5. iPhone X, starting at $1,000 — You're buying a Ferrari. Congratulations!
The iPhone X — pronounced "ten," like the Roman numeral, in honor of the tenth anniversary of the iPhone — is what Apple CEO Tim Cook says will "set the path for technology for the next decade."
It's a new iPhone that starts at $1,000, and it doesn't arrive until November (the iPhone 8 starts shipping on September 22). Just like Apple got rid of the headphone jack starting with the iPhone 7, the iPhone X makes moves toward removing the rest of the phone that isn't a screen — the Home button has been outright removed, as has much of the bezel around the screen. Apple doesn't even want you using the Lightning port for charging, as it's got wireless charging as a standard function just like the iPhone 8.
There is only one model of the iPhone X in terms of size: a 5.8-inch behemoth that resembles an iPhone 8 Plus more than anything else. The display itself is a big deal, as it uses OLED technology. And that notch at the top of the screen?
It's a set of sensors used for identifying faces — instead of a fingerprint-based security system, the iPhone X scans your face. Really.
Everything about the iPhone X sounds expensive, like explaining that a Ferrari has hand-stitched seats. And thus, so it is: the iPhone X is a $1,000 phone that millions of people will buy — a far less expensive version of a Ferrari, no doubt, but a Ferrari in spirit nonetheless.
4. iPhone 8, starting at $700 — the Porsche 911 of iPhones.
We're officially deep into luxury territory when it comes to the iPhone 8. At $700 to start, you're looking at an expensive device no matter what way you cut it.
Apple's making some major changes with the newest iPhone model. Most strikingly, it features an all-glass design:
The chip inside is Apple's newest — the A11 "Bionic" chip — which also powers the new iPhone X model. The iPhone 8 sets another new iPhone precedent by including 64 GB of storage space as the base level, and adding wireless charging — the iPhone X also reflects these new standards.
Perhaps you're on Apple's yearly upgrade program? Or perhaps you just like living on the bleeding edge of Apple's iPhone line? Maybe you're Beyoncé? The iPhone 8 might be for you.
3. iPhone 7, starting at $550 — the BMW 5-series of iPhones.
The iPhone 7 is expensive starting at $550, but still cheaper than much of the competition. It's dead in the middle in terms of pricing on the spectrum of iPhones, even though it's an extremely powerful smartphone.
The iPhone 7 is also an outrageously pretty device, and the first iPhone to start introducing some of the more future-looking features of the newest iPhones:
-It removed the headphone jack for the first time, pushing users toward either Bluetooth headphones or the optional dongle attachment.
-It replaced the traditional Home button with a virtual Home button that "feels" like a normal button.
-It added splash resistance, once again enabling friends to push each other into swimming pools.
-It swapped the Apple A9 processor that powers the iPhone SE and iPhone 6S for the newer Apple A10 chip.
If you're looking for a more expensive, more powerful, slightly different-looking iPhone — but not looking to go bananas — the iPhone 7 is for you.
2. iPhone 6S, starting at $450 — the Nissan Maxima of iPhones.
For those willing to spend an extra hundo, the iPhone 6S is a fantastically powerful iPhone that looks near-identical to even the newest iPhone models.
Yes, the iPhone 8 has an all-glass design now. And yes, the iPhone X is like 90% screen (except for that weird little notch). But the iPhone 6S is a gorgeous, futuristic-looking device that costs far less than its only-slightly-more-capable descendents.
For an extra $100 over the iPhone SE, you get the new model design with the old-school convenience of still having a headphone jack. That's right — the iPhone 6S is the last model of iPhone to include the headphone jack. Again, that's either hugely important to you or totally meaningless. For those of you for whom it matters, this is the one to buy.
The other iPhone options are where we enter the upper tier of luxury items.
1. iPhone SE, starting at $350 — the Honda Civic of iPhones.
Think of Apple's iPhone SE as the current entry-level iPhone. It looks like an iPhone 5, with a slightly harder-edged design than the newer, curvier iPhones. To that end, it has a smaller screen than every other iPhone available — its 4-inch screen seems adorably small when compared to the iPhone X's nearly half foot, 5.8-inch screen.
That's where the limitations end.
The iPhone SE has the same guts as an iPhone 6S, and a camera that's comparable in quality to any major smartphone. It's got the same base amount of storage (32 GB) as the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7. It runs the same version of iOS, Apple's mobile operating system, that every new iPhone does.
Best of all: It's got a headphone jack, which either doesn't matter to you at all or is of tantamount importance. And did I mention that it starts at $350? That's an insanely good price for such a powerful little smartphone.
