The best iPhone to buy in 2023

We feel that choosing a new iPhone should be simple. But like many other modern problems (did you simply try? Choose what you’ve been watching on TV lately — Impossible task) It’s a little more complicated than it looks.Counting the previous models that are still hanging around, with all the pros and pluses and maxes, Apple is selling now Eight You can check various iPhone models on the website. Eight! It’s as confusing as trying to buy an iPad.

But fear not. I have help. Through exhaustive testing, daily use, and many blue speech bubbles, we’re happy to help you navigate Apple’s extensive product catalog. Are you looking for an iPhone that gives you two days of use on a single battery charge, an iPhone that really fits in your pocket, or the cheapest iPhone you can buy?

Yes you read that right. If you’re looking to buy an iPhone in early 2023, the 2021 iPhone 13 may be the smartest choice. This is especially true if you’re paying some or all of the costs yourself and don’t have a carrier deal for “iPhone on us.” .if you want very It’s worth skipping all the way to 14 Pro or Pro Max for the latest and greatest. See below for details. But since the regular iPhone 14 is a minor update to the 13, you can also save the extra $100 and go with the (still excellent) previous generation model.

The iPhone 13 still gets the Apple A15 Bionic chipset, 6.1-inch OLED screen, wireless charging with MagSafe, and an IP68 rating. Opting for the iPhone 14 gets you a slightly upgraded camera and a version of the A15 with extra GPU cores and a new satellite SOS feature that lets you message emergency services even when you’re out of cell phone range. Okay, but is that worth the extra $100? it’s up to you. The 36-month payment plan doesn’t add more to your monthly bill and only costs about $3. However, if you’re paying upfront, you might want to keep some extra cash in your wallet, which you can use to buy something nice, like a few dozen eggs.

As it stands, the iPhone 13 is fast enough for most people, takes good photos and videos in general, and thanks to Apple’s habit of supporting devices with new iOS versions for over five or six years, the OS will continue to receive updates for the foreseeable future. .

Apple iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max

If cost isn’t a big concern, or if you can get a good carrier deal with your new iPhone, this is a good year to buy a top-of-the-line model. The 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max feature a new main camera sensor with some useful upgrades, an all-new A16 Bionic chipset, an always-on display, Dynamic Island for specific and timely system and app information and It features a new UI element called top of the screen.

None of them are completely life-changing, but they are features that Apple will almost certainly incorporate into upcoming new models, and third-party app makers will follow suit. is.

The 14 Pro and Pro Max back up these new features with all-around great performance. They differ in screen size, with the 14 Pro offering a 6.1-inch display and the Pro Max being larger with a 6.7-inch screen. The Pro Max also has a bigger battery, but other than those differences, the two phones are pretty much identical. A dedicated 3x telephoto camera, plus a neat 2x lossless crop zoom mode There is a new 48 megapixel main camera sensor with All this makes for a very capable camera system with the best video quality you’ll find on any phone.

Apple released the iPhone 12 and 13 in two sizes. One has a 6.1-inch screen and the other is a relatively petite Mini with a 5.4-inch screen. They kind of bombed so no iPhone 14 Mini. However, just like the iPhone 13, Apple is still selling a new 13 Mini. It may be your last chance to get your hands on this tiny screen form factor before it disappears from the company’s retail shelves entirely.

Aside from the smaller screen and battery, the 13 Mini has everything we love about the 13. A great camera, a fast A15 Bionic processor, a robust IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, and MagSafe for accessories and wireless charging.did i say it fits all the way In your pants pocket? Try it with Pro Max.

It has one big drawback. The 13 Mini’s battery life isn’t very long. It’s enough to get you through the day with moderate use, but if you’re doing battery-intensive things with your phone like recording 4K videos or playing games, you’ll need to charge it during the day. Most people looking for a phone likely don’t rank mobile gaming high on their list of priorities, so that might not be an issue for the Mini’s target demographic.

The 3rd generation iPhone SE, released in 2022, is something of a default winner in this category. It’s the cheapest iPhone you can buy, with a starting price of $429 and some key features most mid-range phones don’t, like wireless charging, a flagship processor, and excellent IP67-rated water and dust resistance. Includes feature upgrades. The iPhone SE is perfect for significantly higher ROI.

However, this recommendation comes with some big caveats, starting with the screen. It’s small — at 4.7 inches, it’s significantly smaller than the iPhone 13 Mini’s display, but the SE is slightly taller and wider than the Mini. That’s because the 2022 SE uses a very old iPhone design that dates back to the iPhone 6S. The screen feels cramped and the LCD technology looks dated. It’s also the only iPhone that has a home button and its fingerprint scanner instead of Face ID. Most of us get along just fine without a home button, so this really comes down to personal preference.

There are some other drawbacks as well. The camera system has no night mode and the base model only has 64 GB of storage. But if you’re used to larger phone screens, that 4.7-inch LCD might be the hardest to use. There are also rumors of an iPhone SE with his 6.1-inch OLED screen in 2024. If you can hold off, this is an upgrade worth waiting for another year. But if the small screen doesn’t bother you, the iPhone SE is hard to beat.

When the iPhone 14 series launched in September 2023, one model was missing. 14 Plus. It was announced at the same time as his three other devices, but wasn’t available until three weeks later when much of the new phone’s fanfare had died down. It’s also a shame because the 14 Plus has one good upgrade over the 13. Excellent battery life.

It’s kind of a byproduct of another feature, the large 6.7-inch screen, which is the same size as the Pro Max’s display. Makes sense. The bigger the screen, the bigger the phone. That means more space for a larger battery. But the Plus’s battery stamina is particularly good, as its standard refresh rate and screen without an always-on display don’t draw as much power as the Pro Max. Either way, the 14 Plus can last two full days of light use before the battery needs to be recharged. Pro Max can’t touch it.

The 14 Plus also has the same minor upgrades as the regular 14, such as satellite emergency messages and an upgraded main camera. , 14 do not fully meet that criterion.