Summary
- iPhone 15 offers modern features like a great camera, the same display as the iPhone 16, and long battery life for a reasonable price in 2025.
- The A17 Bionic chip on the iPhone 15 provides exceptional performance for everyday tasks. It also supports iOS 18.
- The only downside to buying the iPhone 15 is missing on Apple Intelligence. If you’re fine with it, you can go with the iPhone 15 without having any second thoughts.
If you want to purchase a new iPhone but don’t want to spend more on the latest models, the iPhone 15 could be a great option for you. Here’s how the phone stands its ground in 2025.
The iPhone 15 Doesn’t Look Outdated
Apple hasn’t changed the dimensions or materials of its regular iPhones in a while. Between the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 15, the rear camera module helps differentiate between the phones. Had it not been for the vertically-aligned camera sensors on the newer iPhone, we wouldn’t be discussing this aspect at all.
Going with the iPhone 15, you’ll still get five subtle yet beautiful color options to choose from, including black, glue, green, yellow, and pink.
The iPhone 15 Shares a Screen With the iPhone 16
Even in 2025, the iPhone 15 has a lot going for it. For instance, 2023’s flagship has the same display as its successor, the iPhone 16. Both phones share the Super Retina XDR OLED panel with a pixel resolution of 460 ppi and a disappointing refresh rate of 60Hz. Even the peak brightness (1,600 nits for HDR and 2,000 for outdoor usage) is the same across both phones.
You also get the Dynamic Island (released initially with the iPhone 14 Pro) on both iPhones. The only thing the iPhone 16 offers, in addition, is its ability to dim the screen to one nit of brightness, which helps use the phone in poorly lit environments, but you can imitate similar results on the iPhone 15 by reducing its white points (it’s an Accessibility setting).
Other than that, there’s nothing about the iPhone 15’s screen that makes it feel outdated or old.
The A17 Bionic Chip Is Still Highly Capable
While the iPhone 15 stands right next to the latest iPhone in terms of display, it runs behind in a key aspect: the system-on-a-chip (SoC). 2023’s model features the A16 Bionic chipset, which offers enough computational power to edit 4K videos or run video games at the highest graphical settings.
Even though the processor came out in 2022, its GeekBench scores are comparable to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which debuted in 2023 on Android handsets. Despite all of that, Apple has decided not to release the GenAI features (marketed as Apple Intelligence) on the iPhone 15, and even I agree that this could be a potential downside for those who wish to try the new features.
But if you can look past that, the iPhone 15’s CPU and GPU performance won’t disappoint at all. You don’t get the Apple Intelligence features, but you can still use the new iOS 18 features, which include a revamped Control Center, customizable home/lock screen, RCS support for Messages, the ability to hide apps without downloading a third-party app, and so on.
Further, Apple should push at least three to four major iOS updates for the device, given the company’s excellent track record. With iOS 18, Apple retired the iPhone X and iPhone 8, which came out in 2017. In other words, the phones received the latest iOS updates for a good six years.
48MP Primary Camera Shoot Great Pictures
The iPhone 15 features a 48MP (f/1.6) primary camera (similar to the iPhone 16), and even though the camera resolution is set to 24MP by default, you can use the JPEG MAX button in the Camera app to utilize all the additional pixels. The pictures are super sharp, with balanced colors and excellent dynamic range.
The phone also features a 12MP (f/2.4) ultrawide camera, which captures great photos. In regard to video recording, the iPhone 15 can record 4K Dolby Vision videos at up to 60 fps both from the rear and the 12MP (f/1.9) front camera. Moreover, the iPhone 15’s camera system is similar to that of the iPhone 16.
It’s just the Camera Control button on the side and the ultrawide camera’s macro shooting ability that tilt the scales slightly in favor of the iPhone 16. But to be very honest, I hardly ever use these features on my iPhone 16, so I can easily recommend the iPhone 15 in 2025.
The iPhone 15 Lasts an Entire Day with Moderate Usage
According to Apple, the iPhone 15 can provide up to 20 hours of offline video playback (offline) and up to 80 hours of audio playback on a single charge. Further, the phone charges up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter. You also get support for MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging (15W).
These numbers, right here, are similar to those on the new iPhone 16. If you can compromise on the 25W MagSafe charging on the latest version, you can save some money and settle with the iPhone 15.
In our review of the iPhone 15, How-To Geek’s Corbin Davenport mentions getting five hours and 20 minutes of screen-on time while still having around 30-35% charge left before plugging the phone back in.
Price and Availability
The baseline iPhone 15 (128GB) is available on Apple’s website for $699. If you want more storage, you can get the 256GB variant for $799.
However, you can get the base variant on Best Buy for as low as $579.99 (with immediate activation). The iPhone 15 (256GB) is available on the e-commerce platform for $679.99.
Should You Upgrade to iPhone 15?
I’d recommend the iPhone 15 to anyone who is using an iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 in 2025 and wants to upgrade to a modern yet affordable iPhone variant.
Of course, if you want to get your hands on the new Apple Intelligence features, you’ll have to go with the iPhone 16. But if that’s not the case, I don’t see why the iPhone 15 shouldn’t be on anyone’s smartphone shopping list in 2025.
If you’ve been an Android user for the longest time and wish to get your first iPhone, the iPhone 15 could be a great entry point into the Apple ecosystem. Anyone using a two or three-year-old Android flagship should consider the iPhone 15 a viable option.
What About a New or Refurbished iPhone 15 Pro?
The iPhone 15 Pro offers quite a few advantages over the vanilla version. First, the phone features a titanium frame, giving it a more premium feel. Second, it comes with a ProMotion display (variable refresh rate) and supports the always-on functionality.
Under the hood, the iPhone 15 Pro runs on the A17 Pro chip, which offers enough computational power to run the Apple Foundation Models, which form the basis of the on-device GenAI features. Hence, if Apple Intelligence is a priority for you, you can look at a new or refurbished iPhone 15 Pro model.
The iPhone 15 Pro models sport a third telephoto camera, allowing you to zoom in on a distant subject. Last but not least, the models have a faster USB-C connector that supports up to 10 Gb/s data transferring speeds.
You can easily find a refurbished iPhone 15 Pro on platforms like Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon. Alternatively, you can purchase the phone from someone you know who has handled the phone with care. On the other hand, if you wish to get a new iPhone 15 Pro, Best Buy has a listing for you at $899.99 (if you activate the phone at the time of purchase with either AT&T or Verizon).
If you’re moving to the iPhone 15, you might also want to know more about the cost of setting up an Apple ecosystem in 2025.