You might be an Apple diehard looking to get in on the new Apple Intelligence goodness, or an Android-defector figuring out the best way to make the jump to iOS. Either way, there are a lot of iPhone models out there now, and they’re certainly not all created equal. Depending on how much you’re willing to spend, what you’re planning on using it for, and how large a device you’re after, there are a few decent options, and that number looks likely to grow as we speed through the next year.
For what it’s worth, this isn’t a list of every iPhone model on the market: rather, it’s the models we recommend our readers buy today and why they’re more compelling than the competition.
If you’ve putting off upgrading, switching, or are just in need of a good phone, read on.
What iPhone to Get
1. For Most Users: The iPhone 16
For the majority of people needing a new phone, the baseline iPhone 16 is going to deliver a fantastic experience. The phone comes in two sizes, the 6.1” baseline model (from AU$1,399), and the 6.7” iPhone 16 Plus (from AU$1,599), which also comes with a bigger battery-life.
In our opinion, though, it’s the base 16 that is the star of the show here: if you want to upgrade further, the iPhone 16 Pro is a more worthwhile investment, though we’ll get into that below.
What makes the iPhone 16 impressive is, as usual, Apple’s custom silicon chips. The A18-series of processors powers the entire iPhone 16 lineup, and it’s a big step up in terms of power and efficiency on previous years’ efforts. In saying that, most people aren’t going to be pushing the chip to its limit, and absolutely won’t need the boost to power found in the 16 Pro series’ A18 Pro chip.
Included in the base model for the first time, the 16 also features the ‘action button’, which is typically used for controlling the device’s 48mp Fusion Camera, but can also be tailored by the user in a number of ways, such as to open their own preferred app. It’s a nice feature, if small, and points at just how much Apple’s ecosystem and hardware has been opened up to user customisation in recent years.
Speaking of the camera, the 16 will take fantastic photos and videos more than worthy of your TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram Reel, but, again, if you’re after the ability to shoot something more professional there’s a Pro phone with your name on it. It features 2x optical zoom, and 10x digital zoom, which are pretty basic these days but will get the job done.
Impressively, despite being kept in a relatively small chassis, the 16’s battery life has been boosted from the 15 to up to 80 hours of audio playback, or around 20 while watching video (those are Apple’s numbers, not ours). Even when you do need to reach for the USB-C charger, you can expect to recharge to around 50 per cent battery in half an hour.
In our opinion, all this comes together to create a very usable and functional phone that will absolutely meet the majority of people’s needs. Also, there’s the whole Apple Intelligence thing, but we’re not quite ready to call that a positive until we’ve actually used it ourselves.
2. For Power Users: The iPhone 16 Pro
For those of us that make content for a living, or just like to push their device to the bleeding edge, Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro (from AU$1,799) and Pro Max (From AU$2,149) fit the bill. The Pro features a beautiful 6.3” Super Retina OLED display, while the Pro Max’s screen balloons out to 6.9”, putting it firmly in tiny iPad territory.
As with the base 16, unless you require a bigger screen we recommend sticking with the 16 Pro over the Pro Max, as the jump in cost is difficult to justify the upgrade. A 6.3” phone is still absolutely pocketable, whereas 6.9” is pushing the limit, and you’re getting the same internals for around AU$400 less.
Plus, compared to the 16 Plus, which is AU$200 cheaper than the 16 Pro, you’re getting a substantial upgrade in processing power, as well as a far better camera.
In fact, let’s start there. As well as the base units 48mp Fusion Camera, the 16 Pro adds a 48mp Ultra-wide lens and as 12mp Telephoto lens, with 5x optical zoom and 25x digital zoom. It’ll shoot video in up to 4K 120fps using the Fusion Camera, and has the processing power to edit those videos using a number of impressive video editing apps (such as CapCut or Adobe Premiere Rush).
If you’re a content creator looking to up your video or photo game, the 16 Pro will deliver what you need.
If you’re a fan of video games the iPhone 16 Pro will give you the best bang for your buck as well, being capable of playing high-end titles such as Death Stranding and Resident Evil 4 at steady frame-rates – we’d recommend a good mobile gaming controller to pull it all together, but that’s ultimately up to you. Plus, with the impressive OLED Super Retina display, these games might actually look better than they do on your home console, depending on your TV or monitor set-up.
All in all, the iPhone 16 Pro is a very impressive device that will deliver power-users what they need, and it’s our recommendation for the higher-end creative users looking for a powerful and reliable mobile device.
3. For Budget Users: iPhone SE (2022) or iPhone 13 Mini
You might think there is no budget option for Apple products, as even older devices rarely see price drops (rather, Apple simply stops selling them), but that’s not entirely true. Ever since the company launched the iPhone 5C, it has tried to keep a relevant ‘cheaper’ option available, and the most recent option available in the lineage is 2022’s iPhone SE revision. Compared to the other phones in the list, picking up a new SE will only set you back AU$719 for a 64GB option, or AU$799 for 128GB of storage.
