The Best iPhone 2022: Which iPhone is the Best?

Two new features are exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and Max that will change how you use your iPhone. They are the Dynamic Island and the always-on screen. The always-on display implementation is superb and Dynamic Island is a great addition.

The Dynamic Island Apple was created by reducing the notch holding all the Face ID sensors, front-facing camera, and the front-facing camera. It is now a small pill-shaped cutout which can display useful information such as timers and sports scores. It’s a hit.

Thanks to the always-on mode the time and date, lock screen widgets and notifications remain visible when your phone isn’t in use. Apple dimming the screen has a limited impact on battery life. The screen will turn off if you place the iPhone screen on a table or move while connected Apple Watch is in use.

The screen technology has other enhancements. The iPhone 14 Pro’s most important feature is its ability to produce up to 2,000 nits of light in bright sunlight, so that you can see the screen even on sunny days.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Max have the best iPhone cameras. The new main wide-angle 48MP camera has a larger sensor, an f/1.78 aperture and a larger 48MP main camera. The new Photonic Engine combines these features to produce better low-light photos. You can take 48MP shots if you shoot in ProRAW – which will mean each photo will take up to 80MB of space. Instead of taking 48MP images, the iPhone 14 Pro and Max can take 48MP shots. This allows them to capture more detail to create a better 12MP image. You can zoom in even further, without losing any detail. Macro photography has also been improved, which can be used to record video. Pro iPhones have macro photography that is exclusive to them.

A new update to the front camera includes an enlarged f/1.9 aperture, up from f/2.2, and autofocus. The same update is available for the iPhone 14. Also on iPhone 14, video recording features have been upgraded to support 4K at 30fps and Action Mode, which stabilises video while it is being recorded.

The iPhone 14 Pro (and Max), get an A16 Bionic chip. This is a more advanced chip than the A15 Bionic in the iPhone 14. However, our tests suggested that it’s not a huge leap up from the A15. The iPhone 13 Pro’s battery test was more extreme and the 14 Pro managed to last for 9 hours and 44 minutes. Based on Apple’s own tests, the iPhone 13 Pro claims a 23-hour battery life.

Like the entire iPhone 14-series, the iPhone 14 Pro can detect if you have been in a car accident. Satellite SOS is another feature that allows your iPhone to contact emergency services in the event of no cellular coverage. That’s only available in the U.S. and Canada right now. In the U.S. the iPhone 14 series has no SIM tray, meaning that you’ll need an eSIM.

One more feature is exclusive to the 14 Pro & Max: They feature dual-band precision GSM, which should help them locate you better in high-rise areas. Never get lost again!

The iPhone’s dynamic island and always-on display will revolutionize how you use it. The iPhones 2022 update is a major improvement over previous versions.

There’s a lot that’s the same when you consider the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, so many of the features of the iPhone 14 Pro Max are discussed in the section above including the always-on display, Dynamic Island, and the camera improvements. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is superior in some important ways, including battery life and a larger display. It is up to you to decide which phone is best for you.

There’s also the price difference. If you do want the bigger Pro iPhone then you’ll be paying more for it – unless you consider the iPhone 14 Plus instead (discussed next). The 2022 iPhone line-up includes two 6.7-inch iPhones, the Pro Max and Plus. You don’t need to pay more for a bigger screen. The Plus is not as good as the Max, but there are still some great reasons to get the Max.

One advantage to purchasing the Max is the Dynamic Island. The Plus does not have the notch. We’ve discussed the Dynamic Island in the iPhone 14 Pro section above, so we won’t repeat ourselves other than to say people are loving the innovative Dynamic Island and it does really add value to the iPhone.

The Max, like the iPhone 14 Pro, also has an always-on display. This is another reason to choose the Max over the Plus. The always-on screen will allow you to see the time and other important notifications without needing to wake your iPhone. There are some battery implications to this, but they aren’t huge – and the battery in the Max is huge: Apple indicates that you can expect 29 hours of video playback on the Max, while the Plus can achieve 26 hours in the same test. In our tests (Geekbench 4) the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s battery lasted 12 hours and 40 minutes–about an hour longer than the iPhone 13 Pro Max and much longer than the 14 Pro, which lasted 9 hours and 44 minutes. We haven’t yet tested the battery in the iPhone 14 Plus, but we know it to be the same 4,325 mAh battery as the Pro Max, so it is feasible that battery life, in our tests, could be even better since it lacks power guzzling features such as ProMotion and the Always-On display.

If you run out of battery all iPhones can take advantage for fast charge with a USB-C 20W power brick (which you’ll have to purchase separately). The larger phones take 35 minutes to charge to 50%, while the smaller phones take 30 minutes for the same – but obviously those batteries are smaller.

