The greatest iPhone will be the one you already personal. There may be usually no want to purchase a contemporary cellphone simply because new fashions have been launched, as {hardware} updates are broadly iterative, including small bits to an already completed bundle. However in the event you do need a substitute handset, whether or not new or refurbished, listed here are one of the best gadgets of the present crop of Apple smartphones.
Many different smartphones can be found apart from the iPhone, however in the event you’re an Apple consumer and don’t fancy switching to Android, you continue to have a few selections. Whether or not your precedence is the longest battery life, one of the best digital camera, the largest display screen or just the optimum stability of options and worth, there’s extra to select from within the Apple ecosystem than chances are you’ll count on, particularly after the iPhone 16 fashions had been launched on 9 September.
However in the event you’re considering of shopping for Android as a substitute, now we have a information for these too.
At a look
The perfect iPhones you should purchase in 2024
Finest iPhone for most individuals:
iPhone 16
The bottom mannequin iPhone 16 has nearly all of the options that make Apple’s newest smartphones nice, however it’s considerably cheaper than the 16 Professional fashions.
It has Apple’s fashionable but acquainted aluminium and glass iPhone design and Face ID however has a rearranged digital camera cluster on the again. It sticks with the identical 6.1in OLED display screen as its predecessors, which appears to be like good however lacks an always-on mode. It’s additionally nonetheless caught at a comparatively gradual 60Hz refresh charge, which may make scrolling and movement extra jarring than on fashions with quicker screens.
The newest A18 chip is speedy and permits Apple’s Intelligence options (AI instruments). The battery lasts about two days of normal use, or at the least a day of heavy use, and the cellphone costs with USB-C. It additionally helps MagSafe and Qi/Qi2 wi-fi charging and equipment. It begins with an honest 128GB of storage, though bigger fashions can be found in the event you don’t wish to retailer your photographs and movies within the cloud.
The iPhone 16 is gentle and pretty compact for a contemporary smartphone, and its IP68 score means it’s water resistant to depths of six metres for as much as half-hour – greater than protected sufficient for any unintended dunks. It positive aspects the helpful Motion button from final 12 months’s iPhone 15 Professional, which replaces the mute swap and can be utilized to mute the cellphone or for varied different features, similar to turning on the torch or launching apps. The brand new Digital camera Management button is nice for rapidly opening the digital camera, even when zooming, altering settings and taking pictures photographs with the button is a bit fiddly within the digital camera app.
The twin digital camera on the again is nice, comprising a foremost 48MP digital camera and an improved 12MP ultrawide digital camera, which now has a macro pictures mode for enjoyable closeup pictures. It additionally has Apple’s photographic kinds options for many who wish to customise how the digital camera captures photographs (wealthy distinction, vibrant, heat) and get inventive with tone and color palette. The principle digital camera can do a 2x in-sensor zoom, which works nicely in vivid gentle, however the lack of an actual telephoto digital camera holds the 16 again. The 12MP selfie digital camera is identical as different iPhones.
The iPhone runs iOS 18.1, which has loads of customisation options and helps RCS messaging with Android. It additionally has a handful of the primary Apple Intelligence options, together with varied AI writing, proofing, transcribing and summarising instruments, a brand new Siri design and an AI object remover in photographs. The notification summaries characteristic is probably the most helpful, condensing a number of alerts – similar to WhatsApp messages, safety digital camera occasions and even information apps – into stacks and summarising them to point out you what has occurred rapidly. Nevertheless, not one of the AI options are price upgrading for simply but.
£799 at Apple
£779 at John Lewis
Why do you have to purchase it?
The iPhone 16 supplies the usual iPhone expertise at a less expensive worth and in probably the most pocketable dimension, providing good battery life and entry to new and future AI options.
Purchase if: you need the default, good iPhone expertise at this time
Don’t purchase if: you need optical zoom in your digital camera
Learn our full iPhone 16 evaluation: extra buttons and velocity for Apple’s commonplace cellphone
Battery and dimension improve:
iPhone 16 Plus
For an additional £100, the iPhone 16 Plus matches the specs, digital camera and options of the bottom mannequin however provides an even bigger 6.7in display screen and lengthy battery life, which may last as long as three days of normal use. It nonetheless has the identical pitfalls because the vanilla iPhone 16, similar to a 60Hz show and no optical zoom digital camera, whereas its dimension makes it harder to make use of one-handed and considerably cumbersome in a pocket.
£899 at Apple
£879 at John Lewis
Learn our full iPhone 16 Plus evaluation: Apple’s battery beast
Finest iPhone for digital camera:
iPhone 16 Professional
The iPhone 16 Professional is Apple’s greatest cellphone. It’s the step-up choice to the essential iPhone 16: the identical good bits, however a barely bigger (6.3in) display screen, regardless of being squeezed right into a equally sized titanium and glass physique. The show is crisp, vivid and slick, with a quicker 120Hz refresh charge to maintain scrolling and animations easy. The display screen additionally helps the helpful always-on characteristic, displaying the time and notifications when not in use.
