The iPhone 15 is here and it brings quite a few drastic changes. The 11-year-old Lightning charging port has been replaced with USB-C, the infamous notch at the top of the screen is gone to make way for the Dynamic Island, and on iPhone 15 Pro models the long-lived mute switch has been phased out for a programmable action button. It is much! But which iPhone 15 model suits you best? And does each model have enough improvements to make an upgrade worth the money? If you’ve had these questions since Apple introduced the new devices, don’t worry, I’m here to help. Below I break down the differences between all four iPhone 15 models, which one is best for you, and whether you should upgrade at all.
For more Apple recommendations, check out our best MagSafe accessories, best Apple 3-in-1 chargers, and best MagSafe power banks. We will soon be testing the devices and iPhone 15 cases.
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Should I upgrade to the iPhone 15?
Our general answer to this question is actually a question we ask you: is your current smartphone doing a good job? If it works fine and you are still receiving software updates, the answer is no. This is especially true if you have an iPhone 13 or iPhone 14: they are still quite recent! If you are having issues with battery life but everything else is fine, you may want to consider a battery replacement for a small fee first. We also have a guide to repairing your iPhone that you might find useful.
This year, however, our standard response is also slightly different. Apple has changed the charging port on the iPhone 15 series from Lightning to USB-C. If you have a bunch of USB-C devices and hate having to keep track of a separate Lightning cable, then the convenience might be worth the price of an upgrade. Lightning accessories won’t disappear overnight, but it’s also not worth investing more in as more and more accessory makers will stick strictly to USB-C.
If you’ve decided to upgrade, be sure to read our guide on selling your iPhone. You can use Apple’s trade-in program, but you can probably make more money by selling a device yourself. Always backup your iPhone first and then reset it to factory settings to erase your data. When you get your new smartphone, read our guide on setting up your new iPhone for more tips and tricks.
Choose your iPhone
The iPhone 15 range includes the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are exactly the same, apart from their size and battery life. Unfortunately, the two Pro models have one major difference other than size, but we’ll get to that below. They all come with a 60-watt braided USB-C to USB-C cable in the box.