iPhone shopping for information 2022

Deciding which iPhone to purchase has at all times been difficult. Which display screen dimension is finest for you, and the way a lot storage do you want? Should you lower your expenses by choosing an older mannequin, or do you have to splash out on the newest iPhone 13 or 13 Pro… and even the 13 Pro Max? Is the iPhone SE or the 11 the most effective compromise between specs and worth for cash?

In this text we discuss you thru every of the telephones presently accessible from Apple, that can assist you determine which is finest for you. We focus on worth, specs and options, and it is best to depart feeling rather more assured about your shopping for determination. Read our iPhone offers roundup for extra recommendation on getting the bottom potential worth.

Here’s your grand overview of Apple’s present iPhone vary:

Is now an excellent time to purchase a brand new iPhone?

It’s an okay time to purchase. If you may, we’d advocate ready till September, when the iPhone 14 is predicted to launch and any present fashions that survive will drop in worth, however that’s nonetheless 4 months from now. There received’t be any modifications to the line-up–no worth cuts, no new fashions–till then.

More on this in our information to the most effective time to purchase an iPhone.

What’s the most effective iPhone display screen dimension?

This is difficult. The eight fashions of iPhone characteristic 4 completely different display screen sizes:

• iPhone 13 Pro Max: 6.7 inches
• iPhone 13 Pro: 6.1 inches
• iPhone 13: 6.1 inches
• iPhone 13 mini: 5.4 inches
• iPhone 12: 6.1 inches
• iPhone 12 mini: 5.4 inches
• iPhone 11: 6.1 inches
• iPhone SE (2022): 4.7 inches

The dimension which fits you finest goes to return down to private choice: a bigger display screen is clearly good to have, and can make video games and movies look a lot better, however you’ll pay for it by way of worth (the 13 Pro), worth and a bulkier handset (13 Pro Max) or older tech (the 11). You will in all probability must compromise.

There are these, however, who worth portability, and have been disenchanted when Apple discontinued the 4-inch iPhone SE from 2016. The 2022 model of the iPhone SE is a bit of greater, nevertheless it’s probably the most transportable iPhone presently accessible.

If you’re actually uncertain which iPhone dimension goes to go well with you finest, we’d extremely advocate visiting an Apple Store and attempting them out in particular person. If that’s not an possibility, strive mocking up the sizes with cardboard. You’ll discover the total dimensions of every telephone listed under.

How a lot storage do I would like?

Each iPhone is obtainable in between two and 4 capability choices. It’s vital to think about how a lot you want earlier than shopping for as a result of iPhones don’t have a microSD card slot that may mean you can add further storage at a later date; however as of late, with the minimal allocation a really respectable 64GB, this can be much less of a fear. It all relies upon how a lot stuff you wish to put in your machine.

To be trustworthy, 64GB shall be sufficient for most individuals; contemplate fastidiously whether or not you want any greater than that earlier than you cough up further money. Have a take a look at your present telephone’s utilization (go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage) and take into consideration how a lot house you actually need. Read How a lot storage do you want on an iPhone? for detailed recommendation.

The new terabyte possibility added to the iPhone vary for the primary time in fall 2021, and accessible on the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max solely, is one for probably the most demanding consumers of all. If you report, and must have continuous easy accessibility to, massive portions of high-resolution video, this can be a boon. But for many it will likely be overkill.

Which iPhone ought to I purchase?

With the preliminaries accomplished, right here’s a breakdown of every iPhone mannequin that can assist you determine which is finest for you.

iPhone 13 Pro Max

Price: From $1,099/£1,049
Buy from Apple

This is the emperor: the flagship on the high of Apple’s telephone vary. You can not presently discover a higher iPhone than this. Or a costlier one: it begins at $1,099 for the 128GB possibility, and tops out at an astonishing $1,599 for 1TB. (Most individuals shall be wonderful with 128GB, nevertheless it’s good to have the choice of a terabyte.)

Still, you get what you pay for. In this case meaning a wonderful 6.7-inch, 458ppi, True Tone OLED display screen with ProMovement, the dynamic tech that lets the refresh fee get as excessive as 120Hz in contexts the place the very smoothest of display screen motion known as for, however drops it at different instances to protect battery life. Lack of ProMovement was one of many huge disappointments within the 12-series, however the 13 Pro Max (and the 13 Pro) have gotten it ultimately.

