Best iPhone 2020: which Apple phone is the top choice for you?

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Picking the best iPhone depends on your budget, needs, and tastes. Thanks to the choice in Apple’s range, you can find yourself a decent iPhone that will get software updates for at least four years, or you can opt to upgrade every year.

You might want to wait for the iPhone 12 range, particularly as Apple is expected to launch the range very soon. There was a 15 September event that only showed the new Apple Watch 6 and iPad products, so the iPhone is just around the corner.

In fact, the latest rumors point to October 13 as the big day, which is also rumored to be Amazon Prime Day – one of the biggest sales events of the year (along with Black Friday, which is set for November 27), and another reason that you might want to hold off on buying a new iPhone, as prices might be discounted in the sale.

Last year there was an excellent deal on the iPhone XR for example. Typically the top-end models don’t get much of a discount, but whether as a result of Prime Day or the iPhone 12 range launching, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to save some money on the iPhone 11 range and potentially some other models if you wait a little longer.

We’ll highlight all the best deals below, but you should also keep an eye on our best iPhone deals article.

We expect an iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max to be the new smartphones available, with potentially new flat edge designs that recall the glory days of the iPhone 4 and 5. They’re expected to pack 5G and plenty of power, so should be worth waiting for.

But if you don’t want to wait, then at least you have a great line up to currently choose from. Apple currently sells four different lines of iPhone: the iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11, iPhone SE (2020) and iPhone XR. Each can run iOS 14 and in most cases will likely be updated to several versions to come after that, which is one of the big advantages of getting an iPhone rather than an Android device.

The current line up means you have a broad selection of prices, designs, and features, like Face ID or Touch ID, and a small screen in the SE or the biggest ever in the 11 Pro Max.

Below we’ve ranked all the iPhones that Apple currently sells, plus models that are still available from other retailers. At the moment we think the iPhone 11 is the best iPhone for most people, but you might not be most people. Take a look at our buying advice and standalone reviews to see which iPhone will suit your pocket.

Short of time? Watch our “which iPhone is right for you?” video explainer below:

Best iPhone: which one should you buy today?

(Image credit: Apple)1. iPhone 11

The best Apple iPhone bang for your buck

Great value

Fast speeds at a discount

Ultrawide lens is far better than telephoto

Still an LCD screen

Glass back attracts fingerprints

The iPhone 11 isn’t the highest-spec Apple phone, but it supersedes the iPhone XR ‘budget flagship’ in better ways to become the standout phone of its generation in terms of sheer value.

True, it misses out on a telephoto lens, but like we found with the Samsung Galaxy S10e, a coupling of main and ultrawide lenses serve most photo needs. While it doesn’t get an OLED display, its LCD screen at least allows the phone to keep its best-in-generation battery life crown. And it even gets a bit more RAM – up to 4GB from its predecessor’s 3GB.

Add in iOS 13 and all the new tweaks coming in the iPhone 11 series and this phone is a lean, mean, photo-taking machine – and all for $699, the cheapest an iPhone has debuted since the iPhone 8.

Read our in-depth iPhone 11 review

(Image credit: Apple)2. iPhone 11 Pro

Nearly the best, but a bit too pricey

Camera a real step forward

Sizeable battery upgrade

Similar to iPhone XS visually

Few non-camera upgrades

The iPhone 11 Pro is a more advanced smartphone than the base iPhone 11, but it isn’t the best iPhone just because its price is a big step up too.

Sure, the smaller screen is one-hand-friendly, the screen quality is a bonus, and it’s Apple’s most affordable handset with three rear cameras, so it’s a decent phone all in all – that’s why it’s at our second spot on the list of our best iPhones.

But money is a concern for most people when they’re looking for a new smartphone, and the big price step up may be questionable for most people when you put the stats side-by-side with the iPhone 11.

Read our full iPhone 11 Pro review

(Image credit: Apple)3. iPhone 11 Pro Max

Three rear cameras

Fastest, best iPhone out there

Even more battery

Expensive

Mostly unchanged

The iPhone 11 Pro Max is not only a confusing shift in naming convention – it’s the biggest, fastest, baddest iPhone out there. It’s also the most expensive at $1,099 starting price, which only goes up if you expand storage.

Not much has changed from the iPhone XS Max, aside from the upgraded camera suite – but then again, adding an ultrawide lens is a big upgrade. The photo software has been upgraded, too, and switching between zoom levels is far smoother here than in other phones.

The battery level has been improved a staggering 4 hours over the iPhone XS Max, which holds true in our testing. And if you can get beyond the weird-looking triple-lens rear camera block, this is truly the most powerful iPhone out there.

