Best iPhone in 2022: Which of Apple's Phones Is Right for You?


Apple's iPhone setup goes from $429 to $1,599. Here are the best iPhones to match your requirements and spending plan.


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Patrick Holland

Aug. 6, 2022 8:46 a.m. PT

6 min read


iPhone 13

Best iPhone for the vast majority

$829 at Amazon


iPhone 13 Pro

Best iPhone in general

$1,099 at Amazon


iPhone 12 and 12 Mini

Best iPhone esteem

$829 at Amazon


iPhone 13 Mini

Best little iPhone

$729 at Amazon


iPhone 13 Pro Max

Best battery duration

$1,199 at Amazon



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Apple right now sells eight distinct iPhone models, which makes picking the best one a confounded errand. Finding the best iPhone for your requirements implies you can truly dial in your inclinations for configuration, elements, cameras and cost. Apple has iPhones with costs going from $429 for the iPhone SE (2022) to $1,599 for the iPhone 13 Pro Max with 1TB of stockpiling.


Apple's iPhone setup used to be fairly basic. At the point when Steve Jobs declared the first iPhone a while back, there was only one model and it was just accessible on AT&T. In this way, on the off chance that you needed an iPhone, the main choice you had in 2007 was whether you needed 4GB or 8GB of stockpiling.


Much has changed in the previous 10 years and a half. You can track down an iPhone to fit most financial plans and gain admittance to highlights like iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Music and iCloud. At the point when Apple delivered the iPhone 13 series in 2021, I was dazzled by the redesigns. The telephones had new cameras, more capacity, greater batteries and more brilliant screens.


Understand more: Best Wireless Earbuds for 2022: Top Options in Every Price Range


However, that doesn't mean the iPhone 13 series holds the most ideal choice for everybody. I separated every one of the models available so you can conclude which iPhone model best suits your requirements. Miss the home button? Then look at the iPhone SE. Like the iPhone 13 plan, however not its cost? Think about last year's iPhone 12 and 12 Mini. Need a little telephone with a decent battery duration? Then, at that point, the iPhone 13 Mini is an unquestionable requirement. Furthermore, what might be said about the 2-year-old iPhone 11, is it still worth the effort? So, yes.


Current iPhones, thought about


Model US beginning price Screen size No. of back cameras CPU Release date

iPhone SE $429 4.7 inches 1 A15 Bionic March 2022

iPhone 11 $499 6.1 inches 2 A13 Bionic September 2019

iPhone 12 Mini $599 5.4 inches 2 A14 Bionic November 2020

iPhone 12 $699 6.1 inches 2 A14 Bionic October 2020

iPhone 13 Mini $699 5.4 inches 2 A15 Bionic September 2021

iPhone 13 $799 6.1 inches 2 A15 Bionic September 2021

iPhone 13 Pro $999 6.1 inches 3 A15 Bionic September 2021

iPhone 13 Pro Max $1,099 6.7 inches 3 A15 Bionic September 2021

To entangle your choice, some iPhones have two cameras, others have three despite everything others have four (counting the forward looking selfie camera). You ought to likewise consider that essentially every ongoing iPhone model has Face ID aside from one: the iPhone SE (2022). Having a ton of choices isn't terrible, yet it can feel overpowering while purchasing another iPhone.


To assist you with sorting out which is the best iPhone for you, I completely assessed and tried every one on this rundown, from their batteries to camera execution. I included current iPhone costs, however iPhone bargains are known to occur, so don't accept your main choice is following through on full cost. Likewise, this rundown depends on current models that Apple sells. Assuming you're looking, you could see that transporters and outsider venders offer stopped models, similar to the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max.


Additionally, assuming you're searching for an Android telephone or another cell phone beyond Apple's contributions, read our manual for assist with tracking down the best telephone for your necessities.


Patrick Holland/CNET


iPhone 13


Best iPhone for a great many people

The $829 iPhone 13 is a strong update and refinement on last year's iPhone 12. Some will be frustrated on the grounds that it's not fundamentally unique in relation to past models, yet that is important for its appeal. Commonality has been one of the keys to Apple's prosperity with the iPhone. The iPhone 13 has an almost indistinguishable made right plan to the iPhone 12. It upholds 5G and MagSafe charging.


It accompanies new cameras comparable to the ones from last year's first in class iPhone 12 Pro Max. It likewise gets a bigger battery that in our tests endured 4.5 hours favoring a solitary charge than the iPhone 12.


Include the A15 Bionic chip, another Cinematic mode that is fundamentally a video rendition of Portrait mode and iOS 15, and you have a brilliant telephone. The iPhone 13 procured a CNET Editors' Choice Award. Likewise, on the off chance that you initiate it on a transporter, Apple drops the cost to $799.


$829 at Amazon

$800, best case scenario, Buy

$829 at Apple


Patrick Holland/CNET

iPhone 13 Pro

Best iPhone generally

The $1,099 iPhone 13 Pro is the best iPhone Apple has made. With the most recent iPhone series, Apple further characterized the distinction between its Pro and non-Pro telephones by loading the 13 Pro with a high-invigorate rate show, full scale photography mode, ProRes video recording and the best cameras any iPhone has had at this point.


