In the beginning, there was just iPhone – Apple’s revolutionary mobile phone, widescreen iPod with touch controls, and breakthrough internet communications device. Now, there are so many iPhones available to buy, it makes your head spin.
This guide aims to help you decide which is the right iPhone for you, with a no-nonsense rundown of each model’s standout features.
Tight for time? Skip to the end for a lightning-fast overview on what to buy – and when to upgrade.
iPhone 17 Pro/17 Pro Max
From $1099/£1099 • 6.3in/6.9in display • A19 Pro chip • 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB (Pro Max only) • Face ID • USB-C (USB 3 speeds) • three-camera system / Last updated: September 2025
Best for: a cutting-edge smartphone and/or the best iPhone camera
We’re not sure what makes a smartphone ‘Pro,’ but these two phones deserve that branding. They retain everything great about their predecessors, yet push things even further for the pro crowd.
The display remains unchanged (aside from a bump to 3,000 nits peak brightness – up from 2,000), but is still gorgeous. The design, less so. The new orange finish is striking (you can still opt for a duller hue, note), but the enlarged camera bump (or ‘plateau’ as Apple insists on calling it) makes this iPhone look ungainly. However, the extra space means hours more battery life on a single charge. Meanwhile, the A19 Pro chip rivals laptop power, yet the vapor chamber cooling system keeps things from getting too toasty even under sustained load.
The cameras are the most exciting change, though. Like the main and ultra wide sensors, the telephoto is now 48MP too (up from 12MP). That means highly detailed 48MP 4x shots under ideal conditions and 12MP 8x photos elsewhere – outclassing the maximum 12MP 5x on the 16 Pro. The selfie cam has been upgraded as well: 18MP snaps and the means to shoot landscape photos while holding the iPhone in portrait. (The Air and vanilla 17 also get that upgrade.)
All this excellence comes at a premium. Prices start at $100/£100 more than last year, and for many, a Pro (or Pro Max) will be overkill. It’s also frustrating that Apple says its Pro phone has the power of a laptop, but iOS 26 won’t let you use it like one – unlike Android 16. Still, if you want the best iPhone with the best iPhone camera, a Pro is the phone to buy.
Pros: 8x telephoto zoom; powerful; fast; still superb display
Cons: Now even more expensive; Pro Max can feel unwieldy
iPhone Air
From $999/£999 • 6.5in display / A19 Pro chip • 256GB/512GB/1TB • Face ID • USB-C (USB 2 speeds) • single camera system / Last updated: September 2025
Best for: anyone who desperately wants a phone that’s really thin and surprisingly powerful
Apple hasn’t had much luck with its ‘other’ iPhone. The standard and Pro models always sell well, and the Pro Max has earned its place. But the mini vanished after just two years, and the iPhone Plus lasted only three. Now Apple’s hoping it’s third time lucky for this slot with the iPhone Air.
But this is a deeply weird iPhone. It packs the Pro’s power but lacks its cooling system, and so it often gets very warm. The display is larger than the Pro’s but the slender design means battery life lags behind even the standard iPhone. And while the Air’s body is impressively thin, the camera bump sticks out almost as much as on the Pro, and the entire phone is only 12g (0.42oz) heavier than the iPhone 17.
You’d hope that the shortcomings would stop there, but no. There’s only room for a single rear camera, which means no ultra wide for macro shots, and no second lens for spatial videos and photos. Even more surprisingly, there’s only one speaker, which is loud enough, but leaves you without stereo audio for games or video in landscape.
If you value a skinny phone above all else, have at it. Otherwise, save yourself 200 bucks and get an iPhone 17.
Pros: thin; A19 Pro chip; larger display than anything but the Pro Max or Plus
Cons: one camera; one(!) speaker; gets warm; expensive; not-great battery life
iPhone 17
From $799/£799 • 6.3in display • A19 chip • 256GB/512GB • Face ID • USB-C (USB 2 speeds) • dual-camera system / Last updated: September 2025
Best for: getting almost all the benefits of an iPhone Pro at a more affordable price
Last year’s iPhone 16 was the closest the standard model had ever come to the Pro. Now, the iPhone 17 is even closer. The Pro still offers extras – a telephoto lens, the slightly faster A19 Pro chip, a Ceramic Shield back, LiDAR, slightly more battery life, faster USB speeds, and a 1TB option. But unless you’ve very specific needs centered on a telephoto lens or high-speed connectivity, you’re just not going to care.
