Which iPhone Should You Buy?

If you want Apple’s most budget-friendly option, the iPhone 17e is for you. It has a 6.1-inch display, the smallest option in the iPhone 17 line. It comes in pink, in addition to the standard black and white editions.

Despite a lower price compared with the rest of Apple’s iPhone 17 line, the 17e still offers top-tier performance, according to our testing. You can count on it to tackle nearly any task, from FaceTiming with a friend to navigating with GPS, without much lag. The model runs on Apple’s A19 chip, which allows for the extra processing power needed to maximize the company’s AI features. (All iPhone models currently sold by Apple support Apple Intelligence.) The 17e starts with 256 gigabytes of storage—a bump up from the 128GB on the 16e at the same price.

The 17e has just one 48-megapixel rear camera. That means it’s less versatile than the multilens setups on other iPhone models, which allow for ultrawide shots at 0.5x zoom or optical zoom for crisper long-range shots. Our testers rate the images and video taken with the 17e’s rear camera system as very high quality, though not quite as impressive as those taken by the iPhone 17 or 17 Pro.

The 17e offers standard USB-C charging and is also compatible with wireless charging. The phone lasts 37 hours per charge, according to our testing—beating out the iPhone 17 by a few hours.

If you’re worried about Apple’s budget model being less durable, have no fear: The 17e aced our scratch-resistance and water-intrusion tests and withstood 100 drops in our tumbler with no significant dents.

If you want a reasonably sized iPhone with a great camera, the standard iPhone line is where to look. These models cost $300 less than their Pro counterparts, which offer the most premium features and a triple-rear camera setup, but they still perform very well in our tests where it matters.

The iPhone 17 has a larger 6.3-inch OLED display that offers excellent color and clarity. It features a dual rear camera system with a 48-megapixel main rear camera and a 48-megapixel ultrawide that outperforms the camera on the previous-generation iPhone 16, according to our latest testing. It’s not quite as impressive as the Pro cameras, but it beats the single rear camera on the iPhone 17e or iPhone Air.

The iPhone 17 comes equipped with Apple’s A19 chip, which the company says helps facilitate an increasing number of generative Apple Intelligence features. And it comes with a few other modest upgrades, like a smoother 120-hertz refresh rate and 256GB of starting storage.

The iPhone 17 lasts 32.5 hours per charge and receives the highest possible durability score in our ratings, surviving dozens of drops in CR’s tumbler without breaking.

If you hate the tug of a heavy device in your jacket pocket, the iPhone Air might be a great fit. This model has a large 6.5-inch ProMotion display and a titanium frame, but it’s particularly thin, measuring just 5.6 mm thick. Despite its petite size, you don’t have to fret about fragility: It receives a stellar durability score, surviving immersion in water and 100 drops in CR’s tumbler. It also holds up well in our scratch-resistance testing.

The iPhone Air has the more powerful A19 Pro chip and a faster 120-hertz refresh rate for smoother scrolling. CR’s testing shows that the camera system isn’t quite as impressive as that on the Pro models—it has only a single 48-megapixel main rear camera—but you do get the improved 18-megapixel front-facing camera available across the iPhone 17 line.

According to our testing, the iPhone Air offers a reasonable 29.5 hours of use on a single charge, but it’s still the worst performer in terms of battery life across the iPhone 17 line.

Overall, the iPhone Air is worth considering if you love the super-slim design—and you don’t mind taking a slight hit on battery life and camera performance.

Willing to spend a little more for Apple’s latest hardware, but without the jumbo-sized display? The 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro comes equipped with the A20 Pro chip, which improves performance, Apple says, and helps power the increasing number of generative AI features. (The iPhone 18 Pro will head to our labs as soon as it hits stores on Sept. 18.)

The 18 Pro sports a triple-rear camera system that includes a 48-megapixel main camera with a new variable aperture system, a 48-megapixel ultrawide, and a 48-megapixel telephoto.

The 18 Pro has a high 120-hertz refresh rate, good for gameplay and smoother scrolling. It also features a few other updates, like an improved heat-dissipation system, Apple says, a redesigned Dynamic Island that lets you track more app actions at once from the home screen, and new burgundy and light-blue color options.

The previous iPhone 17 Pro model earns the highest possible rating for durability in our testing, and we’ll put the 18 Pro through the same rigorous protocol. We’ll also test the battery performance on the 18 Pro soon—the 17 Pro’s battery life lasts 34 hours on a single charge.

Overall, the 18 Pro looks to be the choice if you want the latest tech and best camera on a device you can more comfortably use with one hand. (Check our smartphone ratings for in-depth test results on the 18 Pro soon.)

This is the biggest and probably best model that Apple has to offer. With the new iPhone 18 Pro Max, you get a large 6.9-inch display, the powerful A20 Pro chip, and Apple’s most versatile Pro camera system. The 18 Pro Max also offers a 2-terabyte storage option. (The just-released 18 Pro Max will head to our labs as soon as it’s available in stores.)

The 18 Pro Max has the same triple-rear camera system available on the 18 Pro, which includes a 48-megapixel main rear camera with a new variable aperture system, a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 48-megapixel telephoto. We’ll evaluate the new 18 Pro camera system in our labs, but the 17 Pro offered one of the most impressive camera systems we’ve tested on a smartphone to date.

If you’re willing to spend more for the largest display on a nonfolding iPhone and the most impressive camera, the Pro Max is the model for you.

If you want as big a display as you can get—for watching videos, working, and multitasking—the new iPhone Duo could be worth the investment. As Apple’s first-ever foldable phone, the Duo is a bit like an iPad-iPhone hybrid. It sports two screens—an outer 5.4-inch display visible when the phone is closed, and a seamless 7.6-inch display that’s revealed when the phone is opened.

The two displays allow you to efficiently multitask. You can, say, reply to a text thread on one side of the display, while a video plays on the other. The iPhone Duo will be compatible with the Apple Pencil later this year, making it useful for sketching or jotting notes.

Aside from the dual screens, Apple’s book-style foldable comes equipped with other premium hardware, including the new A20 Pro chip, 256GB of starting storage, and a dual-rear camera system. The premium foldable is available in white and dark gray.

The iPhone Duo is heading to our labs soon, where we’ll test the battery life, durability of its hinging display, and more.

The table below spotlights the major differences among the phones. (If you’re reading this article on a smartphone, we recommend that you rotate the phone to landscape mode for a better view.)