Apple

Apple releases a new iPhone in the fall every year, and for many people, this is a good time to think if you want to upgrade your existing phone. You may not want or need the latest features, and, each year, Apple continues to sell several older models, at lower prices. Instead of buying the most expensive flagship iPhone, you might want to look at the other options. But with five different models available, it can be confusing to choose an iPhone.

Rather than just choose an iPhone based on its price, it’s important to get the iPhone that is best suited to the way you use your phone. The criteria you use when choosing an iPhone are very different from those used to choose the ideal iPad, or the best Mac for your use case. This is because an iPhone is such a personal device: you generally carry it around with you and use it all day long. An iPhone is more than just a phone: it’s a pocket computer with an advanced camera system, and for many people, it’s the way they record memories, listen to music, communicate with friends and family, and much more.

Apple’s current line-up includes five different iPhone models, four of which come in different sizes, for a total of nine options (not counting choices of color and storage).

In this article, I’m going to look at the various use cases for the iPhone and help you decide which iPhone is right for you. Note that I only discuss models that Apple is currently selling; you can get other models used or refurbished from many sources.

You want the latest and greatest iPhone

Every year, Apple touts the newest iPhone as the best, fastest, and most wonderful iPhone ever. They’re not wrong; each year is an incremental improvement over the past, and for many people, the newest features may be essential.

This year’s models, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, offer improvements to the cameras, new colors, improved displays, and more. But the marquee feature is the ability to use Apple Intelligence, a suite of tools that Apple is rolling out progressively over the next year. Because of the processor and RAM requirements, the only older iPhone models that can benefit from these features are last year’s iPhone 15 and 15 Pro; the plain iPhone 15 doesn’t have what it takes.

Because of this, there’s not much difference between the Pro and non-Pro iPhone 16 models. The iPhone 16 Pro models offer an always-on display with ProMotion, a system that varies the refresh rate of the display, making it both better looking and less power-hungry. The iPhone 16 Pro models also have a titanium case, which is lighter and more scratch-resistant than stainless steel or aluminum. Both versions of the iPhone 16 Pro have the same chip; the only difference is a slightly limited GPU (graphics card) on the plain iPhone 16. This is a change from the past, when the pro models always had a faster chip. But, because of Apple Intelligence, Apple needs to ensure that all new models can handle these demanding tasks.

As has been the case in recent years, one of the main differences between the Pro and non-Pro models is that the latter doesn’t have a third camera. This year’s iPhone 16 Pro offers two 48 megapixel cameras – the main and ultra-wide cameras – and the third camera is a 5x optical zoom. These 48 megapixel cameras offer an impressive level of detail, especially if you shoot in Raw or Apple’s ProRaw. (If you know what these are, then you’ll understand why this new sensor matters.) The plain iPhone 16 also has a 48 megapixel main camera, so you might not need to go pro to get that much detail, but the second ultra-wide camera is only 12 megapixels.

All iPhone 16 models have an action button on the right side of the phone. You can use this button to activate certain features, such as the flashlight, the magnifier, to start recording with the Voice Memos app, and more.  There is also a new camera control button on the side of all iPhone 16 models.

Both versions of the iPhone 16 are available in two sizes, with the Pro models gaining a few millimeters since last year. There are the 6.1″ iPhone 16 and the 6.7″ iPhone 16 Plus, and the 6.3″ iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9″ iPhone 16 Pro Max.

This is the second year since the iPhone switched from a lightning cable to USB-R to charge the device. This cable is included with the phone, but if you’re upgrading from an older phone, you may have several lightning cables in various locations that you’ll need to replace if you charge your phone at home, at work, and in your car. All iPhone 16 models also support MagSafe, Qi, and Qi2 charging. For more on MagSafe chargers, see our Complete Guide to Apple MagSafe Chargers, Cases, and Accessories.

Note that you can buy an iPhone on Apple’s iPhone upgrade program, and, if you do, you can trade in your iPhone every year for a new one. If you always want the latest iPhone, this is your best option. You can switch from year to year if you want, say, the plain model one year, the Pro the next year, and so on.