As far as plan, the 13 Pro has a rich matte completion back and sparkly hardened steel sides. Contrast that with the lustrous back and matte aluminum sides on the iPhone 13. The presentation on the 13 Pro backings what Apple calls ProMotion. Contingent upon what's being displayed on the screen, the invigorate rate switches somewhere in the range of 10Hz and 120Hz. Being used, the screen looks heavenly. Movements look smooth, illustrations seem fresh and, surprisingly, unremarkable things like looking over takes care of look better.


It runs iOS 15 and supports 5G and MagSafe charging. Like the customary iPhone 13, the 13 Pro has an A15 Bionic chip yet gets an extra GPU center that gives the telephone a lift for gaming and video altering. The iPhone 13 Pro is heavenly, which is the reason it acquired a CNET Editors' Choice Award. Peruse our Apple iPhone 13 Pro audit.


$1,099 at Amazon

$1,100, best case scenario, Buy

$1,099 at Apple


Patrick Holland/CNET

iPhone 12 and 12 Mini

Best iPhone esteem

With help for 5G being its crown gem include, the $729 iPhone 12 denoted the start of another age of iPhone. It has level, matte aluminum sides, a 6.1-inch OLED screen, an A14 Bionic chip and Apple's Ceramic Shield covering on the front to assist with lessening scratches and harm from drops, and it upholds MagSafe charging.


The iPhone 12 Mini is essentially a more modest rendition of the iPhone 12 with a 5.4-inch show and a sticker price that is $100 less. The selfie, wide and ultrawide cameras on the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini are great, yet certainly a stage down from those on the more up to date iPhone 13 and 13 Mini. Thus, in the event that your need is a telephone with the most ideal camera, this isn't the most ideal iPhone for you.


Assuming you decide to get an iPhone 12 or 12 Mini and can stand to pay $50 more, I prescribe updating from 64GB of stockpiling to 128GB. Likewise, on the off chance that you initiate either telephone on a transporter, the cost drops an extra $30. Peruse our Apple iPhone 12 audit.



$829 at Amazon

$730, best case scenario, Buy

$729 at Apple


Sarah Tew/CNET

iPhone 13 Mini

Best little iPhone

Who said little telephones exist no more? The iPhone 13 Mini ($729 opened, $699 on a transporter plan) is splendid in light of the fact that it has everything the iPhone 13 has - - it's simply more modest. What's more, in the event that you're stressed over battery duration, don't be. The iPhone 13 Mini packs a greater battery than last year's iPhone 12 Mini. In our tests, the iPhone 13 Mini endured 3.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12 Mini on a solitary charge. It likewise endured an hour longer than the standard iPhone 12 in a similar test.


Surprisingly the 13 Mini has almost indistinguishable wide and ultrawide cameras to last year's iPhone 12 Pro Max. One way you can tell is the back cameras are situated slantingly from one another to account for the bigger balanced out sensor.


The iPhone 13 and 13 Mini are a similar telephone. Yet, one is little and the other isn't. All things considered, I just suggest you get the 13 Mini for its size. It's $100 less expensive than the iPhone 13, which may be enticing on the off chance that you're attempting to set aside cash. Yet, in the event that you're not OK with a little telephone you may be disappointed by its size. Peruse our Apple iPhone 13 Mini audit.


$729 at Amazon

$700, best case scenario, Buy

$729 at Apple


Sarah Tew/CNET

iPhone 13 Pro Max

Best battery duration

The principal thing you ought to be aware of the $1,199 iPhone 13 Pro Max is that it has the longest battery duration of any telephone we've at any point tried. The following thing you ought to know is that not normal for the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max are indistinguishable in basically every manner and even have similar cameras. Generally, they are similar telephone, simply various sizes.


The 13 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch ProMotion show, while iPhone 13 Pro has a 6.1-inch one. The Max is additionally greater and weighs more. Some portion of that additional weight comes from the 13 Pro Max's bigger battery. On the off chance that you can deal with the size of this telephone behemoth, it's the best iPhone for most circumstances, and it merits each penny of its exorbitant cost. Peruse our Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max survey.



$1,199 at Amazon

$1,200, best case scenario, Buy

$1,199 at Apple

Patrick Holland/CNET

iPhone SE (2022)

Best modest iPhone

At $429 you could think the main allure of the iPhone SE (2022) is its cost. Truly that is a major element. Outwardly, the iPhone SE has an almost indistinguishable body to the iPhone 8's, yet overhauled with a similar glass tracked down on the rear of the iPhone 13. The main iPhone on this rundown has Touch ID, which certain individuals actually like over Face ID. Within, the SE has a similar A15 processor as the iPhone 13, which takes the 2017 camera equipment and provides it with an infusion of Apple's 2022 computational photography sorcery. The SE addresses the exemplary iPhone plan however with the additional capacity to run the most recent variant of iOS and applications. Peruse our Apple iPhone SE (2022) audit.



$429 at Amazon

$430, best case scenario, Buy

$429 at Apple

   

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