If you have an iPhone that you’re happy with, keep it. We don’t think you should upgrade just because Apple has released new phones.

But if your current phone is running too slow or is damaged, or if you’re simply ready for an upgrade and want a new phone now, we recommend the Apple iPhone 15. It offers an almost Pro-like iPhone experience, with an all-day battery, a snappy processor, and versatile cameras—and, finally, a USB-C port.

Top pick

The iPhone 15 adds a brighter OLED screen, the Dynamic Island, a fast charging USB-C port, a plenty-fast processor, and long battery life. It also has an upgraded two-lens camera system that offers up to three levels of optical zoom.

Also great

The iPhone 15 Plus offers everything great about the iPhone 15 but is better suited for larger hands and has longer battery life.

The Apple iPhone 15 has many of the same features as the pricier 15 Pro model and almost as much processing power. Even with its large, 6.1-inch display, its battery can get almost anyone through a full day without needing to recharge. But on heavier days where it doesn’t, you now have the benefit of a fast-charging USB-C port. The iPhone 15’s two rear cameras—one standard wide-angle, one telephoto—are excellent, and they offer better low-light performance. The iPhone 15 can even pull off beautiful ultrawide angles without a dedicated ultrawide lens, thanks to a combination of hardware and software.

With a larger battery than in the iPhone 15 or 15 Pro, the Apple iPhone 15 Plus has the best battery life of any iPhone 15 model, which makes it an ideal option for those who prefer a larger screen and don’t want to pay the extra money for an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Upgrade pick

The iPhone 15 Pro offers one of the best screens and faster data transfers than on any other iPhone, a new lighter titanium body, and a new customizable Action button. It also has more cameras than the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. It may be a little faster for some graphics-heavy tasks, but otherwise it mostly matches the rest of the iPhone 15 family in features, including its USB-C port.

The titanium Apple iPhone 15 Pro offers an always-on display, allowing you to view notifications, weather, and other widgets without having to press the power button or move the device. The Pro models run on Apple’s newest processor, the A17 Pro, whose performance benefits are focused on graphics-heavy gaming and machine-learning tasks such as speech-to-text and voice commands for Siri. The Pro models also trade the physical Mute switch for an Action button, and you can customize what it does, whether that’s opening the Camera app to immediately take a photo, recording a voice memo, or launching a third-party app via Shortcuts. The 15 Pro also has upgraded cameras, namely a 48-megapixel main lens, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera capable of up to 6x optical zoom with a total of seven different focal lengths, ranging from 13mm to 77mm. If you’re buying the 15 Pro Max for professional use, choose a storage capacity of 256 GB or more.

Budget pick

The 3rd-generation iPhone SE has a faster processor than you might expect in such a comparatively inexpensive phone, as well as a good camera—and it costs almost half the price of the iPhone 15. Its low price, small size, and Touch ID fingerprint reader make it an easy upgrade for people who have older iPhones or for anyone wanting to spend less, but its battery doesn’t last as long.

The Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation) is the ideal choice if you want a small phone, prefer a fingerprint reader over Face ID, or don’t want to pay as much for a new smartphone as you would for a decent laptop. The iPhone SE is significantly cheaper than the iPhone 15, but in many situations it feels just as fast. It lacks the iPhone 15’s second telephoto lens and Night Mode camera setting, so capturing good photos in dark environments is harder. If you use your phone for more power-hungry activities such as games, video, or voice or FaceTime calls over LTE or 5G, this model’s smaller battery may not last all day. However, whereas cheap Android phones often stop receiving software updates soon after purchase, even the least expensive iPhones, such as the SE, will receive iOS support for many years.