5 Things to Consider Before Buying iPhone 15 or 15 Pro

Thinking about buying an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max? Here are the main things to consider before you upgrade.

Everyone’s situation is a bit different, but we’ve put together a list of the top five items to cross off your checklist before you purchase an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max.

If you consider all of these things before you buy, you shouldn’t suffer from buyers remorse in the weeks or months ahead.

Storage

First, and perhaps foremost, you’ll want to decide how much storage you’ll need. This shouldn’t take very long, but it’s an extremely important step because it could potentially save you money.

Apple offers an iPhone 15 storage option for everyone, ranging from 128GB to a whopping 1TB of storage. While a lot of people will be perfectly fine with the least or most amount of storage, many others will want something in between.

Before you decide on one storage size or another, you’ll want to examine two things: The amount of storage you’re currently using on your phone and your habits.

You might be using your current phone to simply browse the internet or contact friends, but your habits might change when you upgrade to one of Apple’s powerful flagships.

Maybe you’ll play more games, use more apps, or perhaps you’ll start to shoot a lot of high-resolution photos and videos. These will take up space.

We’ve put together a guide that goes over all of the iPhone 15 storage options and it makes recommendations based on how you might use your phone.

Start there, and if you need additional help, don’t be afraid to peruse the web for more advice.

Carrier

Some of you might want to use this time to examine your data plan and/or carrier. If you’re unhappy with your current provider, here are a few things you’ll want to dig into before you buy.

Dig into the competition. If you’re on Verizon, you’ll want to take a look at carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Research their data plans and their coverage in your area. You might be able to find a better fit for you and your new iPhone.

If you plan to stay on your current carrier you’ll want to use this upgrade as an excuse to peruse the latest data plans. You might find a plan that better suits your needs and there’s even a chance you’ll be able to save yourself some money.

Color

The base iPhone 15 models come in more colors than the iPhone 15 Pro models.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are extremely colorful while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro colors are less flashy and muted. Apple’s also done away with the familiar gold option.

If you plan to use a case with your new iPhone 15, you’ll want to think about what color case you’ll use. You’ll also want to think about the case’s design. You might want to select the color that best aligns with the case you’ll be using.

Some of you ultimately might decide the color of your new device doesn’t matter since a case will be covering up most of the phone’s color.

That being said, you will notice your iPhone’s color if you plan on using a clear case and you’ll also notice the color through the case’s camera cutouts.

You’ll probably be looking at your iPhone 15 for a year or more so make sure you dig through all of the color options and find one that fits your style and/or suites your eyeballs before you make a decision.

Price

The iPhone 15 series is expensive. The cheapest model is Apple’s 128GB iPhone 15 ($799) and the price goes all the way up to $1599 for the 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max. Fortunately, you probably won’t have to pay full price.

Before you buy, make sure you shop around for iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro deals. Apple, carriers, and retailers offer generous trade-in money to offset the cost of a new iPhone 15.

Even if your current phone looks like it recently got run over by a train, you still might be able to recoup some of the cost if you look around. Check sites like Gazelle before you give up.

If you can’t or don’t want to trade your phone in, there are other ways to make the iPhone 15’s price an easier pill to swallow.

You may be able to find a price cut at a carrier or retailer, but don’t expect the world right now. If you’re desperate, it might be a good idea to wait a little bit longer. We should see price cuts emerge as the year goes on.

You can also opt to pay for your phone in installments to offset the upfront cost of the device. Make sure you read all of the fine print before you take this route.

Alternatives

Even if you’re dead set on buying an iPhone 15 or 15 Pro, make sure you take a look at the best iPhone 15 alternatives on the market. Go hands-on if you can.

If you’re determined to stay in Apple’s ecosystem, make sure you examine the iPhone 14 series, the iPhone SE 3, and perhaps even the iPhone 13 series. While older, these devices might suit your needs, and/or bank account, better than an iPhone 15.

And if you’re aren’t married to the iPhone, you’ll want to check out phones outside of Apple’s ecosystem. Devices like Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series are top notch competitors and shouldn’t be dismissed.

We’ve also released a guide that covers some of the top iPhone 15 Pro alternatives and it’s worth a look if need direction.