Read our in-depth iPhone 11 Pro Max review

(Image credit: Apple)4. iPhone SE

The choice for those who want a cheaper iPhone

Cheapest ever iPhone

Lightweight frame

Battery life could be better

Old screen technology

Unveiled in April 2020, the new iPhone SE may look like an older iPhone but it comes with a lot of benefits over the rest of the range. The chief reason you may want to buy this is it’s the cheapest iPhone you can buy from Apple right now.

It comes with the same design as the iPhone 8, but this has upgraded internals such as an A13 Bionic chipset that is the same we’ve seen powering the three phones you’ll find above in this list.

It also comes with a Touch ID fingerprint scanner, which is something we haven’t seen on recent iPhones. The camera is good on this phone, but won’t compete with the very top iPhones and it has an average battery life too.

Overall, if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to the devices you’ve read about above you’ll love the iPhone SE.

Read our in-depth iPhone SE review

(Image credit: Future)5. iPhone XS

Another option for those looking for something compact

Smart HDR helps the camera

Faster operation in one hand vs Max

Battery life not world-beating

Still very expensive

Believe it or not, the iPhone XS was once Apple’s best ‘small’ phone. It has a 5.8-inch screen, so it’s more one-hand-friendly than a lot of the larger phones on this list, but it still packs a punch in terms of spec.

The iPhone XS may be a little older now, but it has a Smart HDR-capable 12MP camera, enhanced TrueDepth front-facing camera, and a fast A12 Bionic chipset, exactly like the larger iPhone XS Max.

In fact, this all-screen phone is pretty much the iPhone XS Max in a smaller form factor. It does have a smaller battery than the Max and obviously a smaller screen, but you will still capture the same great photos and videos on this device and play the same games.

Plus, it’s cheaper that is used to be when it was the latest and greatest iPhone.

Read our in-depth iPhone XS review

(Image credit: Apple)6. iPhone XS Max

The iPhone XS Max is still a big, speedy phone

Great big screen for games and movies

Camera is strong for an iPhone

Price: most expensive iPhone ever

Size can make it tricky to handle

This was once the very best iPhone if your hands and wallets were large enough. It has an expansive 6.5-inch OLED screen with HDR10 support to make colors pop. It’s the perfect phone if you want a giant screen, but it has now been replaced by the iPhone 11 Pro Max we’ve mentioned above.

Behind that huge screen is a dual-lens 12MP camera. Apple outfitted it with Smart HDR and increased the sensor size to capture larger pixels. Don’t let that static 12MP number fool you. The iPhone XS Max (like the XS) has depth-sensing capabilities for adjustable bokeh (background blur) during and after a shot.

The TrueDepth camera returns with faster Face ID recognition, and your 7MP selfies get better depth control and Smart HDR, too. This is now cheaper than at launch too, so it may be a good option if you want lots of spec but don’t want to get the absolute latest iPhone.

Read our in-depth iPhone XS Max review

(Image credit: Future)7. iPhone XR

The best iPhone for those looking for great battery life

Great battery life for an iPhone

Lower price tag and fun colors

Some apps still not fully optimized

Lower-res screen

The iPhone XR is a great upgrade for the average consumer who doesn’t want to pay for the most expensive iPhone money (a lot of money) can buy. This was Apple’s ‘cheap’ iPhone until the iPhone SE 2020 came along.

It stands out with a variety of iPhone XR colors: Blue, White, Black, Yellow, Coral, Red. This contrasts heavily with the rather muted colors of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Yet it shares the same internal specs: Apple’s A12 Bionic chipset and a 12MP dual-lens camera with a single lens on back.

You don’t get the dual-lens camera like you do on a higher-tier iPhone, so you miss out on telephoto shots. But Smart HDR is the real perk to taking great photos, and that’s here.

It’s cheaper, it’s more colorful and it has a big 6.1-inch screen. That’s enough for most people, especially those who aren’t insistent on an impressive OLED screen.

Read our in-depth iPhone XR review

(Image credit: Apple)8. iPhone X

The iPhone that changed the range

Brilliant screen

Powerful innards

Smart TrueDepth camera

Incredibly expensive

The iPhone X is as impressive as it is expensive, but if you really want a great modern iPhone without buying a newer device, this is the one to get today.

It has a large all-screen display, except for a notch cutout at the top that houses a new TrueDepth Camera. This takes selfies to another level and can also map your face to an iPhone X-exclusive Animoji. If you don’t know what that is by now you probably won’t care.

The iPhone X is Apple’s 10th anniversary smartphone and has just about everything iPhone users have been asking for, from a more forward-leaning design to faster specs and new features. You’ll just have to get used to Face ID instead of reaching for that non-existent fingerprint sensor.

Read our in-depth iPhone X review

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