Best iPhones in 2022: Which iPhone should you buy?
Included in this guide:
While excitement is already edifice for new iPhones coming out later this year, the best iPhones you lot tin buy correct now proceed to impress usa. The cream of the crop remains the vi.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max — clearly the best iPhone Apple tree's e'er fabricated and currently the all-time phone overall.
But you've got enough of other choices in the iPhone 13 lineup, from the compact iPhone xiii mini to the fully-featured iPhone xiii Pro. Apple'due south lineup also includes some older models that are even better values now that their prices have dropped.
- Find the best unlocked iPhones
- iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: What's different
Which model should you choose, though? That'due south what we're here to help with, whether y'all're a long-time iPhone fan or just making the switch from Android to iPhone.
Here'south how nosotros rank the best iPhones currently available.
What are the best iPhones?
As we noted at the get-go, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the best iPhone yous tin can buy — a nearly perfect phone thanks to its stellar cameras, adaptive display and long battery life. Option up this $1,099 phone (the same price Apple charged for last year's champ, the iPhone 12 Pro Max), and y'all won't be disappointed.
Want something a little less expensive? At $799, the iPhone thirteen is the best iPhone for virtually people. While information technology lacks the dynamically adjusting displays of the iPhone 13 Pro models, its cameras are powerful enough in their own correct. Throw in an improved battery, brighter brandish and that powerful A15 chip, and Apple tree's got another great option in its iPhone 13 lineup. The iPhone xiii Pro and iPhone thirteen mini take their own distinct appeal.
Apple's kept around ii members of 2020's iPhone 12 family. You can buy either the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 mini for $100 less than their iPhone 13 counterparts. The iPhone 12 mini, in item, stands out as a keen value, every bit it now costs less than $600. The iPhone eleven ($499) and iPhone SE ($399) prove that some of the best iPhones don't toll a lot.
The all-time iPhones yous can purchase right at present
In that location's no topping the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the best iPhone Apple currently offers and a near-perfect device. Pick a category, and the iPhone 13 Pro likely dominates it. The phone adds an adaptive brandish that can automatically scale its refresh rate from 10Hz to 120Hz depending on what task you're performing. That, combined with a larger battery and efficient AT xv Bionic processor, help the iPhone xiii Pro Max last more than 12 hours on our battery examination — an outstanding time.
Those features are all impressive, but the truly great thing about the iPhone 13 Pro Max may be its cameras. The setup is the same as before, with 3 rear lenses, but Apple has turned to bigger sensors to let in more calorie-free, with the ultrawide bending shooter particularly expert at teasing color and detail out of the dark areas of shots. The telephoto lens is better as well, with the iPhone thirteen Pro Max now supporting a 3x optical zoom.
You'd have to search pretty hard to find many flaws with this phone, and they're mostly well-nigh affair we wish Apple tree would have added like some class of Touch ID. But the iPhone 13 Pro Max features that are there impress and reaffirm Apple'southward place as the industry-leading telephone maker.
Read our full iPhone 13 Pro Max review .
The best iPhone for most people will exist the $799 iPhone 13, which properly balances a more affordable price with some stellar features. By skipping the more expensive Pro line, y'all won't get the fast-refreshing displays, merely there are enough great features here to make the iPhone thirteen a worthy upgrade from any past iPhone.
1 of the best things nigh this new model is its storage — Apple finally includes 128GB with the base model, then you don't necessarily take to leap to the next storage tier just to fit everything on your phone. The A15 processor — the same one found in the iPhone 13 Pro models — continues to set the stride for mobile processors, allowing the iPhone xiii to outperform any Android device.
As with any iPhone 13 model, the real story here is the cameras. The iPhone 13 all the same features two rear lenses, but they have bigger sensors which should translate to improved low-light photography. What's more, Apple tree includes a number of computational-powered features similar Cinematic manner to automatically shift focus when you're shooting video. It'southward an impressive array of features in a phone that'south affordable priced.
Read our full iPhone 13 review .
The iPhone 13 Pro is every bit the great telephone that the iPhone xiii Pro Max is, simply slightly smaller and $100 less expensive. Unlike in by years, where the larger Pro Max was the clear superior phone, at that place'south footling separating the two iPhone thirteen Pro models. So you're complimentary to become the size y'all prefer, and for many, that volition be the half dozen.1-inch Pro option with its $999 price.
For that money, you lot get the dynamically refreshing display found on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Like its bigger sibling, the iPhone 13 Pro also features a larger bombardment — how large Apple hasn't said, only it translates to more than eleven.5 hours of battery life in our test. The iPhone 13 Pro Max's camera improvements are on hand in the iPhone 13 Pro, too, including powerful software features like Cinematic style.
