iPhone Comparison

Current iPhones

The current line is the one Apple still lists on its own store: the newest Pro and Pro Max, the foldable, and the older models Apple keeps at a lower price. These get the longest run of iOS updates ahead of them, which is why they sit at the top of the table.

• Pro and Pro Max add the telephoto lens, the brightest screen and the biggest batteries.
• An iPhone is the only phone an Apple Watch works with. If one is already on your wrist, or on your list, the choice of phone is made; the smartwatch comparison shows exactly what each watch loses on the other platform.

Sold by Apple todayCurrent, newCurrent Pro models

Previous models still on sale

When Apple launches new models it stops selling most of last year's, but Amazon keeps selling them, new and Renewed, usually well below their launch price. A one- or two-year-old Pro still has a telephoto lens, a 120 Hz screen and several years of iOS left, which the newest base model does not always match.

• Check iOS updates left before the price: it is the real lifespan you are buying.
• Models from the iPhone 15 on use USB-C; older ones still use Lightning.

No longer sold by AppleDropped by Apple, 3+ years of iOSOlder, with USB-C

iPhone SE and the budget end

The cheapest iPhones on Amazon are Renewed SE and older base models. They run today's apps, but the SE has a small LCD screen, a single camera and Lightning, and the oldest models in the table are close to their last iOS version.

• Under $400, a Renewed base model from two or three generations back usually gives more years of iOS than an SE.
• The e models are Apple's current entry iPhones, new, with USB-C and years of support ahead.

iPhone SEUnder $400Under $400, 3+ years of iOS

The older iPhone is usually the right answer

Apple's own comparison page drops a model the day Apple stops selling it, which is exactly when it becomes the best value. The table below lists every iPhone on sale on Amazon with its launch price, today's lowest new and Renewed price, its chip and the years of iOS it is likely to get, estimated from Apple's support history: recent iPhones have received new iOS versions for about six years after launch.

A two-year-old Pro at 40% off with four years of updates left beats a new base model at full price: you pay less per year of use and get the better camera and screen. Nobody publishes this next to a live price.

Under $700, 3+ years leftOlder Pro models5+ years left

Renewed or new: what you actually get

"Renewed" on Amazon is a program, not a vague word: the phone is inspected and tested by a qualified seller, faulty parts are replaced, and it is covered by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee. The Condition column flags every listing.

• Renewed is the right call for a model Apple no longer sells, or when the saving is large and the battery minimum is acceptable: an 80% battery runs a day on most models, and a battery replacement from Apple costs far less than the price gap.
• Buy new when the Renewed price is within a small margin of new, when you want Apple's warranty, or for a model you plan to keep for its full support life.
• Renewed Premium is the middle ground: 90% battery and a one-year return window.

Renewed PremiumRenewedNew only

Storage: the upgrade you cannot make later

iPhone storage is soldered and there is no card slot. The 128 GB that is fine today is not fine in year four, when photos, video and app sizes have grown. The Price per GB column shows what each gigabyte costs today, and the table below shows what Apple charged at launch for each step up on the models it still sells.

For a phone you will keep four years or more, 256 GB is the safe floor; shooting 4K video points to 512 GB. Renewed listings make the bigger capacities much cheaper than they were at launch. An iPad works the same way, with no card slot either; the best tablets table compares it with Android tablets that take one.

256 GB512 GB or moreRenewed, 256 GB or more