You want the iPhone with the best cameras

Apple generally includes the best cameras on its Pro model iPhones, but the plain iPhone 16 models also have a 48-megapixel main camera. Pro models have three cameras, compared to only two on the plain iPhone 16: the additional camera is a telephoto lens, which is very useful. This is a 5x optical zoom, the longest zoom lens that Apple has ever had in an iPhone., The non-Pro models only have ultra-wide and wide-angle lenses, and the wide-angle camera is only 12 megapixels.

If you are familiar with cameras, this gives the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max a total of seven focal lengths, allowing you to shoot photos up close and at a distance.

If size matters

Left to right: iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone SE (3rd generation).

This year’s models come in three sizes: iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16, and the iPhone SE. In previous years, the sizes of the standard iPhones matched. This year, the Pro phones have gotten a bit larger, and Apple is currently selling the 6.1″ iPhone 16 and the 6.7″ iPhone 16 Plus, and the 6.3″ iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9″ iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The Plus and Max models may be too large for some people. If you have small hands, then these iPhones will feel like a small iPad. If you have large hands, however, and large pockets – or always carry your iPhone in a purse or bag – and especially if you want the biggest display, then the iPhone 16 Plus or iPhone 16 Pro Max is for you. There’s a small difference in size of the screens on the two larger models, but the Pro models get larger displays due to slimmer bezels.

Conversely, if you have small hands, and especially if you plan to carry your iPhone in a tight pocket often – and have good enough eyesight that you can read text on a smaller display – then it’s worth considering the iPhone SE (3rd generation), if there are no Pro features that you need. (Note that the iPhone SE has not been updated this year; it’s the same phone last updated in March 2022, and it’s possible that there will be a new model in early 2025.)

If in doubt, try them out in a store. Phone size is very personal, and you may find that the size that works best for you is not the one you expected.

If price is most important

The cheapest iPhone that Apple currently sells is the iPhone SE (3rd generation). At $429, you get the basics without any frills. You don’t get Face ID (this is the only model with Touch ID), you don’t get the “edge-to-edge” display, and, at 4.7″, this display is pretty small. It has Apple’s A15 processor, so it is fast enough for basic activities, but it won’t get Apple Intelligence features. However, it’s a very light iPhone, and fits in even the tightest pockets.

Apple also still sells the iPhone 14, in two sizes, 6.1″ and 6.7″. This two-year-old model is a good compromise, at $599 or $699, with a dual-camera system, Face ID, and more. For a bit more, you can buy last year’s iPhone 15, which adds a processor that is one generation newer, at $699 and $799 for the same sizes.

As you can see, Apple has a full range of price points:

• $429: iPhone SE (3nd generation)
• $599: iPhone 14
• $699: iPhone Plus
• $699: iPhone 15
• $799: iPhone 15 Plus
• $799: iPhone 16
• $899: iPhone 16 Plus
• $999: iPhone 16 Pro
• $1199: iPhone 16 Pro Max

These prices are for the base storage on the devices. The iPhone 16 Pro Max includes 256 GB, all other iPhone 16, iPhone 15, and iPhone 14 models start at 128 GB, while the iPhone SE starts at 64 GB storage. Adding more storage increases the cost of the device.

Choosing an iPhone can be a complicated calculation, because Apple has arranged the pricing so you can get a bit more features for a bit more money; it’s very tempting to consider moving up one notch in the price hierarchy to get a newer model or a larger display.

You should also think long term. The oldest models that Apple currently sells, the iPhone 14 and the iPhone SE (3rd generation) were released in 2022. If you plan to use your new phone for several years before buying another one, bear in mind that Apple will eventually stop releasing iOS updates for that model. The older an iPhone model is at the time you buy it, the fewer years you’ll be able to get iOS updates—and security updates—for it. (See our article When does an old iPhone become unsafe to use? for more details.)

