Which iPhone to choose? Comparison, differences, prices and reviews 2022/2023

Which iPhone to choose in brief:

• the best: iPhone 14 Pro Max
• the cheapest: iPhone SE
• best value for money: iPhone 12
• for the photo: iPhone 14 Pro
• format compact : iPhone 13 mini

Comparison by needs

Which iPhone to choose for photos and videos?

To date, the best camera phones from Apple arethe iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. This is explained quite simply: these are the most recent models (and therefore the most advanced), which have the most photo sensors and which are the only ones to be entitled to a definition of forty-eight megapixels. In addition, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature the same photo module on the back and the same FaceTime HD camera on the front.

BetweenPortrait mode,mode ActionetCinematic mode, the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max are aimed at lovers of quality selfies as well as those who shoot clips on mobile. In addition, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are compatible with the ProRES format which offers incredible image quality, while autofocus is improved thanks to the presence of the LiDAR radar. Finally, can also cite theNight modewhich offers unprecedented brightness even when the environment offers very little.

For a better quality/price ratio, it is also possible to turn tothe iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Maxwhose value proposition is quite similar.

Which iPhone to choose for a teenager?

For a first iPhone, you might as well not break the bank. If theThird generation iPhone SEcan turn out to be quite old-fashioned given its look from another era, even if the performance is there, a good iPhone 12 still does the trick. The device is sold from 809 euros at Apple, the best price of the firm for a diagonal of 6.1 inches today. With the added bonus of a front photo sensor ideal for taking selfies to then share with Instagram or Snapchat.

What's more, the iPhone 12s are powered by aA14 Bionic chip, relatively powerful for video games like PUBG or FIFA. It is therefore rather a good choice for the youngest. Certainly, this one will expire a little more quickly than the other models given its age (end of support for updates) but it will then probably be the time for your offspring to move up the range, as needs change with age. .

Which iPhone should you choose, refurbished or used?

If you are not thinking of opting for a new iPhone, this is of course a good idea to save money. But be careful not to choose just any iPhone in this case. We know that Apple stops supporting its mobiles after five to seven years depending on the model, which then no longer receive major updates. Worse: after a while, even the security improvements are no longer there. An iPhone 11 Pro, released in 2019, risks becoming obsolete within just two years. However, thelifetimeof an Apple smartphone goes well beyond that.

As a reference, it is therefore better to base yourself on the iPhones still available in the Apple Store, which we are sure to be able to keep a little longer with official support. THEiPhone 12, for example, serve as an excellent choice in this area: you can find them for half the price of a refurbished iPhone 14. With the added bonus of the chance to potentially benefit from a new battery and/or screen.

Although removed from shelves by Apple, theiPhone SE 2can also prove to be a good second-hand choice because these editions are still quite recent. In addition, the technical sheet is almost identical to that of the third generation.

Which iPhone to buy for cheap?

When it comes to an affordable iPhone, it turns out that theiPhone SEare awarded the prize for the cheapest mobiles at Apple. The third generation is thus accessible from559 eurosonly. On the menu, however, we find technical specifications identical to those of high-end iPhones. Starting with the processor: this is an A15 Bionic chip, the same as in the iPhone 14 Plus! Certainly with one less graphics card core, but still, for 600 euros less or almost, the game is worth it.

So of course, for this price, you will still have to ignore certain key advantages such as a large screen or Face ID. But included are wireless charging, 5G connectivity, the fingerprint sensor and even fifteen hours of maximum battery life according to the manufacturer. Otherwise, the other cheapest iPhones are the iPhone 13 mini and theiPhone 12of 6.1 inches, both sold for 809 euros. Also with a compact format but a larger panel.

Which has the best autonomy?

At Apple, it isiPhone 14 Pro Maxwhich is entitled to the best battery with twenty-nine hours of video playback maximum. The tests carried out by specialists on the subject on YouTube do not always obtain the same results, but this model remains the one that lasts the longest each time. L'iPhone 14 Plusis a close second with twenty-six hours of maximum endurance, according to Apple.

For comparison, the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro only needs twenty-three hours, compared to twenty hours for the “classic” iPhone 14, nineteen hours for the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 and seventeen hours for the iPhone 13 mini or the iPhone 12. Finally, it is the third generation iPhone SE which brings up the rear with fifteen hours of maximum battery life. But to qualify, you should know that few will spend a lot of energy with games or series, unlike the iPhone 14 Pro Max which is much more pleasant to use in this context. Moreover, these editions have a ProMotion refresh rate of one hundred and twenty frames per second, which also uses more electricity pushed to its limits.

Which iPhone is the most powerful for gaming?

Coming to gaming, it is time to compare the performances of our eight competitors. First of all, let's say it clearly, the iPhone 13 mini and the third generation iPhone SE should be put aside here from the outset because of their too limited diagonal. With an iPhone 14 Pro Max or an iPhone 14 Plus, the situation is not the same: the display of6.7 inchesallows you to enjoy more details and pushes graphics to their maximum.

Be careful, however, because although the amount of RAM is the same for our two behemoths, this is not the case for the chip. The most powerful, theA16 Bionic chip, is thus currently only available on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Also good to know: the iPhone 14 Pro Max is the only one still offered in stores to integrate the time-of-flight radar which makes augmented reality gaming apps more effective. These are becoming more and more present in homes, so it is this model that we will choose for gaming. The 120 Hz also has a lot to do with it.

iPhone 14 Pro Max: the best screen

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is not only the fastest, it is also the one which offers the best images: here, the panel displays a resolution of 2,796 by 1,290 pixels. It's the best ever seen on iPhone if we take into account the fact that the notch has disappeared in favor of the famousDynamic Island, whose rendering is much more adequate. Here, the experience is almost full screen and we enjoy films and series as their directors imagined them.

