The Phone Shelf

Which iPhone to buy (October 2026)

The iPhone 17 is the one to buy for most people. We compare it with six other iPhones, from the $699 iPhone 17e to the $1,999 iPhone Duo.

Edited by Yuriy Andreyev

Published October 15, 2026

iPhone 18 Pro Max (left) and iPhone Air (right) on store display stands, each with its model name on screen
Photo: Kyu3a, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) (license)

Buy the iPhone 17 unless you have a specific reason not to. It cost $899 on apple.com on October 15, 2026 for 256GB, and on paper it has a 6.3-inch 120Hz screen, two 48MP rear cameras and Apple's rating of up to 30 hours of video playback. It launched at $799 in September 2025, and Apple raised the price in September 2026.

Spend less with the iPhone 17e at $699, or more with the iPhone 18 Pro at $1,199 if you want a telephoto camera. The iPhone Duo, Apple's foldable, opens for pre-orders on October 16, and Apple says it will be available on October 23.

How we compared

We compared the seven iPhones we track using Apple's spec pages, Apple's US store and Apple's press releases. We haven't held any of them. The card for each phone shows its launch price, and the text gives the apple.com price on October 15, 2026.

Our how we research rules ask for at least three years of promised security updates. Apple doesn't publish a fixed number of years for any iPhone, so strictly, no iPhone meets that rule. We include them anyway because Apple's record is public: Apple's iOS 27 page lists the iPhone 11 from 2019 and the second-generation iPhone SE from 2020 as supported. That is history, not a promise. Our guide to how long phones get updates compares Apple with the brands that do put a number on it.

Two things apply to every iPhone here: all seven work on AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, and US models are eSIM only, with no physical SIM slot. One pricing detail applies to two of them. For the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16, Apple's store price includes a $30 discount that requires activation with AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon. Bought unlocked without activation, they cost $929 and $829.

iPhone 17: the default pick

The iPhone 17 is the cheapest iPhone with a 120Hz screen and a second rear camera. Its 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide sits next to a 48MP Fusion Main, and it starts at 256GB with Apple's A19 chip. Apple rates it for up to 30 hours of video playback, and it weighs 177 g. The 512GB model was $1,099 on apple.com, or $1,129 unlocked.

What it lacks is a telephoto lens; for that you need the iPhone 18 Pro. If you are also weighing an Android phone, our iPhone 17 vs Pixel 11 comparison sets it against Google's $899 phone.

iPhone 17e: the lowest price here

The 17e launched at $599 in March 2026, and Apple raised it to $699 on September 9, 2026. For that you get the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17, 256GB of storage, a 6.1-inch OLED screen and up to 26 hours of video playback in a 169 g body, according to Apple's iPhone 17e spec page.

You give up three things against the iPhone 17. There is one rear camera, a 48MP Fusion Main, and no ultra wide. Apple lists no refresh rate for the screen; MacRumors reports it as 60Hz. And MagSafe charging tops out at 15W against the iPhone 17's 25W. Our iPhone 17e overview goes through it in detail.

iPhone 16: hard to justify at $799

The iPhone 16 launched at $799 in September 2024, and it costs $799 again today, now for 128GB only. 9to5Mac reports that Apple had sold it for $699 before raising it on September 9, 2026.

Against the 17e, it has two advantages: a 12MP ultra wide camera next to its 48MP main, and MagSafe charging up to 25W against the 17e's 15W. The rest of its spec sheet trails. It has half the storage, the older A18 chip, and up to 22 hours of video playback against the 17e's 26, and it costs more. Apple lists no refresh rate for it either; MacRumors reports 60Hz. Unless the ultra wide matters to you, the 17e is the better buy on paper.

iPhone Air: the thinnest and lightest

The Air is 5.64 mm thick and weighs 165 g, the least of any iPhone here. It has a 6.5-inch 120Hz screen and the A19 Pro chip. It launched at $999 in September 2025, and Apple raised it to $1,099 on September 9, 2026.

