The 3 Best iPhones You Can Pick Up Today

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 17

For the majority of people needing a new phone, the baseline iPhone 17 is going to deliver a fantastic experience. The phone comes in only one size this year, delivering only a 6.3” baseline model (from AU$1,399).

While the Pro and Air are impressive upgrades if you can afford them, in our opinion, it’s the base 17 that is the star of the show this year. If you want to upgrade further, the iPhone 16 Pro can be worthwhile investment, but though we’ll get into that below.

What makes the iPhone 17 impressive is, as usual, Apple’s custom silicon chips. The A19-series of processors powers the entire iPhone 17 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 17 Pro series’ A19 Pro chip.

Perhaps the biggest upgrade this year is the base 17’s screen, with Apple finally delivering a Super Retina OLED display across the entire line-up. Plus, even the base 17 gets ProMotion this time around, meaning a silky smooth 120hz display.

Another Pro feature that has drifted to the base model in recent years is 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 17’s battery life has been boosted from the 16 to up to 30 hours 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.

2. For Power Users: The iPhone 17 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 17 Pro (from AU$1,999) and Pro Max (From AU$2,199) 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.

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.

With the A19 Pro inside you’re getting a substantial upgrade in processing power over the base 17, as well as a far better camera.

In fact, let’s start there. As well as the base units’ 48MP Fusion Camera and48MP Ultra-wide lens, the 17 Pro adds a 48MP Telephoto lens with up to 8x optical 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 17 Pro will deliver what you need.

If you’re a fan of video games the iPhone 17 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 17 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. Don’t forget your crossbody strap!

3. For Luxury Users: iPhone Air

While the iPhone 17 is undoubtedly the best value of the bunch in 2025, and the 17 Pro and Pro Max are the best-case-scenario for content creators and mobile photographers, there’s a new entry into the world of Apple phones this year: the iPhone Air.

Easily the thinnest phone Apple has ever made at just 5.6mm, the AU$1,799 Air is an incredibly capable device—if you’re willing to look past a few specific downsides. It’s fast, light, and looks (and feels) stunning to hold, and with the impressive 6.5” 120hz ProMotion display makes effectively anything you throw at it look better.

That lightness actually works wonders while operating the phone one-handed, though the Air is still big enough that you’ll be stretching for the top-half more often than not.

Surprisingly, the Air actually comes with the A19 Pro processor packed into its lithe frame, which makes what is effectively Apple’s statement piece an incredibly versatile device, capable of delivering the best features of the current crop, without taking the crown from the Pro and Pro Max.

However, it isn’t all good. The iPhone Air has given quite a bit up to deliver on the promise of a thin device, including only having a single speaker, and cutting out the SIM card tray. This effectively leaves the device only usable to people with an eSIM-compatible mobile provider, and makes watching content on that fantastic screen a bit worse thanks to wobbly audio quality. You’re also only getting a single 48MP camera, so photographers beware.

Perhaps the phone’s biggest talking point, though, is its battery life. Yes, it is rated for a full-day of battery life, and will deliver that, but it can be a close shave sometimes. If you’re willing to part with another AUD$159 you can have more of a buffer by way of the iPhone Air-locked MagSafe Battery Pack, but that kind of defeats the purpose of having a thin-and-light phone in our opinion.

The Air is a beautiful phone, for sure, but it doesn’t quite have the practical use-case of its iPhone 17 and 17 Pro brethren. If you’re after something to turn some heads, though, this’ll do it just fine.

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 the iPhone 16e, or a refurbished iPhone SE or iPhone 13 Mini.

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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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