The best iPhone is the iPhone Duo ($1,999), Apple's first foldable. For most people, the best iPhone is the iPhone 17 ($799). The iPhone 18 Pro Max ($1,299) has the best camera and the longest battery life of any iPhone, and the cheapest current iPhone is the iPhone 17e ($599).
The editor’s choice is an editorial pick, not a measured ranking. The other picks follow the consensus of independent reviews and published tests.
Apple's first foldable, and the best phone you can buy if price isn't the question. The iPhone Duo is a 5.4-inch iPhone that opens into a 7.6-inch tablet-style screen, running on Apple's A20 Pro chip with 12GB of RAM. Reviewers agree it's the most polished foldable yet: T3 gave it a Platinum Award, Tom's Guide called it the best-designed foldable so far, and Wired found far less jank than early Android foldables, with a crease that's hardly visible.
Most of what the Pro does, for $400 less. The iPhone 17 gets you most of the Pro experience for $400 less than the iPhone 18 Pro, starting with 256GB of storage. Stuff.tv ranks it the best phone overall and calls it Apple's best all-rounder yet.
The best camera on any phone, and the longest-lasting iPhone ever. Its battery is the biggest Apple has made (5,567 mAh on the eSIM model): 18 hours 27 minutes in Tom's Guide's battery test, versus 16 hours 40 minutes for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The camera adds a variable aperture and new Pro controls.
The same Pro camera as the Pro Max in a smaller body. The iPhone 18 Pro shares the Pro Max's camera system, including the new variable aperture and Pro controls. BGR called it the best camera smartphone of 2026. It's $100 more than the iPhone 17 Pro was, and MacRumors' review roundup sees no big reason to upgrade from a 17 Pro.
The cheapest way into a current iPhone. The iPhone 17e is the cheapest current iPhone, with 256GB of storage. For $200 more, the iPhone 17 is a noticeably better phone and the better buy for most people.
What Is the Best Phone. “What Is the Best iPhone to Buy? (November 2026).” whatisthebestphone.com, updated November 11, 2026. https://whatisthebestphone.com/best-iphone