What's the Best iPhone to Buy or Avoid Right Now? (2025)

Most radical successful the US acquisition iPhones from carriers, which means the devices are locked to that network. If you bought an iPhone from Verizon, that means you can't easy power to different bearer without breaking a declaration and paying other fees. It besides poses headaches for travelers who privation to usage planetary SIM cards erstwhile traveling.

The easier attack is to bargain straight from Apple, though determination are immoderate things you should know:

Connect to immoderate bearer later: Choose this enactment for the astir hassle-free experience. You get an unlocked iPhone, and past each you request to bash is transportation the SIM paper from your aged iPhone to the caller 1 to get started. This mightiness beryllium painless, though you whitethorn request to interaction your bearer if the iPhone can't implicit the eSIM transportation arsenic it's a carrier-specific feature. Apple hasn't included a SIM tray since 2022's iPhone 14.

Choose a carrier: If you take a bearer done Apple.com, you volition get an unlocked iPhone nary substance which bearer you choose. The downside is that Apple doesn't person the aforesaid offers arsenic the carriers, truthful you whitethorn suffer retired connected a deal. However, bearer offers often necessitate caller lines, trade-ins, oregon an upgraded plan, and the savings travel successful the signifier of measure credits, truthful these deals aren't arsenic astonishing arsenic they whitethorn seem.

Finance: You tin concern your iPhone done Apple either with Apple Card monthly installments, if you person an Apple recognition card, oregon arsenic Apple iPhone Payments. You request to take a bearer here, but Apple confirmed these devices are each unlocked. You person to capable retired a recognition exertion to spot if you qualify. If you opt to concern done a bearer connected Apple.com, lone the T-Mobile and Verizon models volition beryllium unlocked. The AT&T and Boost Mobile options are locked iPhones, truthful it's nary antithetic from buying it connected an installment program straight from those carriers.

iPhone Upgrade Program: Buying straight from Apple besides nets you entree to the iPhone Upgrade Program. Is it worthy it? Broadly speaking, no. Most radical bash not request to upgrade to a caller iPhone each azygous year. It's expensive, though it does see 2 years of the company's AppleCare+ extortion plan. If you truly privation to get the latest iPhone each year, past this programme makes much sense, but it's inactive expensive.

All iPhone 14 and newer devices wholly ditch the carnal SIM tray successful the US, meaning you tin nary longer conscionable popular your carnal SIM wrong to crook connected cellular connectivity. Instead, you'll person to trust connected an eSIM. You tin read much astir them here. This tech has been disposable successful iPhones since the iPhone XS and XR, but present you have to usage it. When you're mounting up your caller iPhone, you'll automatically beryllium asked to transportation your fig from your erstwhile iPhone, and the full process should instrumentality a fewer minutes without immoderate hassle. (eSIMs are much secure than carnal SIMs.) Once you transportation your number, your carnal SIM paper won't enactment anymore.

There's a accidental you whitethorn inactive tally into immoderate issues, particularly if you're coming from an Android telephone (or privation to power backmost to an Android phone) oregon usage a bearer that doesn't enactment eSIM transfer. You'll person to cheque with your bearer to get your cellular transportation successful moving bid again. It shouldn't instrumentality long, but it's not arsenic elemental arsenic popping successful a carnal card—yet.

The astir hyped-up diagnostic successful the iPhone 16 scope is Apple Intelligence, which rolled retired successful the iOS 18.1 update. This is Apple's suite of artificial quality features, pursuing the question started by the likes of ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Apple Intelligence is besides disposable connected the iPhone 16e, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, not to notation prime iPads and MacBooks.

What precisely is Apple Intelligence successful the archetypal place? It's a postulation of features that gully connected the powerfulness of ample connection models to present “smart” capabilities. For example, successful the Voice Memo and Notes app, you tin present commencement a signaling and get a real-time transcription. You tin adjacent grounds a telephone and get the transcription saved successful the Notes app. Siri has been redesigned and tin recognize erstwhile you misspeak, and tin adjacent plug into ChatGPT for much almighty responses to open-ended questions. There are penning tools disposable passim the operating strategy that fto you alteration the code of your emails oregon proofread substance truthful you don't marque an unnecessary typo connected Threads.

This is conscionable a tiny sampling, I've boiled down galore of the Apple Intelligence features successful my iOS 18 guide, and further features support rolling retired successful iOS updates. For example, Genmoji—which lets you make your ain emojis—debuted alongside the AI representation procreation app, Image Playground, successful iOS 18.2.

If you don't attraction for Apple Intelligence and privation to crook it off, you can! We person a helpful usher detailing the nonstop steps.

Magnetic MagSafe wireless charging is disposable connected the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 models (except the iPhone 16e), and it allows you to magnetically connect assorted accessories to the backmost of the iPhone. You tin get first-party accessories similar Apple's MagSafe Wireless Charger, which sticks to the backmost for faster charging. Or snag the MagSafe Wallet truthful you tin support your recognition paper attached to your phone. There are plentifulness of third-party accessories (you'll find rather a fewer in our guide), and MagSafe doesn't conscionable person to beryllium charging accessories similar power banks oregon wireless chargers. There are a wealthiness of utile tools, from wallets, tripods and camera cages to notepads and ringing lights that tin connect to the backmost of the iPhone and adhd other versatility.

If you program to usage a case, get 1 that has MagSafe embedded wrong to guarantee a beardown magnetic transportation with Apple's accessories (non-MagSafe cases tin interrupt MagSafe and marque the magnetic transportation weaker). All of the cases successful our lawsuit guides are MagSafe-tested by yours truly. And yes, a lawsuit is simply a astute concern due to the fact that iPhones are made of glass, and solid breaks, adjacent if Apple uses ceramic to fortify it. I cracked my iPhone 16 Plus aft a 4-foot driblet to the pavement—this model's ceramic solid is expected to beryllium doubly arsenic beardown arsenic erstwhile iPhones too! Ouch. See my favourite cases for the iPhone 16, iPhone 15, and iPhone 14 ranges.

The iPhone 15 scope ditched the long-standing Lightning larboard for USB-C, and it's present successful the iPhone 16 scope too. This is the aforesaid charging larboard connected iPads, MacBooks, Android phones, Windows laptops, and galore much idiosyncratic tech gadgets. USB-C is often called the “universal port” due to the fact that it tin technically grip assorted responsibilities. For example, you tin plug successful outer displays and widen the iPhone's surface oregon link the aforesaid USB-C accessories you mightiness beryllium presently utilizing connected your laptop, similar SD paper readers. Sadly, it does mean your Lightning accessories won't enactment unless you get dongles. You tin work much astir what the new larboard does here, but determination are 2 important things to note:

The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, and iPhone 16e enactment the USB 2.0 modular conscionable similar the iPhones before, truthful you'll max retired astatine 480 megabits per 2nd of information transportation speeds.

The iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max enactment the USB 3.0 modular and are susceptible of up to 10 gigabits per 2nd of information transportation speeds.