Experts—product reviewers, third-party repair technicians, even former Apple employees—all agree that the latest version of the iPhone isn’t necessarily the best.
DailyMail.com reached out to these independent experts in the hope of finding out which model of Apple’s iconic smartphone best suits the price point, promising both high-end hardware and key features as well as affordability.
While the reasons for their recommendations varied, the experts all advised consumers to consider the 2021 iPhone 13 models and, for those looking for the best budget option, the 2022 iPhone SE.
Their decisions come after a turbulent year for Apple, including a share price slump due to “gimmicky” or “bland” new iPhone models and fierce competition from mobile rival Samsung, which the tech giant outpaced in device sales this year.
Here’s what the experts told DailyMail.com that went into making their decision on the ‘perfect’ and perfectly priced iPhone model.
Experts — product reviewers, third-party repair technicians, and even ex-Apple employees — all agree that the newest isn’t necessarily the best when it comes to iPhones. They told DailyMail.com that the 2021 iPhone 13 models (above) and the 2022 iPhone SE were the best iPhones for the best price
iPhone 13, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max
Many casual Apple users swear by the company’s 2020 iPhone 12 as the best, longest-lasting generation of the phone. Some even call it the “sweet spot.”
“Apart from the iPhone 12, the differences are minimal,” said a proud owner on the Ars Technique forum, ‘“It’s really just minor improvements in speed, battery life and cameras.”
“The iPhone is a mature product and I don’t expect to see radical improvements every year,” the poster said, “but when I look at the cost, I don’t think anything other than the iPhone 12 is worth the investment.”
But experts told DailyMail.com that the following year’s model, the iPhone 13, perfected everything the iPhone 12 did well, making the 13 the ideal older model for the best price, without skimping on performance or features.
Tyler Morgan, a former Apple employee who posts his advice on the company’s products as @hitomidocameraroll on TikTok, told DailyMail.com that “anyone going from (an iPhone) 12 Pro to a 13 Pro would notice a significant difference.”
“I personally always recommend the iPhone 13 Pro,” Morgan continued. “Since the 13, it’s just been knockoffs with minor updates and gimmicks.”
Stan, a repair technician at New York’s Geek shopco-signed Morgan’s advice.
Experts told DailyMail.com that the iPhone 13 perfected everything that was good about the iPhone 12 – making it the ideal older model for the best value without skimping on cool new hardware or key features. Above, various colors of the highly recommended iPhone 13 Pro
“I would go for the 13,” Stan told DailyMail.com
“They usually bring out a new model with a different chassis,” explains Stan, who wants to keep his last name secret.
“Then the next model will be a kind of revision – a little bit better, but they’ll fix all the little bugs from the previous model, which was a 12,” he added. “The 13 was the revision.”
According to Stan, the relationship between the new iPhone 10 and the revised iPhone 11 was similar, and also between the iPhones 14 and 15.
Prices for refurbished iPhone 13s with 128GB of storage currently range from around $400 for the base model to $550 for the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Morgan praised the iPhone 13 models for their excellent specs, including a fast 120Hz (or 8 milliseconds) display refresh rate, significantly longer battery life than the iPhone 12 and, in his words, a “truly pro-grade camera setup.”
Morgan told DailyMail.com that virtually everything Apple has done to the iPhone since the 13th has been “gimmicks or minor upgrades that no one asked for.”
According to Morgan, the iPhone 14’s “Dynamic Island” features, which allow users to control apps without leaving other apps, the iPhone 15’s “natural titanium finish,” and the newer additions of the “action button” and “record button” all fall into this category.
Morgan said even the most impressive hardware upgrades in the newer iPhone models don’t seem worth the price: the five-times zoom and other capabilities of the iPhone 15’s 48-megapixel camera.
“As great as it is,” Morgan noted, “nobody knows how to use it right out of the box.”
But beyond the iPhone 13, Geek Shop’s Stan and other experts had even more suggestions for a cheaper, yet still well-made iPhone to please even more frugal Apple fans.
Apple’s third-generation iPhone SE (pictured above), released on March 18, 2022, remains a standard for consumers looking for a low-cost yet high-quality smartphone, according to third-party phone repair experts and product testers.
Above, Apple CEO Tim Cook debuts the iPhone SE during an event on March 8, 2022. The new version of that year’s iPhone SE featured 5G and the tech giant’s A15 Bionic chip
iPhone SE (2022)
The iPhone SE, short for “Special Edition,” was introduced in 2016 and has become Apple’s budget model for those who prefer a smaller, less flashy phone.
The third-generation iPhone SE is “the ideal choice” for those who “don’t want to pay as much for a new smartphone as they would for a decent laptop,” according to the New York Times product review website. The wire cutter.
And Stan from Geek Shop told DailyMail.com that he agreed with their analysis.
“If you’re looking for the best bang for the buck, I think it’s the SE 2022,” Stan said. “Every engineer has their own opinion, but this is usually my go-to.”
“If you just want basic functions like texting, checking emails, and taking basic photos,” the repair technician advised, “then I’d go with the SE 2022.”
A used and refurbished 2022 iPhone SE with 64 gigabytes (GB) of storage typically sells for around $210 to $250, while the 124GB version often costs under $300.
The iPhone SE may also prove to be a godsend for more privacy- and security-conscious consumers who shudder at the thought of using Apple’s full facial recognition scanning to access their device with a simple (and faster) fingerprint scan.
The phone’s response times and internet speeds are also impressive, according to The Wirecutter: “The iPhone SE is significantly less expensive than the iPhone 15, but in many situations it feels just as fast.”
Product reviewers note that the iPhone SE really starts to prove its worth when used with processing-intensive applications, such as gaming, streaming video or making FaceTime calls over LTE or 5G networks.
Additionally, unlike other budget phones, including many cheap Android devices, the iPhone SE is much more likely to receive years of iOS software support, patches and updates, the reviewers noted.
Stan, the Geek Shop engineer, added that the iPhone SE’s camera is quite good, though he does miss the extra telephoto lens and the Night Mode setting that allow Apple’s most recent models to take beautiful photos in dark environments.
Stan says that photographers looking for an incredible digital camera and a top-quality phone may find these features on the iPhone 15 worth the investment.
“At the end of the day,” he admitted, “I’m just a man with an opinion.”