Exchanging Iphone 13 pro max with basic 15, will it worth doing this?

15 battery be less than 13 pro max. The 15 will not give you muc compare to 15. However you decide. Is your choice. I would not do so. If you want to get another phone just check with your phone company to see if you can trade it.

Yes. the 16 will be able to use AI and the new features that came out with iOS 18 and up.

Whatever you decide, just be absolutely sure that the device you are receiving works as intended and is not cracked/chipped/dented, or otherwise in disrepair, less you end up with a shiny new paperweight.

iphone 13 pro max is worth way much more than the vanilla iphone 15, even though the 13 pro max is a much older phone. that tells you all you need to know.

by the way, i just hate entry level phones, especially apple phones. all apple phones are priced at super premium, so buying any apple phone is paying premium for an entry level phone, i just don't like the feeling. if one doesn't have a choice but paying premium price, at least get something good, like top of the line product.

16 is much better. Better procesor, more ram, and ability to use AI.

Hi Ramy,

Generally, I would think the iPhone 16 would give you a better experience than the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Especially if you are at all interested in Apple Intelligence, either now or in the future. However, if battery life is your top concern, I would be a little more hesitant to recommend trading your 13 Pro Max for an iPhone 16 as the iPhone 16 has a smaller battery. You mentioned your current phone being at 84% battery capacity, though, so a new iPhone 16 (even with a smaller battery) might still give you better battery life.

Here are a few more things to consider.
1. If you get a trade-in from your carrier, depending on the phone’s condition, that alone may bring the price down to something reasonable. However, in order to do the exchange, you will need to pay off the current phone, and then pay the cost of the trade-in. Additionally, if you want a certain storage, such as 128GB over the basic 64GB you might get if you wanted the lowest cost, those preferences can also raise the price rather quickly.
2. Another big thing is carrier contracts. Unless you are on a certain plan with the carrier, such as get a new phone every year, they may lock you into a 2-year or 3-year contract. In these situations, you usually have to first pay off the old phone. You would then pay down the new phone with installments over the length of the contract. Even if you pay for it outright, you’re still looking at an expensive purchase including the phone, any customizations you got, and the possible trade-in.
Example: When I got my 13 Pro in August of 2022, I was more than ready for a new phone, even though if I had waited until after the September iPhone event announcing the 14 line. Anyway, the 3-year contract meant that I was locked into the 13 Pro until about September of this year. That was fine with me since the 14, 15, and 16 did not seem to offer anything appealling to me. Sure, I would have put the new Apple Intelligencee feature in use, but that was the only advantage for getting that particular phone, IMO.
3. And finally, another item related to cost. Currently in the UScost for the 16 is $800 I think. Remember that fall Apple event mentioned above? Well, in addition to learning about the new phones and considering if they are worth buying, the older phones are usually reduced in price by at least $100. That new 17 will either cost $700 or $800 when it is released and the mad rush to get one begins. So, where the new phone may cost $800 is announced, usually either the day of the event or certainly during that week, you could get last year’s phone for $600 US. That’s a $200 price difference.
4. If you just want a newer phone and don’t want to wait until the fall, the current rumors say that Apple may be releasing an updated iPhone SE, or have an iPhone Air. I expect that both of these will be targetted for those who want a basic phone without all the fancy features. I would also expect those phones to have the updated parts to use Apple Intelligence. My guess on cost would either be $400 or $500.
This is a fascinating discussion. Often once you consider all the factors, the decision may take longer than just doing the trade with your friend and moving on. Good luck in whatever you ultimately choose. You should be able to get good use from the phone for likely 2 to 3 years.

If you don't mind waiting, I would highly recommend waiting for the SE 2025 to be released. That model is slated to be about $500 out of the box, will have Apple Intelligence capabilities, and will be pretty close to the iPhone 16, with the exception that it will have a single back camera instead of the standard three on the pro model iPhones, and will also have Apple's new Modem. It is reported to also have the camera button just like the iPhone 16, and will possibly even have the action button as well.

Just some food for thought for ya.

wait for the SE. it will be an awesome phone.

Thank you all for the fascinating discussion as to whether or not to trade in an iPhone. I have two questions.

I currently have an iPhone SE 2022 (3rd gen.), which I like a lot. However, I've always wanted to try or take advantage of motion sensors that, if I understand correctly, might also help with more accurate navigation and/or orientation.
1) Will the new iPhone 2025--which, by the way, is sometimes referred to as iPhone SE4 or as iPhone 16E--have such motion sensors? Or are these available for iPhone Pros only?
2) What does !18 chipset mean and entail? Does it refer to speed with which various apps or functions are carried out?
Thanks.

