Jarrett’s iPhone Buying Guide For 2026

Buying an iPhone can be a stressful time, especially if you aren’t into tech. These phones can run thousands of dollars, and you don’t want to get stuck with something that doesn’t work for you. This is especially true during the launch window when they might not have enough stock of the iPhone you really want.

I set out to help you figure out which iPhone is the best for you. It’s a passion of mine, and nothing makes me happier than helping people—from my mom to my kids—find the perfect device.

So, here I’ve collected my advice into this iPhone Buying Guide to help you decide which iPhone fits you best.

The Best iPhone For Most People

At this point in the final half of 2026, I think most people looking to get a new iPhone should pick the iPhone 17.

The iPhone 17 is a robust phone that offers so many great features for a great price. The device has a beautiful OLED screen, variable, high-refresh-rate screen, so it looks stunning. TheiPhone 16 lacked this wonderful screen, and it was such an amazing device for the masses.

The battery lasts all day, and the phone runs quickly with Apple’s A19 chip. Unless you do heavy work on your iPhone, like editing podcasts or videos, you shouldn’t notice much of a difference between the A19 and the A19 Pro. This phone is ready to handle the new Siri AI, which is one of the best updates of iOS 27.

The camera on the iPhone 17 shoots great, colorful shots. The iPhone 17 is equipped with a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera for getting more shots in or taking macro shots nearby. The standard 1x camera also boasts a 48MP camera which offers a cropped-in 2x mode. While it lacks the telephoto lens of the Pro, I think most users would be hard-pressed to notice a difference in standard photography shot on the 17 versus the iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max.

Taking video on the iPhone 17 is smooth as butter and the quality looks outstanding. You’ll lose out on the zoom, just like with photography, but you can still take video at 4k60.

The front-facing FaceTime camera features the square lens that allows you to take a selfie in portrait or landscape without turning your phone. It also allows the camera to adapt during a FaceTime call to group more people into the shot as it senses them.

It has USB-C for charging and data transfer if needed. Unfortunately, the speed of the port hasn’t been updated, and it still runs at a slow USB 2.0 speed. If you back up your phone to a Mac, it will take a little longer to download all your data.

The iPhone 17 comes in some fun colors. The iPhone 17 boasts five color options, Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White, and Black. Plus, it comes at a relatively nice price of $899 (it was $799 at launch, but the AI rush has caused component prices to go up). For that price, you get a great ratio of feature to price.

If you opt for the iPhone 17, you honestly won’t be missing out on much. The processor in the Pro line offers an extra core or two—something you’ll only notice when heavily taxing your system with an export. The camera is better on the Pro as well, and it offers a telephoto lens, plus a LiDAR Scanner. The Pro has USB 3 speed in the USB-C connector. But most people don’t need these features and will be happy with the iPhone 17.

Since Apple has announced the iPhone 18 Pro line, I still think most people should get the iPhone 17.

The Best iPhone For Photographs & Film

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are the best at taking photos and videos. Both iPhones have the same camera system, you simply have to decide which size you want.

The iPhone 18 Pro camera system offers stunning pictures and videos. While my iPhone 17 Pro takes great pictures, it doesn’t have the variable aperture, which can help determine the level of light that comes through the sensor.

Apple created a moving lens system for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max which can open or narrow based on how much light is available. If you take a shot with a ton of light, the lens will narrow to allow less light in, so things don’t get washed out. Conversely, when it is dark out, the lens will widen to let in as much light as possible.

I haven’t had a chance to go hands on with the new system yet, but it appears to work great according to the impressions some got during the hands-on time after the iPhone 18 Pro event.

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have the same camera system. They offer a .5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x lens, with the ability to go to levels between those lengths. Those lengths are the standard lens, although the 2x and 8x simply crops to the middle of the photo. The cameras are all 48 megapixels, but they collect all the data of the 48mp and slim it down to a 24mp size. This allows the user to save some space and get great quality.

Of course, users can opt to take a shot at the full 48mp or even change the shot type and get a ProRes photo for editing later. If this doesn’t make much sense to you, you might not need this feature.

