Google “Apple Outlet.” Get an Apple refurbished phone. Full warranty, new battery, and eligible for AppleCare. Consider using the savings to get AppleCare. As far as iOS updates, my 2015 IPad Pro 12.9 still gets the latest updates. Don’t worry about negative comments about buying older models. The only true refurbished phones are from Apple.

Get him a 15, I got one as well and it would be good for him to get USBC

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

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

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’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.

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

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

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

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

If he’s going to take care of it and you know he works hard then yeah get him a newer one.

If he’s reckless and careless. Get him an older one or hand me down one.

An iPhone 12 or 11 will serve him well. If you want to go above and beyond a 12 or 13 pro max is about as high as I would go