Finest iPhone in 2026: This is Which Apple Cellphone You Ought to Purchase

With the iPhone 17, Apple has considerably narrowed the chasm separating its baseline mannequin from its Professional counterparts. The $829 iPhone 17 (or $799 should you activate with a provider) shares most of the identical digital camera options with the iPhone 17 Professional and Professional Max, like Twin Seize and Heart Stage. It additionally lastly will get a show with a 1-120Hz variable refresh fee, so you possibly can get pleasure from smoother scrolling and allow the always-on show and see your notifications at a look. And help for iOS 26 throughout the total iPhone 17 lineup means you possibly can entry Apple’s most talked-about new software program options like reside translation, name screening and the Liquid Glass redesign. All that with out spending upward of $1,100 for a Professional mannequin, albeit with barely scaled-back battery life and cameras.

Why we prefer it

The iPhone 17 is a baseline telephone that shares many {hardware} and software program options with the iPhone 17 Professional fashions, making it really feel like a worthy, money-saving contender to these pricier units. Beneficiant battery life, sooner charging and digital camera upgrades assist it stand aside from final 12 months’s iPhone 16, even when it appears virtually an identical.  

Who it is best for

The iPhone 17 is a superb selection for the typical telephone person who needs good cameras, strong battery life and a top quality show. It is also a very good measurement for anybody who does not like bigger telephones.  

Who should not get it

Should you’re a images fanatic and a very heavy telephone person, the 17 Professionals could be the best way to go, since you’ll get a telephoto lens on the again, in addition to longer battery life. Alternatively, should you’re a lighter telephone person, it can save you more cash by selecting the marginally extra budget-friendly $599 iPhone 16E.

From the primary second I picked up the brand new $1,199 iPhone 17 Professional Max and $1,099 17 Professional, I used to be beguiled by their daring, shiny redesign. It is a full turnaround from the years of Apple’s subdued titanium motif. The sq. digital camera bump of earlier Professional fashions is now a body-wide bar that Apple calls the “digital camera plateau.” The 17 Professional and Professional Max now are available in precise colours — you will not discover one in black or house grey. This telephone, particularly in cosmic orange, needs you to have a look at it.

As I examined the brand new Professional telephones, I used to be persistently impressed: Even after a full day of heavy use, the Professional Max’s battery nonetheless had 22% or extra left. The iPhone 17 Professional Max has the perfect battery lifetime of any telephone that CNET has ever examined.

The 17 Professional and 17 Professional Max have the very same rear cameras, all with 48-megapixel sensors. You’ll be able to select between the trio of lenses (wide-angle, ultrawide and telephoto) to seize photographs at 12-, 24- or 48-megapixel resolutions. The telephoto digital camera has gone from the 16 Professional’s 12-megapixel sensor with a 5x lens to a 48-megapixel sensor that is 56% bigger with a brand new 4x telephoto lens. You learn that proper: The brand new Professional has a shorter optical zoom than its predecessor. However I discover the quick 4x zoom higher for portraits, and the rise intimately and dynamic vary in 4x photographs is a giant enchancment over 5x snaps from the 16 Professional.

There is a new selfie digital camera on each Professional telephones that Apple calls Heart Stage. It not solely takes 18-megapixel selfies, up from 12 megapixels on the 16 Professional, however you possibly can maintain the 17 Professional vertically and take a horizontal selfie due to a brand new sq. picture sensor.

I can not assist however distinction the iPhone 17 Professional fashions to Apple’s latest telephone. The iPhone Air is skinny, gentle, quiet and sleek — with a single rear digital camera, shorter battery life and $100 cheaper beginning value. The 17 Professional and Professional Max are daring, loud, aggressive and highly effective, and their daring design appeals to me. However options akin to its superb battery life, brighter display screen, new selfie digital camera and iOS 26 are the true causes to get both.

Why we prefer it

I recognize that Apple gave the iPhone 17 Professional and 17 Professional Max character. Gone is the minimal design for the sake of simplicity. We have now a telephone that’s extra sturdy, has an extended battery life, and, when operating iOS 26, comes with numerous important quality-of-life enhancements, like reside translations for calls, texts and FaceTime.

Who it is best for

The iPhone 17 Professional and 17 Professional Max could be a superb improve for somebody coming from an iPhone 14 Professional or older. You get a much bigger battery, a greater display screen, sooner charging, newer cameras and a speedier processor that may deal with graphics-intensive video games and Apple Intelligence.

Who should not get it

When you’ve got an iPhone 15 Professional or Professional Max, you do not want these new telephones except battery capability in your present telephone is low — and even then, it might be cheaper to easily have your battery swapped out. And except you may have a gracious disposable revenue, iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max homeowners can sit this one out.

Read our iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max review.

The iPhone Air is the last word refresh, should you’re in search of one thing that appears and feels drastically completely different from most different units available on the market. It is strikingly light-weight and slim, measuring simply 5.6mm thick and clocking in at 165 grams. Should you’re fearful about sturdiness, design parts just like the titanium body, Ceramic Protect 2 entrance and Ceramic Protect backing maintain it from bending out of practice in your pocket. A beneficiant 6.5-inch show makes it snug to carry and pleasant to observe movies or play video games on.

