The best iPhone to buy in 2024: our verdict

Key iPhone 16 Pro Max specs:
Display: 6.9-inch 120Hz screen
Processor: Apple A18 Pro
RAM: 8GB
Cameras: 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto (5x optical zoom), 12MP front-facing
Battery: 4685mAh
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

iPhone 16 Pro

The iPhone 16 Pro is just as good as the Pro Max, not as big
PhoneArena Rating: 7.7
PhoneArena Battery Score: 6 hours 35 minutes
PhoneArena Camera Score: 154

Stick with us, we know it kind of looks like we are just listing off the newest iPhones. But the iPhone 16 Pro is worth a mention here this year. Specifically because last year’s Pro pair had a difference between them — the 5x tetraprism lens.

Well, this year, the iPhone 16 Pro is back in the game. It has everything that the 16 Pro Max has — the 48 MP ultra-wide camera, the 5x zoom lens, the Camera Control button and Action button, and the same processor. No difference between the two. Aside from the screen size, but it’s noteworthy that the iPhone 16 Pro also has a slimmed-down bezel, so its own screen has grown to 6.3 inches, from 6.1.

In our experience, most users prefer that slightly smaller form factor. So, while it doesn’t have the monstrous battery life, we believe the 16 Pro will be the best new iPhone for shoppers this season.

So, if you want those Pro Max features but don’t want a slab of a phone, the iPhone 16 Pro is back to being the right viable choice. Take note that the battery is definitely smaller. It’s not that we couldn’t depend on the iPhone 16 Pro to last us a day, up to a day and a half, but the Pro Max definitely has that “two day” feel to it.

Oh, there is one more difference — you can still get it a bit cheaper. While the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at 256 GB, nudging you to make that storage upgrade whether you want it or not, the iPhone 16 Pro still starts at 128 GB and $999. So, you get the power, the speed, the cameras and the Photographic Styles, all for $200 less. But that’s not the full story! Keep in mind, iOS will not let you record video in 4K ProRes if you don’t have at least 256 GB of storage, so if you are interested in recording and editing high quality video from your iPhone — plan ahead and get the storage upgrade.

Key iPhone 16 Pro Max specs:
Display: 6.3-inch 120Hz screen
Processor: Apple A18 Pro
RAM: 8GB
Cameras: 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto (5x optical zoom), 12MP front-facing
Battery: 3582mAh
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

iPhone 15 Pro

With a 120 Hz screen of its own, and an Apple A17 Pro processor inside, you shouldn’t be missing out on that “Pro” iPhone experience. Apple has confirmed that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will be getting the new Apple Intelligence features, for what it’s worth. And the A17 Pro was the first iPhone chip to support the console games that are coming to the App Store — Assassin’s Creed, Resident Evil, Death Stranding, and more to come, we assume.Apple has discontinued the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, which means there’s no official MSRP to go by. But do know that they used to start at $999 and $1199, respectively. No doubt retailers and carriers will be clearing them out, and we expect some good deals on last units to pop up at the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events.

Also, don’t get us wrong, it may be “discontinued”, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max still has a good 4 years of updates left in its life. At least, that is. Apple just always clears Pro Max models to make way for the newest ones.

Key iPhone 15 Pro specs:
Display: 6.1-inch 120Hz screen
Processor: Apple A17 Pro
RAM: 8GB
Cameras: 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto (3x optical zoom), 12MP front-facing
Battery: 3274mAh
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

iPhone 16

The base iPhone 16 is quite the improvement this year around
PhoneArena Rating: 7.3
PhoneArena Battery Score: 6 hours 21 minutes
PhoneArena Camera Score: 149

This year’s non-Pro models got a nice set of upgrades. In fact, in a shocking twist, Apple gave them a lot of the features from the Pro variants. The Action Button that was exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max last year is now here, on the regular iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. The brand-new Camera Control button is also available across the entire iPhone 16 series.

Now for the bad news — no 120 Hz screen on the iPhone 16. It’s a $799 phone, and there are plenty of $300-$400 Android phones that have 90 Hz and 120 Hz screens. While we wouldn’t say those phones are entirely comparable to the iPhone 16 experience, it does underline the fact that the tech is advanced enough and this should definitely be possible for a non-Pro phone.

Last year, it was a bit hard to recommend the iPhone 15 Plus when the 14 Plus was quite similar. Now, the iPhone 16 Plus has gotten quite a few upgrades, and it’s worth a look — if you want to know about them, just check the iPhone 16 section above, as all the upgrades apply to the Plus.

