Apple wants you to know what you're missing by not upgrading to an iPhone 15
Apple has cooked up a new comparison webpage designed to coax iPhone owners to upgrade to the latest model. Launched earlier this week, the Why Upgrade page lets you compare the key features of an iPhone 15 with those from an iPhone 11 or an iPhone 12. Partly informational, but mostly promotional, the webpage doesn't include an iPhone 13 or an iPhone 14, clearly showing which users Apple is targeting here.
Browsing to the webpage prompts you to choose an older iPhone model from the menu on the left. You can pick an iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, or iPhone 12 Pro Max. The menu on the right limits your choices to an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max. Yep, the whole point of this webpage is to encourage you to buy from the latest lineup of iPhones.
Also: The best iPhone models you can buy right now (including the iPhone 15)
Depending on the models you pick, the webpage segues into a comparison of key features between the two phones you chose. Apple makes sure to tout the key selling points. Starting with the camera, the page boasts about the iPhone 15's better camera resolution, beefier telephoto lens, Action mode, Cinematic mode, 4K video, and more storage for all your photos and videos.
The webpage goes on to promote the iPhone 15's more powerful Bionic chip, longer battery life, and Dynamic Island. As for the finale, Apple tells you where and how you can upgrade from your older iPhone to the newest one, describing its Trade-In program, interest-free monthly Installment plan, carrier deals, and live shopping experience with a specialist.
The webpage does serve as a useful aid for anyone thinking about upgrading to a newer iPhone. And I can't fault Apple for its promotional tactics. With the smartphone market saturated, fewer new users are buying smartphones for the first time. That means companies like Apple need to coax people with older phone models to upgrade.
Still, I wish the webpage included the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 lineup for a full comparison (which would, of course, mean listing fewer reasons to upgrade to an iPhone 15). There's also no way to compare models within the iPhone 15 lineup, say an iPhone 15 with an iPhone 15 Pro.
Also: iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Which model should you upgrade to?
For that, you can use Apple's standard iPhone comparison page, which is actually more helpful than the new webpage. Here, you're able to compare three different models from any lineup, including the iPhone 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, X, 8, 7, 6, and SE.
To get a more comprehensive (and more objective) comparison of different iPhones, check out the following ZDNET stories: iPhone 15 vs. Plus vs. Pro vs. Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro.