Apple at present sells eight totally different iPhone fashions that date again to 2020. Evaluate that to when Steve Jobs launched the unique iPhone in 2007 the place the one choice was getting 4GB or 8GB of storage. Whereas there is no such factor as a real “greatest” iPhone, relying in your wants, price range and preferences, some iPhone fashions shall be higher for you than others. With the addition of the iPhone 14 collection and the iPhone 11, 13 Professional and 13 Professional Max being discontinued, deciding on the fitting one may be complicated.
When it comes to costs, the present iPhone lineup begins as little as $429 for the 2022 iPhone SE and tops off at $1,599 for the iPhone 14 Professional Max with a whopping 1TB of storage. Under are the varied fashions, their launch date, the variety of rear cameras they’ve, their processor and their present checklist worth, which for some telephones features a $30 activation price that is waived when you activate your iPhone on a provider on the time of buy. And when you’re searching for the greatest iPhone offers, we’ve got you coated there too.
Present iPhones, in contrast
| Mannequin | US beginning worth | 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 |
Whether or not it is the tiny iPhone 13 Mini and its 5.4-inch display or the 2020 iPhone 12, you even have lots of choices to decide on on your excellent telephone. Navigating Apple’s iPhone spectrum may 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 expands and contracts to point out system alerts.
Then there are the cameras. The iPhone sometimes has a few of the greatest cameras discovered on any telephone. However the iPhone SE has only one on the again. The 12, 13, 13 Mini, 14 and 14 Plus every have dual-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 flexibility to take ProRaw images or document ProRes movies.
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To additional complicate issues, carriers like AT&T, T-Cell and Verizon in addition to third-parties like Greatest Purchase and Amazon proceed to promote discontinued fashions such because the iPhone 13 Professional and 13 Professional Max. After which there’s the costs. Apple’s beginning worth for every mannequin is not essentially what you may pay. Almost all the telephones on this checklist may 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 so much. However I’ve examined all eight variations of the iPhone and might help you navigate by way of all of the noise.
Greatest iPhones of 2023
Once I reviewed the iPhone 14, I stated it was basically the iPhone 13 Professional’s processor and important digicam contained in the physique of an iPhone 13. Little doubt, some shall be dissatisfied that the iPhone 14 is not radically totally different from earlier fashions. However that is a part of its appeal. 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.”
The iPhone 14’s greatest options are ones chances are you’ll by no means see or use — and that is not essentially a nasty factor. That features Crash Detection, which might notify emergency providers if you’re in an car accident. Beginning in November, you may get Emergency SOS by way of Satellite tv for pc that allows you to use a satellite tv for pc to message emergency dispatchers in locations with out cell protection.
And whereas the iPhone 14 has a virtually an identical flat-sided design because the iPhone 12 and 13, together with a ceramic defend overlaying and a water-resistant physique, the within has been utterly redesigned. The 14’s back-glass is less complicated and extra inexpensive to restore because it’s not connected to internals.
All telephones within the iPhone 14 collection solely use eSIMs within the US and have a brand new selfie digicam that for the primary time ever has autofocus. Add in a brand new video stabilization software referred to as Motion mode, an upgraded Cinematic mode that may seize 4K video at 24fps and iOS 16, and you’ve got a superb telephone. For those who activate it on a provider, Apple drops the worth to $799. Learn our Apple iPhone 14 assessment.
From the again, the $999 iPhone 14 Professional appears an identical to final yr’s 13 Professional. However do not let that sameness idiot you. It is the 14 Professional’s display the place there’s one thing totally different and great happening. The show notch, that outlined earlier Face ID iPhone fashions, has morphed right into a pill-shaped display 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 most effective title, however it’s actually top-of-the-line options.
The iPhone 14 Professional has a 6.1-inch adaptive-refresh-rate display that adjusts between 1 and 120Hz relying on what’s on the display. It additionally will get upgraded cameras, a sooner processor, an always-on show, iOS 16 and new security options like Crash Detection and Emergency SOS by way of Satellite tv for pc. Driving all these upgrades is Apple’s new A16 Bionic chip, which in use feels peppy.
The primary digicam will get a brand new bigger 48-megapixel sensor. Whereas extra megapixels would not essentially imply higher images, Apple divides the pixels into teams of 4 and combines them into one bigger pixel. The result’s a 12-megapixel picture that is brighter and has much less picture noise and higher element.
The iPhone 14 Professional is the top-of-the-line telephones launched by Apple or any phone-maker this yr. Learn our Apple iPhone 14 Professional assessment.
The $729 iPhone 13 remains to be a superb telephone. In actual fact, when you’re tempted by the iPhone 14 and wish to avoid wasting cash, seize a 13. They’ve basically the identical physique, identical display and identical A15 Bionic processor. Though technically, the iPhone 14’s processor does have an additional GPU core.
The iPhone 13, just like the 12 earlier than it, is outlined by its square-sided design. It helps 5G, MagSafe charging and has cameras on par with those from 2020’s top-of-the-line iPhone 12 Professional Max.
However the iPhone 13’s greatest characteristic is its bigger battery that, in our assessments, lasted 4.5 hours extra on a single cost than the iPhone 12, and almost 3 hours longer than the brand new iPhone 14.
The 13 additionally has Cinematic mode, which is principally a video model of Portrait mode, and iOS 16, This all provides as much as a superb telephone. The iPhone 13 earned a 2021 CNET Editors’ Selection Award. Additionally, when you activate it on a choose provider at buy, Apple drops the worth to $699. Learn our Apple iPhone 13 assessment.
The $929 iPhone 14 Plus is both an enormous iPhone 14 or a scaled-back iPhone 14 Professional Max, relying in your perspective. Ever because the iPhone XS Max launched in 2018, there was just one choice for many who love massive screens: Pay high greenback and get a Max mannequin with further options you won’t essentially want (like a telephoto digicam or a excessive refresh price show). I do know many CNET readers, pals 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 method to get a telephone within the dimension they wished. However that modifications now.
The 14 Plus has all the iPhone 14’s options and, just like the 14 Professional Max, it has a 6.7-inch show that provides you a bigger canvas for watching movies, enjoying video games and taking images. The 14 Plus can both allow you to match extra onto the display or simply present every little thing the iPhone 14 does however a lot greater. A magnified view looks as if such a secular characteristic, but as my eyes become older, I positively welcome it.
If you’re deciding between the iPhone 14 Plus and the iPhone 14 Professional Max and you do not want a telephoto digicam, a high-refresh-rate display or further weight, I say go along with the 14 Plus and save $200. For those who activate it on a provider, Apple drops the worth to $899. Learn our Apple iPhone 14 Plus assessment.
Who stated small telephones do not exist in 2022? The $629 iPhone 13 Mini is sensible as a result of it has every little thing the iPhone 13 has — it is simply smaller. It has the identical square-edged appears, help for 5G and the identical cameras. The 13 Mini’s defining characteristic is its 5.4-inch OLED display 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 inside a a lot bigger physique. The 13 Mini’s secret is that it lacks these large brow and chin bezels that outlined the iPhone for its first decade.
The display is roofed with Apple’s ceramic defend and the physique, like almost all telephones on this checklist, has an IP68 ranking for mud and water resistance. The 13 Mini has an A15 Bionic processor which places it on the identical degree of efficiency because the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus.
The iPhone 13 Mini is the very same worth because the iPhone 12, however the Mini really lasts longer on a single cost than the larger iPhone 12. I solely advocate you get the 13 Mini for its dimension. For those who aren’t OK with a small telephone, you is perhaps dissatisfied or annoyed. And when you activate it on a provider, Apple drops the worth to $599. Learn extra concerning the Apple iPhone 13 Mini.
The $1,099 iPhone 14 Professional Max is only a massive 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 massive methods from the 14 Professional: It has a much bigger 6.7-inch high-refresh price display and a much bigger battery. In actual fact, in our assessments, the iPhone 14 Professional Max had the longest battery lifetime of any telephone on this checklist.
The iPhone 14 Professional Max is excellent in each approach. However I solely advocate getting it if you’d like a much bigger Professional mannequin iPhone, as a result of it weighs so much. It is 34 grams heavier than the iPhone 14 Professional and 37 grams heavier than the iPhone 14 Plus. Most of that weight comes from the 14 Professional Max’s stainless-steel physique. Learn our Apple iPhone 14 Professional Max assessment.
The $629 iPhone 12 and its flat-sided design marked the start of the present era of Apple telephones. Of every little thing on this checklist, it is the oldest but in addition one of many least expensive, particularly if you wish to snag an iPhone with a up to date look and Face ID.
The iPhone 12 has a 6.1-inch show coated in Apple’s ceramic defend for sturdiness, a still-very-fast A14 Bionic chip, 5G help and MagSafe charging.
The iPhone 12 earned a 2020 CNET Editors’ Selection Award. For those who select to get an iPhone 12 and might afford to pay $50 extra, I positively advocate upgrading from 64GB of storage to 128GB. The iPhone 12 begins at $629, however when you activate it on a provider, Apple drops the worth to $599. Learn our Apple iPhone 12 assessment.
Learn our Apple iPhone 12 assessment.
At $429, you would possibly assume the one attraction of the iPhone SE (2022) is its worth. And admittedly that could be a massive 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 provides it an injection of Apple’s computational images magic.
The SE represents the basic iPhone design however with the added capacity to run the most recent model of iOS and apps. One of many quieter updates in 2022 was that the SE’s again was upgraded to the again glass used on the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini. The iPhone SE is solely your most inexpensive approach into all of Apple providers like FaceTime, iMessage and iCloud. Learn our Apple iPhone SE (2022) assessment.
Key phrases
eSIM
An eSIM takes all the vital details about your telephone account — together with its quantity, wi-fi provider and subscription — and shops it in software program as an alternative 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 telephone and put it into a brand new one. However this should not have an effect on your expertise since all the foremost US carriers and quite a few smaller operators work with eSIM.
Apple has lengthy supported eSIM, relationship all the way in which again to 2018’s iPhone XS, XS Max and XR. When organising a brand new iPhone 14, the machine will information you thru transferring your present supplier over to the brand new telephone. An inventory of supported wi-fi networks may 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 contains new options equivalent to customizable lock screens, an replace to the Messages app that enables for unsending and modifying iMessage texts and new picture modifying instruments.
How we check telephones
We consider every iPhone mannequin on its total high quality, options, design, efficiency, cameras, battery life and worth. We check telephones in the true world, utilizing them as our important machine to make calls, play video video games, take images and browse apps and social media. We doc our experiences in an preliminary assessment which we periodically replace with extra assessments and evaluating them towards new telephones from different corporations like Samsung, Google and OnePlus.
Images is commonly a serious focus and we take photos and movies of various topics in a wide range of settings and lighting eventualities. We check out any new digicam modes, equivalent to Motion mode that debuted with the iPhone 14 line.
Battery testing is performed by way of each assessments of how lengthy the telephone lasts throughout a typical day of use, and by noting how the telephone performs throughout extra centered classes of video calls, media streaming and gaming. CNET additionally conducts a video playback check, which is not all the time included in preliminary variations of the assessment since it could take a full day to run.
We use benchmarking apps to measure the efficiency, alongside our personal anecdotal experiences utilizing the telephone for our assessment. We’ll additionally examine how the telephone appears, feels and capabilities to different iPhone fashions — as an example evaluating the iPhone 14 Plus with a 6.7-inch display towards the equally sized iPhone 14 Professional Max.
We additionally consider whether or not a more moderen model contains sufficient options to make it price upgrading from older fashions.
Learn Extra: How CNET assessments telephones
