I chose the Phone 15 over iPhone 16e

Friday evening, I bought an iPhone 15.  I considered the 16e but I felt that it was an experiment I didn't want to try.

The 60 Hz OLED display and the Apple modem seem okay, but for someone else to try.

 Obviously, the iPhone 15 has been out for about 1.5 years and that's good.  There won't be any surprises. Whichever device I bought, the inane gestures are part of the package.  I've become so accustomed to using the Home button (since the iPhone 4S) that I will have some trouble switching.

 Given that the iPhone 15 was only about US$1.50 more per month for 24 months than the iPhone 16e, it wasn't a difficult choice.  It still has a newer SoC than the 2022 iPhone SE/iPhone 13 but it's only one generation newer.  They only had black and pink phones and I chose a black 256 GB model.  Immediately, they wanted US$99.99 upfront, plus $36 activation fee plus tax.

 AppleCare+ will be quite a bit more expensive.  I'm expecting it to be around $10 higher but it would also be higher for the 16e.

I ordered a Spigen Liquid Air case that I'd been watching for a few months.  It's supposedly 50% off at US$14.99.  I've used one on another phone and it was agreeable without being too heavy or bulky.  It's not as strong as the Ballistic cases I used to buy, but I'm not sure they're in business any longer.  I could throw the phone in those.  I ordered through Amazon, but there aren't many ways to do this now, and without a car, I just can't go to multiple stores looking for a case.

I'm not sure about the phone-to-phone transfer but restoring the phone from my Mac at USB 2.0 speeds takes too long.  I tried to do that for someone who got an iPhone 15 when iOS 17 was new and not stable and it did not work.  I'll make a backup and try the WiFi transfer.  I'm not completely sold on iOS 18, but I suspect I won't be able to replace it with iOS 17.  I'm not ready to update my Mac to Sequoia, but that may happen, as well. 

Wish me luck!

Update 2025.03.10: The phone arrived.  I asked the UPS driver to wait because T-Mobile customers have been receiving empty boxes from UPS.  After the problem I had recently with the local UPS location losing something else, I was concerned.

The Quick Start phone-to-phone transfer did not work.  It managed to transfer my SIM contents to the eSIM but that's about it.

 I backed up my phone Sunday evening and restored to the new phone on Monday afternoon.  It was better than usual.  I remember starting the restore and going to bed.

 The phone is a bit bigger and definitely needs a case because the camera module sticks out.  I wouldn't want to drop it on a table and damage it.  The Liquid Air case has such an unusual feeling.  It's grippy but smooth.  The price was right, also.  It took some time to get everything to where I can use it and shop.  I can't seem to get away from using Face ID, but I'll be damned if I want it.

The phone is faster but I don't see that it's really fast.  There is only a one generation difference between the SoC in the 2022 iPhone SE (A15) and the iPhone 15 (A16). 

Update 2025.03.18: It's been a week.  The iPhone 15 works well enough.  It's not as huge as I thought it would be because of the smaller display of the iPhone SE.  I don't like the pill-shaped opening, but it ill be okay.

 I tried the Kishi V2 controller.  It didn't work with the Nexus app, which is very different from Android.  Then, I looked at the Razer website and they mention the iPhone 15.  I suspect that they mean any USB type-C iPhone, but they only mentioned one as not working.  Maybe, in a few years, they'll have the app working with this port and not the Lightning port.  Oh, second try.  The Kishi V2 works.  The Kishi V2 Pro that comes with the Razer Edge does not.  That's the one with Force Feedback.  Oh, the Kishi V3 works with iPhone 15 and 16.  I'm not spending another US$100.

I haven't played as much but I haven't seen any scrolling problems, so the OLED display must be quick enough.

Update 2025.04.06: I'm thinking that I chose at the correct time.  The tariffs from the White House will have ruined the market for electronics and more.  I noticed that a photographic lens has already risen in price on Amazon.  Prices of Apple's phones may be as high as US$1000 more. 

Update 2025.05.11: I've been playing a few games.  Moonlight Mahjongg that I've been playing since around 2008, on the 2nd generation iPod touch originally, seems just as tough on the iPhone 15 as it was on all of the other devices.  That's odd.  Other games seem okay, but it makes me wonder if Apple went out of their way to push people to the Pro models.

Thankfully, I've gone through the transition period and I can just use the phone now.  Call quality is reasonable, as is the photo quality.  The only thing that really bothers me is that the bezels are so small that the case covers some of the display.  At least, it's not like the Razer Edge where they put some artificial material  to surround the display and cut off part of the display.

iOS 18 is buggy.  I don't have to worry about Apple Intelligence, but still, they really need to work on a superior experience and repair the operating system, and their apps. 

Update 2025.09.15: Having seen the iPhone 17 series, I'm glad I have the iPhone 15.  Tried-and-true products don't cause worry.  Now that the iPhone 15 series has been stopped, it looks as though everyone will get some form of Apple Intelligence, some of it useful.  By 2035, hopefully, Siri will finally work well.

Update 2025.12.14: Apple is trying my patience again.  Getting the USB type-C cable to remain inserted seems to be a challenge.  Google and OnePlus use a special port on the Pixel 6a and 13R, respectively, and the cable doesn't slip out of the socket.  If I sneeze (or practically anything else) near the iPhone 15, it seems to loosen the connection.  You think the $0.50 that Apple saves is worth the headache?

Update 2026.03.02: The iPhone 17e was announced.  I'm still glad that I got the iPhone 15.  Siri is still about the same.  The C1X modem will be replacing the C1.  Better rates will be useful.

