Can’t Wait for the iPhone 17? Here’s Which iPhone You Should Get Right Now

Every year, fans and Apple enthusiasts eagerly await the new iPhones. This year, it will be the iPhone 17 that breaks cover, likely in September. But what if you need a new iPhone right now, in the middle of the company’s product cycle? Let’s find out which iPhone model suits you best.

Best Specifications: iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max

Since their release in September 2024, the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max remain the best, most feature-loaded iPhones that money can buy.

From a premium titanium exterior frame to a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate screen, the cutting-edge A18 Pro chip, a triple-camera setup that provides 5x optical zoom, and batteries that last an entire day of heavy usage, the Pro models have the best hardware on an iPhone to date.

Of the two phones, the iPhone 16 Pro is the smaller, compact handset that easily fits in smaller hands and pockets while offering all the top-tier specifications. It is also the cheapest of the Pro iPhones. Conversely, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the top-of-the-line flagship, featuring a larger screen, a bigger battery, and a higher price tag.

With the iPhone 16 Pro, you get a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR ProMotion display with a Dynamic Island, the A18 Pro chip with a six-core CPU and a six-core GPU, a 48MP + 48MP + 12MP camera configuration (same as that on the Pro Max), a USB 3 (10 Gbps) port, and a battery that provides up to 27 hours of video playback.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max, with its larger and heavier chassis (28 grams), features a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR ProMotion screen. I have held the handset in person, and it feels like a mini-tablet, to be honest, as opposed to the tiny iPhone 16 I use daily.

The bigger chassis makes room for a battery that provides up to 33 hours of video playback. No matter which phone you choose, you still get fast wired charging (with a 20W adapter or higher), 25W MagSafe wireless charging (with a 30W adapter or higher), and support for Qi2 wireless charging (up to 15W) accessories.

With the best specifications, the Pro iPhones also provide the best software experience. Apple’s latest handsets ship with iOS 18, which supports all AI smarts available as part of Apple Intelligence. These include features such as Writing Tools, Image Playground, and Siri with ChatGPT integration, among others.

The baseline iPhone 16 Pro comes with 128GB of storage for $999, which will fill up within a few months of regular usage; you’ll eventually need to find ways to free up storage on your iPhone. On the other hand, the baseline iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with 256GB of storage for $1,199, which is $200 more than the Pro.

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  Apple iPhone 16 Pro
  

  A version of Apple’s newest iPhone with a larger screen featuring a camera button, a programmable action button, and artificial intelligence features.

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  Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
  

  The iPhone 16 Pro Max is a battery powerhouse. It offers unparalleled longevity among iPhones and outperforms most of its competitors.

Whether it’s the baseline variant or the Pro Max, iPhones offer an excellent audio experience with stereo speakers. However, the screen type and features are crucial in determining the overall multimedia experience.

If you want the absolute best display on an iPhone, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the way to go.

It features a gigantic 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED screen that produces vibrant colors, supports a variable refresh rate of 1-120Hz, has a pixel density of 460 ppi, and reaches a peak brightness of 2000 nits.

The OLED panel also offers an excellent contrast ratio, providing a high dynamic range with support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats. You also get features like always-on screen, True Tone, and third-generation Ceramic Shield protection.

However, getting the best display hardware on an iPhone costs $1,199. If you’re okay with that, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the way to go. If not, Apple has another option in store for you. It’s not as fancy, but it surely has a big enough screen for your OTT sessions.

I’m talking about the iPhone 16 Plus, which features a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. Despite featuring an OLED panel, the phone doesn’t support a higher refresh rate (it’s locked at 60Hz).

Nonetheless, it can still achieve a peak brightness of 2000 nits and comes with HDR and Dolby Vision certifications for handling high dynamic range content.

Best iPhone for Photography and Videography: iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max

Previously, the iPhone 15 Pro Max held the title of the best iPhone for photography, as the iPhone 15 Pro lacked a 5x optical zoom camera. However, that’s not the case with the iPhone 16 series.

The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max share the same camera setup, which is the best on an iPhone. The handsets have a 48MP (f/1.78, 24mm) primary camera, a 48MP (f/2.2, 13mm) ultrawide camera with 120-degree field of view (an upgrade over the iPhone 15 Pro models), and a 12MP (f/2.8, 120mm) sensor with a 5x optical zoom lens.

The primary camera allows you to capture photos at 1x, 1.2x, 1.5x, and 2x (at 12MP), making the iPhone 16 Pro models great for everyday shooting, portraits, and a variety of subjects with different focal lengths. The ultrawide sensor lets you capture detailed landscapes (at 0.5x) and macro shots.