All the FaceTime cameras on the iPhones since the iPhone 17 release offer the square sensor, which allows you to take a selfie in portrait or landscape. It also can sense as people come into the frame, and it adjusts to get them all.

Users will get the best pictures out of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, but if you’d like to take great photos and save a little money, you might look at finding an iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max. While it doesn’t have the variable aperture, it has the rest of the camera features of the iPhone 18 Pro. It can still take great shots, and is still plenty powerful.

The Best iPhone For Gaming

While I don’t do much gaming on my iPhone, I would suggest the iPhone 18 Pro Max or possibly even the iPhone Duo for the best gaming experience.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max and the iPhone Duo both come with Apple’s new A20 Pro chip, which looks to improve over the last generation A19 Pro chip. The A20 has more and faster graphic cores to help your games get the best-looking graphics.

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have a new larger vapor chamber, which helps to keep the device cool when it is working hard to pump out all the gaming glory you experience. The vapor chamber takes the heat and disperses it throughout the body of the device to keep the heat uniform and off the processor.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max has the best battery life of any iPhone. In fact, the 18 Pro Max has up to 45 hours of video playback and 30 hours of typical use. With the giant 6.9-inch screen of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, you get a large viewing area for those graphics.

The iPhone Duo holds many of the features listed here for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, but also unfolds into a 7.6-inch screen. The iPhone Duo features a vapor chamber and amazing A20 Pro chip. However, the iPhone Duo has less battery at only 24-hours of typical use. Plus, the iPhone Duo hasn’t been released yet, so much of this is untested.

The Cheapest iPhone

If you’re looking to get into the iPhone ecosystem for the cheapest price possible, you need to look at the iPhone 17e.

The iPhone 17e offers most of the great iPhone features with a cheaper price tag. While the iPhone 17e comes with an older screen with a notch instead of the more current Dynamic Island, it comes with a Super XDR OLED display. It doesn’t have the variable high refresh rate of the 17 or 18 Pros, but it still looks excellent.

On the inside, it is running an A19 chip, the same one as in the iPhone 17. It is plenty fast and allows access to Siri AI and Apple Intelligence.

The iPhone 17e has a single 48MP Fusion camera system. In other words, normal shots look spectacular and detailed. It can crop the image to achieve a 2x zoom effect without degrading the image. The 17e doesn’t have any other cameras, so you’ll miss out on ultra-wide shots, macro, and those non-digital zooms.

This phone works well, and fixes one of the biggest problems the iPhone 16e had by including MagSafe charging.

Anyone who is thinking of switching to iPhone from another device might use the iPhone 17e as a device that lets you get a foot in the door for cheaper. This would be a great starter iPhone for older teens or kids who are getting their first device. I also think this would be a good phone for those who are on a tight budget but want to be in the Apple ecosystem.

While the 17e is cheaper, it doesn’t offer as many options when you purchase it. It comes in three colors, soft pink, white, and black; while only offering two storage options 256 GB and 512 GB.

The Best Battery Life

If you want your iPhone to last as long as possible, you’ll want to go with the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Both the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max got upgraded and expanded batteries this year. Now, the iPhone 18 Pro Max has the best battery of any iPhone ever.

Apple claimed that the iPhone 18 Pro Max could last up to 45 hours of video on a single charge. In mixed usage, the iPhone is rated for around 30 hours of use. Users should be able to get at least a day, if not a day and a half out of the device.

Plus it offers a quick charge option. The iPhone 18 Pro Max can charge to 50% in just 15 minutes with a fast charger.

The iPhone Duo does offer up to 44 hours when using only the outer display, so it appears it will have great battery life as well, but it doesn’t seem to match the iPhone 18 Pro Max through mixed use.

The Biggest iPhone

If you want the biggest iPhone screen you can purchase, you’ll have to decide between the iPhone 18 Pro Max or the folding iPhone Duo.

The iPhone Duo offers the biggest screen on an iPhone at 7.6-inches. However, that size only comes when the iPhone Duo is unfolded. When you have it in your pocket or folded up, the outer screen is one of the smallest iPhone screens out there at 5.4-inches.