That does not imply there aren’t tradeoffs, which really feel particularly weighty given the iPhone Air’s $999 price ticket. A slimmer battery can imply shorter life on heavy-use days, and a single rear digital camera means you do not get ultrawide pictures or Cinematic mode in video. There’s additionally solely a single speaker as an alternative of the dual-speaker system on different iPhones, which might make audio much less immersive. The iPhone Air solely helps as much as 20-watt charging, versus the 40-watt charging you may discover on its iPhone 17 counterparts. However should you’re prepared to make some compromises, the super-sleek iPhone Air could be an pleasant funding.

Read CNET’s iPhone Air review.

Why we prefer it

Annual telephone upgrades sometimes really feel incremental, however the iPhone Air shakes issues up with a daring new design that rivals different skinny telephones just like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. The Air is remarkably gentle, which makes it pleasant to make use of and will not overwhelm your purse or pocket. Regardless of its shorter battery life below heavy-use situations, the iPhone Air carried out effectively in CNET’s battery exams and may maintain up simply high-quality on moderate-use days.

Who it is best for

Should you’re not a very heavy telephone person and desire a machine that places design on the forefront, the iPhone Air could possibly be a strong selection. Regardless of a scaled-back digital camera, the one rear 48-megapixel digital camera may take strong 2x zoom photographs, and an 18-megapixel selfie digital camera matches what you may discover on the iPhone 17, 17 Professional and 17 Professional Max.

Who should not get it

Alternatively, should you do use your telephone so much and have an affinity for images, the iPhone Air won’t be the only option for you. The shortage of an ultrawide (plus no telephoto) lens would possibly really feel a bit too restrictive, and the battery might not be capable of sustain together with your extra in depth display screen time.

Apple took a Taco Bell-like method with the $599 iPhone 16E, mixing and matching elements and options from prior telephones to create a “new” iPhone. Its design and display screen are much like the iPhone 14. Its A18 processor is identical because the one within the iPhone 16. In my testing, I discovered that this offers the iPhone 16E a bizarre worth proposition. It is new, nevertheless it’s previous. It is inexpensive, however not low cost.

Should you’re rocking an iPhone SE, an iPhone 11 or older, the 16E will probably be a pleasant improve in each means, from the digital camera to the battery life — though you would possibly miss that ultrawide digital camera. I additionally suppose that this can be a good telephone for individuals utilizing Android telephones who wish to change and dip the proverbial toe into Apple’s waters. I do advocate trying into provider offers, reductions and trade-ins to drop that value a bit, except you are set on doing an installment plan over a few years. Read our iPhone 16E review.

Why we prefer it

After testing the iPhone 16E, I used to be most stunned by how splendidly uneventful it was to make use of. Together with all the usual iOS 18 capabilities and goodies, like iMessage and FaceTime, I used Apple Intelligence, made calls on 5G, took a bunch of share-worthy photographs and movies and performed video video games like Resident Evil 4. If that is all you need in an iPhone, look no additional.

Who it is best for

Should you’re rocking an iPhone SE, an iPhone 11 or older, the 16E will probably be a pleasant improve in each means, from the digital camera to the day plus battery life — although you would possibly miss that ultrawide digital camera.

Who should not get it

Selecting between the $829 iPhone 16 and the $599 16E is a troublesome selection. When you’ve got the funds, I might go together with the common 16. You get a brighter display screen, MagSafe and an ultrawide digital camera that doubles as a macro lens — nice for taking close-up photographs, akin to meals, as the primary digital camera mechanically switches to a cropped model of the ultrawide with a view to nail focus.

Once we examined the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, we had been positively impressed by the images options, the handy Motion button and the elegant construct. And whereas we expect the iPhone 17 is kind of the deal, you possibly can nonetheless snag the iPhone 16 for $100 much less. We think about the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus to be top-notch selections for Apple followers. Components of the iPhone 16’s key characteristic, Apple Intelligence, are actually out, and the truth that these telephones will help it means they’ll doubtless really feel future-proofed for years to return. Other than display screen measurement (6.1 inches on the common, 6.7 inches on the Plus), battery measurement and value, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are an identical in each means.

The iPhone 16 isn’t excellent — it’s lacking an always-on show, and it feels prefer it’s been ages since Apple improved its wired charging speeds. But it surely checks all of the essential containers after which some.

Why we prefer it

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus rank so excessive in our testing as a result of they enchantment to novice customers and energy gamers. They provide about 90% of the expertise of Apple’s Professional fashions however value a whole lot of {dollars} much less. Not solely is the iPhone 16 a beautiful telephone out of the field, however Apple has an extended observe file of updating its software program and safety patches for years.

Who it is best for

When you consider how the Digital camera Management key, the Motion button and the Dynamic Island come collectively, together with the digital camera and battery enhancements Apple has made within the final a number of years, the iPhone 16 is a compelling improve for somebody coming from an older iPhone, particularly in the event that they’re on an iPhone 13 or older. For individuals who don’t want the Professional’s further images prowess and battery life, the iPhone 16 gained’t disappoint.

Who shouldn’t get it

I would not advocate shopping for the iPhone 16 only for the Digital camera Management button or the higher ultrawide digital camera.