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Whether you want a battery that lasts for days, the best deal, or a small form factor, we’ve got some recommendations for an iPhone you’ll love.
Picking a new iPhone feels like it should be simple. But like so many other modern problems (have you tried simply choosing something to watch on TV lately — an impossible task) it’s a little more complicated than it seems. Counting previous models that are still hanging around, along with all the Pros and Pluses and Maxes, Apple currently sells eight different iPhone models on its website. Eight! It’s almost as confusing as trying to buy an iPad.
But fear not; there’s help. After plenty of thorough testing, day-to-day use, and many blue chat bubbles, I’m here to help you navigate Apple’s extensive product catalog. Whether you want an iPhone that will get through two days on a single battery charge, one that truly fits in your pocket, or the least expensive iPhone you can buy, we’ve got recommendations.
Apple iPhone 13
Yes, you read that right. If you’re buying an iPhone in early 2023, the smartest choice might just be 2021’s iPhone 13. This is especially true if you’re paying some or all of the cost out of pocket and not getting an “iPhone on us” carrier deal. If you want the very latest and greatest, then it’s worth skipping up to the 14 Pro or Pro Max — more on that below. But the regular iPhone 14 is such a minor update to the 13 that you might as well save an extra $100 and just go with the (still excellent) previous-gen model.
In the iPhone 13, you still get an Apple A15 Bionic chipset, a 6.1-inch OLED screen, wireless charging via MagSafe, and an IP68 rating. Opting for the iPhone 14 gets you a slightly upgraded camera and a version of the A15 with an extra GPU core plus a new satellite SOS feature that will let you message emergency services even when you’re out of cell range. Nice, but is that all an extra $100 nice? That’s up to you: on a 36-month payment plan, it doesn’t add up to much more on your monthly bill — only about $3. If you’re paying upfront, though, it might feel better to keep that extra cash in your wallet. You can use it to buy something nice, like a few dozen eggs.
As it is, the iPhone 13 is plenty fast for most people, takes generally great photos and video, and will keep receiving OS updates well into the foreseeable future thanks to Apple’s habit of supporting devices with new iOS versions for upward of five or six years.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max
If cost isn’t a major concern or you’re able to snag a good carrier deal on a new iPhone, then this is a good year to spring for the top-tier model. The 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max get a new main camera sensor with some useful upgrades, an all-new A16 Bionic chipset, an always-on display, and a new UI element called Dynamic Island that puts certain timely system and app info at the top of your screen.
None of it is exactly life-changing, but they’re features that Apple is almost certainly going to incorporate in new models going forward, and third-party app makers will follow suit. It’s the iPhone to get if you suffer from technology FOMO.
The 14 Pro and Pro Max back up those new features with all-around great performance. They differ in screen size — the 14 Pro offers a 6.1-inch display and the Pro Max goes big with a 6.7-inch screen — but they’re both ProMotion displays with up to 120Hz refresh rate for super-smooth scrolling. The Pro Max has a bigger battery, too, but aside from those differences, the two phones are largely the same. There’s a new 48-megapixel main camera sensor with a neat 2x lossless crop zoom mode in addition to a dedicated 3x telephoto camera. It all adds up to a very capable camera system with some of the best video quality you’ll find on any phone anywhere.