It can also be useful to look at pricing in a different way. If you’ve decided which size iPhone you want, you can then compare the prices of the different models in that size category:

Small iPhone:

• $429: iPhone SE (3nd generation)

Larger iPhones:

• $599: iPhone 14
• $699: iPhone 15
• $799: iPhone 16
• $999: iPhone 16 Pro

Largest iPhones:

• $699: iPhone 14 Plus
• $799: iPhone 15 Plus
• $899: iPhone 16 Plus
• $1199: iPhone 16 Pro Max

You can trade in your old iPhone to get credit from Apple, but it’s worth shopping around; there are plenty of companies that buy used devices, and they generally offer more than Apple does. (We list several of these companies in this article.) Also, Apple sometimes offers financing deals such as 0% interest for 12 or 24 months, so if price is an issue, look for these. And carriers in different countries may also offer deals, including increased trade-in value, but this usually requires that you commit to a carrier for a fixed amount of time.

If you need lots of storage

The latest iPhone models start at 128 GB, though the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at 256 GB, and you can configure the iPhone 15 Pros up to 1 TB. This comes at a cost, of course, but if you need this much storage, then you know you need to pay for it. The only likely reason you’d need 1 TB storage is if you shoot a lot of videos, notably with ProRes, available on the Pro models. This video format uses so much space – 6 GB per minute for 4K, and 1.7 GB per minute for 1080p – that Apple won’t even let you shoot ProRes in 4K unless your iPhone has at least 256 GB storage.

However, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models allow you to record video directly to external storage. Since all iPhone 15 and 16 models have USB-C, and the Pro models support USB 3.0 at speeds up to 10 Mbps, you can plug an external storage device, such as a portable SSD, into an iPhone Pro model to shoot video. In that case, you may not need to pay for the extra internal storage.

Even if you don’t shoot ProRes, if you do shoot a lot of videos, and your current iPhone is running out of space, consider getting more storage. If you’re upgrading from a 64 GB iPhone to an iPhone 16, which has at least 128 GB, you may not have any problems, but look at how much you’re using on your current iPhone, then consider that in a year or two you may be using much more.

If you need the longest battery life

If you’re out and about all day, you may want the iPhone model that has the best battery life. In general, that’s the latest and largest model, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max tops the chart with up to 33 hours of video playback, 29 hours of streamed video playback, and up to 105 hours of audio playback. You’d be hard-pressed to keep an iPhone alive for 105 hours, unless you turned off things like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and dimmed the screen—but these numbers are indicative of how long an iPhone’s battery would last doing just that one dedicated task, based on Apple’s testing.

The iPhone 15 Pro is rated for 27 hours, 22 hours, and 85 hours respectively. Go down a notch to the plain iPhone 15, and these numbers drop to 22 hours, 18 hours, and 80 hours. It’s worth noting that these battery life figures have increased a lot with the iPhone 16 models, gaining about 10% across the board.

Battery life is something you can mitigate with a battery pack, either Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack, or third-party MagSafe battery packs, or even power banks that you connect to the phone’s charging port with a USB cable. That said, it’s really helpful to know that you can make it through the day with your iPhone without needing to stop to charge it.

How to make up your mind

Most people don’t upgrade their iPhones every year. If you do, consider joining Apple’s iPhone upgrade program; it means that you’ll get a new phone each year, and can trade in the old one. You also get AppleCare+ with that program, ensuring that repairs to your iPhone don’t cost a lot.

If you only upgrade every two or three years (or even less often), or if you tend to hand down your old iPhone to someone else whenever you upgrade, then your buying decision now could affect the future much more. But for most people, it isn’t worth spending a lot of time worriedly comparing every little product specification. With the exception of the iPhone SE, which is limited in size, storage, and processor, all the iPhones that Apple sells are good enough for just about everyone.

How can I learn more?

Each week on the Intego Mac Podcast, Intego’s Mac security experts discuss the latest Apple news, security and privacy stories, and offer practical advice on getting the most out of your Apple devices. Be sure to follow the podcast to make sure you don’t miss any episodes.

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About Kirk McElhearn