What's more, iPhone 14 Pro Max can reach2 000 nitsin peak brightness, easily countering the effects of the sun outdoors. With a contrast of 2,000,000:1, the screen of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which is the largest of all the models still on sale, also benefits from deep colors and as close as possible to reality. Last advantage, as seen above, the frame rate which therefore reaches120 Hzbut is intended to be adaptive. This means that the frequency can drop when you don't need more, for example when reading an article. Apple Watches are also equipped with this solution, which saves battery and, coupled with Night Shift, is less damaging to your eyes in the evening.

Our opinion on the 2022 and 2023 iPhones

The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

Compared to others,the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are the best iPhones available on the market to date. As their name suggests, these are in fact intended for professionals and have a high-end photo sensor often considered one of the most effective, all manufacturers combined. According to data from specialized research firms, it even turns out that the iPhone 14 Pro range is the one that convinces the most customers in the world despite its very high price. This is perhaps the only fault of this collection: prices which quickly reach 1,500 euros and which are therefore clearly not within the reach of all budgets.

If you hesitate betweeniPhone 14 Pro et iPhone 14 Pro Max, there is a fairly simple way to differentiate them: size. The iPhone 14 Pro is satisfied with a fairly respectable diagonal of 6.1 inches but the iPhone 14 Pro Max goes even further with 6.7 inches on the clock; it is therefore a real “phablet”. Aficionados of quality photos will therefore also be able to use the large model to edit their images after capture, without immediately requiring an iPad or MacBook for post-production. A must have in the area.

Moreover, the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max are in many ways very similar to each other. First of all, performance: the A16 Bionic chip equips the two cars, which are also powered by the same amount of RAM. With this, the software, iOS 16, is the one best provided by Apple because it has features not found on other iPhone 14s such asDynamic IslandI don't format AppleProRAWand recording videos in ProRes. In short, the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max are therefore unbeatable, except on the bill.

Third-generation iPhone SE and iPhone 13 mini

If now you are looking for a cheaper and more mobilecompact, then the iPhone 13 mini orthe third generation iPhone SEare perhaps made for you. The first is smaller in terms of format (only 13.15 cm x 6.42 cm x 0.765 cm for 140 g) but its screen is larger. Exactly, the panel thus reaches 5.4 inches compared to 4.7 inches for the iPhone SE 3, the latter being a little higher, a little wider but a bit thinner.

But despite their waspish size, iPhone 13 mini and iPhone SE 2022 remain excellent smartphones and have nothing to envy of high-end Android except perhaps the size of their display. With a price under a thousand euros (well, even for the iPhone SE 3), they are serious outsiders compared to the classic iPhone 14s. In itself, compare the power with a power appbenchmarkwill thus only show differences that are not very remarkable to the naked eye, not to mention that Apple has chosen to let these versions also benefit from iOS 16.

In terms of quality/price ratio, the iPhone 13 mini and the third generation iPhone SE come out on top. We will perhaps only regret theabsence d’un module photo premium.

iPhone 14 VS iPhone 14 Plus: technical sheet

If photography is not a primary selection criterion for you but you like to stay at the cutting edge of technology, then the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are perhaps the best choice. As for the “classic” iPhone 14s already, we are entitled to the technical sheet offering the most acceptable compromise for a new generation of iPhone in 2022: fast chip, up-to-date operating system andWi-Fi 6are there, not to mention that Bluetooth goes to version 5.3 compared to 5.0 with the iPhone 13. The display is however limited to 6.1 inches but we remain within the sector average, even for a price beyond the thousand euros.

However, there is a good chance that this format will not suit you, for example if you are used to multiplying tasks on the screen or watching clips of your favorite singer in transport. In this case, the iPhone 14 Plus offers aeven more attractive size/price ratiosince for the first time, Apple is offering the 6.7 inch without triple rear photo sensor. And for a price, obviously, cheaper than with an iPhone 14 Pro Max or an iPhone 13 Pro Max.

We would have thought that the iPhone 14 Plus would be the goose that lays the golden eggs for Apple in 2022, but unfortunately this is not the case. In fact it's even the opposite:the product sells so poorlyLet us already compare it to the “flop” of the iPhone mini that occurred a few months earlier. It must be said that here, we also ignore the adaptive refresh rate which can lower the display rate to save energy. However, the panel, especially of this size, consumes a lot, not to mention that the optimizations arrived with the A16 Bionic chip are not available. We therefore end up with an item that is less durable than the iPhone 14 Pro Max: that’s a shame.

Which iPhone to choose between the 13 and 12?

Finally, let's mention the case of the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12. Number two in their time, these are relegated to the rank of simple “old models” in the Apple Store. But from another perspective, we can see it as a wise choice in search of performance without having to break the wallet. Screen, processor or even software are of very good quality and whatever the manufacturer says, inonly one or two years apart from the iPhone 14, the changes are not that different.

The price, on the other hand, is clearly: count 909 euros for the iPhone 13 or even809 eurosonly for the iPhone 12. For comparison, the iPhone 14 starts at 1,019 euros, more than two hundred euros more with just a few new features in terms of photography, storage capacity or security. Apart from the colors or the arrangement of the lenses on the back, the design is more or less the same. Something to consider before jumping on the latest iPhones!