That’s essentially half the price of the base iPhone 16, and can be found far cheaper if you’re willing to pick up a refurbished model. A cursory search on Amazon Refurbished brought the price down further to AU$379, which, yes, is AU$1,000 less than the base 16.
Granted, you’re getting a phone that still uses Apple’s sidelined Lightning Cable, uses the years-old A15 chip, and doesn’t include many modern features, such as FaceID or the upcoming Apple Intelligence. However, there are also some benefits to picking up the SE: namely, the size.
The iPhone SE features a 4.7” screen, making it by far the smallest Apple phone on the market, and much smaller than many smartphones being sold today. This size, however, keeps it light, pocketable, and useable in one hand. It also retains the home button that older iPhones featured, which includes TouchID, which could be a positive or negative depending on whether you like having a more tactile phone experience.
Plus, although the phone is using an older chipset, it’s able to be upgraded to the most recent iOS release, iOS 18, which means you’ll get a lot of the software capabilities of the newer OS out of a much cheaper device.
Compared to Apple’s newer phones, however, the SE’s camera-game is lacking. It features a single 12mp camera lens, though it can record up to 4K video footage. If you like taking and sharing photos with friends, this probably isn’t the phone for you.
Another option for a cheaper handset, though not quite as cheap, would be to pick up an iPhone 13 Mini. The last of Apple’s ‘Mini’ line, which saw the power of the 13 squeezed down into a smaller size, the 13 Mini is, for many people, the ideal phone. The phone isn’t sold new anymore, but you can pick up healthy refurbished models online for between AU$600 and AU$700.
How do the two compare? Well, the Mini uses a newer design philosophy, featuring a slightly bigger full-screen display (5.4” compared to the SE’s 4.7”), along with a slightly bigger battery. Additionally, The iPhone 13 Mini can use FaceID or TouchID to unlock the phone, whereas the SE requires you use TouchID. Otherwise, the two are fairly similar: they both use the A15 chip, they both still use the lightning cable or QI wireless charging to stay topped up.
If you are in need of an iPhone under AU$1,000, either the iPhone SE or the iPhone 13 Mini are still the best option on the market. They’re not for power-users, and they’re not for everyone, but it’ll absolutely meet the needs of those looking for a cheap entry point into the Apple ecosystem.
If you’re a bit iffy on buying refurbished, the iPhone SE is the pick, but there are rumours that the iPhone SE will see an upgrade in 2025 to bring it up to date with a more modern-budget experience, which will probably see it gain a USB-C port, as well as design overhaul and an A17 or A18 chip. Until that is announced, though, just know you might be buying a new phone that will be superseded soon.
Related: Best Cheap Smartphones for Any Budget
The 4 Questions to Ask Before Picking up a New Phone
Now that all the options are on the table, let’s think about what which one you actually need.
Do you want something high-powered that can play the latest games, access the newest developments in Apple’s AI, and essentially function as a hand-held computer? You’re probably going to prefer something like the iPhone 16 Pro, which is currently Apple’s premium model and will fetch a premium price.
Or, do you need something small and lightweight that won’t break the bank, largely just for the communication? You’ll probably do just fine with 2022’s iPhone SE, which can be picked up for relatively cheap.
Getting to the bottom of what you actually intend for your purchase is an important step in making sure you don’t pick up the wrong phone and end up disappointed. In our opinion, there are four thing you really need to think through ahead of any major tech purchase.
- What’s the use case? Picking something up that you’re expecting to only use a few times a day to send messages or answer phones calls is a totally different use case to someone planning on planning, shooting, and editing social content all on a mobile device.
- How much are you willing to spend? Ranging from around AU$800 to over AU$2,000, the phones recommended in this article can be as affordable as you need them to be. As will all things your budget will be the main dictator of what you’re able to get your hands on, but a solid phone is a strong investment: you literally carry it everywhere, so dropping a few thousand on ensuring you get your money’s worth might be worth it.
- How big are you willing to go? Smartphones are getting bigger, despite the fact that our hands aren’t. From the SE’s 4.7” screen, to the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 6.9” screen, you have a bit of choice in how big a device you get. Typically, the bigger the screen, the more expensive and powerful the device is.
- Do you need to upgrade yet? Honestly, planned obsolesce aside, any flagship phone from the past few years is still likely to run smooth, and be powerful enough to handle day-to-day operation. If your phone is starting to run slow, consider taking it into an Apple store for a battery replacement rather than pick up an entirely new phone. There’s enough tech waste in the world already, don’t unnecessarily add to it because something new and shiny caught your eye. However, if your phone is really not functioning anymore, Apple does offer to recycle its older devices – and you might even get a discount for doing so.
With those questions answered, you’ll be in a far better place to know what you actually need from your phone and, hopefully, these recommendations can be a bit more impactful.
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