Hollis Johnson
From left to right: the iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, and and iPhone 8.
From the brand-new, futuristic iPhone X to the tiny-but-powerful iPhone SE, the current iPhone lineup has a range of devices and price points.
At this point, I've tried all eight of Apple's current iPhones. And although the iPhone X is gorgeous and powerful, it's not the phone I would recommend to most people.
Here's my ranking of all the iPhones you can buy right now:
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8. iPhone 6s Plus
The iPhone 6s Plus is one of the oldest iPhones you can buy right now — and the worst option for most people.
While the iPhone 6s Plus has a large, 5.5-inch display like the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus, it lacks a few of the features that make Apple's Plus models so desirable, particularly when it comes to the camera — mainly, the iPhone 6s Plus doesn't have a dual-lens camera, which means it can't do portrait mode.
The iPhone 6s Plus is actually identical to the iPhone 6s in every way except for screen size, and it costs $100 more. For the same price as the iPhone 6s Plus, you could get the newer and more powerful iPhone 7.
In fact, there are only two reasons to buy the iPhone 6s Plus right now:
1. If you can't let go of your headphone jack
2. If you only like large phones, but your budget is $600 or less.
Price: Starts at $550
7. iPhone 6s
At this point, the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus are going on three years old. While they're still solid-enough phones, there are few reasons to buy them — unless you're a budget-conscious Apple devotee.
Unlike the larger Plus model, the iPhone 6s is a more realistic phone for most people. For me personally, Plus phones are too big and I'm constantly scared I'll drop them.
On top of that, Apple is selling the iPhone 6s for less than $500, which is half the price of an iPhone X.
And the very best part: It's the last standard-sized iPhone with a headphone jack.
That being said, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have the same shortcomings: a less powerful chip, a capable but not exceptional camera, and no water resistance.
Price: Starts at $450
6. iPhone 8 Plus
Yes, the iPhone 8 Plus is a brand-new phone, but that doesn't mean it's the smartest buy.
The device has some exciting new features — wireless charging, Apple's A11 chip, more starting storage space, and a top-of-the-line camera — but it's certainly not a bargain.
Unfortunately for the iPhone 8 Plus, it falls into a strange category of being both brand-new and simultaneously dated. The iPhone X is more innovative, more advanced, and better-looking than the iPhone 8 Plus, and for not that much more money.
You're not getting a bargain with the iPhone 8 Plus, and you're also not getting the best phone you can buy. Either save your money, or go with the iPhone X.
Price: Starts at $800
5. iPhone 8
The iPhone 8 is similarly cursed by its place in the iPhone lineup, but it has a slight advantage over the iPhone 8 Plus: its size.
The iPhone 8 is a standard-sized smartphone, and that combined with its all-glass body means it feels great in your hand — though the screen is certainly smaller than the iPhone X or the iPhone 8 Plus.
The one other downside of the iPhone 8 versus the iPhone 8 Plus is the lack of a dual-lens camera, but for $100 less, I think most people can make do without.
Otherwise, the iPhone 8 has all the same features as its big sister: fast charging, wireless charging, water resistance, a great camera, the A11 bionic chip, and 64 GB of starting storage space.
Price: Starts at $700
4. iPhone X
The iPhone X is certainly the best iPhone you can buy. It's beautiful, high-end, and full of futuristic features like facial recognition.
That being said, it's phenomenally expensive.
The iPhone X isn't a phone for most people. It's more complex to use, it doesn't have Apple's dead-simple fingerprint scanner, and the nearly bezel-less OLED screen, while beautiful, isn't a necessary feature for average consumers.
Still, the iPhone X has the largest screen on any iPhone, ever. It's capable of wireless charging, shooting gorgeous photos, and has Apple's TrueDepth camera built in for facial recognition and augmented reality.
And there's no denying it: the iPhone X is great to look at.
Price: Starts at $1,000
3. iPhone SE
The iPhone SE is the hidden gem of Apple's iPhone lineup: It's the same size and design as an iPhone 5s, but has the speedy insides of an iPhone 6s.
The iPhone SE certainly isn't the fanciest iPhone out there, but it is the cheapest. And despite being almost two years old, the iPhone SE is still a solid device that will work as an excellent daily phone for most people.
The downsides to the iPhone SE are its small screen — only four inches, compared to the iPhone X's 5.8 inches— and its lack of a few modern conveniences, like wireless charging and waterproofing.
Despite all that, the fact remains that the iPhone SE is the best deal you can get on any iPhone, period.
Price: Starts at $350
2. iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 is more than a year old now, but it remains one of the most sensible iPhones you can buy (and the one I'd personally choose, thanks to its smaller size).
While the iPhone 8 is newer and slightly better looking (and the iPhone X is in a league of its own), the iPhone 7 has nearly all the features most people need. It has nearly the exact same camera as the iPhone 8, the same size screen, and is also water resistant.
There are only three major things that differentiate the iPhone 7 from the iPhone 8, besides design: the iPhone 7 doesn't have wireless charging, it has less starting storage at 32 GB, and it runs Apple's year-old A10 chip.
The iPhone 7 also comes in five color options versus the iPhone 8's three, has an aluminum back instead of a glass back, and costs $150 less.
Price: Starts at $550
1. iPhone 7 Plus
The iPhone 7 Plus has it all.
It has Apple's dual-lens camera, which means it's capable of portrait mode. It has a big 5.5-inch screen, it's waterproof, and it has almost the exact same battery life as the iPhone 8 Plus.
Except for wireless charging and a slightly slower processor, the iPhone 7 Plus is almost the exact same phone internally as the iPhone 8 Plus — and it costs $130 less.
In fact, unless you prefer the iPhone 8's all-glass design, there are very few reasons to buy it over the iPhone 7 Plus.
The iPhone 7 Plus may be a year-old phone, you'll get an incredible deal for your money.
Price: Starts at $670
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