If you want the largest screen on an iPhone, you’ll have to decide if you want to fold your phone up when you take it somewhere else.

If you would rather not fold your iPhone, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is your next best bet at 6.9-inches. You won’t have to fold your phone up, but it will always take up that much space, regardless of where you place it. That can easily fill a pocket. Plus, if you go with the Pro Max size, you’ll get the better camera system as well.

The Smallest iPhone

On the other side of the coin, the smallest iPhone also brings you to a choice. If you want the smallest screen possible, you’ll again be looking at the folding phone, the iPhone Duo. That outer screen is the same size as the old iPhone 13 mini, at 5.4 inches. However, the Duo has a wider and shorter screen.

If you would rather not fold your iPhone or if you’d rather not spend $2000 on an iPhone, your next best bet is the iPhone 17e. It offers a 6.1-inch screen. However, the iPhone is nearly the same size as the iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 Pro. The 17e is just .2 of an inch shorter.

The Thinnest and Lightest iPhone

If you want the thinnest iPhone, you once again have a choice. The iPhone Duo is the thinnest iPhone when unfolded. Again, if you would rather not deal with a folding iPhone or the cost of that iPhone, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

When folded, the iPhone Duo comes in at .44 inches deep. When unfolded it is .21 inches deep.

The iPhone Air is the other option. It comes in at .31 inches deep, yet it is much lighter than the iPhone Duo (5.96 ounces vs. 8.96 ounces). The iPhone Air is the thinnest, non-folding phone in the lineup and the coolest phone announced in 2025. Going with the Air has some compromises though, namely battery and cameras. While the Air can last a full day, it offers 22 hours of video playback.

It also only has the one 48 MP Fusion camera. You won’t be able to take the ultra-wide .5x or zoom in without a digital crop after 2x.

Still, it’s a pretty phone to look at. The screen also finds itself between the Pro and Pro Max screen sizes, so it’s not the smallest phone to put in your pocket. However, the thin body and lightweight make up for much of that.

Older Refurbished Phones

You might be able to find an older phone for a good price, but does that make it a good phone for today?

I wouldn’t recommend getting any used iPhone that doesn’t support Siri AI. I don’t say that because I think everyone should use AI, but because I’m not sure how long Apple will support older devices that can’t run Siri AI.

Apple started supporting Apple Intelligence and Siri AI in the iPhone 15 generation, but only the 15 Pros. Since then, every iPhone can support Siri AI and Apple Intelligence (even the 16e) but they don’t all get the newest features. For example, only the iPhone 17s can adjust the Siri Voice and get the on-device improved dictation.

But if you can find these devices in the wild for a good price, go for it. I loved my iPhone 16 Plus, but the iPhone 17 improved upon so many things, I think it might be worth the upgrade.

If you’re okay not getting the latest updates, I have plenty of iPhone reviews going back to the iPhone XS Plus in my iPhone Hub.

Upcoming Updates

As of 2026, it looks like Apple is holding off updating some iPhone lines. At this year’s iPhone event, only the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max were updated, while the iPhone Duo was announced.

That means we might have to wait until spring of 2027 to see updates to the standard iPhone, the cheaper iPhone, and the next iteration of the iPhone Air. I’ll update my guide as we get additional information on them and the recommendations change.

Use Jarrett’s iPhone Buying Guide To Find The Best iPhone For You

You can’t really go wrong with any iPhone, but I hope this guide helps you find the right device for you. It would be disappointing if you were looking for the best photography on an iPhone and ended up with something you didn’t like.

The iPhone itself has become a little boring, which isn’t a bad thing for a device like this. You know that every year will bring a faster iPhone that takes better pictures and can last longer throughout the day. However, with 2026’s iPhone Air launch and this year’s iPhone Duo announcement, it is an exciting time to be an iPhone fan.

If there’s a type of user that I missed here or if you have any questions about which iPhone to get, make sure to let me know in the comments or on Threads.