The iPhone 15 is now available in four different versions. If you have an iPhone 11, you might feel that now is the time to make the switch. Let’s discuss whether you should do it right now.
About the iPhone 15
The iPhone 15 is this popular device’s fifteenth generation. It has some new features and upgrades that set it apart from the last iPhone to hit the market.
iPhone 15 Models
The iPhone 15
- 128 GBs of storage: $799 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $33.29 per month
- 256 GBs of storage: $899 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $37.45
- 512 GBs of storage: $1099 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $45.79
- These three iPhone 15 versions have a 6.1-inch screen.
- Your color options include green, pink, blue, black, and yellow.
- You also get a USB-C charging cable with purchase.
The iPhone 15 Plus
- 128 GBs of storage: $899 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $37.45 per month
- 256 GBs of storage: $999 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $41.62
- 512 GBs of storage: $1199 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $49.95
- These three iPhone 15s have a 6.7-inch screen, instead of a 6.1-inch one.
- Your color options include blue, yellow, green, black, and pink.
- You get a USB-C charging cable with purchase.
The iPhone 15 Pro
- 128 GBs of storage: $999 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $41.62 per month
- 256 GBs of storage: $1099 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $45.79
- 512 GBs of storage: $1299 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $54.12
- 1 TB of storage: $1499 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $62.45
- These four iPhone 15 Pro versions come with 6.1-inch screens.
- Your color options include black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and blue titanium.
- You receive a USB-C charging cable with purchase.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max
- 256 GBs of storage: $1199 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $49.96 per month
- 512 GBs of storage: $1399 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $58.29
- 1 TB of storage: $1599 on the Apple site, or 24 payments of $66.62
- These three iPhone Pro Max versions come with 6.7-inch screens, rather than 6.1-inch ones.
- Your color options include natural titanium, black titanium, white titanium, and blue titanium.
- You receive a USB-C charging cable with purchase.
iPhone 15 Standout Features
- A16 Bionic Chips: The just released iPhone models come with A16 bionic chips. These give you graphics more vivid than what previous models could produce. Faster website loading and not as much lag time with non-native apps are additional features. The processing time these chips give you is faster than what you’d see with outdated models.
- Dynamic Island: iPhone 15s showcase the Dynamic Island. This is a feature that enhances a phone user’s live activities. When you utilize an application on the iPhone 15, you will immediately notice additional details that show what’s going on with it in real time. You can use it when establishing Airdrop connections, using maps, playing songs from your library, and more.
- USB-C Charging Port: The iPhone 15s have gotten rid of the lightning ports that older iPhones had. That means you no longer need lightning cables, either. Instead, you’ll see a USB-C charging port that connects to any USB-C charging cable.
- Satellite-Connected Roadside Assistance: iPhone 15s all come with satellite Roadside Assistance that can connect you with AAA if you ever have car trouble. This functionality even works in places where there’s no Wi-Fi, and you can’t get a cellular connection.
- Improved Portrait-Taking Ability: iPhone 15s can take better portraits than previous iPhone versions. You needn’t switch to the device’s portrait mode for vibrant colors, professional-quality low-light performance, and beautifully rendered details.
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max Exclusives
- The New Titanium Composition: The Pro and Pro Max versions of the iPhone 15 have a new aerospace grade titanium design. It’s the identical alloy that NASA uses for its missions to Mars. Titanium has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, which means a noticeably lighter smartphone.
Who Should and Shouldn’t Make the Switch from the iPhone 11 to the iPhone 15?
Here’s a quick look at who should and shouldn’t consider upgrading. We’ll get into more depth later in the article.
Who Should Consider Upgrading
- Anyone Who Drives a Lot: Your new iPhone will come with a satellite Roadside Assistance feature that connects you to AAA. That feature does not come with the iPhone 11.
- Someone Who Wants a New Phone Color: The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max come with four exclusive titanium color choices. You won’t get anything that looks like that with the iPhone 11. The other two iPhone 15 models also have some color choices you can’t get with the 11s.
