Apple's new iPhone 15 is here. Is it worth your money to upgrade?
Another September iPhone event has come and gone, and we have officially reached the iPhone 15. The newest Apple smartphone brings a stellar camera, the Dynamic Island for all, and finally, a USB-C port.
If the shiny new features of Apple's latest drop are making you second-guess a firm decision not to upgrade your phone (same, tbh), or leaving you confused as to when you should upgrade and to what iPhone, worry not. We're here with an iPhone 14 vs iPhone 15 comparison to give you all the info you need to make smart shopping decisions.
What's new with the iPhone 15
First and foremost, we officially have a pink iPhone. For some people, that might be the only reason they need to upgrade, and we respect that.
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For everyone else, the iPhone 15 does have a slew of other new features (unlike last year, when we basically just got the iPhone 13 with very minor upgrades).
Let's start with the basics (that haven't changed). You have your choice between the iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Plus, with the former clocking in at a 6.1-inch display, and the latter at a 6.7-inch display — same deal as the iPhone 14. There has been a change with the display brightness, as it now maxes out at 2,000 nits, which is double that of the iPhone 14 (in other words, bright sunlight won't be as much of a barrier to actually seeing what's on your screen).
Now, the major changes: With the 15, you won't have to go Pro to get access to the Dynamic Island, or a 48-megapixel main camera, which is a huge improvement on the 12-megapixel main camera of the iPhone 14. These features, as well as the others on the phone, are powered by an A16 Bionic chip, which was the same chip in the iPhone 14 Pro.
Of course, the other big change is that iPhone 15 users can bid their Lightning chargers a (not so) fond farewell, as Apple has finally made the switch to USB-C chargers.
The iPhone 15 also comes in five colorways, as compared to the iPhone 14's six available colorways. Instead of the bright choices of the 14, the 15 went for pastel tones, lost the Product(RED) colorway, and added in the aforementioned pink iPhone.
iPhone 15 price vs iPhone 14 price
So with all these actual changes and improvements to last year's model, the question looms — has there been a price hike? Absolutely not. Like the iPhone 14 on its release day, the iPhone 15 starts at $799. Here's the full price breakdown of it the the iPhone 15:
iPhone 15 — Starting at $799
iPhone 15 Plus — Starting at $899
The more premium iPhone 15 Pro is hitting the market at the same price as the iPhone 14 Pro did at $999. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, however, will be $100 more expensive than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but only because Apple has done away with the 128GB starting model, and will instead start Pro Max users out with double the storage at 256GB. Following suit with the iPhone 15, the Pro's display measures in at 6.1-inches, and the Pro Max at 6.7-inches. Here's how it all prices out:
iPhone 15 Pro — Starting at $999
iPhone 15 Pro Max — Starting at $1,199
The Pro and Pro Max will also come with the brand new A17 Pro chip, and a significantly improved camera from last year's Pro models. The camera will also be able to capture Spatial Video, a special three-dimensional video meant to be viewed on Apple's upcoming Vision Pro.
iPhone 14 price drops
Like last year, the latest iPhone releases have meant that the previous generation gets a price cut. At the time of writing, you can grab the iPhone 14 for the following prices:
iPhone 14 — Starting at $699, formerly $799
iPhone 14 Plus - Starting at $799, formerly $899
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max have been removed from the Apple store, and while you can still find them at carriers like Verizon and AT&T, their prices haven't been slashed at all. In other words, if you're looking to go for an ultra-powered Pro model, you're best off grabbing the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max.
Who should upgrade to the iPhone 15?
Honestly, anyone with an older iPhone would probably be better off with the iPhone 15. It includes several upgrades that were exclusive the the 14's Pro line, including the Dynamic Island and impressive camera. Plus, the USB-C port means it's more future-proofed.
If you can spring the cash, we'd definitely say the extra $100 is justified. However, we'll be keeping an eye out for any iPhone 14 deals that make the older phone more budget-friendly, and therefore, worth picking up over the new model.
How to preorder the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro
All new iPhone 15s, including the Pro models, will be available for preorder starting Friday, Sept. 15, and will officially release on Friday, Sept. 22. At the time of writing, preorders are open only on Apple's website, though we expect carriers to follow soon.
Bethany Allard is a Los Angeles-based shopping reporter at Mashable covering beauty tech, dating, sex and relationships, and headphones. That basically means she puts her hair through a lot, scrolls through a lot of dating apps, and rotates through a lot of different headphones. In addition to testing out and rounding up the best products, she also covers deals for Mashable, paying an especially obsessive amount of attention to Apple deals and prices. That knowledge comes in handy when she's covering shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, which she's now done for three years at Mashable.
