Apple has offered consumers a product comparison tool for years that works for each device Apple makes. Just tap on the Compare menu item to compare current models to previous ones. It’s a great tool if you want a quick look at all the specs and features of new products. It allows you to spot the upgrades easily.
The comparison page is especially useful for the iPhone, as it lets you compare Apple’s newest phones with older generations. Apple has released an even better tool to help you decide whether you need a new iPhone.
Called Why Upgrade/Reasons to Upgrade, the new tool complements the iPhone comparison page by giving you a better look at all the reasons to pick one of the latest phones over a previous-gen model.
With every iPhone release, longtime owners like myself often wonder whether they should upgrade. You don’t need to upgrade every year, even if your budget can take the hit. Most people do not upgrade even after two years of using the same iPhone models. The trend in the industry is to keep smartphones for much longer than we used to.
I’m currently using an iPhone 14 Pro, which was a big upgrade over the iPhone X that I held on to for five years. I skipped the iPhone 15 series, as I said I would. But I will most likely get an iPhone 16 phone, with AI being a big reason for my upgrade. I will say that I could probably score another year out of this iPhone 14 Pro with ease, given how good it is.
As you can see, talking about upgrading iPhones comes naturally to me because I’ve been doing it for years. It’s part of my job. I’m helping others who might not follow everything that’s happening in the tech world as closely.
Some people might prefer a simpler look, like Apple’s compare tool, which only lists the specs and features of each model. They will probably love the Reasons to Upgrade tool. The page puts the big upgrades in a different perspective without going overboard with information.
Rather than just comparing the camera specs, you get practical examples. The same goes for video capture. Apple’s tool is interactive, as you can examine different camera samples and play animations or videos for some demos.
Apple highlights other big differences between old models and the newest iPhone generation. The screen’s Dynamic Island, the faster processor, the phone’s durability, and connectivity improvements (USB-C and faster 5G for the iPhone 15 models) are some of them.
Finally, the Reasons to Upgrade page also gives you an estimate of the trade-in value for your current iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 model when upgrading to a new iPhone 15 version.
There is a downside here. The tool isn’t as complete as the Compare iPhone option. You can only compare two old iPhone series (iPhone 11 and iPhone 12) to the iPhone 15 series.
You can pick one of the seven old iPhones from the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 series and compare it to one of the four iPhone 15 models. That’s the ideal upgrade Apple is pushing here. It wants you to buy one of the newest devices. Apple also sells the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 series for cheaper prices. But your Reasons to Upgrade tool doesn’t support those.
I’ll also add that if you own an iPhone older than the iPhone 11, you probably don’t need a comparison tool. Upgrading to an iPhone 13 or later is a no-brainer, especially if the battery is acting up. You’ll get a better performance across the board, whether it’s the display, camera, processor, or cellular connectivity.
That said, Apple’s new comparison website only covers the basics. If you want more information on the newest iPhones, check out our iPhone 15 Pro review, iPhone 15 review, and our iPhone 15 Plus review.
