Early 2025 iPhone buyers guide: Best iPhone for your budget

In early 2025, Apple's iPhone product line was streamlined due to the release of the iPhone 16e. This article will recommend the most suitable iPhone models in early 2025 based on your budget.

Updates of Apple's major iPhone models will have a huge impact on the entire product catalog, including changes in model pricing and the disappearance of old models. Another new product launch in spring 2025 has impacted the product range in different ways.

The iPhone 16e launched by Apple replaces the iPhone SE series, closer to the main iPhone models. This also makes it more difficult for users who want to buy the cheapest iPhone, because the price gap between different models has now narrowed a lot.

Even so, your budget is still the top priority. The second is the features you have to have.

The following are AppleInsider Recommended for you based on your budget that is worth considering purchasing.

iPhone Purchase Guide - Price Range

The Apple iPhone line starts at $599 (the cheapest model) and the highest price is $1599 (the most expensive model). The cheapest model is the new iPhone 16e, while the most expensive configuration is the iPhone 16 Pro Max with the largest storage space.

iPhone 16e

The Apple iPhone 16e is equipped with a 6.1-inch OLED ultra-retinal XDR display and supports Apple Intelligence. [AT&T Purchase Link] [T-Mobile Purchase Link] [Best Buy Link] There is a $1,000 price difference between the cheapest and most expensive models. When the iPhone 15 series was released, the price difference was $1,170, which was even bigger because the lower-priced third-generation iPhone SE was discontinued.

As of the beginning of 2025, the price of the full range of iPhones. Most models come from the iPhone 16 series, with two exceptions. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are a continuation of the previous generation of products, occupying the price range previously occupied by the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.

The addition of these previous generation models has provided consumers with more price points to choose from in the past few years. Since the entry-level iPhone 16e is now at a higher price, the iPhone 15 is coming more to provide more feature changes within your budget.

In the low-end market, the selection range is now more compact, so choosing based on budget alone becomes more difficult.

In this article, we divide the price range into two sub-ranges: under $1,000 and above $1,000.

iPhone Purchase Guide - Storage Cost

Another important factor when choosing which iPhone to buy is storage capacity. Of course, you can choose the basic storage option for a specific model, but you may end up experiencing insufficient storage space for applications, videos, and photos on your device.

Depending on the model, consumers can choose from three or four storage options. For most models, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB of storage are available.

As of early 2025, the exception to the iPhone's storage upgrade cost is in high-end models with higher prices. The iPhone 16 Pro adds a 1TB option, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max adds a 1TB, but removes 128GB.

As for the actual upgrade cost, the following are the charges between levels:

• Update from 128GB to 256GB, an additional $100.
• Upgrade from 256GB to 512GB, an additional $200.
• Upgrade from 512GB to 1TB, an additional $200 is required.

Purchase guide for iPhone under $1,000

The cheapest model is the iPhone 16e that costs $599 and has 128GB storage. This is the only option, but it's worth the money. It is equipped with an A18 chip, a 6.1-inch display, a 48MP fusion camera with pseudo-digital zoom, and up to 26 hours of video playback battery life.

It has a full screen and face ID, which is a huge improvement over the iPhone SE. But you have to endure the notch screen instead of the Lingdong Island.

Price for iPhones under $1,000 For $699, you can buy the 256GB iPhone 16e, or buy the 128GB iPhone 15. The phone is powered by an old A16 chip, so it has lower performance and doesn't have Apple Intelligence, but it has two physical cameras, including an ultra-wide-angle option, but the iPhone 16e is probably better.

Getting to $799, the situation becomes very interesting, as there are two variants to consider, namely the 256GB version of the iPhone 16e and the iPhone 15. The iPhone 15 Plus comes with a 6.7-inch display, but you can also consider the iPhone 16.

The iPhone 16 comes with a 6.1-inch screen, slightly improved A18 variant, including an ultra-wide-angle dual camera, camera control buttons, and MagSafe. The battery life is slightly shorter, at 22 hours, but it is the most worth buying model in this price range.

The price has risen to $899, and there are five options worth serious consideration now. There is the 512GB iPhone 16e, the 256GB iPhone 15 saving $100, the 256GB iPhone 15 Plus, the 256GB iPhone 16 and the 128GB iPhone 16 Plus.

iPhone 16

Apple iPhone 16 is equipped with A18 chip, specially designed for Apple Intelligence. [AT&T Purchase Link] [Verizon Purchase Link] [T-Mobile Purchase Link] Again, unless you really need more storage space but don't have high performance requirements, it's best to consider the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Plus.

Get $999, choose to improve one level again. The iPhone 15 hits its maximum capacity of 512GB, with the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 16 remaining at 256GB, saving $100, and the 256GB iPhone 16 Plus joining the 128GB iPhone 16 Pro.

The Pro models offer more features than non-Pro models, and the iPhone 16 Pro includes a larger 6.3-inch display, a titanium frame, a better A18 Pro chip and longer battery life. What's more, it comes with a triple camera system on the back, a 48MP fusion camera and an ultra-wide-angle camera combined with a true telephoto camera, and is equipped with a quadruple prism lens.