Go the iPhone 13 Pro if you want the best features Apple offers in a smartphone, but in a more slender package than the massive iPhone xiii Pro Max model.
Read our full iPhone 13 Pro review .
The iPhone 13 mini is the virtually powerful compact telephone Apple'south ever made, cheers to that A15 Bionic chip that powers all the iPhone 13 models. That means the best performance in a smartphone can also be constitute in Apple tree's 5.4-inch model, which likewise happens to exist the least expensive entry in the iPhone xiii lineup.
Compact phones aren't for anybody, and you won't detect the dynamically refreshing displays featured with the iPhone 13 Pro models, only the iPhone 13 mini has plenty to recommend it. It'south got the same photographic camera setup as the iPhone 13, with larger sensors that permit in more than calorie-free than before. The display is also brighter than the iPhone 12 mini'due south screen, and battery life is improved, if ever so slightly.
This may be the final mini phone Apple makes if rumors about hereafter iPhone plans are ture. If so, the iPhone 13 mini goes out with fashion.
Read our full iPhone 13 mini review .
The iPhone 13 mini may exist a great meaty telephone, just for something a little flake cheaper, try the iPhone 12 mini. It may be a yr older, only the iPhone 12 mini doesn't skimp on features. You get the same A14 processor found in the other iPhone 12 models, and the rear cameras on the iPhone 12 mini are as as impressive as the ones institute on the larger iPhone 12. Even ameliorate, it's now $100 cheaper, as it makes way for the iPhone 13 mini.
Like the residue of the iPhone 12 lineup, the iPhone 12 mini offers 5G connectivity, supporting all flavors of the faster networking standard. That includes mmWave 5G, which is specially impressive given the number of antennas Apple had to fit within such a compact phone. And the mini has the nearly attractive cost of whatsoever new iPhone, now starting at just $599.
Overall, the iPhone 12 mini is ane of the all-time iPhones nevertheless considering its blueprint is then refreshing. And the add-on of a purple option to the original five colors gives you yet another fashion to become an iPhone that matches your item tastes.
Read our full iPhone 12 mini review .
The iPhone 12 features many of the best aspects of the iPhone 12 Pro, but for less money — this model at present starts at $300 less than Apple's Pro handset later on a price cutting triggered past the iPhone 13 launch. Just you're not making too many compromises to get this more affordable iPhone.
After all, the iPhone 12 has the aforementioned A14 Bionic processor and comprehensive 5G connectivity every bit the more expensive Pro model. Y'all only get two rear cameras on the iPhone 12, merely they perform better than ever, thanks to software improvements Apple fabricated. A new seven-element lens on the main camera combined with a wider discontinuity than before ways better photos in low-calorie-free and sharper images overall.
The LCD panel Apple tree used on the iPhone 12'south predecessor is gone, replaced past an OLED screen that offers the aforementioned 6.1 inches of brandish existent manor as before. You're however confined to 64GB of storage in the base model and in that location'due south no charger included with the phone, but otherwise, this is a stellar addition to the iPhone lineup. And Apple recently shook things up past adding a purple color to the v other colour options for the iPhone 12. (Cheque our our majestic iPhone 12 easily-on for a look at this new colour.)
Read our total iPhone 12 review .
The iPhone 11 has long since stopped being the new kid in town, with Apple tree releasing two subsequent generations of phones after this device's 2019 debut. Simply it's even so available and it'due south the least expensive it's ever been at $499. That price, combined with the fact that the A13 Bionic processor is still more than powerful than contemporary Android phones, makes this a good purchase.
Every bit with the iPhone 12, y'all are giving up a defended telephoto lens, as the iPhone 11 features a 12-MP wide bending and ultra wide angle shooters. But it'south capable of the same camera furnishings every bit the residual of the iPhone xi family, including portrait shots, ultra wide angle selfies and Night Fashion for better low-light photos. You tin also expect more than 11 hours of battery life from the iPhone 11, though you'll have to bound for a separately-sold fast-charging adapter to juice back up at the quickest speeds.
Run into our full iPhone eleven review .
You lot tin't keep a practiced iPhone downwardly, which is why Apple tree revived the iPhone SE iv years after launching the original low-toll, compact iPhone. The iPhone SE 2020 is a piffling larger than before — adopting the 4.vii-inch screen and form factor of the discontinued iPhone 8 — but it's kept a low toll that volition appeal to iPhone fans looking for the best bargain around.
