Apple’s iPhone is a decidedly premium brand of smartphone. Or to put it another way, iPhones have always been expensive.
While there’s still no such thing as a cheap iPhone, however, the line has expanded over the years to encompass multiple models at a broad range of price points. It might surprise you to learn that Apple currently lists seven distinct models on its website.
All of which begs the question: which iPhone gives you the best value for money?
‘Best value’ doesn’t mean the same thing as ‘cheapest’, of course. Value is all about getting the most for your money, while being cheap is all about the lowest price possible.
With that in mind, let’s focus on the value proposition of Apple’s current smartphone line-up.
The iPhone 16 isn’t the cheapest iPhone in Apple’s current line, but it is arguably the best value.
It’s the cheapest model in the wider iPhone 16 family. At £699, it’s £100 less than the iPhone 16 Plus, and far cheaper than the now discontinued iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. But it’s functionally identical to the iPhone 16 Plus except for a smaller display and battery.
The iPhone 16 is also a lot cheaper than any phones in the newer iPhone 17 line other than the iPhone 17e, which we’ll get to, but Apple keeps its phones updated for a long time, so this will be supported for years yet.
It should also feel speedy for a long time, as it has a powerful A18 chipset. Its other specs don’t disappoint either, as its 6.1-inch screen is almost as good as the iPhone 17’s 6.3-inch display, and its dual-lens camera can take impressive photos.
If you came here seeking to establish the cheapest iPhone on the market, then the answer is the iPhone 17e. Launched in March of 2026, the iPhone 17e starts at just £599 if bought outright, making it the most affordable phone Apple currently sells.
Despite this, the iPhone 17e is plenty capable, with an excellent single-lens 48MP camera and the same A19 chipset that powers the iPhone 17, albeit with one less core in its GPU. With a customisable Action Button too, plus a 6.1-inch OLED screen, this one’s still a fairly high-end and feature-packed phone.
We wouldn’t label it the best value iPhone due to its older design – this is essentially an iPhone X with updated innards.
But if you’re looking to get a new iPhone for the lowest expenditure possible, the iPhone 17e is comfortably your best choice.
The iPhone 17 is our pick of the best all-rounder, as with a starting price of £799 it substantially undercuts the £999 iPhone Air, the £1,099 iPhone 17 Pro and the £1,199 iPhone 17 Pro Max, yet it’s one of the latest models and has a lot of upgrades from the iPhone 16.
These include a bigger 6.3-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a more powerful A19 chipset, and a higher capacity 3,692mAh battery.
The iPhone 17 also has an upgraded 48MP ultra-wide camera, all of which combines to make this a superb phone for the money.
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are without doubt the best phones Apple has ever made, they’re not the best value.
The extras they have – like telephoto cameras, more power, and greater AI capabilities – are nice to have but not essential to most buyers.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max also has a larger 6.9-inch screen, which won’t even be desirable for everyone.
Meanwhile, the core experience, including all the recently added buttons, the Dynamic Island, and most elements of Apple Intelligence, can be found on the standard iPhone 17.
As a value proposition, we’d argue that the iPhone Air isn’t great. Price-wise it slots in between the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro, yet it has just one rear camera – meaning fewer than either of those.
It also has a lower capacity battery than either, though its chipset and RAM match the Pro model, other than this having one less GPU core.
Ultimately though this is mostly a phone for people who value an especially stylish and slim handset, rather than getting a lot for their money.
Of Apple’s older models, aside from the iPhone 16 mentioned above, only the iPhone 16 Plus continues to be sold by Apple.
We’ve talked about the iPhone 16 already, but the iPhone 16 Plus starts at £799, making this reasonably affordable by Apple standards, and fairly good value, if not a match for our top picks above.
The iPhone 16 Plus offers a very similar experience to the standard iPhone 16 but with a bigger screen and battery, so it’s a good choice if you want a larger display or better stamina.
The iPhone 16 line will also be supported with software updates for a while yet, so you can buy this phone with confidence.