Update 2026.03.15: I bought an Anker MagSafe-compatible portable power bank.  The more expensive model was on sale for almost double this one.  It works well enough, but I had to buy a different case.  Considering that I've tried to use my portable power bank with a cable and the cable slips out of the iPhone 15's port, this will be consistently useful.

Apple's Home Button is dead and gone: iPhone 16e

 I've been using Apple devices with a Home Button since the 2nd generation iPod touch around 2009.

With the iPhone 16e, the Home Button is gone.  There is still a fingerprint reader in some iPad Power Buttons but that's it.  The iPhone 16e has Face ID, along with a passcode to secure the device.

As someone who has kept with the original aesthetic through the 2022 iPhone SE, I'm not sure that I want to switch, but will probably do it just to arrive sooner than later.  I dislike the inane gestures, and there won't be any substitutes as there are on Android.  People around me have switched and when they need help, we struggle a fair amount.

The price is up US$170 with a minimum storage size of 128 GB in contrast to the 64 GB base of the 2022 iPhone SE.  When I bought the 2020 and 2022 models, I paid the extra $150 up front to get the 256 GB model.  Then, the 2020 was $0.00 per month (for 18 months) with credits and the 2022 as $1.25 per month (for 24 months) with credits.  If I remember correctly, I had a pay off at the end of the 2020 plan.  I would expect to pay something like $3.75 per month for the iPhone 16e.

What's good is that it has a version of the iPhone 16 SoC (System on a Chip), just as the 2022 iPhone SE had a version of the iPhone 13 SoC.  It's probably not as powerful, but better than the competition and 40% faster than the 2022 iPhone SE.  It has more RAM for games and AI.  I have zero use for AI right now.  In 30 years, it will probably be very useful.  Right now, it's an infant and I don't want to change diapers.

It also has the Apple-developed 5G cellular modem that they bought from Intel who bought from someone else. The modem in the 2022 iPhone SE isn't particularly quick but it is reliable.  This new one is the first of its kind.  It might work okay.  Supposedly, there are some outstanding patent issues they need to settle.  It does not support the infamous mmWave, which is just fine with me.  Who will be close enough to the tower, without obstructions, to actually use mmWave connections?

I hope that the OLED technology is at least as reliable as the LCD is on the current model.  It's a 60 Hz OLED display and that could mean problems scrolling.  I've seen how bad that could be with the Google Pixel 6a.  I don't care to revisit such a situation with an iPhone.

They replaced the 12 MP camera sensor with 48 MP and a 26 MP telephoto mode.  That's more than either of my camera bodies and they will still have better image quality because they're not trying to squeeze so much into a small space.  I have referred to this as a noisy bus.  The bus is nice and quiet with a few passengers, but when you overload it and have people standing in the aisle, people will be unhappy and complain.  The size of most phone sensors is tiny.

All that said, if you're looking for an iPhone, the 16e is a place to start.  It's only US$100 cheaper than the next available phone.  You can get less expensive Android-based phones.  If you're looking for something Android, take a look at OnePlus.  I saw a deal on a 120 Hz OLED display, 12 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for US$599.  It's a OnePlus 13R.

Update 2025.02.27: Apparently, the 16e has better battery life than the iPhone 16, and the 5G modem is partly responsible.

Update 2025.03.07: I just bought an iPhone 15 with my 2022 iPhone SE going back as a trade-in device.  It won't be as powerful as the 16e but it will have a better display.  At about US$1.50 more per month for 24 months, it wasn't a huge difference.  I would normally wait for Memorial Day deals but I don't care for the iPhone 16e.  I'm not saying that it's a bad phone.  It's just not a good choice for me.

With the iPhone 15 having a better SoC than the iPhone 13 generation, I'll have better power but not ultimate power.  Being pushed into a 6.1 inch display, I'd rather have one that is a bit better.  I'm not sure the extra camera module will have any significance.  I'd rather take a real camera with me.

Update 2025.03.11: The iPhone 15 is good.  There was lots of updating and the side-by-side phone transfer did not work, except for the SIM to eSIM  part.  I connected the cable between Mac and phone to restore.  Just finished with with operating system updates last night and there was a new one with security updates.  I guess their separate security update thing isn't working or they forgot how to use it. 

People on MacRumors are mentioning that the iPhone 16e is good and that they're happy with it.

Update 2025.03.19: I've been learning the inane gestures since there is no Home Button.

I can get the Control Center to work and there are three different pages, unlike the smaller display version.

I can somewhat reliably bring up the App Switcher, but sometimes, it just doesn't want to work in one swipe.  The App Carousel swipe at the bottom works okay.

Switching between Home Pages works the same as on the small screen.

Editing Home Pages requires press-and-hold in an empty area.

 I suppose it's not so bad, but it's certainly difficult to change from 15-16 years of doing everything with the Home Button. 

Update 2025.05.20: A week or so ago, I saw a security update for the Apple-designed C1 modem.  I have not seen anyone complaining about the modem itself.  The iPhone 16e seems to work well.  It just wasn't for me.  I'm getting better at the plethora of inane gestures required to use the phone well.

When I'm using a timer or waiting for Uber, it's convenient to see the status in that dark spot at the top.

 When I was walking through Target, I saw the prices on the iPhone display and I could only shake my head.  When I was buying the iPhone 8, the iPhone X was US$999 and that was just a bit shocking.  However, my Motorola StarTac in 1999 was $1599 down to $9.95.  It was a Digital PCS phone, but also had access to analog signals.  The least expensive full price phones I recall were Nokia for US$149.99 or $99.99 for the cut rate model.

In any case, Apple is still selling phones and the phones and computers have been exempted from the tariffs, thanks to $1 million for someone's inauguration fund.  I bought at the right time, though.