The best iPhone may be the one you already own. There is generally no need to buy a fresh phone just because new models have been released, as hardware updates are broadly iterative, adding small bits to an already accomplished package. But if you do want a replacement handset, whether new or refurbished, here are the best devices of the current crop of Apple smartphones. Many other smartphones are available besides the iPhone, but if you’re an Apple user and don’t fancy switching to Android, you still have a couple of choices. Whether your priority is the longest battery life, the best camera, the biggest screen or simply the optimal balance of features and price, there’s more to choose from in the Apple ecosystem than you may expect, especially after the iPhone 16 models were released in September 2024. At a glance Best iPhone for most people: iPhone 16 From £799 at Apple Best value iPhone: iPhone SE From £429 at Apple Best iPhone for camera: iPhone 16 Pro From £999 at Apple Best iPhone for screen: iPhone 16 Pro Max From £1,199 at Apple The best iPhones you can buy in 2025 Best iPhone for most people: iPhone 16 The base model iPhone 16 has almost all the features that make Apple’s latest smartphones great, but it’s significantly cheaper than the 16 Pro models. It has Apple’s modern yet familiar aluminium and glass iPhone design and Face ID but has a rearranged camera cluster on the back. It sticks with the same 6.1in OLED screen as its predecessors, which looks good but lacks an always-on mode. It’s also still stuck at a relatively slow 60Hz refresh rate, which can make scrolling and motion more jarring than on models with faster screens. The latest A18 chip is rapid and enables Apple’s Intelligence features (AI tools). The battery lasts about two days of general use, or at least a day of heavy use, and the phone charges with USB-C. It also supports MagSafe and Qi/Qi2 wireless charging and accessories. It starts with a decent 128GB of storage, although larger models are available if you don’t want to store your photos and videos in the cloud. The iPhone 16 is light and fairly compact for a modern smartphone, and its IP68 rating means it’s water-resistant to depths of six metres for up to 30 minutes – more than safe enough for any accidental dunks. It gains the useful Action button from 2023’s iPhone 15 Pro, which replaces the mute switch and can be used to mute the phone or for various other functions, such as turning on the torch or launching apps. The new Camera Control button is great for quickly opening the camera, even if zooming, changing settings and shooting photos with the button is fiddly in the camera app. The dual camera on the back is good, comprising a main 48MP camera and an improved 12MP ultrawide camera, which now has a macro photography mode for fun closeup shots. It also has Apple’s photographic styles features for those who want to customise how the camera captures photos (rich contrast, vibrant, warm) and get creative with tone and colour palette. The main camera can do a 2x in-sensor zoom, which works well in bright light, but the lack of a real telephoto camera holds the 16 back. The 12MP selfie camera is the same as other iPhones. The iPhone runs the recently released iOS 18.3, which includes support for RCS messaging with Android and adds more of Apple’s new AI features. They include a selection of AI writing tools that are built into the keyboard, which allow you to proof, rewrite and summarise text, create tables and lists, transcribe audio from calls and recordings, among other small features. An AI object remover in photos can help improve your shots, while the Image Playground tool can generate images for you from descriptions or photos, including cartoon versions of real people. The Genmoji tool in the keyboard can create custom emoji stickers too. Siri has a new design and can now pass queries to ChatGPT for more advanced answers. Apple’s notification summary tool has been tweaked too: it now summarises stacks of notifications with stylised italics and has paused summarising news and media notifications after a backlash. Apple’s visual intelligence feature allows users to point their camera at an object, text or information, such as URLs, calendar entries or phone numbers, to use them or find out more about them, including sending images to ChatGPT or Google for information. From £799 at Apple From £739 at John Lewis Why should you buy it? The iPhone 16 provides the standard iPhone experience at a cheaper price and in the most pocketable size, offering good battery life and access to new and future AI features. Buy if: you want the default, good iPhone experience today Don’t buy if: you want optical zoom on your camera Read our full iPhone 16 review: more buttons and speed for Apple’s standard phone Screen: 6.1in Super Retina XDR (OLED) Processor: Apple A18 Storage: 128, 256 or 512GB Camera: 48MP main + 12MP UW; 12MP front-facing Dimensions: 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8mm (HWD) Weight: 170g Battery and size upgrade: iPhone 16 Plus For an extra £100, the iPhone 16 Plus matches the specs, camera and features of the base model but adds a bigger 6.7in screen and long battery life, which can last up to three days of general use. It still has the same pitfalls as the vanilla iPhone 16, such as a 60Hz display and no optical zoom camera, while its size makes it more difficult to use one-handed and somewhat bulky in a pocket. From £899 at Apple £849 at John Lewis Read our full iPhone 16 Plus review: Apple’s battery beast Screen: 6.7in Super Retina XDR (OLED) Processor: Apple A18 Storage: 128, 256 or 512GB Camera: 48MP main + 12MP UW; 12MP front-facing Dimensions: 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8mm (HWD) Weight: 199g Best value iPhone: iPhone SE (2022) The iPhone SE is something of a throwback. It takes the classic pre-2017 design of the iPhone – complete with a Touch ID home button and chunky bezels – and puts a more modern chip at its heart. The third-generation iPhone SE was released in 2022 and is still the best-value new iPhone, with 5G and the A15 Bionic chip used in the 2021 iPhone 13. The 4.7in screen is small and dim by modern standards, despite the phone feeling quite chunky. It lacks Face ID and other modern iPhone features, such as Apple Intelligence, and has only 64GB of storage at its base price. The single camera on the back is a bit weak, too. From £429 at Apple £479 at John Lewis Why should you buy it? The iPhone SE (2022) is the cheapest iPhone you can buy new. Buy if: you want the best-value iPhone, but don’t want to buy a refurbished model Don’t buy if: you want a modern iPhone experience or high-quality camera Read our full Apple iPhone SE 2022 review: dated design but bargain price Screen: 4.7in Retina HD (LCD) Processor: Apple A15 Bionic Storage: 64, 128 or 256GB Camera: 12MP rear; 7MP front-facing Dimensions: 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm (HWD) Weight: 144g Best iPhone for camera: iPhone 16 Pro The iPhone 16 Pro is Apple’s best phone. It’s the step-up option to the basic iPhone 16: the same good bits, but a slightly larger (6.3in) screen, despite being squeezed into a similarly sized titanium and glass body. The display is crisp, bright and slick, with a faster 120Hz refresh rate to keep scrolling and animations smooth. The screen also supports the handy always-on feature, showing the time and notifications when not in use. The 16 Pro also has a slightly more powerful A18 Pro chip and starts with 128GB of storage, with greater space available – up to 1TB – for those who need it. The battery lasts a good 40 hours of general use, meaning it will go through the heaviest of days, and most will need to charge it only every other day. It has the same two extra Action and Camera Control buttons as the regular model, but the camera on the back is better. The 48MP main camera and 48MP ultrawide camera are great and the extra 12MP 5x telephoto camera meaningfully closes the distances to objects. Combined, they shoot great photos across various lighting conditions and scenarios. From £999 at Apple £949 at John Lewis Why should you buy it? This is Apple’s best phone, with its most powerful camera, top performance and a high-quality big-enough screen in a device that’s still easy to fit in a pocket.