The thin body costs you elsewhere. There is a single 48MP rear camera, Apple rates it for up to 27 hours of video playback (up to 40 hours with Apple's MagSafe battery pack, sold separately), and its USB-C port runs at USB 2 speed. You pay $1,099 for less camera and battery than the $899 iPhone 17.

iPhone 18 Pro: for a telephoto lens

The 18 Pro went on sale on September 18, 2026 at $1,199 for 256GB, and that is still the price. It has three 48MP rear cameras: a main with a variable aperture (f/1.48 to f/4.0), an ultra wide, and a 4x telephoto equal to a 100 mm lens. The screen is 6.3 inches at 120Hz, the chip is the A20 Pro, and Apple rates it for up to 36 hours of video playback.

It weighs 211 g, 34 g more than the iPhone 17 with the same screen size. Apple says the US eSIM-only models have a larger battery than SIM versions sold elsewhere, worth about two more hours of video playback.

iPhone 18 Pro Max: the most battery on paper

The 18 Pro Max costs $1,299 for 256GB, its launch price. It has the same three cameras and A20 Pro chip as the 18 Pro, a 6.9-inch screen, and Apple's highest video playback rating of any iPhone here: up to 45 hours. The cost of that is weight. At 249 g it is the second-heaviest iPhone here, behind only the Duo.

iPhone Duo: the foldable, shipping October 23

Apple announced the Duo on September 9, 2026. Pre-orders open on October 16, and Apple says it will be available on October 23, so nobody has one yet and every figure here is Apple's. It costs $1,999 for 256GB.

It opens to a 7.6-inch folding OLED screen and has a 5.4-inch screen on the outside, both up to 120Hz. Inside is the A20 Pro. The rear cameras are a 48MP main and a 48MP ultra wide, with no telephoto. It weighs 254 g, is rated IP68, and supports Apple Pencil (USB-C). It uses Touch ID in the side button and has no Face ID.

Side by side

SpeciPhone 17eiPhone 16iPhone 17iPhone Air
Launch price$599$799$799$999
Released in USMarch 2026September 2024September 2025September 2025
Screen6.1-inch OLED 60 Hz6.1-inch OLED 60 Hz6.3-inch OLED 120 Hz6.5-inch OLED 120 Hz
ChipA19A18A19A19 Pro
Storage256 / 512 GB128 GB256 / 512 GB256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
Batterynot publishednot publishednot publishednot published
Rear cameras48MP Fusion Main48MP Fusion Main, 12MP Ultra Wide48MP Fusion Main, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide48MP Fusion Main
Weight169 g170 g177 g165 g
Water resistanceIP68IP68IP68IP68
Updates promisedno fixed promiseno fixed promiseno fixed promiseno fixed promise
US carriers (maker and carrier listings)AT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile
SpeciPhone 18 ProiPhone 18 Pro MaxiPhone Duo
Launch price$1,199$1,299$1,999
Released in USSeptember 2026September 2026October 2026
Screen6.3-inch OLED 120 Hz6.9-inch OLED 120 Hz7.6-inch OLED 120 Hz
ChipA20 ProA20 ProA20 Pro
Storage256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB
Batterynot publishednot publishednot published
Rear cameras48MP Fusion Main (variable aperture f/1.48-f/4.0), 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 48MP Fusion Telephoto (4x, 100 mm)48MP Fusion Main (variable aperture f/1.48-f/4.0), 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 48MP Fusion Telephoto (4x, 100 mm)48MP Fusion Main, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide
Weight211 g249 g254 g
Water resistanceIP68IP68IP68
Updates promisedno fixed promiseno fixed promiseno fixed promise
US carriers (maker and carrier listings)AT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

What we left out and why

  • No iPhone failed our carrier or availability rules. Apple sells every model above in AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon versions, and all are sold new, the Duo as a pre-order from October 16.
  • Every iPhone passes our update rule only by exception. Apple gives no written number of years, so we rely on its public support history and say so.
  • The iPhone 16 gets no pick. It is still on sale and still a working choice, but the 17e costs less and beats it on storage, chip and battery rating.
  • Used and refurbished iPhones. Our lists cover phones sold new, so older models from resellers and refurbished stock are not part of this comparison.

Sources

More best phones

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