The 16 Professional additionally has a barely extra highly effective A18 Professional chip and begins with 128GB of storage, with better area out there – as much as 1TB – for many who want it. The battery lasts a superb 40 hours of normal use, which means it should undergo the heaviest of days, and most might want to cost it solely each different day.
It has the identical two further Motion and Digital camera Management buttons because the common mannequin, however the digital camera on the again is best. The 48MP foremost digital camera and 48MP ultrawide digital camera are nice and the additional 12MP 5x telephoto digital camera meaningfully closes the distances to things. Mixed, they shoot nice photographs throughout varied lighting situations and eventualities.
£999 at Apple
£979 at John Lewis
Why do you have to purchase it?
That is Apple’s greatest cellphone, with its strongest digital camera, prime efficiency and a high-quality big-enough display screen in a tool that’s nonetheless simple to slot in a pocket.
Purchase if: you need the Professional display screen, titanium physique and greatest digital camera with no huge show
Don’t purchase if: you need the longest battery life or largest show on an iPhone
Learn our full iPhone 16 Professional evaluation: Apple ranges up its smaller ‘pro’ cellphone
Finest iPhone for display screen:
iPhone 16 Professional Max
The most important, most costly iPhone in Apple’s 16 sequence lineup is the iPhone 16 Professional Max. It takes every part nice from the smaller iPhone 16 Professional and provides a vivid, crisp and easy 6.9in show. Watching films on it feels extra like utilizing a small pill than a cellphone.
The 16 Professional Max additionally has an enormous battery, lasting about 55 hours of normal use between costs, so it wants charging each third day. Meaning it should handle even the heaviest all-day use, and is good if you wish to recreation for hours.
Nevertheless, Apple’s superphone is so massive that it’s exhausting to deal with, needing two arms to wield. It’s additionally fairly heavy and hulking, making it a little bit of a lump to hold in a pocket or small bag.
£1,199 at Apple
£1,179 at John Lewis
Why do you have to purchase it?
The 16 Professional Max is Apple’s superphone with an enormous, lovely display screen and wonderful battery life, in addition to every part good about its smaller 16 Professional sibling.
Purchase if: you need an enormous, high-quality show and a long-lasting battery
Don’t purchase if: you need a smaller, extra pocketable system
after e-newsletter promotion
Learn our full iPhone 16 Professional Max evaluation: completely maxed out
Finest worth iPhone:
iPhone SE (2022)
The iPhone SE is one thing of a throwback. It takes the basic pre-2017 design of the iPhone – full with a Contact ID dwelling button and chunky bezels – and places a extra fashionable chip at its coronary heart.
The third-generation iPhone SE was launched in 2022 and continues to be the best-value new iPhone, with 5G and the A15 Bionic chip used within the 2021 iPhone 13. The 4.7in display screen is small and dim by fashionable requirements, regardless of the cellphone feeling fairly chunky. It lacks Face ID and different fashionable iPhone options, similar to Apple Intelligence, and has solely 64GB of storage at its base worth. The one digital camera on the again is a bit weak, too.
£429 at Apple
£429 at John Lewis
Why do you have to purchase it?
The iPhone SE (2022) is the most cost effective iPhone you should purchase new.
Purchase if: you need the best-value iPhone, however don’t wish to purchase a refurbished mannequin
Don’t purchase if: you need a fashionable iPhone expertise or high-quality digital camera
Learn our full Apple iPhone SE 2022 evaluation: dated design however discount worth
Different iPhones nonetheless on sale at Apple
The iPhone 15, launched in 2023, has the identical display screen and aluminium physique as the present iPhone 16 however lacks the motion and digital camera management buttons. It was nice on launch and can obtain about 5 to 6 years of software program help. Nevertheless, it lacks Apple Intelligence help and is pretty costly at an RRP of £699, so search for refurbished fashions or offers.
The 2022 iPhone 14 has an older design, doesn’t help Apple Intelligence options and is getting on a bit, however it’s nonetheless a superb cellphone. It’s not good worth at its RRP of £599, although, so that is one to look out for refurbished, with about 4 years of software program help anticipated.
Exchange or spruce up?
In case your iPhone is working gradual or the battery doesn’t final so long as it used to, there could also be one thing you are able to do. Examine your battery well being in settings. If it’s previous its greatest, a substitute prices £65 to £109 from Apple, or cheaper via third events, and can give your iPhone a brand new lease of life. To hurry issues up, verify you might have sufficient free storage and filter any unused apps or content material, off-loading photographs and movies to the cloud and deleting music. Purpose for at the least 2GB of free area.