The A15 Bionic processor is after all the quickest Apple has made (that’s true yearly) however Apple seems to have targeted extra on battery efficiency than total pace. The 13 Pro Max ought to final round 2.5 hours longer than the 12 Pro Max underneath typical utilization circumstances. The digicam lenses have been upgraded (there’s additionally a cool new characteristic that features a bit of like Portrait mode for video), and Apple guarantees that 5G help has been widened.

iPhone 13 Pro Max specs

• 6.7-inch OLED (2778 x 1284 at 458ppi) with ProMovement
• A15 Bionic processor
• 128/256/512GB/1TB storage
• 12MP/12MP/12MP triple-lens digicam, f/2.8, f/1.5 and f/1.8, OIS
• 12MP entrance digicam, f/2.2
• 802.11ax dual-band Wi-Fi 6
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM, or twin eSIM)
• Haptic Touch
• IP68
• GPS
• NFC
• 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65mm
• 238g

iPhone 13 Pro Max offers

Check out the bottom costs in your space:

$843.93

$1099.99

Free

iPhone 13 Pro

Price: From $999/£949
Buy from Apple

Largely equivalent to the 13 Pro Max, the 13 Pro suffers by comparability solely by way of its display screen (6.1 inches slightly than 6.7 inches) and battery life (as much as 22 hours of video playback slightly than 28). For these causes it’s cheaper, however this stuff are relative; it begins at $999, and tops out at $1,499 for the 1TB model.

So you continue to get ProMovement on the OLED display screen, the super-fast A15 Bionic processor, the upgraded triple-lens digicam with its numerous photographic upgrades, the improved battery efficiency in contrast with the earlier era, the broader 5G help. And though the display screen is smaller, it shares the 13 Pro Max’s distinctive brightness and distinction.

iPhone 13 Pro specs

• A15 Bionic chip
• 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB storage
• 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED show (2532 x 1170 at 460ppi), 2,000,000:1 distinction ratio, 1,000/1,200 nits max brightness (typical/HDR), True Tone, ProMovement
• Triple 12MP rear-facing cameras (f/1.8 Ultra Wide, f/1.5 Wide and f/2.8 Telephoto), flash, 6x optical zoom, OIS, Portrait Mode, Night mode portraits, Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 4, Apple ProRAW, 4K video recording at 24/25/30/60fps, Cinematic mode, ProRes video recording at as much as 4K and 30fps
• 12MP front-facing digicam (f/2.2), Retina Flash, Portrait Mode, Smart HDR 4, Cinematic mode
• Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with MIMO
• Bluetooth 5.0
• IP68 water- and dust-resistant (6m as much as half-hour), Ceramic Shield
• Claimed battery life as much as 22 hours of video playback
• 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65mm
• 203g

iPhone 13 Pro offers

Our automated desk finds the most effective costs in your area.

$167.06

Free

$999.99

Free

iPhone 13

Michael Simon/IDG

Price: From $799/£779
Buy from Apple

The iPhone 13, inevitably, misses out on the flagship ProMovement characteristic that for now’s restricted to the Pro and Pro Max editions of Apple’s latest iPhone era. That’s a disgrace, and there are a couple of different compromises, however this stays a particularly high-class, well-specced mid-size smartphone.

The notch is about 20% smaller than on the iPhone 12 (learn our iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12 comparability for a deeper head-to-head), the A15 Bionic is the quickest cellular processor in the marketplace proper now–though it has one fewer GPU core than on the Pro fashions–and the cameras have been upgraded, together with a brand new Cinematic mode.

