Which iPhone Should I Get?

iPhone 11 Pro Review

The iPhone 11 Pro looks like a return to form from Apple, following the iterative upgrade from iPhone X to XS. Early reports suggest that the new triple camera set up, the first of its kind on an iPhone, is a resounding success. This would put the latest iPhone cameras back into the fray with Google, Samsung, and Huawei's top models. The front camera has also seen a resolution bump from 7Mp to 12Mp, something which will no doubt delight selfie enthusiasts.

However, Apple made the biggest changes under the hood. The new A13 Bionic processor keeps the iPhone 11 Pro at the forefront of the smartphone speed skirmish, meaning snappy app switching and multitasking, as well as impressive gaming performance. However, the new processor is smarter, allowing for faster face-unlocking and improved computational photography tricks. The iPhone 11 Pro also gets a larger battery than the old XS, which should hearten iPhone users over-accustomed to reaching for the charging cable.

It's still an expensive phone, of course. Plus, with prices starting at $999, but just 64GB of storage as standard, one feels Apple is being a bit stingy.

Verdict: The best iPhone you can buy at the moment.

iPhone 11 Review

The iPhone 11 is the baby of the new Apple phone lineup, costing $699 from new. For reference, that's $50 cheaper than the iPhone XR that it replaced — who said Apple isn't a consumer friendly company!

Jokes aside, the iPhone 11 would be a great option for almost anyone eyeing a new iPhone — almost anyone. Despite upgrades to the battery, processor, and cameras, the iPhone 11 is still stuck with an LCD display. In fact, the 11's display isn't even a full-HD panel – it has an 828×1792 resolution. If you're looking at the iPhone 11 as a replacement for an old iPhone X or an Android phone with an OLED screen, we'd caution against it.

If you're not particularly bothered about having the absolute best screen quality, though, the iPhone 11 remains a great option. The extra rear camera and improved front camera should give it a more well-rounded set of photography skills, while the new A13 Bionic processor means that it'll be able to keep up with anything that you throw at it.

Verdict: A very good phone, but its LCD screen is a let down.

iPhone 11 Pro Max Review

From the cheap-ish and cheerful iPhone 11 to the expensive and enormous iPhone 11 Pro Max. The new range-topping Pro Max model starts at $1,099, but can be specced-up to a fairly ridiculous $1,449.

However, you do get a lot of phone for your money. The Pro Max comes with a large 6.5-inch display and weighs a whopping 226 grams. That's 30 grams more than the larger Samsung Note 10 Plus, for example. You also get the largest battery that Apple has ever squeezed into an iPhone, a 3,969 mAh unit. That should be enough to keep it running easily for a day and a half.

You also get the new triple camera set-up and A13 Bionic processor for great photos and speedy performance. All told, we want to like the 11 Pro Max, but it's just a bit too rich, and too large, for our tastes. Think very carefully about whether you truly need this much phone, before reaching for your wallet.

Verdict: The sheer size and price of the 11 Pro Max make us lean towards the 11 Pro.

iPhone XR Review

The iPhone XR was, effectively, replaced by the iPhone 11, although you can still buy it directly from Apple.

It follows the same basic design as the iPhone 11, with a 6.1-inch LCD display, complete with the notch for the front camera and slightly wider bezels than the pricier OLED 11 Pro and Pro Max models.

However, as the XR is now effectively old hat, it's received a price cut. When it debuted, the XR cost $749 — which by our reckoning was slightly too expensive. It now costs a far more reasonable $599.

But for $100 more, you could get the new iPhone 11 with faster processor, larger battery, and an extra rear camera, as well as an improved front snapper. We like saving money here at Tech.co but, if we're honest, we'd choose the newer iPhone 11 over the XR.

Verdict: The price cut makes it enticing but we'd rather have the upgraded iPhone 11 for not that much more.

Find out more: iPhone XR full review

iPhone XS Review

You can't buy the iPhone XS directly from Apple any longer. However, it is still available at loads of different carriers.

It's still a very good phone — a year might seem a long time in tech, but the XS hasn't aged poorly at all. It still oozes quality from its hardware right through to its software and AI smarts. Being a year old, the iPhone XS has seen a $100 price cut, bringing it down to a slightly more reasonable $899.

Compared to the newer iPhone 11, the iPhone XS has one fewer rear camera and a lower-resolution front camera. It also has a smaller battery and uses the older A12 Bionic processor. It won't be noticeably slower than the iPhone 11 — iPhones are always pretty speedy — but you'll likely miss the improved battery life.

Verdict – It's still great but for $100 more, we'd still choose the iPhone 11 Pro (notice a theme developing here?)

Find out more – iPhone XS Review

iPhone XS Max Review

The XS Max is, essentially, the iPhone XS, but bigger. You get a bigger screen, a bigger battery, and a bigger price tag — naturally.

However, for a lot of people, the XS Max will be simply too big to handle. Reaching to the top corner of the XS is already a struggle at times, and with an extra 0.7-inches of screen real estate, the XS Max is akin to using a small tablet. It doesn't use the extra screen well, either. Icons and notifications, for example, are simply bigger, rather than more numerous or more information-rich. It felt like a missed opportunity last year and it still feels like one today.

Like the iPhone XS, you can't buy the XS Max directly from Apple any longer, although it is still well-supported by carrier networks. And, like the XS, it has also had a $100 price cut in the wake of the iPhone 11 Pro Max's launch, bringing it down to a $999 — not exactly great value. So, should you buy it? Not in our mind. It's too big and, crucially, too heavy for our tastes.

Verdict: Big, bold, but lacking the subtleties needed to make it a great phone.