- Anyone Who Wants to Explore the Dynamic Island: All iPhone 15s have the Dynamic Island feature. That didn’t exist yet when the iPhone 11 came out.
- Dedicated Photographers: If you like taking pictures a lot for your work or pleasure, the new camera features of the iPhone 15 are guaranteed to impress you. The pictures you can take with the iPhone 11 won’t look anywhere near as good.
- Anyone Wanting to Ditch the Lightning Port for Good: iPhone 15 owners can finally use a USB-C cable and port for phone charging. You’re stuck using the lightning port and cable with the iPhone 11.
- Anyone Tired of Dealing with Slow-Loading Websites and Apps: The A16 bionic chip you get with the iPhone 15s are capable of loading websites faster than the iPhone 11. Video game lovers can expect better gameplay, and non-native apps should speed up and perform better.
- Anyone Who Wants a Lighter Phone: The titanium alloy making up the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max makes them lighter than the iPhone 11.
Who Shouldn’t Bother Upgrading
- iPhone Owners Who Don’t Mind Their Device’s Color and Weight
- Anyone Who Doesn’t Need Roadside Assistance or Doesn’t Drive
- Phone Owners Who Don’t Feel They’ll Use the Dynamic Island
- iPhone Owners Who Don’t Care About Taking Pictures
- Anyone Who Doesn’t Mind Having a Phone with a Lightning Port
- Phone Owners Who Don’t Have a Lot of Spare Cash Right Now
- Anyone Who is Content with Their Current Phone’s Performance and Speed
iPhone 11 owners can also upgrade to the iPhone 12, 13, or 14 if you want a more recent model, but you don’t think paying for an iPhone 15 is justified now. The iPhone 12, 13, and 14 will all be discounted, and you can find some great deals. Check Amazon, eBay, and brick-and-mortar store locations to find the one that seems right for your situation.
Should You Switch from the iPhone 11 to 15?
The iPhone 11 is four generations behind the 15. That means many upgrades have been made. Switching is a decision you should weigh carefully, though, so let’s talk about some factors that might go into it.
Would You Like to Try the Dynamic Island?
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max had the Dynamic Island. Apple seems to feel that it was popular enough to justify making it standard with the iPhone 15s. The iPhone 11 doesn’t have anything like it. The next-gen tech that this feature represents might tempt some current iPhone 11 users to make the switch.
Dynamic Island makes a pill-shaped cutout pop up on your screen when you use apps. You might have a use for it when doing time tracking, keeping up with live sports scores, checking a rideshare status, and more.
Are You a Frequent Driver?
The Roadside Assistance backed by AAA that you get with the iPhone 15s will certainly come in handy for some people. The iPhone 11 doesn’t have that. If you take long road trips frequently or driving is a part of your professional life, then there may come a time when you require this feature. Maybe you’ll never need it, but it’s nice to think that it’s there if you do.
Ready for a New Phone Color?
Phone color matters a lot to some cell phone users, and others not as much. If you’re in that first category, though, this could be a reason to upgrade from the iPhone 11 to the 15. If you go with either of the two basic iPhone 15 models, you can select pink, black, green, blue, or yellow. If you spring for the Pro or Pro Max, you can choose any of the titanium-based color options.
The colors of the iPhone 11 included black, white, red, yellow, purple, and green, so there are some different choices with the 15s if you’re ready for something new.
Do Better Performance and Speed Appeal to You?
The iPhone 15s feature the A16 bionic chip. You will see it in action when websites you like to visit load much faster than the iPhone 11 is capable of. If you don’t like waiting while your phone loads your favorite sites, an upgrade is definitely worth considering.
The sharper graphics are also a perk that’s worth mentioning with the A16 bionic chip. If you like playing video games on your phone, the difference will be noticeable immediately. The non-native apps on your iPhone 15 will also perform better than the same app would on an iPhone 11.
Do You Feel Your iPhone is Too Heavy?
You might like carrying your iPhone with you when you go out for a jog or when you run errands. If so, you may feel like the iPhone 11 weighs down your pants or jacket pocket.