As discussed in the iPhone 14 Pro section there are many camera updates available to the entire iPhone 14-series. But the main benefit of these pro models’ 48MP photo capability is unmatched. Note that the camera doesn’t take 48MP photos by default, only when in ProRAW mode. Also, 48MP photos take up a lot of space – so you’ll need an iPhone with as much memory as you can afford if you want to use the feature.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max offers more value for money. A larger phone can hold a larger battery and has more screen space. However, the bulk of the iPhone is off-putting for many and this is the most expensive handset Apple sells – especially if you need more than 128GB storage.

The iPhone 14 Plus can be purchased for pre-order, but doesn’t go on sale until Friday October 7, 2022 so we haven’t been able to run tests on one yet. But, we’ve reviewed the iPhone 14 and have a good idea what to expect.

We mentioned that the iPhone 14 Plus is a significant upgrade to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. This means that those who may have selected the iPhone 14 Pro Max simply because they wanted a large iPhone now have options. They can save $200/£250 and purchase a new iPhone with standard features. Or, to look at it another way, they can choose between a 512GB iPhone 14 Plus for $1,199/£1,279 or a 256GB iPhone 14 Pro Max for $1,199/1,309. Additional Pro features will be overridden by more storage.

The iPhone 14 Plus (and iPhone 14) feature two cameras on the rear, while the Pro phones offer three cameras – for some that flexibility will be a good enough reason to pick Pro. Across the board photography is improved compared to the previous generation, with the big difference being in low-light photography (in our experience the biggest difference here is how long you have to keep the phone still while taking the photo – handy with a bulky handset. Like the Pro phones the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus benefit from Action Mode, which enables you to take stable video while you are moving – no bumping up and down in time with your steps. Autofocus and a wider aperture are also added to the front-facing cameras.

While we haven’t been able to test the battery yet Apple claims the iPhone 14 Plus can achieve up to 26 hours video playback compared to 29 hours for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. We are curious to see if this plays out in our tests as both phones have the same size battery and we’d expect that the Plus would actually beat the Max due to the fact that it doesn’t have an always-on screen. We expect the iPhone 14 Plus to perform well in real-world use.

As noted, we haven’t yet been able to test this iPhone, but we do think it will be attractive to those who might have bought the iPhone 14 Pro Max at a time when people are trying to avoid overspending.

It’s been a few years since Apple last introduced an S iPhone, but the iPhone 14 could just as easily have been called the iPhone 13s. Instead of upgrading to the A16 Bionic processor, as seen in iPhone 14 Pro (and Max), iPhone 14 (and Plus), instead features the A15 Bionic variant from iPhone 13 Pro. This means that it has a more powerful graphics core than the iPhone 13.

The biggest problem facing the 2022 iPhone 14 is that the iPhone 13 is still available for purchase. It is also similar in many ways. If you are upgrading from a few-years-old iPhone there’s a choice of two iPhones: one of which will save you $100/£100.

There are some benefits to the iPhone 14 that make it worth the extra money. The cameras are by far the biggest difference between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13–the newer model includes a faster aperture (ƒ/1.5 rather than ƒ/1.6) and a larger sensor on the main camera to bring better overall performance and improvements in low-light shooting. The iPhone 14 features a new Photonic Engine computational engine that captures more detail in difficult light conditions and assists features like the Foreground Blur. This isn’t just about getting better low light photos – you don’t have to hold the iPhone still for as long, which is a real bonus.

The iPhone 14’s Action Mode bonus feature is another reason why it’s a better phone than iPhone 13. The Action Mode allows you to record while running or walking and receive a steady result. It’s a fun feature that people will probably take advantage of. The front selfie camera has a larger aperture and autofocus.

The iPhone 14 has many other features, which the iPhone 13 does not have. These include the Crash Detection function. If you are in such a situation then you’ll probably be glad to have the 14.

There are many reasons why you should choose the iPhone 13 instead of the iPhone 14. We will talk about them next.

The iPhone 13 mini is our last model and we have chosen to position it above the iPhone 13. If you want a small iPhone, and some people do, the iPhone 13 mini is one of two small iPhones sold by Apple – the other being the iPhone SE 3rd generation. The iPhone 13 mini has a 5.4-inch screen, which is bigger than the iPhone SE’s 4.7-inch screen, but the iPhone size isn’t all that different.

The iPhone 13 Mini is the only iPhone that has Face ID. It also offers more features than the iPhone SE, including better water resistance. While the iPhone SE can be submerged to 1 meter for 30 minutes, the iPhone 13 mini can be submerged to 6 meters for 30 minutes. The iPhone 13 mini has a Ceramic Shield front. This means that the front glass of the 13 mini is less likely to break the first time it’s dropped.