Learn more – iPhone XS Max full review

iPhone 8 Plus

The 8 Plus is two years old now, but you can still buy it directly from Apple for a respectable $549. Admittedly, it's hardly cutting-edge tech any longer, with large bezels all round, no FaceID, and an LCD screen rather than a more modern OLED display.

However, despite the ageing looks, the hardware should still stand up to scrutiny. With dual rear cameras, the 8 Plus can still take a perfectly decent picture. Plus, its A11 Bionic processor should still be sprightly enough to handle the latest apps and games. You can also take heart in knowing that you'll be supported with iOS software updates for years to come.

One area you will feel the pinch though, is battery life. The 8 Plus, despite its size, only has a 2,691 mAh battery — tiny by modern standards.

Verdict: Feeling its age, but a decent phone for $549. 

iPhone 8

Like the 8 Plus, but smaller and cheaper. A new iPhone 8 will set you back $449 which, if we're honest, is a lot of money for a phone this dated.

By the standards of modern smartphones, the iPhone 8 is tiny. It has a 4.7-inch screen with a lowly 750×1334 resolution. It also only has a single rear camera and an almost comically small 1,821 mAh battery.

If we're honest, we'd look at choosing an Android phone at the same price point over the iPhone 8 — it's seriously fallen behind the times since its launch two years ago.

Verdict: It might only cost $449 but we'd buy the Google Pixel 3a over it in a heartbeat.

iPhone 11 Pro vs iPhone 11 Pro Max

The two most expensive iPhones going head-to-head. Frankly, if you want the last word in iPhones, the XS Max is the phone for you. Its screen is significantly larger, with a higher resolution but no loss of sharpness. You also get a noticeably bigger battery.

However, both phones feature the same camera tech, the same processor and the same software. So, is the 11 Pro Max's bigger screen and longer battery life worth the extra $100? Well, lets put it this way. You're already spending a grand on a phone – if price is an issue, should you really be looking at the 11 Pro? There are loads of good, cheap phones out there.

There is one more caveat, though. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is significantly larger than the Pro model. The 6.5-inch screen is enormous, sure, but the real issue is the Pro Max's extra weight. At 226 grams or almost eight ounces, it's a hefty piece of kit to have in your pocket or bag at all times. Given that the iPhone 11 Pro doesn't lose out on performance or camera tech, we'd save ourselves $100 and leave the heavy lifting for the gym, and buy the cheaper phone instead.

Verdict: Both phones are fantastic, but we'd find the 11 Pro easier to live with every day.

iPhone 11 Pro vs iPhone 11

The 11 is Apple's new “budget” iPhone, coming in at a reasonably low $699. Given its similarities in appearance to the iPhone 11 Pro, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the regular iPhone 11 was one of the bargain phones of the year.

The 11 gives you a larger, but less sharp screen than the 11 Pro and you have to make do without the 11 Pro's third rear camera — you get an ultra wide and wide angle lens on the 11, while the 11 Pro gets a telephoto lens for better zooming and detail. However, you get the same 12Mp depth-sensing front camera on both phones.

But, you pay $300 less for the iPhone 11 than the iPhone 11 Pro — that's a lot of money. Think of all the lovely things you could take slightly poorer pictures of with that $300…

Verdict: The 11 Pro is a great phone and you'll notice the improved screen quality but that $300 could be enough to make you think twice

Which iPhone Has the Best Camera?

iPhones nearly always have good cameras, so we're pretty confident that whichever iPhone you get will be able to take decent pictures. However, there was a sense that Apple had fallen behind the likes of Google and Huawei in the photo stakes, so can the addition of the a telephoto lens bring the latest iPhones back up to speed?

Rear cameras

Here's the lowdown on the cameras on the latest iPhones.

The 11 Pro and Pro Max have the exactly the same rear cameras: A telephoto lens for better zoom and detail shots, a wide angle lens for run of the mill photography, and an ultra wide lens for capturing broad vistsas or adding an arty fisheye effect to your latest Instagram post.

The iPhone 11, on the other hand, has to make do with the wide and ultra-wide angle lenses.

Which iPhone has the Best Battery Life?

iPhones normally get slandered for their battery life compared to leading Android models. However, Apple decided to increase the size of the batteries on the latest iPhones quite significantly.

So, this is how the current generation (plus the iPhone XS from last year) square up in the battery life stakes.

Which iPhone is the Best Value for Money?

We reckon the best value iPhone you can buy at the moment is the iPhone XR. You'll get a good-looking phone with snappy performance, a decent screen, and strong cameras.

But, for $100, you could get the newer iPhone 11. This is the problem with iPhones, they're all so close in specs and price, you can, without thinking, find yourself heading down a slippery slope to a $1,099 iPhone 11 Pro Max.

If you want to spend as little as possible and still have an iPhone, though, you'll need to get an iPhone 8 — these now start at just $449. It's not a bad phone but it does feel behind the times nowadays.

In truth, you need to consider what you need from an iPhone. If you just want a new iPhone, we'd recommend the iPhone XR. However, if we were buying an iPhone, we'd probably go for the newer iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro to take advantage of the improved battery life and upgraded cameras.

Verdict: All told, the XR is almost certainly the best value iPhone on sale today. However, with the improved iPhone 11 not costing too much more, it might be the better option.

Is a Refurbished iPhone Worth It?

The only iPhone available on Apple's certified refurbished scheme is the iPhone X. These models are a fair bit cheaper than they were at launch and actually look fairly tempting:

• iPhone X 64GB – $679
• iPhone X 256GB – $809

At $679, the iPhone X, is far from a bad deal. However, the newer iPhone 11 costs just $20 more. We'd steer clear of the 256GB model, however, $809 for a refurbished two year-old phone is, frankly, a bit much.