One thing that does kind of matter is that you won’t get USB C, which has become standard on iPhones since the 15 series. The iPhone 14 models still use the Lightning port, which is slowly (and thankfully) going away now. But it’s worth noting that even with USB C, the non-Pro iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 units are still limited to USB 2.0 speeds. So yeah, it may be a bit easier to borrow a charger when you are out and about, because USB Type-C is — thankfully — very widely available right now. But, you won’t be getting any of its performance benefits.

Long story short — if you want a large iPhone for a relatively low price (by iPhone standards), now is the best time to buy an iPhone 14 Plus. However, it’s worth taking a look at the iPhone 16 Plus for the slight new redesign, the new processor, and Apple Intelligence features that will come.Key iPhone 14 Plus specs:
Display: 6.7-inch 60Hz screen
Processor: Apple A15 Bionic
RAM: 6GB
Cameras: 12MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP front-facing
Battery: 4325mAh
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

PhoneArena Rating: 4.6
PhoneArena Battery Score: 3 hours 56 minutes

The iPhone SE is here for these that want the cheapest, simplest model out there. It’s not exactly the best value iPhone — we believe that the best value for money is the iPhone 14 right now, for a mix between price, actual features, screen size, and usable power. The SE model is a phone for those that just want connectivity and don’t care about media consumption or gaming on the device all that much.

But Apple still keeps it relevant — the iPhone SE 3 (or iPhone SE 2022) is powered by the same chip that’s inside the iPhone 13 series. It has the same dependable-but-not-outstanding camera, it supports 5G connectivity and the convenience of wireless charging.

Now, if you are looking at the SE simply because you want a cheap iPhone, it may not be the best option, maybe look at the iPhone 14 instead. The iPhone SE starts at $429 for the 64 GB model and it is decidedly a phone for those that want the slim, small form factor that stays out of the way. Which is perfectly fine, but if you want a more modern iPhone experience, for as cheap as possible, the iPhone 14 is the better option.

Which iPhone is the best value for your money?

Looking at the present Apple iPhone lineup, we would say that the iPhone 13 is probably the best value right now. Its base tier comes with 128 GB of storage, which will be plenty enough for most users out there. On the inside and out, it is not worse than the iPhone 14, which was supposed to dethrone it. It does lack a 120 Hz screen and a telephoto camera, which is a shame, but such is the plight of non-Pro iPhones.

If you want those premium features, you’d have to make quite the leap in price.

However, the good news is that some wireless carriers and 3rd party retailers still have units of the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max in stock. If you are craving that telephoto camera for better portraits, and the smoothness of a ProMotion display — you may do well seeking one of those out.

Thanks to Apple’s software support, the 13 series still has a long life ahead of it, so it’s a worthwhile investment at this point in time.

How to choose the iPhone that best fits your needs?

There are two things to consider when buying a new phone. Your usage habits and your budget. Do you really need a huge Max model, if you only use iMessage and Instagram twice a day? If you game on your iPhone — do you play vertical games that require a one-hand grip, or do you immerse yourself in horizontal shooters? Naturally, the latter crowd will enjoy a bigger screen for sure.

Plus, it also helps to pay attention to how long the phone will be supported for. Credit given where one is due, Google has recently committed to 7 years of software support for its Pixel phones, but we have yet to witness that happen. Whereas iPhones are proven to get 5 years of software support, so they more or less retain value — you can get them second hand, you can sell them off, an iPhone is an iPhone for half a decade.

It also helps that smartphone tech development has steadied in recent years, finding a comfortable plateau, and new features don’t pop up at a relentless pace. Meaning, new phones stay new for longer, as they aren’t immediately outshined by the next best thing.

Now, a lot can go wrong in these years, such as batteries going bad, but it’s worth noting that Apple has upped its game considerably since the old iPhone 6 fiasco.

So, as far as usage habits go, you need to consider this:

Phone size and design:

• Large phone: the Max and the Plus – if you watch a lot of videos, play a lot of games, browse tons of social media on your iPhone, or even edit your own clips and pictures, you will probably want to sacrifice the comfort of a small device and gain the benefit of a larger screen. In that case, the Pro Max models or the new iPhone 14 Plus will work out best. They also have the benefit of improved battery life, which lends itself well to your poweruser needs.

• Medium size: the regular models – you may wish to have a more comfortable grip on the phone, as you use it more to reply to messages and only watch talking head style YouTube videos. The regular iPhone with no Max or Plus monikers seems to strike this balance well. The screen has enough room for comfortable thumb-typing, and is big enough for the occasional enjoyment of multimedia. Yet, it’s not too large and you won’t be overwhelmed by its size if you decide to stick it in a case.

