Best iPhone you can buy in 2021

**The Best iPhone Deals: A Comprehensive Review**

When it comes to choosing the best iPhone deal, there are several options available in the market. However, if you don't need support for 5G, then the iPhone 11 is an excellent choice. Representing the absolute best value of any phone on this list, the iPhone 11 is a CNET Editor's Choice. With an A13 processor, excellent cameras, solid battery life, and the option to choose from six colors, it's a steal at $599.

One of the drawbacks of the iPhone 11 is its screen, which still has an LCD panel instead of a newer OLED one. However, this shouldn't deter you, as the screen is still very good in everyday use. If you can afford an extra $50, we recommend getting the 128-gigabyte version of the iPhone 11. On the other hand, if you're on a tighter budget, the iPhone 12 offers the same features and performance but at a higher price point.

**The Best Keep iPhone: A Budget-Friendly Option**

The best keep iPhone that's affordable is the iPhone SE at $399. Despite its lower price tag, it has a lot to offer. The iPhone SE has the same body as the iPhone 8 and comes with Touch ID, which is a significant advantage in pandemic times. Using Face ID with a face mask can be frustrating, so having Touch ID is a welcome feature.

The iPhone SE also has the same A13 processor as the iPhone 11, but it uses 2017 camera hardware that's been upgraded with Apple's computational photography power. The SE supports 4G and still has a classic iPhone design that you may love or hate. Due to its newer processor, however, it can run the latest version of iOS and the newest apps.

**The Best Small iPhone: A Compact Powerhouse**

Without a doubt, the best small iPhone is the iPhone 12 mini at $729. Who said small phones don't exist in 2021? The iPhone 12 mini is brilliant because it has everything the iPhone 12 has, but it's just smaller. It has the same flat-sided design, supports 5G, and features an OLED screen with support for HDR. It also has IP68 dust and water resistance, Magsafe wireless charging capabilities, and the same A14 Bionic processor that powers the iPhone 12.

The iPhone 12 mini is a CNET Editor's Choice, and it's personally my daily driver - a phone I use every day. However, if you're not okay with a small phone, you might be disappointed or frustrated with its size. If you can afford it, we recommend getting the 128-gigabyte version of the iPhone 12 mini.

**The Best Premium iPhone: A High-End Option**

For those who want a premium iPhone experience without breaking the bank, the iPhone 12 Pro at $999 is an excellent choice. While the iPhone 12 Pro Max is essentially the ultimate iPhone, its size, weight, and price tag might be off-putting to many people. That's where the iPhone 12 Pro comes in - it has the same solid build, premium finish, and access to Apple Pro Raw photos.

**The Best iPhone Under $500: A Hidden Gem**

Last but not least, we have the iPhone XR at $499. This phone is kind of like the middle child of the iPhone lineup - you have the iPhone SE which costs a hundred dollars less and has a newer processor, but the iPhone XR offers something that the SE doesn't. It's part of Apple's new generation of iPhone design that started with the iPhone 10, meaning it has Face ID, a large 6.1-inch screen, and comes in six different colors.