It's not just the toll that makes the iPhone SE so appealing. The phone runs on the same A13 processor y'all'll find in the iPhone xi, then the iPhone SE volition remain a top-performing phone for years into the hereafter, especially as regular iOS updates add new features. You'll just get one rear photographic camera with this phone, but it'due south a good ane, augmented by the A13's Neural Engine to augment your photos with computational photography.
This isn't the longest-lasting iPhone past any stretch of the imagination, and we wish that camera would back up Apple tree's Night mode for better depression-light photography. You're as well missing out on 5G connectivity. But if yous want some premium ability in a phone that fits comfortably in 1 mitt, the iPhone SE was built with you in mind.
The newer Pixel 5a outshines the iPhone SE in some primal areas, suggesting the need for an update. The rumored iPhone SE 3 is expected in the bound and appears to be on track according to the latest intel from Apple's supply chain.
Read our full iPhone SE 2020 review .
How to choose the all-time iPhone for yous
The best way to decide the iPhone you should buy is to take stock of the features and capabilities that affair virtually to you. If battery life is especially of import, seek out a larger iPhone, as they tend to accept bigger batteries to match their screen size. What's more than, because iOS is known to be more often than not efficient in terms of energy consumption, fifty-fifty the smaller models tend to last longer than average on a accuse.
If you're basing your next iPhone purchase off camera quality, the top-tier Pro variants are easy recommendations, thanks to triple-lens designs that let yous to capture multiple different perspectives, from zoomed-out ultra wide-angle images to shallow depth-of-field portraits. They're also remarkably good in challenging lighting scenarios, like when shooting in a dimly-lit indoor space, or outdoors at dark.
All that said, if price is rex, and saving the absolute most on your adjacent smartphone buy is your top priority, you lot should take no reservations well-nigh nabbing an iPhone SE 2020 or iPhone 11. These may be on the cheaper side of Apple's range, but they're still made of flagship-quality materials, with plenty power and functioning to sustain years of use.
However, exist mindful of storage. The $499 iPhone 11 and $599 iPhone 12 mini only come up with 64GB of space at those prices; if you want more chapters, be prepared for that price tag to get up. The iPhone thirteen addresses that problem by bumping base of operations storage to 128GB.
If yous buy your iPhone through Apple, you lot may be able to save money by trading in your current phone. Apple'south trade-in rebates hope anywhere from $100 up to $700 off if you have an iPhone 8 or newer. (The trade-in value increases for newer models.) Y'all can trade in Android phones, too, though Apple has lowered the amount of money you can go back for an Android trade-in.
We also track special offers from carriers and retailers to observe the best iPhone deals past model:
- All-time iPhone 13 deals
- All-time iPhone 12 deals
- Best iPhone SE deals
- Best iPhone 11 deals
When Apple tree releases new iPhones, it cuts the cost on the models it keeps around. That'due south why you'll pay less for the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 11 at present that the iPhone 13 models are hither. (The iPhone XR is no longer part of Apple tree's lineup.)
Apple tree's current lineup is expected to stay in place for some time. The iPhone fourteen likely won't debut until this fall. There is a possibility that we could see the iPhone SE 3 earlier in the year, though — this model's expected to add 5G to Apple's cheapest iPhone.
All of the iPhones mentioned hither can run iOS xv. In the example of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models, you'll need to download iOS fifteen to upgrade to the new software. Read our full iOS 15 review to see what we think of the update and all the features it brings to Apple's phones.
How we test iPhones
As with whatever smartphone nosotros test at Tom's Guide, we evaluate iPhones for days in existent-globe use cases. We also benchmark Apple's phones using a gamut of performance-measuring apps that allow us to compare iPhone performance to what Android devices are capable of. In addition to constructed benchmarks, we as well run real-world tests, including a video transcoding exam in Adobe Premiere Blitz that compares the iPhone's processing speed with other devices.
In our lab, nosotros use a light meter to ascertain brandish quality data, like brightness and color accuracy to assist us evaluate the brandish of the best iPhones. Our proprietary battery test determines longevity on a charge by endlessly streaming webpages over an LTE network; we so recharge the iPhones to see how quickly they accuse in fifteen-minute intervals.
To compare cameras, we accept any iPhone we review out and shoot photos in a variety of settings. We also bring along a comparable smartphone to see how the iPhone's photographic output measures up.
We explore Apple's iOS improvements, test gaming functioning and evaluate the phone'south speakers — and each of these factors play a role in our final verdict.
- How to utilize your iPhone — essential tips and tricks
- Need a better zoom? These are the best iPhone lenses y'all can buy
Philip Michaels is a senior editor at Tom'due south Guide. He has potent opinions virtually Apple, the Oakland Athletics and old movies. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-apple-iphone,review-6348.html