The show could not have ProMovement however it’s 28% brighter than the one on the earlier era, and naturally has extra display screen house due to that shrunk-down notch. And battery life has been given an enormous enhance: Apple says it ought to final round 2.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12. This telephone received’t allow you to down.

iPhone 13 specs

• A15 Bionic chip
• 128GB/256GB/512GB storage
• 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED show (2532 x 1170 at 460ppi), 2,000,000:1 distinction ratio, 800/1,200 nits max brightness (typical/HDR), True Tone
• Dual 12MP rear-facing cameras (f/2.4 Ultra Wide, f/1.6 Wide), flash, 2x optical zoom out, OIS, Portrait Mode, Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 4, 4K video recording at 24/25/30/60fps, Cinematic mode
• 12MP front-facing digicam (f/2.2), Retina Flash, Portrait Mode, Smart HDR 4, Cinematic mode
• Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with MIMO
• Bluetooth 5.0
• IP68 water- and dust-resistant (6m as much as half-hour), Ceramic Shield
• Claimed battery life as much as 19 hours of video playback
• 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65mm
• 173g

iPhone 13 offers

Monitor the bottom costs in your space:

$799.99

Free

$829.00

Free

iPhone 13 mini

Dominik Tomaszewski

Price: From $699/£679
Buy from Apple

We weren’t positive Apple would return to the mini nicely after the gross sales disappointments of final 12 months–certainly we didn’t assume the corporate ought to–however the 13 mini accompanies its three bigger siblings at a cheaper price and with a formidable characteristic set. This would be the closing iPhone mini.

The raison d’etre of the mini line, after all, is a mix of energy with portability. And whereas the previous is unquestionably current–the 13 mini will get the identical state-of-the-art A15 Bionic chip because the iPhone 13–it’s value mentioning that, like the remainder of the 13-series, this mannequin is barely thicker and heavier than its predecessor. We’re simply speaking an additional quarter of a millimeter and 7g, so that you shouldn’t discover, however we wish you to have the total image.

The remainder of the iPhone 13’s upgrades are current right here too. You get Cinematic mode, for taking part in with focal distances in video; you get a smaller notch; you get a brighter display screen; and also you get much-improved battery life.

We assume it’s a vastly interesting bundle. But maybe there aren’t sufficient iPhone consumers on the market who agree.

iPhone 13 mini specs

• A15 Bionic chip
• 128GB/256GB/512GB storage
• 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED show (2340 x 1080 at 476ppi), 2,000,000:1 distinction ratio, 800/1,200 nits max brightness (typical/HDR), True Tone
• Dual 12MP rear-facing cameras (f/2.4 Ultra Wide, f/1.6 Wide), flash, 2x optical zoom out, OIS, Portrait Mode, Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 4, 4K video recording at 24/25/30/60fps, Cinematic mode
• 12MP front-facing digicam (f/2.2), Retina Flash, Portrait Mode, Smart HDR 4, Cinematic mode
• Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with MIMO
• Bluetooth 5.0
• IP68 water- and dust-resistant (6m as much as half-hour), Ceramic Shield
• Claimed battery life as much as 17 hours of video playback
• 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65mm
• 140g

iPhone 13 mini offers

Find the most effective place to purchase the 13 mini with our automated worth desk:

$699.99

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$729.00

Free

iPhone 12

Price: From $699/£679
Buy from Apple

The inbetweener of the 2020 era bought a pleasant worth reduce to have a good time the launch of the 13 sequence, and stays a superb alternative.

You get the most important characteristic of the 12-series era, 5G, so can count on quick away-from-home web speeds the place protection is obtainable. And not like in earlier generations, this barely cheaper mannequin’s display screen is simply as sharp as these of its costlier siblings, at a formidable 460ppi, though it isn’t fairly as brilliant as both the 12 Pro or the iPhone 13.

The digicam setup is twin-lens on the rear; for triple you’ll want a Pro mannequin. You lose the telephoto, which amongst different issues means weaker optical zoom.

The 12 misses out in another photographic areas comparable to Night Mode portraits (as a result of it hasn’t bought a LiDAR scanner), Apple ProRAW, and the brand new Cinematic mode accessible on all 4 13-series handsets.

Apple claims you’ll see higher battery life from the iPhone 13, too (maybe that is why the 13 is a shade thicker and heavier), and the 12’s notch is a bit wider. But on the entire this could present virtually nearly as good an expertise as its newer sibling, even whether it is clearly much less future-proofed.

