PhoneLifespan

iPhone 15 Plus vs Phone (3a)

vs

Winner

Nothing Phone (3a)

The Phone (3a) wins this one, taking display and camera decisively. Against the iPhone 15 Plus it's also the sounder buy at $6.16 per month of safe use.

Value Score: iPhone 15 Plus 67 · Phone (3a) 75 — methodology

The lifespan decider

When specs are close, support length decides it — this is what each phone costs per month of safe use.

Apple iPhone 15 Plus $403
Safe to buy$7.85/mo
2023◆ Buy-by Sep 20282030
Nothing Phone (3a) $349
Safe to buy$6.16/mo
2025◆ Buy-by Mar 20292031

Category by category

Display
iPhone 15 Plus 50Phone (3a) 80

The Phone (3a)'s screen is the better one — 6.77-inch amoled, 1080×2392 (fhd+), up to 120hz, 3000 nits peak.

Performance
iPhone 15 Plus 80Phone (3a) 64

The iPhone 15 Plus's Apple A16 Bionic is simply the faster chip.

Camera
iPhone 15 Plus 62Phone (3a) 79

The Phone (3a) has the stronger camera system (3 real rear lenses vs 2).

Battery
iPhone 15 Plus 68Phone (3a) 80

5,000mAh vs 4,383mAh — the Phone (3a) lasts longer between charges.

Software longevity
iPhone 15 Plus 61Phone (3a) 67

The Phone (3a) is supported until Mar 2031 — 5 months longer than the iPhone 15 Plus.

Value
iPhone 15 Plus 67Phone (3a) 75

Overall value goes to the Phone (3a) at $6.16 per month of safe use.

Full spec table
SpeciPhone 15 PlusPhone (3a)
Price (street)$403$349
Display6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 60Hz, up to 2000 nits peak6.77-inch AMOLED, 1080×2392 (FHD+), up to 120Hz, 3000 nits peak
ChipsetApple A16 BionicSnapdragon 7s Gen 3
RAM6GB8GB/12GB
Storage128GB/256GB/512GB128GB/256GB
Battery4,383 mAh5,000 mAh
Charging20W+ wired (50% in ~30 min), MagSafe 15W wireless, Qi 7.5W50W wired, no wireless
Rear cameras48MP main, 12MP ultra-wide50MP main, 50MP telephoto 2x, 8MP ultra-wide
Dimensions160.9 × 77.8 × 7.8 mm163.52 × 77.50 × 8.35 mm
Weight201 g201 g
Water resistanceIP68IP64
Supported untilSep 2030Mar 2031
iPhone 15 Plus full verdict →Phone (3a) full verdict →Longevity master board →

Scores and verdicts are computed from our verified database — see exactly how. Specs from manufacturer documentation; prices reflect major US retailers.