Then there’s the telephoto camera (5x), which lets you zoom in on distant objects. It’s handy for photographing cityscapes, wildlife, sports events, concerts, and more.

Regarding videos, the primary sensor can record 4K Dolby Vision footage at 120 fps, 4K ProRes video at 120 fps (with external storage), 4K Cinematic videos at 30 fps, and ultra-stabilized videos in 2.8K Action Mode at 60 fps.

In addition, you can record Spatial Videos at 1080p in 30 fps, with sensor-shift stabilization, four studio-quality microphones, wind noise reduction, and the Audio Mix feature.

The iPhone 16 lineup also offers a new Camera Control button, which provides quick access to the Camera app, including camera-related settings such as exposure, depth, zoom, and photography styles. It also locks AE/AF and captures a picture with a single click.

Check out more differences between the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max here.

These iPhones Offer the Longest Battery Life

Even though all the models in the iPhone 16 lineup offer excellent battery life, two stand out as lasting longer than the others, including some competitors from other brands: the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Plus.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max offers the best battery life of any iPhone. Apple claims that the handset can provide up to 33/29 hours of offline/streamed video playback, the highest in the iPhone 16 lineup. In fact, the phone outlasts the Galaxy S25 Ultra in PhoneArena‘s battery life benchmark test.

Coming in second is the iPhone 16 Plus, which offers up to 27/24 hours of offline/streamed video playback. Though the phone is very different from the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it still does an excellent job of keeping battery anxiety at bay.

While these are the best iPhones for prolonged hours of streaming videos, scrolling on social media, or playing video games, there’s another model that deserves a mention in this section, and that’s the iPhone 16e.

The iPhone 16e features “the most power-efficient model ever on an iPhone,” which results in offline/streamed video playback of up to 26/21 hours, respectively. The handset’s claimed numbers are higher than those of the baseline iPhone 16.

iPhone 16e

The iPhone16e is an affordable addition to the iPhone 16 line, costing $200 less than the base iPhone 16.

Best Value iPhone: iPhone 16

Initially, I planned to include the iPhone 15 here. However, after reviewing the spec sheets several times, I’ve decided to ditch the 2023 baseline iPhone in favor of the vanilla iPhone 16.

The iPhone 16 offers a much more powerful and efficient A18 chip that provides enough performance headroom for the years to come. Thanks to its raw processing power, the chip unlocks all the latest Apple Intelligence features.

Despite having a similar camera setup to its predecessor, the iPhone 16 includes an ultra-wide camera with autofocus, enabling macro photography. The latest-generation Photographic Styles provide granular control over the tones and colors in a picture.

The iPhone 16 provides up to 22 hours of offline video playback, two hours more than the iPhone 15. It also supports faster MagSafe charging up to 25W (with a 30W or higher adapter) compared to 15W on the iPhone 15. In my opinion, the iPhone 16 is worth the $799 Apple asks for it ($100 more than the baseline iPhone 15).

Apple iPhone 16

Apple’s newest iPhone featuring a camera button, programmable action button, and artificial intelligence features.

Best Budget iPhone: iPhone 16e or iPhone 15

This year, there are two candidates for the best budget iPhone.

If you want a powerful chipset, all the new Apple Intelligence features, and exceptional battery life, go with the iPhone 16e.

The spiritual successor to the iPhone SE series offers all the essential features, including an OLED display, a 48MP primary camera that supports 4K Dolby Vision recording, 26 hours of offline video playback, Qi wireless charging, Emergency SOS via satellite, and Crash Detection.

The entry-level iPhone 16e, with 128GB of storage, costs $599, making it the most affordable model in the current lineup. But whether it’s the right model for you depends on how badly you want those Apple Intelligence features.

If you don’t care about the AI smarts and prefer a brighter screen with Dynamic Island, a dual-camera setup, and MagSafe wireless charging, the $699 iPhone 15 could be the right option.

The iPhone 15 also features an advanced Portrait mode, which allows you to apply a background blur to the picture after capturing it. Another feature that tips the scale in favor of last year’s iPhone is Precision Finding via the Find My network.

Apple iPhone 15

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus bring most of the features from the 14 Pro to a more affordable price point, and finally ditch Lightning for a USB Type-C connector.

If you’re also planning to get an iPad, check out our detailed comparison between the iPad 11th Gen and the Galaxy Tab S10 FE. Looking for an iPad with more processing power? The M3 iPad Air and the M4 iPad Pro are excellent devices in their respective segments.

New to Apple? Learn more about the cost of setting up a functional Apple ecosystem in 2025.