’ve received a sensible 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 instead of a hoop/mute change.

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Do you have to 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 nicely, if largely 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 when you’re simply making an attempt to get to work or browse social media. It is really a more sensible choice than the 16e when you care about digital camera tech, MagSafe equipment, and Dynamic Island controls.

I would strongly suggest 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 almost two years previous. 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 gadget from eBay, you will discover an unlocked 15 Professional for round $600.

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

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 fully. The excellent news on that entrance is that the iPhone 15 will proceed to be a related gadget — simply relegated to the used/refurbished market, presumably at even decrease price. That may be the chance to strike if worth trumps all different elements.

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