Prices Are Almost the Same: Should You Buy a New iPhone 14 or a Used iPhone 15?

One of the concerns that many users may have when considering buying an iPhone is choosing between a new iPhone 14 in sealed box and a used iPhone 15. Not surprisingly, the price of new iPhone 14 and used iPhone 15 are fairly similar. On some marketplaces, the new iPhone 14 is priced at around Rp8.5 million, while the used iPhone 15 is around Rp9 million. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 have fairly similar designs, particularly on the back where there is a square module to house the cameras diagonally. The new design is noticeably different on the front or display. In terms of specifications, the displays of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 are actually the same, both 6.1 inches with an OLED panel. However, the iPhone 15’s display has adopted Dynamic Island, the interactive notch design. The iPhone 15 uses a higher-end chipset than the iPhone 14. The iPhone 15 is equipped with the A16 Bionic chip as used in the iPhone 14 Pro. In contrast, the iPhone 14 uses the A15 Bionic chip as used in the iPhone 13 series. The front camera on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 both have 12 MP resolutions. However, the main camera on the iPhone 15 is superior with 48 MP resolution, whereas the iPhone 14 still uses a 12 MP main camera. The battery capacity of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 is relatively similar. Both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 have batteries capable of providing around 20 hours of video playback from full to empty. Even though the battery capacity is the same, the iPhone 15 already uses USB-C, which is more universal for charging. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 still uses the Lightning port which is an older model. Apple tends to provide seven years of operating system updates for a single iPhone series from its release time. This means the iPhone 14, released in 2022, is likely to still receive the latest iOS version for around three more years. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15, released in 2023, can still update iOS for around four more years. Software-wise, the iPhone 15 has a longer lifespan than the iPhone 14. These OS updates are important for new features, bug fixes, and security improvements. The price of the new iPhone 14 is still cheaper than the used iPhone 15. As explained above, the new iPhone 14 at several official distributors is set at around Rp8.5 million. The used iPhone 15 is priced around Rp9 million. New and used phones essentially differ in unit condition. Technically, the iPhone 14 in new sealed condition is more guaranteed not to experience performance degradation, still factory-fresh. Meanwhile, the used iPhone 15, which has been used before, has relatively already experienced some performance degradation. For example, a noticeable degradation would be battery health.