At this price point, consumers need to decide whether to choose a better camera or enjoy most of the performance but have greater storage capacity. If you are keen on photography or video, then the Pro is the better option, otherwise you can choose the iPhone 16 or Plus model.

Purchase guide for iPhone over $1,000

After more than $1,000, in addition to the capacity issue, the decision-making process at each price level mainly boils down to two issues. First is the camera problem mentioned earlier, which is very important for some users.

The other is the size, because sometimes the larger display is more desirable.

Price of iPhone above $1000 For $1099, you can choose the iPhone 15 Plus or iPhone 16 with 512GB storage, save $100 for the 256GB iPhone 16 Plus, or the 256GB iPhone 16 Pro. Frankly, 256GB of storage is enough, so Pro is the best choice here.

iPhone 16 Pro

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro is designed with a grade 5 titanium and is equipped with a 6.3-inch ultra-retinal XDR display. [AT&T Purchase Link] [Verizon Purchase Link] [T-Mobile Purchase Link] When we reached $1199, another option was added to the list. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is a shiny debut, with a 6.9-inch screen, skipping 128GB, starting at 256GB.

Frankly, at this price point, your main choice will revolve around which Pro model you will get. It's unlikely that many users will really take advantage of the 512GB of storage on the iPhone 16 Plus, and those who do it may benefit from the Pro model's USB 3 speed (versus USB 2 for cable-based data transfer).

For $1299, you can choose the 512GB iPhone 16 Pro or the 256GB Pro Max and save $100. From now on, this is a problem with screen size and storage space, as there are only two options available.

This extends to $1399, both with 512GB of storage, but you can save $100 in the Pro Max. For $1499 you can get a 1TB Pro or save $100 with the 512GB Pro Max.

Finally, at the highest price of $1599, you can get 1TB of iPhone 16 Pro Max with 1TB of storage. You should ask yourself if you really need this large storage space and if you can save some money.

iPhone 16 Pro Max

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is designed with a grade 5 titanium and is equipped with a 6.3-inch ultra-retinal XDR display. [AT&T Purchase Link] [Verizon Purchase Link] [T-Mobile Purchase Link] iPhone Purchase Guide - Storage Space or Features?

While it's less worrying at lower prices, the choice between storage space and functionality is a big problem on high-end models. However, this is still a factor that should be considered throughout the price range.

Remember, a capacity change of $100 or $200 may mean the difference between the iPhone model or generation you can buy. At many price points, you can get a new iPhone with better features at lower capacity, or you can choose a lower specification elsewhere for larger capacity.

Many times, this is reflected in the camera aspect, with the Pro using three physical sensors, while the iPhone 16e using only one. If storage is important, you can buy the 512GB iPhone 16e with a single camera for $899, saving $100 over the iPhone 16 Pro with three cameras.

People may tend to opt for the iPhone 15 series over the iPhone 16e, which can avoid the annoying "e" models or avoid the display notch. However, the chip performance of the iPhone 15 means you'll miss out on Apple Intelligence, and cheaper models actually benefit from it.

It can be said that storage space is not as important as before. In previous generations, consumers could buy iPhones with 64GB or less storage space.

Starting with 128GB of storage, even entry-level users can be in a good position in terms of capacity, without considering external storage or cloud storage options.

With this in mind, in 2025, storage space is less important, and features should be your top priority.

iPhone Purchase Guide - Pay All Fees

The above information is based on purchasing a brand new model and paying in one lump sum. While you can use a variety of offers, third-party retailers, we use relatively standard prices, just like you buy directly from Apple.

If you can afford it, buying a phone at one time is a great way to upgrade your iPhone. But if this is not an option, there are other ways to do it.

Installation plans for operators are still very popular, but you can do similar things directly with Apple.

You can choose to purchase from Apple and pay in installments. There is also an iPhone upgrade program that allows you to get a new iPhone every year and get AppleCare guaranteed.

If you are replacing an existing iPhone or other device, you can usually deduct it from the purchase price of the new model. Apple runs its own trade-in program, but you can still shop around and find the best trade-in value.

Where to buy Apple iPhone

The best way to save costs for a new iPhone is to see offers from wireless carriers, service providers offer incentives through billing points and trade-in promotions, and can sometimes reduce the price of the device to free (still pay applicable taxes).

You can jump directly to the operator offer below. We also covered the best iPhone offers in a special roundup.

Save iPhone costs for wireless carriers

• AT&T Wireless: Buy iPhone as low as $0 per month with bill points and trade-in offers
• Verizon: With incentives, iPhone starts at $0 per month*
• T-Mobile: iPhone can enjoy up to 50% off* *The terms and conditions of each offer can be found on the specific operator's website. * If you want to buy a new case for your iPhone, check out our overview of the best iPhone 16e case that can restore MagSafe functionality.

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