Apple sells eight iPhone fashions that embrace telephones launched between 2020 and 2023. Whereas there is no such factor as a real “greatest” iPhone, relying in your wants, finances and preferences, some fashions might be higher for you than others. With the iPhone 14 collection and the iPhone 11, 13 Professional and 13 Professional Max being discontinued, deciding on the correct Apple cellphone might be complicated.
Costs begin at $429 for the 2022 iPhone SE and tops out at $1,599 for the iPhone 14 Professional Max with a whopping 1TB of storage. If you happen to’re on the lookout for the greatest iPhone offers, we’ve you coated there, too.
Navigating Apple’s iPhone spectrum might be overwhelming, whether or not you are contemplating colours (the iPhone 13 is available in six), or options just like the iPhone 14 Professional’s Dynamic Island, which animates system alerts and background actions like taking part in music.
Then there are the cameras. The iPhone sometimes has a few of the greatest cameras discovered on any cellphone. The iPhone SE has only one on the again. The 12, 13, 13 Mini, 14 and 14 Plus every have twin rear cameras. After which there’s the 14 Professional and 14 Professional Max that not solely have a trio of cameras however include options like the power to take ProRaw images or document ProRes movies.
To additional complicate issues, carriers like AT&T, T-Cellular and Verizon in addition to third events like Greatest Purchase and Amazon proceed to promote discontinued fashions such because the iPhone 13 Professional and 13 Professional Max. After which there are the costs. Apple’s beginning value for every mannequin is not essentially what you will pay. Practically the entire telephones on this checklist might be purchased for considerably much less with a combination of trade-ins and/or service commitments with most US wi-fi carriers.
I do know, it is lots. However I’ve examined all eight variations of the iPhone and may help you navigate by way of all of the noise.
What’s the greatest iPhone proper now?
The very best iPhone is the $999 iPhone 14 Professional. It has all of Apple’s latest options, together with an A16 Bionic chip, upgraded principal digicam, the Dynamic Island, in addition to instruments like Automobile Crash Detection and SOS by way of Satellite tv for pc. Not everybody trying to purchase a cellphone from Apple wants the 14 Professional, however if you would like the perfect get the iPhone 14 Professional. Need one thing larger? Get the iPhone 14 Professional Max, which is the common 14 Professional in an even bigger physique.
Greatest iPhones of 2023
Once I reviewed the iPhone 14, I stated it was primarily the iPhone 13 Professional’s processor and principal digicam contained in the physique of an iPhone 13. Little doubt, some might be disenchanted that the iPhone 14 is not radically completely different from earlier fashions. However that is a part of its allure. Familiarity has been one of many keys to Apple’s success with the iPhone. And because the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, do not repair it.”
From the again, the $999 iPhone 14 Professional appears similar to final yr’s 13 Professional. However do not let that sameness idiot you. It is the 14 Professional’s display screen the place there’s one thing completely different and great happening. The show notch, that outlined earlier Face ID iPhone fashions, has morphed right into a pill-shaped display screen cutout that may present system alerts and background actions like if you obtain a name or play music. Apple calls this performance the Dynamic Island. I do know, it is not the perfect identify, but it surely’s really among the best options.
The $729 iPhone 13 remains to be a wonderful cellphone. Actually, if you happen to’re tempted by the iPhone 14 and wish to avoid wasting cash, seize a 13. They’ve primarily the identical physique, similar display screen and similar A15 Bionic processor. Though technically, the iPhone 14’s processor does have an additional GPU core.
The $929 iPhone 14 Plus is both an enormous iPhone 14 or a scaled-back iPhone 14 Professional Max, relying in your perspective. Ever for the reason that iPhone XS Max launched in 2018, there was just one possibility for individuals who love large screens: Pay prime greenback and get a Max mannequin with further options you won’t essentially want (like a telephoto digicam or a excessive refresh charge show). I do know many CNET readers, buddies and associates who’ve shelled out $1,100 or extra for an iPhone 12 Professional Max or 13 Professional Max as a result of it was the one solution to get a cellphone within the dimension they wished. However that modifications now.
Who stated small telephones do not exist in 2022? The $629 iPhone 13 Mini is sensible as a result of it has every part the iPhone 13 has — it is simply smaller. It has the identical square-edged appears, assist for 5G and the identical cameras. The 13 Mini’s defining characteristic is its 5.4-inch OLED display screen that helps Dolby HDR. If that sounds too small, take into account that Plus fashions, just like the iPhone 8 Plus, had a 5.5-inch display screen inside a a lot bigger physique. The 13 Mini’s secret is that it lacks these big brow and chin bezels that outlined the iPhone for its first decade.
The $1,099 iPhone 14 Professional Max is only a large model of the iPhone 14 Professional. It has the identical A16 Bionic processor, the identical cameras and the identical options. Nevertheless it does differ in two large methods from the 14 Professional: It has an even bigger 6.7-inch high-refresh charge display screen and an even bigger battery. Actually, in our exams, the iPhone 14 Professional Max had the longest battery lifetime of any cellphone on this checklist.
The $629 iPhone 12 and its flat-sided design marked the start of the present technology of Apple telephones. Of every part on this checklist, it is the oldest but in addition one of many most cost-effective, particularly if you wish to snag an iPhone with a recent look and Face ID.