In case your cellphone is worn out, damaged past restore or now not receives essential safety updates, it’s time to improve. The newest software program, model iOS 18, helps gadgets again to 2018’s iPhone XS/XR, so something older ought to be changed quickly – although some older fashions should still obtain occasional safety updates from Apple.
What to look out for in a refurb
Shopping for refurbished telephones is best for the planet and your pockets. The iPhone makes for a wonderful refurbished cellphone, sometimes staying responsive for years and being supported with software program updates for about seven years from launch, or longer in some circumstances. Meaning you need to use an older mannequin for a number of years earlier than it should want changing.
There are broadly two kinds of refurbished iPhone out there: these refurbished and bought instantly by Apple that come, basically, as new, and people refurbished by third events that are available varied grades or situation – however value much less.
Fast Information
A purchaser’s information to refurbished telephones
Present
A number of third-party retailers provide refurbished telephones, together with the UK excessive avenue chains CeX and Recreation and on-line shops similar to musicMagpie and Envirofone. Marketplaces like Amazon and eBay and refurb specialist Again Market even have a variety. And a few cellphone operators, together with O2, giffgaff, EE and Vodafone, promote refurbished iPhones.
The situation of the cellphone is among the many most vital issues to think about earlier than parting with any money. That is graded as follows:
Grade A – nearly similar to a brand new cellphone on the skin, often with the unique field and equipment. These are sometimes buyer returns reasonably than trade-ins and are the costliest.
Grade B – in full working order however sometimes with gentle scratches, dents or nicks, and will include unique equipment.
Grade C – in full working order however visibly worn and sometimes bought with out unique equipment.
Grade D – also referred to as “for spares and repairs” or comparable. These are damaged gadgets bought for individuals to repair or intestine for components.
When you’re happy with the situation of the cellphone, you should definitely additionally dimension up the system’s:
Battery well being – batteries put on out, sometimes solely sustaining as much as 80% of their unique capability after 500 full-charge cycles (about two to 3 years of nightly charging). Has it been changed?
Charging port – verify for indicators of injury, as these are among the many first components to interrupt.
Buttons – do all of them work with out urgent too exhausting? Damaged buttons make telephones tough to make use of and could be costly to repair.
Fingerprint scanner – is the fingerprint reader functioning because it ought to? Scratches or repairs may cause them to be defective.
Community locks – verify the cellphone works with the supplier of your selection, as some are initially bought locked to sure networks and should be unlocked earlier than getting used on one other.
Unauthorised components – not all repairs are executed by the producer or utilizing licensed components, which may have an effect on efficiency.
Examine it isn’t stolen – verify the cellphone’s 15-digit IMEI (Worldwide Cell Tools Identification) quantity towards a database of stolen gadgets via a service similar to CheckMEND or comparable.
Guarantee – what sort of guarantee does the retailer provide on its refurbished telephones?
Don’t purchase
-
Any mannequin older than an iPhone 13, since you gained’t get a few years of software program help earlier than you’ll have to switch it.
-
An iPhone 13 mini until it has a brand new battery. It had a comparatively quick battery life to begin with and wanted extra frequent charging than bigger iPhones, so its battery wears out quicker.
How I examined
Fast Information
How I examined
Present
We mix real-world testing with varied instruments, similar to benchmarking techniques that carry out standardised duties. These assist us consider a cellphone, measure its efficiency, verify that it really works as anticipated and examine it with its competitors and predecessors.
We use the telephones at totally different occasions and in varied environments, from firing off emails on packed commuter trains to weekends spent taking pictures photographs in nationwide parks, and every part in between. We do every part a typical smartphone consumer would, similar to messaging, looking, utilizing apps, listening to music, watching movies, taking part in video games and navigating the actual world. That provides us a superb impression of how a smartphone handles the rigours of day-to-day life – plus, it reveals us how lengthy the battery lasts and the energy of its wi-fi efficiency.
The findings from our normal use of the telephones are mixed with the outcomes from particular assessments for issues such because the digital camera zoom, video playback and charging, to tell the critiques and assist us rank the gadgets.
Why do you have to belief me?
I’ve been reviewing client electronics for 16 years, with greater than a decade spent because the Guardian’s gadget knowledgeable. In that point I’ve seen all method of tech fads come and go, smartphone giants rise and fall, the innovative morph into the mainstream, and have poked, prodded and evaluated greater than 1,000 gadgets – generally to destruction.
Samuel Gibbs is the Guardian’s client know-how editor
The article was initially revealed on 4 October. Critiques revealed within the Filter could also be periodically up to date to replicate new merchandise and on the editor’s discretion. The date of an article’s most up-to-date replace could be discovered within the timestamp on the prime of the web page. This piece was up to date on 22 November; the merchandise had been up to date.
