Apple iOS 27 Launch Creates A Worth Downside For iPhone 15 Homeowners

Posted by techforbes June 10, 2026


Apple confirmed at WWDC this week that iOS 27 will assist each iPhone from the iPhone 11 onwards. That’s excellent news for thousands and thousands of older iPhone customers. Nevertheless, for iPhone 15 homeowners and beneath, no iOS 27 AI instruments might make your iPhone much less precious based on new knowledge.

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No iOS 27 AI Instruments May Make Your iPhone Much less Precious

iOS 27 attracts a transparent line by means of Apple’s lineup. Each iPhone that runs iOS 26 will get the replace. However Siri AI, the headline function, requires an iPhone 15 Professional or newer. Base iPhone 15 homeowners are on the suitable aspect of the iOS reduce, however the mistaken aspect of the AI divide. They get the replace. They do not get the function everybody will probably be speaking about this fall.

That distinction might affect how a lot the non-AI telephones are value, based on new knowledge.

Sarah McConomy, COO of value comparability website SellCell, shared knowledge with me on what occurred to resale values when the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X misplaced software program assist after iOS 17 launched.

Values fell by a median of three.4% within the three months following the general public launch, and 6.6% over six months. Utilized to the iPhone 11, which is confirmed to obtain iOS 27, homeowners could have averted an extra drop of round $6 over six months. For iPhone 11 Professional Max homeowners, that determine is nearer to $11.

The drop is actual however contained. As McConomy places it, “the affect on resale values is prone to be measured quite than dramatic.” By the point assist ends, most older iPhones have already gone by means of the overwhelming majority of their depreciation cycle. The decline is gradual quite than extreme.

However the iPhone 15 story is totally different. It’s not about dropping assist, it is about being left behind on AI.

The iOS 27 Siri AI Premium Downside

That is the place it will get extra sophisticated. “There’s presently no historic benchmark for AI-related depreciation,” McConomy advised me, “but when shoppers start putting a premium on AI-capable gadgets, the divide between supported iPhones and totally AI-enabled iPhones might develop into a extra necessary issue than software program assist alone.”

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That divide runs immediately by means of the iPhone 15 lineup. The bottom iPhone 15 will get iOS 27, however it does not get Siri AI. The iPhone 15 Professional will get each. If Apple Intelligence turns into a real buying issue this fall, and Apple’s complete WWDC narrative was constructed round making that case, the iPhone 15 results in a clumsy center place. Up to date, however not clever.

However that could be a huge “if”. A CNET survey from September confirmed that simply 11% of U.S. smartphone homeowners selected to improve due to AI options, which was a 7% drop from an analogous survey the 12 months earlier than.

With that stated, cellular AI have moved on and the brand new Siri AI is Apple’s first correct foray into critical AI instruments with a contact of agentic skills, akin to routinely altering weak passwords for customers. These forms of options might be a real draw as a result of they’re truly helpful, quite than simply being a demo of what AI can do.

So What Ought to iPhone Homeowners With out iOS 27 AI Instruments Do?

That very a lot depends upon whether or not you care about AI instruments, or in the event you plan to improve inside the subsequent two years. In the event you’re eyeing a brand new iPhone, you’ve got a few issues working in opposition to you. Firstly, there’s the potential for an iPhone 18 value rise due to the reminiscence disaster. Then there’s the resale depreciation of the iPhone 15 (and beneath) as a result of it doesn’t assist Siri AI. A double whammy in your pockets.

So for upgraders the recommendation is evident, do it now earlier than the general public beta lands. Earlier than the AI-capable framing of the brand new gadgets begins pulling secondhand values in a single route.

In the event you’re one of many few who isn’t influenced by shiny-new-tech FOMO, then sit tight and revel in your still-working iPhone. Additionally, Apple extending iOS 27 assist to the iPhone 11 is an effective omen to your iPhone 15 as a result of it could obtain the identical keep of execution in 2-3 years, which implies it might be useable for one more 4-5 years.

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