It will be basic. It might have the chip from 18 and more memory but not much sensors. Basic camera, new cell chip that rase the price from $400 to $500 or more. Battery will not be that great just similar to the other phones.

Slated to be released within two months, the following were found at tomsguide.com, and is reportedly leaked from a reputable source. If this phone is so, "basic", then you may as well say the iPhone 16 and 16+ are also, "basic".
The leaked specs are as follows:

1. 6.06 OLED display @2532x1170 resolution w/ FaceID.
2. 48 megapixel back camera, 12 megapixel FaceTime camera.
3. 3279 mAh battery.
4. A18 Bionic chipset and 8GB RAM.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/iphones/massive-iphone-se-4-leak-just-revealed-specs-release-date-and-price

This phone will have the exact same processor and memory (RAM) as the iPhone 16 and 16+. It will also have apples new modem, the first device to have this new piece of hardware, which is slated to be better on battery than the current modem hardware that is available in current iPhone models, including the iPhone 16 lineup.
Also a note on battery. The iPhone 16 has a 3561 mAh battery, while this new phone will have a 3279 mAh battery. It is reportedly about an 8% difference in battery life, but honestly, battery life is subjective.

Though it was not listed on tomsguide.com, the SE 2025 is also reportedly going to have the camera button and even possibly an action button.

HTH

This is far better then a basic phone. Unless you need pro features I would recommend this phone.

`it's going to be interesting how this eats into 16 and 16 pro sales. I really can't see the point of getting the 16 basic when this is out. I suppose it's value will dip in years to come as 17/18 and 19 come out but, for now, on paper, it looks like a very good deal.

I predict £549 which still brings it in £150 les that than the base model.

I would consider switching my iPhone 15 pro for it, though there will be an upgrade cost and I don't think the simple addition of the camera button will be worth the difference. Also, I'm not sure how much a single camera will impact OCR/AI field of view. Are all cameras wide angle now? I've lost track of such nonsense.

The benefit of the pro models, is that each camera has one particular function. Standard photography, wide angle lens, or long distance zoom. Whereas a single camera unit has all the functions built into one camera, but at the cost of limited overall functionality.
Take from that, what you will.

Maybe there is also an argument, for us, to have a narrow field so we can identify what the phone is pointing at.

I think I'm going to wait for the 17 Air, because I'm all style over function.

Previously, the 2022 and before, seemd to be about a generation behind for internals in a case that was several generations behind. This one, the 2025 SE, is shaping up to be pretty much the same as the base 16, 2024, minus the higher quality cameras and using an only slightly dated body. In theory it should be the same as other modern phones, as quick, as snappy. The battery, in theory, should be good, unlike the previous SE which were limitted by space in the shell.

Though, all of this remains to be seen.

First thing first: I'm a relative late-comer to iPhones, or to smartphones, in general. So take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
I've been quite happy with my SE3, my second iPhone, after a friend gave me an iPhone 6 in 2018. To this day, I've had no problem with SE3, no hangups because of apps as mentioned above. I need to charge it once every two nights; it might not be as "powerful" and as snappy as some more advanced iPhones but I can and will live with it for a while longer. If necessary, I'll have the battery replaced one day but I don't need some of the new functions that iPhones 16 have on board.

*Edit: had to fix some typos*

I am very happy with my iPhone SE 2022, a.k.a. iPhone SE3. I have seen many, many posts and even several YouTube videos about how it's such a smaller screen. How it has large bezzels. How it has a *gasp* home button. How the battery is so small, and how it has such low storage.
To all of those comments, I just have to roll my eyes.

First and foremost, I am fully blind. Large screens mean nothing to me. Nothing.
Second, regarding the bezzels, see my comment about screen size above.
Third, I don't know why people are so wigged out about the home button. Personally, I like the home button functionality. It serves several purposes, and takes away for the need for extra touchscreen gestures. It's also nice having that as a way of activating Siri, over the side button. I have a friend who used to own an iPhone 11, and I cannot tell you the number of times she accidentally dialed Emergency Services, because she kept trying to activate Siri, and her side button kept glitching out. No thank you, that is a hard pass for me.
With regards to battery, I can go a full day with only having to charge my iPhone once. And I do quite a bit with my iPhone. I use OCR services such as Be My Eyes, and Seeing AI. I listen to a ton of books through both Audible and Kindle via the Alexa app on my iPhone. I check out YouTube videos. I watch Netflix on my iPhone. I listen to music, and play games as well. And pretty much most if not all of the stuff the rest of you all do with your smart phones. There are a handful of settings that can be adjusted on the iPhone, any iPhone really, to maximize your batteries output. And like I said, I can go a full day with a single charge, by the end of the day I may be down to about 20 or 25%, but still, I get a lot done in between charges. That is what's important to me. Also, and for transparency sake, my battery percentage is at 97%.
This model has 4GB of RAM, and my particular model has the max storage capacity of 256GB storage space. For me, that is more than enough storage, and plenty of memory for what I use my device for.

