iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Plus: Which phone should you buy?

• Great entry-level phone

  

  iPhone 15

  SoC

  Apple A16 Bionic

  Display

  6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR

  Storage

  128GB, 256GB, 512GB

  Battery

  3,349mAh

  Ports

  USB-C

  Operating System

  iOS 17

  The iPhone 15 is the base model of the 2023 iPhone lineup. It offers a 6.1-inch screen and the same A16 Bionic chipset found in the iPhone 14 Pro. Plus, it features an IP68 rating and a very capable camera setup.

  Pros & Cons

  • Powerful A16 Bionic chipset
  • 48MP main camera
  • Gorgeous 6.1-inch screen

  • USB-C limited to USB 2.0 speeds
  • Less battery life than the iPhone 15 Plus

  $730 at Best Buy

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• Larger, more powerful

  

  iPhone 15 Plus

  SoC

  Apple A16 Bionic

  Display

  6.7-inch OLED Super Retina XDR

  Storage

  128GB, 256GB, 512GB

  Battery

  4,383mAh

  Ports

  USB-C

  Operating System

  iOS 17

  The iPhone 15 Plus is the larger base model of the 2023 iPhone lineup. It offers a 6.7-inch screen but the same A16 Bionic chipset and camera setup. It has slightly more battery life than the base model iPhone 15, and it has a larger 6.7-inch screen.

  Pros & Cons

  • Powerful A16 Bionic chipset
  • 48MP main camera
  • Larger 6.7-inch display

  • USB-C limited to USB 2.0 speeds
  • Slightly bulkier than the iPhone 15

  $930 at Best Buy

  Expand Collapse

Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus at its 2023 event. Much like previous generations, Apple has a base iteration, a Plus variant, and a Pro lineup for its flagship smartphone. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus may not be top-of-the-line models, but they still offer plenty to like. In fact, many features found on last year's Pro have now made it to the base lineup, including Dynamic Island support. So, which should you choose?

iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Plus: Price, specs, and availability

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are available for purchase from Apple, cellular providers like AT&T and Verizon, and third-party retailers, including Best Buy. Both models come in Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green, and Black. The iPhone 15 starts at $730 for the 128GB model and goes up to $1,099 for 512GB. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Plus starts at $899 for 128GB and tops off at $1,199 for 512GB. These debut prices are the same as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus's launch prices. Additionally, eligible trade-ins and incentives may net you around $800 to $1000 off, depending on the model and where you buy the phone.

• 	iPhone 15	iPhone 15 Plus
  SoC	Apple A16 Bionic	Apple A16 Bionic
  Display	6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR	6.7-inch OLED Super Retina XDR
  Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB
  Ports	USB-C	USB-C
  Operating System	iOS 17	iOS 17
  Front camera	12MP TrueDepth camera	12MP TrueDepth camera
  Dimensions	5.81x2.82x0.31 inches (147.6x71.6x7.8mm)	6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches (160.9 x 77.8 x 7.80 mm)
  Colors	Blue, pink, yellow, green, black	Blue, pink, yellow, green, black
  Weight	6.02 ounces (171 g)	7.09 ounces (201 g)
  IP Rating	IP68	IP68
  Price	$799	$899
  GPU	5-core GPU	5-core GPU

Design and build

Looks are subjective, but there are some objective similarities between the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. They actually look very similar, except for their size, weight, and battery capacity. If you want a more compact phone, go for the 6.1-inch iPhone 15, but if you want a larger display, choose the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus. Note the latter is heavier — about 1 ounce — which might make a difference to you. You'll also likely want a great case for either one to protect their glass bodies from scratches and drops, which might add to the overall weight and size.

We noticed one key difference between this iteration and last year's iPhone 14, however. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus feature slightly tapered edges, which make them more comfortable to hold. The edges don't dig into your hands, and everyday actions like one-handed use are much easier as a result.

Both phones look similar to their forerunners, but Apple claims that all the color variations of this phone use a special process that embeds the color within the glass back. Both models use an aluminum frame. All variations feature a matte finish. On the back are the two cameras, and around the front, you'll see the notch where the Dynamic Island expands from and where the selfie camera resides. We found the frosted glass back was smooth and felt great to hold, but we didn't notice it being slippery or awkward to grasp.