Read our iPhone 12 overview for extra data and in-depth testing.

iPhone 12 specs

• A14 Bionic chip
• 64GB/128GB/256GB storage
• 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED show (2532 x 1170 at 460ppi), 2,000,000:1 distinction ratio, 625/1,200 nits max brightness (typical/HDR), True Tone
• Dual 12MP rear-facing cameras (f/2.4 Ultra Wide and f/1.6 Wide), flash, 2x optical zoom, OIS, Portrait Mode, Smart HDR 3, 4K video recording at 24/30/60fps
• 12MP front-facing digicam (f/2.2), Retina Flash, Portrait Mode, Smart HDR 3
• Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with MIMO
• Bluetooth 5.0
• IP68 water- and dust-resistant (6m as much as half-hour), Ceramic Shield
• Claimed battery life as much as 17 hours of video playback
• 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm
• 162g

iPhone 12 offers

You can monitor the most effective costs on the iPhone 12 in our automated worth desk:

$729.00

Free

$729.99

Free

iPhone 12 mini

Price: From $599/£579
Buy from Apple

Like its bigger sibling, the newborn of the 2020 era bought a worth reduce to have a good time the arrival of the 13 sequence. Will that be sufficient to shift some items? Maybe.

Other than display screen dimension, battery life and price ticket, the 12 mini matches the iPhone 12 characteristic for characteristic and spec for spec. It’s the most cost effective and smallest iPhone to help 5G (albeit solely fractionally smaller than the iPhone 13 mini). If you need 5G and a quick processor–the A14 stays quick sufficient for any activity you throw at it, though it’s much less future-proofed than the A15–then that is probably the most accessible manner of getting them.

Read our iPhone 12 mini overview for extra data and in-depth pace, graphics, battery and digicam testing.

iPhone 12 mini specs

• A14 Bionic chip
• 64GB/128GB/256GB storage
• 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED show (2340 x 1080 at 476ppi), 2,000,000:1 distinction ratio, 625/1,200 nits max brightness (typical/HDR), True Tone
• Dual 12MP rear-facing cameras (f/2.4 Ultra Wide and f/1.6 Wide), flash, 2x optical zoom, OIS, Portrait Mode, Smart HDR 3, 4K video recording at 24/30/60fps
• 12MP front-facing digicam (f/2.2), Retina Flash, Portrait Mode, Smart HDR 3
• Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with MIMO
• Bluetooth 5.0
• IP68 water- and dust-resistant (6m as much as half-hour), Ceramic Shield
• Claimed battery life as much as 15 hours of video playback
• 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4mm
• 133g

iPhone 12 mini offers

Keep an eye fixed on the bottom iPhone 12 mini costs with the assistance of our automated worth desk:

$629.00

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$629.99

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$715.76

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iPhone 11

Price: From $499/£489
Buy from Apple

When the iPhone XR was discontinued, the iPhone 11 dropped into its house because the oldest telephone in Apple’s steady. Following one other worth drop (by an extra $100/£110) the iPhone 11 appears like an interesting deal. It’s all a query of whether or not you may abdomen the compromises.

For one, you get an LCD display screen slightly than the nicer OLED of the 12 and 13 sequence, which implies you’re lacking out on deeper blacks and superior coloration copy. And, at 326ppi, decision is much decrease than you’ll get on a more recent iPhone.

Camera efficiency in probably the most demanding circumstances received’t match the newest telephones, based mostly as it’s on Apple’s older ‘next-generation Smart HDR’ slightly than the Smart HDR 3 and Smart HDR 4 variations which have come out extra lately. And after all you miss out on among the newer digicam options comparable to Cinematic mode, Photographic Styles and Night Mode.

Physically the iPhone 11 is extra vulnerable to wreck than its newer siblings, lacking out on the Ceramic Shield characteristic that was launched in 2020 and providing water resistance to a depth of 2m slightly than 6m. And it doesn’t help MagSafe equipment.

But the best fear could be the A13, which appeared so quick at launch however could begin to appear sluggish within the subsequent few years, significantly if you happen to use graphically demanding video games or video modifying suites. The newer telephones could also be intimidatingly costly, however their superior future-proofing means you received’t want to switch them so quickly.

Read our iPhone 11 overview for extra data.

iPhone 11 specs

• 6.1-inch LCD, 1792×828, 326ppi
• A13 Bionic processor
• 64/128/256GB storage
• 12MP/12MP twin-lens digicam, f/2.4 and f/1.8, OIS
• 12MP entrance digicam, f/2.2
• 802.11ax dual-band Wi-Fi 6
• Nano SIM with twin eSIM compatibility
• Haptic Touch
• IP68
• GPS
• NFC
• 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm
• 194g

iPhone 11 offers

$499.00

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$499.99

Free

iPhone SE (2022)

IDG

Price: From $429/£419
Buy from Apple

The iPhone SE is a superb idea. Recognizing that there’s an enormous marketplace for individuals who can’t afford the everyday worth of a brand new iPhone (or simply don’t wish to spend that a lot), Apple takes a considerably outdated mannequin, replaces the processor with the newest one, and sells it at a vastly lowered worth.

