I tried Apple’s new iPhone comparison tool, but it didn’t convince me to upgrade

Apple’s new tool is useful, but here’s why I’m waiting

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Smartphone sales have beenon the slide in recent years, because they’ve simply become too good. Why upgrade your iPhone when it still feels perfectly functional, and there arerefurbished bargains to be had? Well,Apple’s still hoping to convince you to upgrade with its new iPhone comparison tool – though the omission of one crucial detail means I’m still sticking with my iPhone 11 Pro (for now).

Apple’s new’Reasons to upgrade’tool, spotted by9to5Mac, is actually a pretty useful summary of the real-world differences between theiPhone 15series and models going back to the iPhone 11. Rather than a sheet of specs, Apple’s tool visually spells out differences like camera resolution, storage differences and software features likeCinematic mode.

Clearly, it’s a promotional tool, so neglects to mention some of the downsides of upgrading – like the fact that the Apple Trade-In value of my iPhone 11 Pro is likely around $70 (about £55 / AU$105). Also, it’s a little galling to see USB-C touted as a reason to upgrade when Apple only belatedly added the feature on the iPhone 15 seriesafter being strong-armed by the EU.

But the tool’s visual examples are also way more useful than a spec sheet, particularly when it comes to the camera differences. For example, when comparing the iPhone 11 Pro to theiPhone 15 Pro(a move I have been considering), you get an example of the cropping potential of the latter’s 48MP sensor and a side-by-side of the stabilizing improvements delivered byAction modefor video.

On the other hand, the tool would have more potential if it let you choose the areas you want to see compared. For example, it’d be useful to see the clear size differences between models or real-world examples of battery life. Also, one detail Apple naturally neglects to mention is that it launches new iPhones every September – which means “waiting six months could be your best bet” isn’t part of the guidance.

Why I’m waiting

Despite owning a positively ancient iPhone 11 Pro, I decided toskip on the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year because I’m a photographer– and my ideal Apple smartphone is likely to be this year’siPhone 16 Pro.

As the comparison tool tells me, upgrading to aniPhone 15 Pro Maxnow would give me Apple’s 5x telephoto camera. But I’d also have to get a 6.7-inch phone, which is just a bit too big for my liking – if the rumors are true, the iPhone 16 Pro could offer that same camera in a phone with a more manageable 6.3-inch screen.

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Also, because the iPhone 15 Pro Max debuted Apple’s first 5x optical zoom, my feeling was that it could do with another year of software and hardware refinement before I’d take the leap. The 15 Pro Max is certainly still a great camera phone, which is why itwon our Phone of the year award last year, but I always prefer to wait for the second-gen versions of new features.

The added twist this year are the growing rumors thatiOS 18is going to be theiPhone’s biggest software upgradeyet. This is expected to be largely due to some AI features across the likes of Siri, Messages and more – and while Apple doesn’t often restrict software features to newer models, I like the future-proofing potential of owning an iPhone that’s been announced with those new features in mind. This tallies with new rumors that theiPhone 16 Pro’s chipset could be designed with AI mind.

So while Apple’s new iPhone comparison tool has its uses – unless you’re looking at theiPhone 13series, which is strangely omitted – I won’t be clicking Apple’s ‘buy’ button until later this year.

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Mark is TechRadar’s Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he’s contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph’s Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London’s Square Mile.

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