The best iPhones we tested
Best iPhone overall: iPhone 16
Best iPhone for photography: iPhone 16 Pro
Best iPhone for battery life: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Best budget iPhone: iPhone SE 2022
Apple currently sells a whopping nine different iPhones, including the high-end iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, the flagship iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, the budget-minded iPhone SE and some older holdouts like the iPhone 14 and 15, and their larger versions. Confused? That’s where we come in.
We’ve tested every iPhone extensively, and have picked out the models that are actually worth buying — and who they’re for — out of Apple’s vast lineup. Ready? Let’s dive in.
The iPhone 16 is the best new iPhone for most people, as the line between the regular and Pro models has become ever-closer — and those moving from an iPhone 14 or older will love the gains.
Half of the iPhone conversations I have revolve around the specific zoom capabilities across the lineup — and the fact that Apple's fit its 5x optical zoom inside both the 16 Pro and Pro Max make it a shutterbug's best friend.
The longest-lasting iPhone, as we proved with our battery test, packs the same excellent camera array as the iPhone 16 Pro. It's also slightly larger than before.
Best iPhone: Apple iPhone 16
Basic has never looked as good as it does on the iPhone 16. While it might seem very similar to the previous iPhone 12 through 15 models, that’s not entirely a bad thing. The lighter 6-ounce iPhone 14 is the kind of device that feels great to pick up and hold. And while its aluminum design isn’t quite as strong and sturdy as the titanium of the iPhone 16 Pro and 15 Pro, it certainly doesn’t feel cheap.
The iPhone 16 features a dual-lens camera system that Apple will argue actually packs more cameras due to how the sensors work. It all starts with the main 48-megapixel sensor, which is called the Fusion Camera because it can also take 2x zoom photos at something Apple calls “optical quality,” since it’s using a crop of the overall sensor to punch in closer. Apple’s offered similar near-optical 2x zooms since the iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus also pack a 12MP 0.5x ultrawide camera that finally brings up-close macro photography to the entry-level iPhone. In our real-world testing, these cameras and their sensors enabled us to shoot accurate and detailed images of pets, flowers and landscapes, and they also excelled at low-light photography. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max add on a 12MP 5x optical zoom camera and raise the ultrawide/macro camera’s sensor to 48MP.
You also get more control over your photos and videos before and after you shoot them. For starters, if you’re one of the folks dissastisfied with the skintones, shadows and aesthetics of your photos, pay attention to the update to Apple’s Photographic Styles. Formerly basic filters, these options are now customizable so you can make your photos look correct for your personal vision. Photographic Styles can also be removed and applied after you snap your shots, too. There’s also a new “Audio Mix” setting for video, which lets you adjust the spatial audio of your clips, with options to minimize all sound coming outside of your shot and adjust vocals to make people sound like they were recorded in a studio. Apple’s also trying to eliminate wind noise sounds, so congratulations to Chicagoans and everyone else whose videos have suffered from harsh audio. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max feature these same perks.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus don’t change a whole lot from Apple’s already-good screen tech, with their sharp 6.1- and 6.7-inch OLED displays that made the moody horror of Resident Evil Village look just as great as we expected. Speaking of which, gaming is one category where folks may actually see the generational upgrade found in iPhone 16’s A18 Apple silicon chip. This processor continues the excellent snappy performance you’ve come to expect from an iPhone, except now all of the iPhone 16 lineup (not just the Pro phones) can play the demanding ports of triple-A video games such as Resident Evil 4, Death Stranding Director’s Cut and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which used to be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Also, the iPhone 16 (just like the iPhone 15 Pro) will be capable of running Apple’s new Apple Intelligence, the company’s upcoming take on generative AI.
And then there are the two big new buttons that the iPhone 16 packs that the iPhone 15 did not: the customizable Action button and the Camera Control (a shutterbug’s best friend). Yes, Apple — the company that’s famously eliminated the headphone jack and the Home button from past iPhones — is falling in love with buttons again.
The Action button replaces the mute switch above the volume buttons, though it can still muffle notifications and noises. Instead, I’ve turned it into a super button that opens a menu of 11 of my frequently-used actions, such as setting specific timers, playing my favorite playlist, opening the YouTube app on my TV, starting a workout in the Supernatural VR app and opening SoundHound to detect the song playing around me. Or, more simply, you can use one of Apple’s presets such as opening your phone’s built-in magnifier, recording a voice memo or turning on a specific Focus mode.
You could also use the action button to open your camera, but you don’t need to now that Apple added the Camera Control key that’s new to the entire iPhone 16 lineup. A click of this button opens the camera app, and a second click takes a photo. Hold the Camera Control down to record video, and release it to stop recording. Once you get the hang of that, try lighter taps, which open up menus to let you zoom, apply the Photographic Styles and further tinker in settings. In our testing, the Camera Control was best for simply opening your camera quicker — no matter what you were doing.