• Super compact: the mini – if you are out looking for a tiny smartphone that’s easy to pocket, yet packs a performance punch and a dependable camera — the iPhone SE is one of your very limited options. And it might as well be the best one, considering how much life it has left in it, thanks to the processor inside and Apple’s software support habits.

• Classic comfort, unexacting and simple: iPhone SE – if you or whoever you are buying for, prefers the older iPhone look and feel, with a Touch ID button — the only option is the iPhone SE.

Phone Features

• Camera – if you want a telephoto camera for better zoomed-in photos and more natural portraits, your option is quickly limited to the Pro models. Furthermore, if you want to experiment with the new-ish Cinematic Mode as well as the Photographic Styles — you need to go with an iPhone 13 series at the least. Needless to say, if you want the absolute best and most advanced Apple camera to date — you will find it on an iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.

• Screen quality – Across the board, Apple uses OLED panels for all recent iPhones, save for the iPhone SE. So, color reproduction and accuracy will be on equal levels across models. The Pro variants, however, have brighter screens, capable of hitting 2,000 nits. Impressive as it is, in the real world, you will rarely need that much brightness, so that’s not the real selling point here. No, that would be the 120 Hz ProMotion screen that is still being held hostage by the Pro iPhones — from the iPhone 12 Pro onwards.

Additionally, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are the only ones with LTPO displays, capable of bringing their refresh rate down to 1 Hz. Apple utilizes this technology to get the Always On Display feature working on them — and only them, for the time being.

• Safety and security – The Secure Enclave is a subsystem within Apple chips that is present on all recent iPhones, making sure your sensitive data is encrypted and held safe on-device. As far as cyber safety is concerned, all modern Apple phones have you covered.

As for physical safety, iOS does provide Medical ID and Emergency SOS on all of them, however the new iPhone 14 series has a slight edge. If you find yourself an avid trekker, you may want the new satellite SOS feature, for some peace of mind. That and the new Crash Detection feature are only found on the 2022 iPhones.

Battery life

Apple always aims for an “all day battery life” with all its mobile devices. It typically achieves that, especially since iOS is fantastic at preserving battery charge when in standby mode. Some, however, exceed those expectations — specifically the Plus models and Pro Max models, which have room for larger batteries in them.

There are also some models that fall short — like the iPhone 12 mini, which wasn’t very dependable with its battery endurance. Especially if scanning often for an unreliable 5G connection.

Aside from that small mishap, most iPhones in recent years have had a dependable battery life.

Check out how these iPhones have performed in our extensive battery tests:

Performance

in the case of the Apple iPhone, we typically trust that the performance is — and will be — top-tier for years to come. The Apple A silicon is excellent and way ahead of the game, outperforming and outlasting the competition on a regular basis. This is why Apple is comfortable with releasing an iPhone 14 series with the same chips that powered the iPhone 13, for example. Here is a rundown of the contemporary models and their capabilities:

• Apple A16 Bionic (iPhone 14 Pro, Pro Max): hexa-core, first Apple chip built on 4 nm process. Up to 3.46 GHz clock speed, 5-core GPU
• Apple A15 Bionic (modified for iPhone 14, 14 Plus): hexa-core, 5 nm. Up to 3.23 GHz clock speed, 5-core GPU
• Apple A15 Bionic (iPhone 13, 13 mini): hexa-core, 5 nm. Up to 3.23 GHz clock speed, 4-core GPU
• Apple A14 Bionic (iPhone 12): hexa-core, 5 nm. Up to 3.1 GHz clock speed, 4-core GPU

In other words — if Apple sells it on its website, it still considers it fast enough to wear the brand on its back with pride.

How we test phones

You will notice that we put emphasis on three different ratings with these phones. Here at PhoneArena, we have a dedicated battery rating, dedicated camera rating, and an overall scoring of the phone, which takes into account all of its important features — from design to display, performance, charging speed, and speaker quality. At first glance, the overall rating points may look a bit low, but that’s because every aspect of the phone is scored with our internal processes, developed specifically to be future-proof and combat “review score inflation”.

In other words — we do our best to use the full 1 to 10 scale, so an overall score of 7.6 is very good. To make it easier to understand where a specific phone falls, compared to its peers, we’ve added a “Price Class Average” metric, which shows you the average score from other phones in the same category.