In the end, the device itself does not matter. Never has. What matters is what the device does for you, in your daily life, be a professional or otherwise, and the iPhone SE 2022 is absolutely perfect for my needs.

One more thing I will say on the subject of the iPhone SE models. I see time and again, people saying how the pro model phones have much better OCR capabilities than the single camera devices. I say nay. The short time I had my iPhone 15 Pro, I had to go back to my old iPhone SE in order to do things with Be My Eyes, and Seeing AI, because the iPhone 15 Pro kept timing out on me.

For all you trendsetters out there who absolutely believe beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you must have the latest and greatest model smartphone, the absolute second it is available to the public, I say more power to you. In the meantime, I will stick with what is important and what matters to me; a functional device that serves my daily needs, without being too big to fit in my pocket, and without costing me $1500 or more to have the privilege of not being able to carry it in my pocket.

Thanks for reading. 😎✌️

@Ramy,
Unfortunately, the SE3 is the last model with a home button. ...

Yeah, I like the home button too.

After Brian's post, I'm wondering if I shouldn't drop back to the SE3. The only real thing I would miss is magsafe, but surely there are cases with magnets in for the iphone SE3 which will whack it on a magsafe stand? Also, there are a lot of battery cases out there which might boost usage time to that of more recent phones. Down teh rabbit hole I go...

There are indeed cases to make your iPhone SE 2022, MagSafe. I have such a case on my iPhone right now. It is a clear hard case, with rubberized edges, and works with MagSafe charging.
Since my iPhone SE 2022 is a beautiful Product Red, I want it to stand out for others to admire, since I cannot. FYI, link to my case below.

Magnetic for iPhone SE Case... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNK5NK1Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

The screen is basically just for Braille Screen Input.

Thanks for the case link.

I'm surprised there aren't any usb-c cases with batteries, IE, you put the phone in and the main battery charges from usb-c.

It's more of a temptation for simplicity. I don't think going from a 15 Pro to SE3 would be worth it, cost wise or feature wise. Good to know though, should I loose my iPHone 15 and be unable to replace it for whatever reason.

Probably not. As I said in my rant above, it ultimately depends on what the device does for you, in your daily life. I, did, go that route. Although in my case, it was a very unique situation, as the 2 iPhone 15 pros I bought were both faulty devices.
See, I was originally upgrading from an iPhone SE 2020, to an iPhone 15 Pro. However, I somehow ended up with two separate iPhone 15 pros that overheated extremely quickly, and were essentially unusable devices. So, I got my money back and went with an iPhone SE 2022.

For me, it was a matter of a unique situation plus going with what you know. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Thank you all for the valuable information, I would like to share my situation on upgrading.
I currently have a regular iPhone 13, I got it in 2021.
It has been good for 2 years but not so much for the last year or so.
First is the battery health now is under 80%, and sense I am a heavy user I charge it twice and sometimes thrice a day, and replacing the battery in my location would take 2 weeks, so it is not an option for me.
Secondly is the performance, though I am not excited about AI, I think 4gb of ram and A14 aren’t the best for me anymore, especially after ios 18.
My best option would probably be to get the new se when it comes out, being blind I don’t care about the camera nor the screen, however I would like a good battery, and I would choose an action button over the camera button.
For the performance I think to justify the upgrade it has to be 8gb of ram rather then 6gb.
For the camera I think the only thing that could benefit a blind is the lidar sensor which is only available on the pro series, but that for me doesn’t deserve the price difference.
So for me I would probably choose the se over regular 16, because there is no real difference for me, however the real option which may be considerable is the 16+, due to the large battery, but value for money on the se would make me choose it probably.
I am open for suggestions if anyone has a recommendation, thank you.

Based on your requirements of 8 GB of RAM, and action button, and LiDAR, your only real option would be an iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max or an iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max. Those are the only iPhone models currently available, that have all 3 of your requirements.
Do keep in mind that anything from the iPhone 16 lineup has a camera button as well as an action button.

HTH

Thanks, I will take the 15 pro max into consideration

Is UWB still pro-only? If so then that's definitely another consideration.

It is available on the regular models as well

Do you care for USB transfer speeds above the USB 2.0 speed of 480 MBPS? That's Pro-only too.

I'll take another look at the situation when the new SE comes out; maybe it'll make a good backup or tethering device. I expect, though, that the battery always comes with the larger screen in the Plus models. And, honestly, that might actually be all I need, and a downgrade is in my future. I don't really want to spend on a Pro, if I can help it.

I don’t care much about usb speeds.
Waiting for the SE too.