Should you buy an iPhone 15 in 2025?

Summary

The iPhone 15 is cheaper than the iPhone 16 while retaining many of the same features.
The only serious advantages of the iPhone 16 are its processor and RAM, which enable Apple Intelligence support.
Don’t get an iPhone SE unless you’re prepared to wait for the spring 2025 model.

One of the things I’ve learned as a tech journalist is a sense of perspective. Companies like Apple are masters at drumming up publicity, making it seem like every new iPhone is a revolutionary product that you’ll regret skipping. But inevitably, one year’s flagship becomes the next year’s budget model — and if you look back, you wonder what all the hype was about. As much as I enjoy my iPhone 16 Pro, the only thing that really matters is what it can accomplish for me.

If you’re new to smartphones, then, or haven’t upgraded in a while, it simply makes sense to consider some of the older iPhones Apple keeps on sale, such as the iPhone 15. If you scour third-party stores, you can potentially track down a used iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, but I’m going to focus on a model that you can be guaranteed to find at a reasonable price. In fact, as a spoiler, let me say that an iPhone 15 makes a lot of sense for budget-minded shoppers — at the moment.

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What are the advantages of the iPhone 15 in 2025?

The iPhone 16 isn’t a major leap

A blue iPhone 15 and a red iPhone 15 Plus over a green background.

Naturally, the main reason to pick an iPhone 15 is that it’s cheaper than a 16. The former starts at $699 for a 128GB model, $100 less than the iPhone 16. That’s not much, but if you don’t put the savings towards things like groceries or rent, they can still buy you accessories, an iCloud+ subscription, or a storage upgrade. For some people, a 256GB iPhone 15 will automatically be more practical than a 128GB iPhone 16 — it can hold more apps, photos, videos, and music. The price gap could even make a 512GB iPhone appealing, although few people need that much room unless they’re shooting 4K video. It might make more sense to buy an iPhone 15 Plus, which will get you a larger 6.7-inch display and expanded battery life.

The iPhone 16 just isn’t a major upgrade in most respects. Both phones share a 6.1-inch, 60Hz OLED display, and a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera, the latter capable of shooting Dolby Vision video in 4K60. You also get USB-C, free satellite communications in emergencies, and Dynamic Island multitasking. The phones are equally durable for the most part, too, sporting Ceramic Shield display glass and IP68 water resistance to a depth of six meters (about 19.7 feet).

The iPhone 15 offers just about everything a person could want from a smartphone when it comes to day-to-day activities. And it should run the latest version of iOS for years to come — iOS 18, made for the iPhone 16, still runs on 2018 devices like the iPhone XS.

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What is the iPhone 15 missing versus the iPhone 16?

No Apple Intelligence for you — come back in a year

The Apple Intelligence preview website on an iPhone 15 Pro .

The biggest gaps are processing power and RAM. The iPhone 15 is equipped with an A16 Bionic chip and 6GB of RAM, whereas the 16 uses a state-of-the-art A18 chip matched with 8GB of RAM. The iPhone 15 is still more than powerful enough for most tasks, but it’s incapable of running Apple Intelligence, a suite of generative AI functions like Writing Tools, notification summaries, Visual Intelligence, and ChatGPT integration. It’s not a big deal at the moment, yet major upgrades are in development, and you may regret cutting yourself off once iPhone 16 owners can use complex, content-aware Siri voice commands.

The iPhone 16 also sports a few minor camera upgrades — above all, a Camera Control button that lets you shoot photos and videos without touchscreen controls. You can even adjust settings by half-pressing and swiping the button, although if you want to get that granular, it’s typically easier to open the Camera app. Other changes include support for macro-photography and Apple’s latest Photographic Styles.

The iPhone 16 Pro is now my gold standard for phone photography

Apple Intelligence is still missing, but the Camera Control button and Photographic styles make for a worthy upgrade for photographers.

The 16 also substitutes a ring/mute switch for a customizable Action Button, and delivers better battery life, rated up to 22 hours of video playback versus 20 for the iPhone 15. Your mileage will vary, since, of course, most people use their phones for a variety of activities.

One potential advantage of the iPhone 16 is faster MagSafe charging up to 25W. That’s dependent on having a compatible charger, however, paired with a wall adapter rated at 30W or higher. Without that setup, the phone would still charge at 15W, just like the iPhone 15.

What about the iPhone SE?

Wait for the refresh, if you can

A 2022 iPhone SE may be tempting, since it starts at $429, but I’d strongly recommend against it. Its design is based on 2017’s iPhone 8, which means it’s stuck with things like a 4.7-inch LCD, a Lightning port, a single 12-megapixel rear camera, and Touch ID instead of Face ID. Its A15 Bionic processor remains fast enough, but even that may be outweighed by a 15-hour battery.

Expect to spend more than $429 on one. That entry price only gets you 64GB of storage, which is too little for modern apps, never mind any photos, videos, or music you might want to save. You’ll need to pony up $479 for 128GB, or $579 for 256GB.

A refurbished iPhone 13 or 14 is a better deal.

When will Apple release the new iPhone SE?

The new iPhone SE is expected to be released soon and could get a name change.

A new iPhone SE is expected in spring 2025. While its price could rise to $500, it’s rumored to be modeled after the iPhone 14, with a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, USB-C, a 48-megapixel rear camera, and 128GB of default storage. It should feature the A18 chip found in the iPhone 16, which may actually make it a better deal than the iPhone 15, as long as you don’t care about things like an ultra-wide lens or a Camera Control button.

If you’re trying to save money and need an iPhone right now, the iPhone 15 may be your safest bet. Try to find a refurbished one from a store like Amazon or Best Buy, if you can — there’s no sense paying full price when you can get the same specs for less, complete with warranty coverage.