What you will care about is what the iPhone 17 does have. That now includes the exact same display as the Pro, with 120Hz ProMotion, 3,000 nits peak brightness, and an always-on mode for StandBy. The A19 chip is powerful enough for almost anything you’ll throw at it, and the 17’s battery life has received a huge bump over the 16. As noted earlier, you get the new selfie camera, but the ultra wide is improved too, up to 48MP from 12MP. Plus, you now get 256GB storage as standard for the same price as last year’s 128GB iPhone 16.
Downsides? There’s still no telephoto lens, the design is as ordinary as iPhones get (though now arguably more elegant than the Pro), and this year’s colors are drab. On balance, though, this is the best iPhone for most people in 2025. Only skip it if you absolutely must have the thinnest iPhone (Air) or the best zoom (Pro).
Pros: excellent screen upgrade; powerful; great battery life; two improved cameras
Cons: no telephoto; can get warm; USB 2 data speeds
iPhone 16e
From $599/£599 • 6.1in display • A18 chip • 128GB/256GB/512GB • Face ID • USB-C (USB 2 speeds) • single-camera system / Last updated: February 2025
Best for: when you’re on a budget and want an iPhone that will last
The iPhone 16e is an oddball. It replaced both the iPhone SE and the iPhone 14 in the line-up, albeit at the price of the latter. Apple describes it as part of the iPhone 16 family, but that whiffs of marketing spin. The device is every inch the spit of the iPhone 14, given that it has a notch instead of Dynamic Island. But it also retains compromises found in the iPhone SE.
Most egregious is the lack of MagSafe – astonishing, given that you have to go back to 2019 and the iPhone 11(!) for the most recent ‘numbered’ iPhone without that feature. It also omits macro photography and a Camera Control button. So what are the positives? An A18 chip, the (single) camera being 48MP, battery life rivaling that of last year’s iPhone 16 Pro, and the Action button.
It’s not a bad deal if you prize longevity over the latest features and can live without MagSafe. But we’d have been a whole lot happier if this iPhone was 100 bucks cheaper – and with every passing month, the 16e feels a little less impressive.
Pros: plenty of power; solid battery life; 48MP main camera; reasonable price
Cons: no Dynamic Island; no MagSafe; only one rear camera; dated looks
iPhone 16/16 Plus
From $699/£699 • 6.1in/6.7in display • A18 chip • 128GB/256GB (Plus only) • Face ID • USB-C (USB 2 speeds) • dual-camera system / Last updated: September 2024
Best for: honestly, pretty much nobody
Life comes at you fast when you’re an iPhone. Last year, the iPhone 16 was hailed as a great choice if you didn’t need – or couldn’t afford – Apple’s flagship. But the arrival of the iPhone 17 has immediately made the 16 feel redundant.
The big downgrade from the 17 is the display. The 60Hz panel has lower peak brightness, no ProMotion, and no always-on mode. The 48MP main camera is still good, but the 12MP ultra wide can’t compete with the 17’s 48MP upgrade. You also lose hours of battery life and 128GB of base storage. So what do you gain? The colors are nicer. And if you want a larger display but can’t afford a Pro Max, there’s the iPhone 16 Plus. So… not much.
The iPhone 16 now feels awkward in the range, like it exists to fill a price gap or nudge buyers towards the iPhone 17. Notably, there’s no 256GB iPhone 16, likely because Apple’s usual $100/£100 extra for doubling the base storage would then make it cost the same as a 256GB iPhone 17 – a phone that’s objectively better in so many ways.
Only consider the Plus if you cannot live without a bigger screen and are willing to pay $100/£100 more than an iPhone 17 costs for a far worse device. Well, apart from the colors. But then you can always buy a case for that.
Pros: powerful; good main camera; lovely colors
Cons: screen is merely OK; feels like poor value compared to the iPhone 17
TL;DR
Still undecided? Here’s a lightning-fast comparison for when to upgrade to the next model:
- Get the iPhone 16e if you want the cheapest iPhone and don’t mind the compromises.
- Go for an iPhone 16 Plus if you absolutely must have a larger display but can’t stretch to an Air or Pro Max – and, again, don’t mind the compromises. (Don’t buy an iPhone 16. Just don’t.)
- Buy an iPhone 17 for a big increase in screen quality, camera improvements, more battery life, and the smugness in owning the best of 2025’s iPhones in terms of sheer value.
- Grab the iPhone Air if you care more about thinness and style than multiple cameras, stereo sound, and money.
- And pick the iPhone 17 Pro if you have to have the best and most powerful iPhone Apple’s ever made, with cameras suitable for Hollywood. (Or the Pro Max if you want all that with a bigger display and battery.)