While the iPhone XR has some advantages over its predecessor, it also has some limitations. For example, it doesn't have an ultra-wide camera like the iPhone 11 does. However, if you're looking for an affordable 4G iPhone that embraces Apple's new design language, we highly recommend the iPhone XR. In fact, it's a CNET Editor's Choice, and we think it's even better with more storage and upgraded to 128 gigabytes.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enapple currently sells seven different models of iphone some are new some date back to 2018. some have 4g others have 5g some cost 400 others cost 1400 look if you're trying to buy an iphone that's a lot of stuff to keep your head around but don't worry i'm here to help hi i'm patrick holland and i test and review the iphone for cdet going back to 2007 when steve jobs launched the original iphone really you only had to decide one thing whether to buy one with four gigabytes of storage or one with eight gigabytes of storage now there are seven models including five that have come out in the past year making it really hard to decide which is the iphone that's best for you but that's where i come in here's my list of best iphones for 2021 and let's start with what i think is the best iphone for most people and that would be the iphone 12. with support for 5g being its crown jewel feature the 829 iphone 12 marks the beginning of a new generation in fact it's basically the same as an iphone 12 pro but you're getting a hundred and seventy dollar discount both have the same design the same display the same insanely fast a14 bionic kip the same 5g support the same support for magsafe charging the same selfie wide and ultra wide cameras so what do you miss if you don't go pro well you don't get a telephoto camera you don't get the ability to shoot apple pro raw photos and you don't get that lovely matte finish back and stainless steel sides also if you do decide to go for an iphone 12 i highly recommend if you have the budget for it paying 50 more and going from 64 gigabytes of storage and getting the model with 128 gigabytes next is the best overall iphone and that is without question the iphone 12 pro max if you want the largest screen and the longest battery life on any iphone then the 1099 iphone 12 pro max is the way to go also if you're into photos and video and you want to squeeze every last drop of image quality then this is the phone to get aside from being the biggest and heaviest iphone ever made the 12 pro max has photo and video features not found on any other model bottom line is if you can handle the size and weight of this phone behemoth the iphone 12 pro max is worth every penny of its price in fact the iphone 12 pro max earned a cnet editor's choice distinction but let's talk about the best iphone deal and that is the iphone 11. if you don't need support for 5g then the 599 iphone 11 is the way to go and it represents the absolute best value of any phone on this list so much so that it is a cnet editor's choice and you get so much for that price like an a13 processor excellent cameras a solid battery life and the choice of six colors in contrast to the straight sided 12 series the iphone 11 has curved edges which many people prefer and the only real drawback to this phone is going to be its screen it still has an lcd one as opposed to a newer oled panel that said don't let the screen turn you away it's still very good in everyday use also just like the iphone 12 if you can afford an extra 50 i recommend getting the 128 gigabyte version but now let's move to everyone's favorite on the list the best keep iphone and that would be the iphone se at 399 you might think the only appeal of the iphone se is its key price and to be honest it's the most affordable phone on this list and that is a big deal on the outside the iphone se has the same body as the iphone 8. and it's the only iphone on this list that has touch id which in pandemic times is a plus because using a face mask with face id is a frustrating experience on the inside the sc has the same a13 processor as the iphone 11 and that takes the 2017 camera hardware and gives it a 2020 injection of apple's computational photography power the sc supports 4g and still has that classic iphone design which you may love or hate but because of the newer processor it's able to run the latest version of ios and the newest apps next is the best small iphone and that is without a doubt the iphone 12 mini who said small phones don't exist in 2021 the 729 iphone 12 mini is brilliant because it has everything the iphone 12 has it's just smaller has the same flat sided design support for 5g oled screen with support for hdr the same body with ip68 dust and water resistance it supports magsafe wireless charging accessories has the same a14 bionic processor runs the same ios 14 software and even has the same cameras the iphone 12 and 12 mini are the same phone but one is small and the other isn't also the iphone 12 mini is a cnet editor's choice and personally the iphone 12 mini is my daily driver a phone i use every day that said i only recommend you get the 12 mini for its size it is 100 cheaper than the iphone 12 which might be a tempting reason to save a little moolah but if you're not okay with a small phone you might be disappointed or frustrated with its size as with other phones on this list if you can afford it i recommend getting the 128 gigabyte version next on the list is the best premium iphone and that is the iphone 12 pro while the iphone 12 pro max is essentially the ultimate iphone its size its weight and price tag might be a turn off to many people that's where the 999 dollar iphone 12 pro comes in it has the same solid build the same premium finish it just cost a hundred bucks less and yeah you still get a telephoto camera and you still get access to apple pro raw photos and let's wrap up with the best iphone under 500 and that would be the iphone 10r the 499 iphone 10r is kind of like the middle child of the iphone lineup you have the iphone se which costs a hundred dollars less and has a newer processor but the 10r offers something the s e doesn't it's part of apple's new generation of iphone design that started with the iphone 10 meaning it has face id a large 6.1 inch screen and comes in six different colors instead of the three that the iphone se comes in but then there's the iphone 11 that cost a hundred dollars more it has a newer processor and newer cameras including an ultra wide camera that the 10r doesn't have but the 10r is a hundred dollars cheaper so if you're looking for an affordable 4g iphone that embraces apple's new design language i highly recommend the iphone 10r in fact it's a cnet editor's choice and i'll say this it's even better if you can get more storage and upgrade to 128 gigabytes so that's all i've got but i want to hear from