iPhone
| Budget | Value | Chic | Flagship | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone | iPhone 17e | iPhone 17 | iPhone Air | iPhone 17 Pro / iPhone 17 Pro Max |
 |  |  |  | |
| Features | A18 chip, FaceID, 6.1" Super Retina Display, MagSafe, Ceramic Shield 2 | A19 chip, FaceID, 6.3" Super Retina XDR Display, Dynamic Island, 2 lens camera system, Camera Control, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Center Stage Front Camera, | A19 Pro chip, FaceID, 6.5" Super Retina XDR Display, Dynamic Island, 1 len camera system, Camera Control, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back, Center Stage Front Camera 5.6mm thickness eSim only. | A19 Pro chip, FaceID, 6.3" / 6.9" Super Retina XDR Display, Dynamic Island, 3 lens camera system (all 48MP now), Camera Control, Ceramic Shield 2 back, Ceramic Shield back, Center Stage front camera, bigger battery on eSim models, vapor chamber for cooling, aluminum unibody. |
| Launched | March 2026 | September 2025 | ||
| Launch Price | From $599 | iPhone 16 - $799 | iPhone Air - $999 | iPhone 16 Pro - $1099 / iPhone 16 Pro Max - $1199 |
| Best Feature | The cheapest way to get a brand new iPhone | All around value. You get a lot for a smartphone and you don't really care about the pro features. | A very chic iPhone. Though for the thinness, some sacrifices has to be made, like a single lens camera system. But overall, design-wise, very nice to see and hold. | Pro features are really pro. ProRAW for photos, Log for videos, Spatial video recording, 5x zoom, 4K120. Those features are worth the price of admission. |
| Verdict | The iPhone SE is a no-brainer for value. This one is a bit tougher since at this level, an extra $200 is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. It could be Apple's strategy of putting the iPhone 16 on a higher pedestal and eventually set the floor for "cheap" iPhone. | With trade-ins from Apple and cellular carrier, you probably could own these for next to nothing. The iPhone is now a mature product that upgrading is more like a every 2-3 years affair. | This is Apple's third attempt to make a third category of iPhones. Will the Air catch on? Time will tell. | Brand new design for the Pro models. They walked by from titanium to aluminum because of heat dissipation properties. Most feature packed iPhone to date. |
| Next Expected Update | March 2027 | September 2026 | ||
The iPhone is Apple’s best selling product. It is a smartphone which literally help changed the world together with the Android platform. First introduced in 2007, the iPhone has grown from just a internet communicator, a phone and an iPod. Current iPhone line features a triple camera system in the rear, the front camera, retina display with HDR capabilities, Dolby Atmos sound, wireless charging and 5G.
The iPhone line-up has been updated last on a Apple special event in September 2021 and expected to be updated again in September 2022.
Current iPhone
The iPhone is Apple’s amazing handheld computer that can do almost everything, but the Apple’s focus on iPhone are 3 things: taking great pictures, play games and be a part of Apple’s growing ecosystem. Here are some of the features of the iPhone 17
- New Center Stage front-facing camera. The image sensor on the front of the phone is larger and now a square. So instead of rotating around to have a landscape view, you can press the presets to change your aspect ratio from portrait, to square, and to landscape. And it has the Center Stage feature in Macs where it will focus and zoom in to your face, even when you move around
- New A19 chip. The GPU now has “Neural accelerators” so you can play games better on your iPhone.
- 48MP sensor on both image sensors nwo.
- A19 chip optimized for Apple Intelligence and gaming
- bigger battery than previous generation. A19 is more efficient also helps in this regard.
The iPhone Air is a brand new model introduced by Apple. The body is made from titanium and it is a Ceramic Shield sandwich. The camera bump has been enlarged to be the camera plateau where all of the logic board, sensor and camera are situated so the rest of the body can house the battery in a 5.6mm thin profile.
- Chic design. This iPhone is more for the one who wants to make a fashion statement, not looking for a basic item or a tool.
- A19 Pro chip, just like in the iPhone 17 Pro although one of the GPU core is turned off because of heat.
- Single lens camera system, still good enough for most shots to be honest.
- Functionally, it has all the features from the iPhone 17 while running the chip from the iPhone 17 Pro.
- New Apple designed N1 chip for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, updated C1X chip for the 5g modem.
The iPhone 17 Pro (Max) is the ultimate handheld tool. Good enough for serious film makers to create a blockbuster movie like “28 years later”. Durable enough that it can survive hurricanes and a dip into the pool. But most people will use it to take pictures for Instagram or TickTok. Here are some of the important features:
- Complete new design. This Pro models are made from a single block of aluminum and machine down to be an iPhone. The first unibody iPhone so to speak.
- Vapor Chamber cooling. There is now a vapor chamber which help with cooling. How it works is that there is a liquid trapped in a box (chamber). As the phones heats up, it will heat up the liquid. While the liquid itself won’t go into a phase change, but it will soak up enough heat and release it when it goes through a radiator in the chamber.
- Just like the iPhone Air, the camera bump has been redesigned to be the camera plateau where almost all the logic function resides.
- All image sensor on the back is now 48MP. The zoom now has 4x and 8x zoom, which is equivalent to a 200mm lens on a standard 35mm camera. The lens on the telephoto has been redesigned for this purpose
- ProRes RAW support and Genlock support. ProRes RAW captures all the phone settings as well the image itself. Genlock allows you to sync your iPhone to a single timing source for easy editing especially when you are shooting a scene with multiple iPhones as the same time.
- Orange is the new black. They literally drop the black color and replace it with Cosmic Orange, which will be their launch color.
iPhone Accessories
While not a requirement when using the iPhone, having these accessories will greatly enhance your experience when using the iPhone.
AirPods
While Apple removed the 3.5mm headphone jack since the iPhone 7, Apple does provide a Lighting-to-3.5mm connector if you wish to listen to a wired headphone. If you planning to listen to Lossless Audio on the Music App, you will need to use the connector for a full listening experience.
AirPods is a line of bluetooth earphones or headphones. Each of them have a specialized W-series chip to ensure fast connection to your Apple devices while act as a DAC to convert the digital signals to analog that you can view. The basic AirPods just provide wireless music. AirPods Pro has noise canceling feature and the AirPods Max is a full-blown headphones with a digital crown for volume control.
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is a great companion to your iPhone. Furthermore, you need to use an iPhone to use Apple Watch’s functionality. The Apple Watch act as an extra screen for your iPhone and allows you to do tasks like answering messages, call people, track your workout session without opening up your phone. It can also work in conjunction with AirPods so you can control music (for example) by using your Apple Watch. Another scenario is you are wearing your AirPods and you can answer the phone with using your Apple Watch with out lifting your phone.
MagSafe
MagSafe is a new technology that is first introduced in the iPhone 12. Basically it is a series of magnets built around a charging coil. However, Apple added some communication component in the coils. There are a series of accessories both sold by Apple and third party that uses this new appendage. As expected, you can securely charge your phone using the MagSafe charger, attach a wallet or even a battery pack.
Cases
Of course, cases will not only protect your iPhone from falls and scratches, it also a way to personalize your phone to show to the world that while there are many iPhones in this world, this one is mine. 3rd party cases runs from the gamut from cheap $10 clear-coat to the $1000 Louis Vuitton Eye-Trunk.
Apple also produce their own cases that is made from various material like silicone to leather depending on your preferences.
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