So, while previous entry-level iPhones felt more evolution than revolution, this year’s model packs the opportunity to truly change the game for how we take photos. Not only does it feature macro mode to truly capture the up-close details of a blooming flower, but the instantaneous action of the Camera Control and the fine-grain options of custom Photographic Styles feel like a tinkerer’s dream — and the kind of stuff that can turn an entry-level camera into something more. And it’s all packed inside a long-lasting iPhone that looks better than its Pro cousins (thanks to the bolder color options of Ultramarine, teal and pink), and is faster than nearly every other phone we’ve tested. It’s not just the best iPhone for most people; it’s also our pick for the best smartphone available right now.
How our recommendations compare
| Display | 6.1.-in (2556 x 1179) Super Retina XDR display |
|---|---|
| Refresh rate | 60Hz |
| Processor | Apple A18 |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Rear camera(s) | 48MP main Fusion camera, 12MP ultrawide camera |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth camera |
| Size and weight | 5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 in., 6 oz. |
| Price | From $799 |
| Display | 6.3-in. (2622 x 1206) Super Retina XDR display |
|---|---|
| Refresh rate | Up to 120Hz |
| Processor | Apple A18 Pro |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| Rear camera(s) | 48MP main Fusion camera, 48MP ultrawide camera, 12MP telephoto camera |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth camera |
| Size and weight | 5.9 x 2.8 x 0.3 in., 7 oz. |
| Price | From $999 |
| Display | 6.9-inch (2868 x 1320) Super Retina XDR display |
|---|---|
| Refresh rate | Up to 120Hz |
| Processor | Apple A18 Pro |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| Rear camera(s) | 48MP main Fusion camera, 48MP ultrawide camera, 12MP telephoto camera |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth camera |
| Size and weight | 6.4 x 3.1 x 0.3 in., 8.0 oz. |
| Price | From $1,199 |
| Display | 4.7-inch (1334 x 750) Retina HD display |
|---|---|
| Refresh rate | 60Hz |
| Processor | Apple A15 Bionic |
| Storage | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB |
| Rear camera(s) | 12MP main camera |
| Front camera | 7MP camera |
| Size and weight | 5.5 x 2.7 x 0.3 in., 5.1 oz. |
| Price | From $429 |
How we tested
Design and display
- Design: We considered how aesthetically pleasing each phone is and, more importantly, how comfortable it is to hold. We tested all special features and buttons, such as the iPhone 16’s Camera Control and Action button, and noted how well they worked.
- Display quality: Everyone spends a lot of time looking at their phone screens, so we spent a lot of time testing them. We watched plenty of trailers, shows and movies on each device and noted how fast the refresh rate was. We generally prefer the Pro models for their ProMotion (up to 120Hz) screens that enable extra-smooth scrolling; once you’ve tried it and go back to a 60Hz phone (like the base iPhones), things just look a bit choppy.
Performance
- Day-to-day: We typically use any review smartphone as our main device for at least a week, which gives us lots of time to gauge how it holds up against small tasks like texting, photographing and social media posting and bigger ones like playing graphically rich games and watching 4K movies.
- Benchmarking: To qualitatively measure how fast a phone is, we ran Geekbench 6, which gauges a phone’s general performance capabilities. After running the test three times, we averaged out the scores we got for single-core (for everyday tasks) and multi-core (for demanding ones) performance, and assessed how each stacked up with the field.
Battery life
- Day-to-day: During our first few days with each phone, we noted how much battery we had left in the tank at the end of each day. We also considered what kinds of charging speeds each phone promised and how quickly they juiced up once they were depleted.
- Playback test: For a more comparative look at battery life, we put every phone we review through a custom battery test. For this benchmark, we played a 4K video on a loop with the brightness set to 50% and the device set to Airplane mode.
Cameras
- Image quality: We took a lot of photos on every phone we tested, focusing on a few common subjects including (but not limited to) daytime scenes, food, flowers, Portrait mode photos, low-light environments and an abundance of selfies. We took several of the same photos with one or two top competitor phones to see how they all stacked up.
- Zoom quality: Zoom quality can vary wildly, from the iPhone’s 2x optical-ish zoom to the 25x digital zoom that requires a tripod or the steadiest of hands. Therefore, we spent a lot of time testing each phone’s various zoom levels (and comparing them with the competition) across a consistent subject.
Other iPhones we tested
Take the iPhone 16, make it bigger and increase its battery life, and you get the iPhone 16 Plus. Just don't expect it to last as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple's battery life champ.
Apple keeps the previous two generations of iPhone around for one year, so expect this more-affordable model (which is comparable on screen quality and everyday performance) to be around until Sept. 2025.
The oldest mainline iPhone currently for sale at Apple, this model packs snappy performance, decent cameras, a familiar aluminum design and some nice colors — and it's $200 less than the iPhone 16.
How to sell or trade in a phone
When it comes to upgrading to a newer iPhone, you’ll likely want to get some cash or trade-in value for your current model. It’s an easy way to close the gap, especially as a new iPhone can cost a hefty amount of dough. Luckily, there are several services out there that make trading in a phone relatively easy.
You’ll generally start by selecting your model, noting its condition, answering a few other questions and then see an estimated value for the device. If you choose to send the device in, you’ll lock in that value and the service will provide you with a shipping label to send your device back in. After they receive it, they’ll check it over and update the value if need be. You’ll confirm and they’ll pass the money to you. We’d recommend using a service like Decluttr, It’s Worth More or Gazelle, all of which we’ve personally used.