Apple’s iPhone is a decidedly premium brand of smartphone. Or to put it another way, iPhones have always been expensive.
While there’s still no such thing as a cheap iPhone, however, the line has expanded over the years to encompass multiple models at a broad range of price points. It might surprise you to learn that Apple currently lists nine distinct models on its website.
All of which begs the question: which iPhone gives you the best value for money?
‘Best value’ doesn’t mean the same thing as ‘cheapest’, of course. Value is all about getting the most for your money, while being cheap is all about the lowest price possible.
With that in mind, let’s focus on the value proposition of Apple’s current smartphone line-up.
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The iPhone 15 isn’t the cheapest iPhone in Apple’s current line. In fact, it’s firmly middle of the pack. But it is arguably the best value.
It’s the cheapest model in the wider iPhone 15 family. At £699, it’s £100 less than the iPhone 15 Plus, and far cheaper than the now discontinued iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. But it’s functionally identical to the iPhone 15 Plus except for a smaller display and battery.
The iPhone 15 is also a lot cheaper than any phones in the newer iPhone 16 line, but Apple keeps its phones updated for a long time, so this will be supported for years yet.
It should also feel speedy for a long time, as it has a powerful A16 Bionic chipset. Its other specs don’t disappoint either, as its 6.1-inch screen is almost as good as the iPhone 16’s, and its dual-lens camera can take impressive photos.
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If you came here seeking to establish the cheapest iPhone on the market, then the answer is the iPhone SE 3rd Gen. Launched in March of 2022, the third iPhone SE starts at just £429 if bought outright, making it the most affordable phone Apple currently sells.
Despite this, the iPhone SE is plenty capable, with an excellent single-lens 12MP camera and the same A15 Bionic chipset that powers the iPhone 13 family. With 5G too, this one’s surprisingly future-proof.
We wouldn’t label it the best value iPhone due to its old design - this is essentially an iPhone 8 with updated innards. Its 4.7-inch LCD display, meanwhile, doesn’t match up to recent iPhones for sharpness or vibrancy.
But if you’re looking to get an iPhone for the lowest expenditure possible, the iPhone SE 3rd Gen is comfortably your best choice.
The iPhone 16 is our pick of the best all-rounder, as with a starting price £799 it substantially undercuts the £999 iPhone 16 Pro and £1,199 iPhone 16 Pro Max, yet it’s one of the latest models and has a lot of upgrades from the iPhone 15.
These include a Camera Control button giving you a quick way to launch and operate the camera, a customizable Action button, and support for Apple Intelligence.
The iPhone 16 also has a slightly bigger battery than the iPhone 15, and the iPhone 16’s A18 chipset is exceptionally capable, all of which combines to make this a superb phone for the money.
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are without doubt the best phones Apple has ever made, they’re not the best value.
The extras they have – like telephoto cameras, more power, and 120Hz refresh rates – are nice to have but not essential to most buyers.
These phones also have larger screens, which won’t even be desirable for everyone.
Meanwhile, the core experience, including all the recently added buttons, the Dynamic Island, and Apple Intelligence, can be found on the standard iPhone 16.
Of Apple’s older models, aside from the iPhone 15 mentioned above and the larger iPhone 15 Plus, only the iPhone 14 continues to be sold by Apple.
We’ve talked about the iPhone 15 already, but the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 14 start at £799 and £599 respectively, making them reasonably affordable by Apple standards, and fairly good value, if not a match for our top picks above.
The iPhone 15 Plus is of course the best of these phones, offering a very similar experience to the standard iPhone 15 but with a bigger screen and battery, while the iPhone 14 is a slight step down from the iPhone 14, but has the same size screen.
Of course, the iPhone 15 line will be supported with software updates for longer than the iPhone 14, so we’d tend to recommend phones in that line over an iPhone 14.
