PhoneLifespan

iPhone 15 Plus vs Phone (3a) Pro

vs

Winner

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

The Phone (3a) Pro wins this one, taking display and camera decisively. Against the iPhone 15 Plus it's also the sounder buy at $7.60 per month of safe use.

Value Score: iPhone 15 Plus 66 · Phone (3a) Pro 71 — 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$7.88/mo
2023◆ Buy-by Sep 20282030
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro $429
Safe to buy$7.60/mo
2025◆ Buy-by Mar 20292031

Category by category

Display
iPhone 15 Plus 50Phone (3a) Pro 80

The Phone (3a) Pro'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) Pro 64

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

Camera
iPhone 15 Plus 62Phone (3a) Pro 79

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

Battery
iPhone 15 Plus 68Phone (3a) Pro 80

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

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

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

Value
iPhone 15 Plus 66Phone (3a) Pro 71

Overall value goes to the Phone (3a) Pro at $7.60 per month of safe use.

Full spec table
SpeciPhone 15 PlusPhone (3a) Pro
Price (street)$403$429
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
RAM6GB12GB
Storage128GB/256GB/512GB256GB
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 periscope telephoto 3x, 8MP ultra-wide
Dimensions160.9 × 77.8 × 7.8 mm163.52 × 77.50 × 8.39 mm
Weight201 g211 g
Water resistanceIP68IP64
Supported untilSep 2030Mar 2031
iPhone 15 Plus full verdict →Phone (3a) Pro 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.