The iPhone 13 mini also has a better screen than the SE. It’s a Super Retina XDR display, that’s OLED and offers HDR. Resolution is 2,340-by-1,080-pixels at 476 ppi, there’s a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 800 nits max brightness (typical), 1200 nits peak brightness (HDR). In contrast the SE has a Retina HD display that’s LCD with IPS technology, 1,334-by-750-pixel resolution at 326 ppi, 1400:1 contrast ratio, and just 625 nits max brightness (typical).

There’s a nice bunch of color finishes to choose from with the iPhone 13 mini: Green, Pink, Blue, Midnight, Starlight, Red. Only the SE is available in Midnight Starlight, Starlight, and Red.

The iPhone 13 mini is a smaller version of the SE. This makes it a better choice for those who want to use the camera more often. The mini has two rear cameras, while the SE has one.

The iPhone 13 costs $100/£100 less than the iPhone 14, and for many spending the extra money to get a newer iPhone with more features will make sense. There are many reasons to choose iPhone 13 over iPhone 14.

We believe that the main reason is that more money could be spent on the iPhone 14 to increase the storage. The iPhone 14 costs $799/£849 with 128GB storage, but you could get an iPhone 13 with 256GB storage for $799/£859. There is certainly an argument for getting the maximum amount of storage you can afford – especially if the phone you are upgrading from has more storage.

The iPhone 13 is still a good iPhone, even with the iPhone 14’s arrival. This is especially true when compared to last year’s iPhone 12. Both the iPhone 14 the iPhone 13 have a smaller notch than the iPhone 12 – in fact visually there is little to tell the 13 and 14 apart (which will mean that at a glance nobody will know you have last year’s phone). The 2021 iPhone’s deeper colors might be more appealing to you than the 2022 iPhone’s muted hues.

The only design difference between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 is the way the cameras on their backs stick out more. This means if you place the iPhone 14 on a surface (without a case) it doesn’t lie very flat. The cameras sticking out of the iPhones’ backs have been criticized for years. There’s good reason for the protrusion, but it does spoil the design a bit. Not that it matters once you’ve put your iPhone in a case (which you should do!)

If you are looking to upgrade from an older iPhone the main point is that in 2022 you won’t be sacrificing as much as you would have in previous years in choosing the iPhone 13 over the iPhone 14. You can save money by upgrading to the iPhone 13 over the iPhone 14.

The iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 mini are the only two small iPhones that Apple sells. These handsets are a similar size to the iPhone 8, so if that’s the iPhone size that’s right for you then these are the iPhones to consider – although we’d suggest an iPhone with a 6.1in screen (the iPhone 12, 13 or 14) would be preferable (the screen is larger but the iPhone isn’t a lot bigger).

However, there’s one other important reason why for some people the iPhone SE is a good choice. Any iPhone that lacks the Home button will feel lost if it is not the iPhone SE. While most of us can adjust to Face ID and swiping rather than pressing a button, some benefit from the accessibility of a physical button, and there is no doubt that is the reason why Apple still sells an iPhone with a button (although we don’t know for how much longer that will be the case). However, there is a way for any iPhone to have a software Home button. Read: How to add software Home button.

The other reason to choose the iPhone SE is that it is Apple’s cheapest iPhone you can buy new – although the price has actually risen in some locations since it launched. It now costs $429/£449, but it was £419 in the U.K. when it launched in March 2022. The older generations were even cheaper – at one point the iPhone SE cost $399.

While we don’t really recommend buying the iPhone SE, if you need that Home button – and we know some older folk who are concerned about not having that button – it’s the only modern option and definitely preferable to an old iPhone 8, which probably won’t be supported with software updates from 2023.

Starting at $599/£649 this is the second cheapest iPhone after the iPhone SE. The iPhone 12 has been around for a while now though – it launched in 2020.

The iPhone 12 isn’t as popular as the iPhone 13 and 14, but it does offer many of the most sought-after features, such Night mode. This iPhone also has Face ID, which makes it the most affordable option. It’s also the cheapest 6.1-inch screen on an iPhone – and the screen is no different to that on the iPhone 13 and 14.

The processor is A14 Bionic, so don’t expect the power of the newer iPhones, but if you are upgrading from a much older iPhone you are likely to still see benefits. Just keep in mind that Apple won’t always support the A14 chip, so you’ll probably get one year less use out of it than you would a phone with the A15. See: How long does an Apple iPhone last?.

The camera offers many of the features of the newer iPhones including Night Mode (which is missing from the iPhone SE), but you won’t find Photographic Styles (which are on the SE). Of the two photography related features we’d pick Night Mode over Photographic Styles, which are basically filters that are applied to every photo you take. The other thing that’s better about the iPhone 12 compared to the SE is that it has two cameras on the rear, rather than just one. This gives you the choice of a wide angle lens so you can fit more in a photograph – these cameras are the same as the iPhone 13: a 12MP Main (ƒ/1.6 aperture) and 12MP Ultra Wide (ƒ/2.4 aperture. All other iPhones have at least two cameras on the rear.