The short answer
Yes, for most buyers who don't specifically need this year's camera or chip — but the case is narrower than it was a year ago, and it's worth being honest about who the iPhone 15 no longer suits well before you commit.
Who it's still a genuinely good buy for
Anyone upgrading from an iPhone 12 or older. The jump to USB-C, Dynamic Island, and a materially better camera is a real, noticeable upgrade if you're coming from a phone this old — you'll feel the difference every day, not just on a spec sheet. This is genuinely the biggest single group the 15 still suits without much debate.
Anyone who wants USB-C without paying Pro prices. This is the 15's single clearest advantage over the 14: USB-C didn't arrive on the standard line until this generation, and it's the more future-proof standard as accessories and chargers continue moving away from Lightning. If you've already replaced your other Apple accessories with USB-C equivalents, this matters more day-to-day than it might seem on paper.
Anyone who values Dynamic Island but doesn't need Pro-level performance. The 15 and 15 Plus brought this Pro-exclusive feature to the standard line for the first time, at a meaningfully lower refurbished price than a 15 Pro. If the always-on widgets and interactive notifications are what you actually want, there's no need to pay Pro prices to get them.
Anyone buying their first smartphone for a family member. The 15's combination of a modern feature set and falling refurbished price makes it a genuinely sensible pick for a teenager's first proper phone or an older relative's upgrade from a much older device — modern enough to last years, without paying flagship prices for features they may never use.
Who it's no longer the obvious choice for
Buyers who'd genuinely benefit from a newer chip. If you use your phone for anything demanding — serious gaming, heavy video editing, or you simply like to keep pace with the newest hardware — the gap between the 15's A16 and what's shipped since has widened enough that it's worth checking what a refurbished iPhone 16 costs before deciding. The performance difference is real, not marketing.
Buyers focused purely on value. If USB-C and Dynamic Island aren't personally important to you, the iPhone 14 remains the more efficient buy — you're paying a premium for the 15 generation's headline features specifically, not for a broadly better phone in every respect.
Anyone who wants the newest camera hardware regardless of cost. The 15's camera is genuinely good, but if photography is a serious priority rather than a casual one, it's worth comparing against what the 16 and 17 generations offer before assuming the 15 is "good enough" — sometimes it is, sometimes the gap matters more than expected.
The real trade-off: 15 now, or wait for 16 or 17 to fall further?
This is the honest calculation worth making before you buy. Refurbished prices fall as newer generations launch and push older stock down — an iPhone 16 or 17 refurbished unit will, in time, reach a price point closer to where the 15 sits today. If you're not in a hurry, checking current refurbished pricing across all three generations side by side is worth the five minutes it takes, since the gap between them changes constantly as stock and demand shift.
The counter-argument to waiting: refurbished stock of any given generation doesn't last forever. As a phone ages further, the best-condition units (Premium and Excellent grade) tend to become scarcer, since the pool of available devices in top condition naturally shrinks over time. If you've found a genuinely well-priced, high-grade 15 today, waiting for a 16 to fall in price isn't a risk-free strategy — it's a real trade-off between price and selection.
Compare refurbished iPhone 15, 16 and 17 prices →
What actually changes if you wait six months?
It's worth being realistic about this rather than treating "wait for it to get cheaper" as an obviously correct strategy. Refurbished pricing for any given generation tends to fall gradually rather than dramatically, and the exact pace depends on how quickly Apple's next release pushes the current one down. If your current phone is functional and not urgently in need of replacement, waiting costs you nothing except the time you'd otherwise have owned the new phone. If your current phone is failing, broken, or genuinely holding you back day to day, that cost of waiting is real and worth weighing against the money you'd save.
The GadgetRank verdict
Buy it if: you're upgrading from an iPhone 12 or older, you want USB-C and Dynamic Island without paying Pro prices, and you don't need the newest chip for demanding use.
Wait if: you can stretch to a refurbished 16 for a modest premium and want the extra headroom, or performance genuinely matters to what you use your phone for.
Skip it if: pure value is your only priority — the 14 does the essentials for less, and the 15's real advantages (USB-C, Dynamic Island) may not be worth the premium to you specifically.
Frequently asked questions
Is the iPhone 15 still supported with software updates?
Yes — Apple's typical support window suggests continued iOS updates well into the early 2030s, a genuinely long runway for a phone at this point in its lifecycle.
Should I buy the standard 15 or stretch to the 15 Pro?
This depends on whether you specifically want ProMotion's 120Hz display, the titanium frame, or the Pro camera system. If none of those matter to you, the standard 15 delivers the same core USB-C and Dynamic Island experience for meaningfully less.
Is it worth buying a refurbished iPhone 15 for a child's first phone?
Often, yes — it's modern enough to last several years of use while being considerably cheaper than a current-generation flagship, which matters given how often younger users drop or damage a first phone.
How do I know if a refurbished iPhone 15 has a healthy battery?
Check the listing for the retailer's stated battery health percentage before buying — GadgetRank's compared retailers guarantee a minimum battery health floor as standard, typically 80% or above.
Related reading: Refurbished iPhone 15 UK 2026 — full buying guide · Refurbished iPhone 14 UK 2026 · Refurbished iPhone 13 UK 2026 · Refurbished iPhone 15 vs iPhone 16 · Should I buy an iPhone 16 in 2026? · Best Phone Under £400 UK 2026 · Compare live iPhone prices · Condition grades explained
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