With the Pro or Pro Max version of the iPhone 15, this should cease being a problem. The titanium composition of these two versions is lighter than the anodized aluminum and glass that make up the iPhone 11.
Do You Like the Idea of USB-C Charging?
The iPhone 15 is the model that has finally switched over from the lightning port and cable to USB-C charging. The iPhone 11, like so many other iPhones, could not charge using a USB-C port and cable.
Some consumers might not care about that, but it’s a big deal to others. If you’re ready to say goodbye to the lightning port and cable, the time has come to make the switch.
Would You Like a Brighter Screen?
Individuals with visual impairments will almost certainly like the iPhone 15 better than the iPhone 11. That is because it has gone from 625 nits in regular mode and 1100 nits in peak mode to 2000 with the new iPhones.
The number of nits a screen has refers to how bright it can get. In other words, the screen of the iPhone 15 can get nearly twice as bright as that of the iPhone 11. Anyone who doesn’t see so well should strongly consider switching.
Do You Want a Much Better Camera?
The iPhone 15’s camera is better than what you get with the iPhone 11, hands down. The iPhone 11 came with a 12MP wide-angle lens that was one of the best on the market when it came out. Time marches on, though, and the iPhone 15 has a 48MP one.
You can take pictures that are noticeably sharper with it. The colors are richer, and the detail is crisp and clear.
Which iPhone 15 Will Work Best for You?
- iPhone 15: The iPhone 15 has the Dynamic Island feature and the A16 bionic chip. It has an improved camera, the USB-C connector, and Roadside Assistance. You’ll get most of the new features with it that Apple is advertising, but you can pay less than you would for the other three models.
- iPhone 15 Plus: If you’re visually impaired, then the larger 6.7-inch screen that comes with the iPhone 15 Plus will probably make a big difference to you. You get all the features we mentioned with the regular iPhone 15 as well.
- iPhone 15 Pro: The iPhone 15 Pro has everything the first two versions do, but you also get the titanium that makes your new phone lighter. You get some different color options, and you can also get the version with 1 storage TB. You can’t say the same for the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus.
- iPhone 15 Pro Max: The Pro Max is loaded with all the same features you get with the Pro. The only difference is the larger 6.7-inch screen. If you want everything this generation of iPhone offers, and a bigger screen as well, this is the right selection.
Options for Funding Your Upgrade
Buyback Boss
Buyback Boss will buy your used cell phone, and you can put the cash we give you toward the purchase of a new one. You simply ship the phone to us, we assess it, and we can pay you via PayPal or send you a check through the mail.
We’re an excellent option if you have a broken or damaged iPhone. We will also accept multiple devices simultaneously if you have any additional ones lying around. This choice works best if you aren’t still paying off your phone via a cellular service contract.
Click here to get an instant offer on your phone (with no obligation to sell).
A Trade-In Via the Apple Site
Apple will gladly let you do a trade-in on its website. You’ll just mention what condition your current device is in and send it to them. They will subtract its value from the cost of your new iPhone 15. You can also take your phone to a brick-and-mortar Apple store if there’s one close by.
These aren’t bad options, though Apple will not take your old iPhone if it’s broken or not in very good condition.
Carrier Trade-Ins
The various cell phone service providers out there are always happy to do a trade-in for your current cell phone, though they will usually require that you lock yourself into a service contract. These contracts are often for two years, or sometimes three.
This isn’t a bad option if you don’t mind committing to a service contract and you own your current iPhone free and clear. Make sure you shop around and compare the deals being offered by the carriers in your area before you sign anything.
Free iPhone Offers
Usually, whenever a new iPhone model comes out, you’ll get lots of spam emails and see lots of popups claiming you can get a free one. It’s best not to pursue these. They are nearly always scams trying to collect your data, and sometimes steal your identity as well.
Conclusion
Now you should have a good idea of whether trading in your iPhone 11 for one of the new 15s makes sense. Since the current iPhone is four generations removed from the 11, it’s more than likely time for an upgrade. Consider everything we mentioned in this article and act accordingly. Hopefully you will be fully satisfied with your new iPhone.
