Which iPhone should I buy?

pple has just unveiled four new 5G iPhones, while simultaneously slashing the price of its existing lineup.

The most expensive iPhone 12 Pro Max is now nearly three-times more expensive than the bottom-of-the-range iPhone SE.

Along with the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 11 and iPhone XR, Apple now has phones at nearly every £100 interval between £399 and £1099.

With such a broad range, we’ve got a rundown of which one is best for you.

Best for: Steve Jobs purists. The co-founder of Apple famously once said that “no one’s going to buy” a big smartphone. Market trends proved him wrong and fans of small handsets have been overlooked for years. Until now. The iPhone 12 Mini packs the same big features as the iPhone 12 without the big size.

Worst for: Screen junkies. People who use their phones to watch shows and films regularly will not appreciate the 5.4-inch display. Anyone used to larger-screened devices may also find the smaller size fiddly.

Best for: The all-rounder. Of all the new releases, the iPhone 12 is designed to have the broadest appeal. It is a comprehensive package, complete with upgraded specs packed into a in a familiar form factor.

Worst for: iPhone 11 owners. The upgrade to the iPhone 12 is not worth the £1,000 that Apple is asking for, with only slight improvements on the internals and 5G support that has few practical applications at this stage.

Best for:  The professional user. Photographers and filmmakers will want this phone as an everyday shooter. The three-lens array combined with a neural engine and ultra-powerful chip means the iPhone 12 Pro is capable of filming, editing and sharing Dolby Vision HDR video.

Worst for: Anyone in a hurry. The coronavirus pandemic has caused delays throughout Apple’s supply chain, and the iPhone 12 Pro versions will be three weeks behind the regular iPhone 12 with pre-orders opening 6 November.

Best for: Screen junkies. The 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display is 0.2-inches bigger than the already-enormous iPhone 11 Pro Max. It packs in nearly 3.5 million pixels and offers what Apple describes as a “remarkable, true-to-life viewing experience.”

Worst for: Anyone without £1099 burning a hole in their pocket. It’s not uncommon for flagship smartphones to stretch above £1,000 these days but it means top-of-the-range devices are unfortunately beyond the reach of the majority of customers.

Best for: Economical iPhone 12 lovers. You wouldn’t have to squint much to mistake the iPhone 12 for the iPhone 11. At a glance they share the same dual camera setup on the rear and notch on the front screen.

Worst for: Future-proofers. It may be £200 cheaper than the iPhone 12 and look almost identical, but it is missing two key features on the inside: A more powerful chip and 5G support. Both of these may end up saving buyers from having to upgrade earlier.

Best for: The budget pick. At £399, the iPhone SE is the perfect entry-level device for anyone who wants a high-quality Apple handset without the eye-bulging price tag. 

Worst for: Trend setters. The age of the iPhone SE is beginning to show, especially when displayed alongside its newer counterparts. Its screen may be 0.7-inches smaller than the iPhone 12 Mini but the device itself is actually taller, wider and heavier.

The incremental nature of iPhone upgrades means there’s not too much to pick between different generations. Apple is yet to branch out into the more innovative folding designs that rivals Huawei and Samsung are offering, so customers may want to consider the far more diverse yet similarly spec-matching Android devices.

Notorious leaker Evan Blass, who leaked the entire iPhone 12 range just hours ahead of its launch, received hundreds of likes when he tweeted after the launch: “I haven’t found an iPhone really compelling in years… and that remains true today.”