you can use https://www.plug.tech/ for cheap iphones, these are literally brand new condition with no noticable scratches.

Highly recommend, I have bought 3 iPhones from there. I got iPhone 11 for my kids and it works greats and supports all the latest apps.

iPhone 15 is kinda not worth it. I mean any other phones would do the job so. If money is not a big deal then ofc go for it. But consider the money and the cost performance iPhone 13 related versions are so far what I think the best ones to have.

Tell him to go get a job, then after he buys it, ask him if it was worth it.

I’d go for the 13 Pro, 14 Pro or 15 Pro. I’d argue most kids use their phones more than adults, and they’re most likely to use the cameras to the full extent. I shot many short films and vlogs throughout my high school career. And an iPhone is also a perfect accesible entry-point to photography — both in terms of cost and ease of use. While sure, you can save some money with a non-pro model or an even older model, I feel like these three newer generations offer the best camera systems. For a child, I think that invitation to explore is worth the extra buck. And even if they don’t get into photography and videography, they’re not going to have this much energy and free time ever again. A good camera to capture and record these moments is priceless in my opinion.

All that said, my opinion is biased as someone who did media throughout school, is still a hobbyist photographer, and has 58,000+ items in my Photos library.

I’m 36 years old and I’m not even buying the 15 for myself! 12-14 is more than enough!

You don’t need to get him anything.

That said the iPhone has a much longer support cycle than any android, my iPhone 11 Pro Max I just replaced still gets updates. I’ll be giving that to my 14 y/o son for his birthday.

I say this as an iPhone user, I held onto my 11 until just recently and really only replaced it because I dropped a plate on it at the gym and cracked the screen.

The 13/14 will probably be noticeably better than the Samsung he’s had and if he wants an iPhone it’s probably for iMessage.

My 2 cents

I’d suggest just a 2020 or 23 SE or older iPhone. Don’t buy top of the line no matter how careful he is it’s a liability. Not to mention having a good phone makes a kid a target for bullies who will steal or break it.

The 14 has some nice safety features such as crash detection that automatically calls emergency services if he is in a collision that you may want. Otherwise it’s pretty much the same phone as a 13 and either will do.

Get the iPhone SE 2nd gen , great phone for a kid and has great performance and camera

I was messing with them the other day in the store and there actually really nice and feel great in hand because of the size

And there a lot cheaper

My 14 year old has an iPhone 11 and it does him just fine.

15 years old with a smartphone has been proven time and time again to be a bad move but it’s ur kid and I’m sure I know if he can handle having a smartphone at all so if u get him an iPhone go with one that will be able to get the next run of iOS updates and save ur money. If he is responsible, maybe upgrade

I would definitely go for a 13 or 15 for non-pro, and 14 Pro and above for Pro

You can get an iPhone 11 for free if you go to metro by Tmobile

I would suggest an iPhone 14 (not pro) since the back glass is easy replaceable on that model and you can get it for a decent price nowadays

i have an iphone 12 and it still feels like a new phone. iphones are super great for longevity, so theres rarely ever a point in getting the newest one. the 14 and 15 aren’t different enough to warrant the price difference rn. iphones are kinda hitting a ceiling where the newest version is never really that different from the last one. in a lot of ways, my iphone 12 gives me mostly the same experience of having the newest phone and i really don’t plan on upgrading for a while because iphones take a long time to become heavily obsolete