Display

The display is really where these two phones differ most, and even then, it's not by much. The base model features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, while the iPhone 15 Plus has a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display. Both are OLED and feature True Tone, haptic touch, and max out at 2,000 nits of brightness, which is brighter than the iPhone 14. Both also support the Dynamic Island feature first introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro. We found that the iPhone 15 can stay at its maximum brightness a bit longer with no thermal throttling, which is actually slightly better than the iPhone 14 Pro.

Since both displays are identical in all but size, it comes down to your personal preference. The 6.7-inch display will give you more room for scrolling and opening apps, but the smaller screen will be easier to hold and navigate.

Performance and software

Both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will feature iOS 17 and have the same internals, so they should run it similarly. One handy feature of iOS 17, for instance, is the ability to share content just by holding two phones next to each other. They both feature an A16 Bionic chip — the same one from the iPhone 14 Pro series — which consists of a 6-core CPU, a 5-core GPU, and a 16-core neural engine. That chipset made the iPhone 14 Pro one of the best phones out there, and while it has been superseded with the A17 Pro in the new Pro models, it's still quite powerful.

We had no complaints when we tested this chipset last year. And in our testing of the iPhone 15, we had no complaints, either. The phone performed well and was only about 13% slower than the new iPhone 15 Pro, which is quite incredible when you consider the Pro model has a brand-new chip.

In less technical terms, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus both use their chip and machine learning capabilities for processing images, including adjusting focus. New this year is a feature that can turn a regular shot into a portrait after you take it and switch focus between people in a shot.

Again, there's a tie here because the internals are the same. You should not see too many snags or slowdowns with either model.

Battery capacity is the only other major difference besides screen size for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. The latter boasts a slightly larger battery, and as a result, it's rated to last up to 26 hours when playing video, while the iPhone 15 lasts up to 20. Other than that, however, both phones use USB-C to charge, a welcome departure from Apple's proprietary Lightning connector. In real-world use, we found the iPhone 15 lasted to around 10 p.m. after a day of normal use, and the iPhone 15 Plus will likely last a bit longer than that, given it has a slightly larger battery.

Both phones also feature wireless charging capabilities via MagSafe and Qi, and both allow fast charging using a 20W or higher charger. As expected, you have to buy the adapter separately.

Camera

Another tie, as you've come to expect by now. Both of these phones have the same camera setup. On the back, you'll find a 48MP f/1.6 sensor and an ultrawide 12MP f/2.4 sensor. Both feature Smart HDR 5 and advanced portrait capabilities, which means low-light shots and images of people are likely to turn out great. As mentioned, these phones can use their advanced chipset to help your photos look better, too.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus both use a quad-pixel sensor and have 2x telephoto capabilities. Note that this is not a telephoto lens. Instead, the iPhone 15 uses a cut-down image using sensor cropping from its 48MP sensor. Still, it looks great and is high-quality. Both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus can do this, and both can capture shots at 0.5x, 1x, and 2x zoom. You can also capture 4K video at 24, 25, 30, or 60 FPS. The selfie camera takes 12MP shots and also features advanced portrait effects and Smart HDR 5. It can capture 4K video at the same FPS rates as the rear camera as well.

We liked pretty much every shot we took during our testing. Even though the iPhone 15 does not have a true telephoto lens, its 2x shots were clear and detailed. In fact, the photos this phone took were comparable to the iPhone 14 Pro in many ways.

iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Plus: Which is right for you?

After taking a look at all of their features, it's clear that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are pretty evenly matched. The latter is slightly heavier but comes with added battery life and a larger display, but those are the only real differences between them. Respectively, they start at $799 and $899 in the U.S. If you want to save some cash or want a lighter, more compact option and don't mind slightly less battery life, opt for the iPhone 15.

If price is no object, or you want to squeeze out more battery capacity, then go for the iPhone 15 Plus. You get up to 26 hours of continuous video playback and a bigger 6.7-inch screen. Just keep in mind it's slightly bulkier and heavier.