At $429, you may suppose the one attraction of the iPhone SE (2022) is its value. And admittedly that may be a large issue. On the skin, the iPhone SE has the identical physique because the iPhone 8, which makes it the one iPhone on this checklist that also has Contact ID. On the within, the SE has the identical A15 processor because the iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 14 and 14 Plus which takes the 2017 digicam {hardware} and offers it an injection of Apple’s computational pictures magic.
Beneath are the assorted fashions, their launch date, the variety of rear cameras they’ve, their processor and their present checklist value, which for some telephones features a $30 activation price that is waived if you happen to activate your iPhone on a provider on the time of buy.
Present iPhones, in contrast
| Mannequin | US beginning value | Display dimension | No. of rear cameras | CPU | Launch date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone SE | $429 | 4.7 inches | 1 | A15 Bionic | March 2022 |
| iPhone 12 | $599 | 6.1 inches | 2 | A14 Bionic | October 2020 |
| iPhone 13 Mini | $599 | 5.4 inches | 2 | A15 Bionic | September 2021 |
| iPhone 13 | $699 | 6.1 inches | 2 | A15 Bionic | September 2021 |
| iPhone 14 | $799 | 6.1 inches | 2 | A15 Bionic | September 2022 |
| iPhone 14 Plus | $899 | 6.7 inches | 2 | A15 Bionic | October 2022 |
| iPhone 14 Professional | $999 | 6.1 inches | 3 | A16 Bionic | September 2022 |
| iPhone 14 Professional Max | $1,099 | 6.7 inches | 3 | A16 Bionic | September 2022 |
How we check iPhone fashions
I check each iPhone in real-world situations specializing in its options, design, efficiency, cameras, battery life and total worth. I doc our findings in an preliminary evaluation that’s periodically up to date when there are new iOS updates or to match in opposition to new telephones from opponents like Samsung, Google and OnePlus.
Images
Images is a significant focus for the iPhone, so we take footage and movies of assorted topics in quite a lot of settings and lighting situations. We check out any new digicam modes, corresponding to Motion mode that debuted with the iPhone 14 line.
Battery life
Battery testing is performed in quite a lot of methods. We assess how lengthy the iPhone lasts throughout a typical day of use, and word the way it performs throughout extra centered classes of video calls, media streaming and gaming. I additionally conduct a video playback check, which is not all the time included within the preliminary evaluation and added later in an replace.
Efficiency measuring
We use benchmarking apps to measure the efficiency, alongside our personal anecdotal experiences utilizing the cellphone for our evaluation. Of specific word are how graphics and animations look. Are they clean? Or do they lag or stutter? We additionally take a look at how rapidly the cellphone switches between horizontal and vertical orientations and how briskly the digicam app opens and is able to take a photograph.
We carry out processor-heavy duties like modifying images and movies, exporting movies and taking part in video games. We consider whether or not a more moderen model of the iPhone consists of sufficient options to make it value upgrading from older fashions.
Learn Extra: How CNET exams telephones
Key phrases
eSIM
An eSIM takes the entire vital details about your cellphone account — together with its quantity, wi-fi provider and subscription — and shops it in software program as a substitute of on a bodily SIM card.
With the iPhone 14, Apple eliminated the bodily SIM card tray and embraced embedded SIM playing cards. This implies you cannot simply pluck your SIM card out of your present cellphone and put it into a brand new one. However this should not have an effect on your expertise since all the main US carriers and a variety of smaller operators work with eSIM.
Apple has lengthy supported eSIM, relationship again to 2018’s iPhone XS, XS Max and XR. When establishing a brand new iPhone 14, the system will information you thru transferring your present supplier over to the brand new cellphone. A listing of supported wi-fi networks might be discovered on Apple’s web site.
iOS 16
Apple’s iOS 16 is the most recent model of Apple’s iPhone software program. It is on the iPhone 14 by default and can also be accessible as an replace for the iPhone 8 and later. iOS 16 consists of new options corresponding to customizable lock screens, an replace to the Messages app that enables for unsending and modifying iMessage texts and new picture modifying instruments.
iPhone FAQs
How dependable is an iPhone?
Apple has been making iPhones for 16 years. The present lineup was launched in September 2022 and all have a mud and water resistance ranking of IP68, which implies they will survive being submerged underneath 6 meters of water (about 20 toes) for half-hour. The screens are coated in Apple’s Ceramic Defend which is a glass-ceramic materials created by Corning, in collaboration with Apple, and consists of nano ceramic crystals embedded within the glass matrix. It is extremely clear, and in response to Corning, the robust construction shaped by the crystals means it is much less prone to break.
How lengthy does an iPhone final?
One solution to measure how lengthy an iPhone will final is to have a look at the software program and safety assist Apple gives for older fashions. iOS 16 can run on Apple telephones as outdated as 2017’s iPhone X, iPhone 8 and eight Professional. That is almost 6 years of software program assist. Examine that to Samsung, who gives 5 years of Android software program assist for upgrades. However software program is just half the equation. The opposite half is {hardware} and sturdiness. Luckily, each iPhone Apple sells has an IP ranking for mud and water resistance. Newer fashions just like the iPhone 12, 13 and 14 collection even have Ceramic Defend, a glass/ceramic hybrid, that covers the show and may be very sturdy.