The third-gen SE, Apple’s newest iteration of that idea, is the least costly new iPhone you should buy, nevertheless it’s $30 costlier than the earlier SE was when it got here out. That’s strike one. It’s additionally extra outdated than we’re used to: as an alternative of placing the state-of-the-art A15 chip in a two-generations-old iPhone 11, and even the iPhone XR, Apple is as soon as once more utilizing the physique of the traditional iPhone 8.

So we’ve bought some caveats. With each worth and chassis age going up, this isn’t the discount we’re used to from Apple’s SE line. But it’s nonetheless a reasonably interesting possibility, combining new silicon with a (comparatively) reasonably priced price ticket.

Read extra in our iPhone SE (2022) overview.

iPhone SE (2022) specs

• A15 Bionic processor
• 64GB/128GB/256GB of storage
• 4.7-inch (1334×750 at 326ppi) show, 625 nits brightness, 1400:1 distinction, True Tone
• 12MP (f/1.8) rear-facing digicam with flash, Portrait mode, 4K video
• 7MP (f/2.2) front-facing digicam, Portrait mode
• IP67 water and mud resistance
• Touch ID fingerprint sensor
• Wireless charging
• Apple Pay
• No headphone jack
• 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm
• 144g

iPhone SE offers

$479.00

Free

$479.99

Free

Buying an iPhone on contract

The two commonest methods to purchase an iPhone are SIM-free from Apple itself or a third-party reseller (which is the place the pricing data all through this data suits in, since you’ll be paying upfront for the telephone, you’ll personal it, and you’ll then must pay for a SIM-only contract for minutes, texts and information), or shopping for an iPhone on contract.

A contract normally begins with an upfront fee that may differ relying on the iPhone mannequin you go for and likewise how a lot you’ll be paying every month. That upfront fee is adopted by month-to-month funds, usually for a complete of 24 months, after which you personal the telephone (usually). Those month-to-month funds additionally cowl information, minutes and texts.

The following networks are value checking for his or her contract provides:

UK readers can discover iPhone contracts from the next networks:

And from the next third-party resellers:

The iPhone Upgrade Programme

Apple provides a scheme known as the iPhone Upgrade Programme, which works together with your service and begins at $35.33 per thirty days. You can then improve to the brand new iPhone every time one is introduced, staying on the identical or a really related plan.

You needs to be cautious in regards to the worth this provides, however in some circumstances it might be the precise strategy for you.

The scheme works barely in a different way within the UK, the place you make an upfront fee of £69 adopted by common month-to-month funds of between £38 and £64. It’s additionally vital to notice that that is for a SIM-free iPhone. You will then must get a SIM-only contract in your information, minutes and texts.

You do get AppleCare+ included within the Upgrade Programme, although, which is a two-year insurance coverage in your iPhone that may cowl you for 2 incidents of unintended injury. You’ll nonetheless must pay an extra price ought to it’s essential use it, nevertheless it’ll be less expensive than having to cough up the total worth of a restore.

You can discover out extra in regards to the iPhone Upgrade Programme on Apple’s web site.

Second-hand iPhones

You’ll have seen that purchasing an iPhone doesn’t come low cost. However, if you happen to’re strapped for money you don’t must dismiss the concept of shopping for an iPhone utterly. You could possibly get an excellent deal on one of many older handsets if somebody is seeking to promote their present handset. Here’s purchase a second-hand iPhone.

Bear in thoughts that if you wish to run iOS 15 (the present model of Apple’s cellular working system, though that may change this fall) you’ll want an iPhone 6s or later; the identical was true of the 2 earlier variations, iOS 13 and iOS 14. iPhones reaching again to the iPhone 5s can run iOS 12, however that actually is sort of an previous working system to be working and a few options comparable to AR received’t work correctly on older fashions anyway.