you guys what's your favorite iphone what's the iphone you recommend for your friends or family are there other iphones that didn't make this list that are maybe available at third-party resellers throw your thoughts in the commentsapple currently sells seven different models of iphone some are new some date back to 2018. some have 4g others have 5g some cost 400 others cost 1400 look if you're trying to buy an iphone that's a lot of stuff to keep your head around but don't worry i'm here to help hi i'm patrick holland and i test and review the iphone for cdet going back to 2007 when steve jobs launched the original iphone really you only had to decide one thing whether to buy one with four gigabytes of storage or one with eight gigabytes of storage now there are seven models including five that have come out in the past year making it really hard to decide which is the iphone that's best for you but that's where i come in here's my list of best iphones for 2021 and let's start with what i think is the best iphone for most people and that would be the iphone 12. with support for 5g being its crown jewel feature the 829 iphone 12 marks the beginning of a new generation in fact it's basically the same as an iphone 12 pro but you're getting a hundred and seventy dollar discount both have the same design the same display the same insanely fast a14 bionic kip the same 5g support the same support for magsafe charging the same selfie wide and ultra wide cameras so what do you miss if you don't go pro well you don't get a telephoto camera you don't get the ability to shoot apple pro raw photos and you don't get that lovely matte finish back and stainless steel sides also if you do decide to go for an iphone 12 i highly recommend if you have the budget for it paying 50 more and going from 64 gigabytes of storage and getting the model with 128 gigabytes next is the best overall iphone and that is without question the iphone 12 pro max if you want the largest screen and the longest battery life on any iphone then the 1099 iphone 12 pro max is the way to go also if you're into photos and video and you want to squeeze every last drop of image quality then this is the phone to get aside from being the biggest and heaviest iphone ever made the 12 pro max has photo and video features not found on any other model bottom line is if you can handle the size and weight of this phone behemoth the iphone 12 pro max is worth every penny of its price in fact the iphone 12 pro max earned a cnet editor's choice distinction but let's talk about the best iphone deal and that is the iphone 11. if you don't need support for 5g then the 599 iphone 11 is the way to go and it represents the absolute best value of any phone on this list so much so that it is a cnet editor's choice and you get so much for that price like an a13 processor excellent cameras a solid battery life and the choice of six colors in contrast to the straight sided 12 series the iphone 11 has curved edges which many people prefer and the only real drawback to this phone is going to be its screen it still has an lcd one as opposed to a newer oled panel that said don't let the screen turn you away it's still very good in everyday use also just like the iphone 12 if you can afford an extra 50 i recommend getting the 128 gigabyte version but now let's move to everyone's favorite on the list the best keep iphone and that would be the iphone se at 399 you might think the only appeal of the iphone se is its key price and to be honest it's the most affordable phone on this list and that is a big deal on the outside the iphone se has the same body as the iphone 8. and it's the only iphone on this list that has touch id which in pandemic times is a plus because using a face mask with face id is a frustrating experience on the inside the sc has the same a13 processor as the iphone 11 and that takes the 2017 camera hardware and gives it a 2020 injection of apple's computational photography power the sc supports 4g and still has that classic iphone design which you may love or hate but because of the newer processor it's able to run the latest version of ios and the newest apps next is the best small iphone and that is without a doubt the iphone 12 mini who said small phones don't exist in 2021 the 729 iphone 12 mini is brilliant because it has everything the iphone 12 has it's just smaller has the same flat sided design support for 5g oled screen with support for hdr the same body with ip68 dust and water resistance it supports magsafe wireless charging accessories has the same a14 bionic processor runs the same ios 14 software and even has the same cameras the iphone 12 and 12 mini are the same phone but one is small and the other isn't also the iphone 12 mini is a cnet editor's choice and personally the iphone 12 mini is my daily driver a phone i use every day that said i only recommend you get the 12 mini for its size it is 100 cheaper than the iphone 12 which might be a tempting reason to save a little moolah but if you're not okay with a small phone you might be disappointed or frustrated with its size as with other phones on this list if you can afford it i recommend getting the 128 gigabyte version next on the list is the best premium iphone and that is the iphone 12 pro while the iphone 12 pro max is essentially the ultimate iphone its size its weight and price tag might be a turn off to many people that's where the 999 dollar iphone 12 pro comes in it has the same solid build the same premium finish it just cost a hundred bucks less and yeah you still get a telephoto camera and you still get access to apple pro raw photos and let's wrap up with the best iphone under 500 and that would be the iphone 10r the 499 iphone 10r is kind of like the middle child of the iphone lineup you have the iphone se which costs a hundred dollars less and has a newer processor but the 10r offers something the s e doesn't it's part of apple's new generation of iphone design that started with the iphone 10 meaning it has face id a large 6.1 inch screen and comes in six different colors instead of the three that the iphone se comes in but then there's the iphone 11 that cost a hundred dollars more it has a newer processor and newer cameras including an ultra wide camera that the 10r doesn't have but the 10r is a hundred dollars cheaper so if you're looking for an affordable 4g iphone that embraces apple's new design language i highly recommend the iphone 10r in fact it's a cnet editor's choice and i'll say this it's even better if you can get more storage and upgrade to 128 gigabytes so that's all i've got but i want to hear from you guys what's your favorite iphone what's the iphone you recommend for your friends or family are there other iphones that didn't make this list that are maybe available at third-party resellers throw your thoughts in the comments\n"