Apple phones for any budget

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is easily the best iPhone for gaming at the time of writing. With its A17 Pro chipset, this thing is capable of running AAA games like Death Stranding and Resident Evil Village, demanding mobile titles like Honkai Star Rail and Diablo Immortal, and classic casual titles like Candy Crush and Royal Match. Simply put, if you’re getting an iPhone predominantly for play, this is the one you want.

Not only is it an impressive performer, but the 120Hz OLED display on the iPhone 15 is stunning, with that high refresh rate offering smooth-as-you-like visuals consistently. Combine all that with generous storage options starting at 256GB and the best battery life we’ve seen in an Apple smartphone to date, and it’s clear to see why we’re so enthusiastic about this recommendation. It could do with a little more RAM, but Apple isn’t the most generous brand in that department.

There is a pretty substantial caveat in that this phone is expensive. Outside of foldables from the likes of Samsung and OnePlus, you’re rarely going to come across anything as pricey as this, costing upwards of $1,400. It’s also worth pointing out that the 15 Pro Max can get a little hot if you’re playing over time, despite some software patches from Apple. So if you’re a serious gamer, it might be wise to invest in a cooling case.

If you’re looking to game on the latest Apple tech, the iPhone 16 is the option to go for. It’s more affordable than the premium Pro and Pro Max models but still has a fantastic OLED display, access to all the same iPhone and Apple Arcade games, and enough performance power to run triple-A games like Resident Evil Village and Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Not only that, but it’s Apple Intelligence capable, so you can use it to check out Apple’s new AI features.

While the iPhone 16 shines when it comes to gaming, it’s a more than capable all-rounder for when you’re not playing Honkai Star Rail or Pokémon Go. It boasts a top-tier camera setup, including the new Camera Control feature for taking better shots on the go, a customizable Action button, and faster charging than any iPhone before it.

The only real issue with the iPhone 16 when it comes to gaming is that it’s not capable of anything above 60Hz refresh rates. This is a bit of a disappointment when you consider that a lot of cheaper Android phones offer 120Hz rates, which make for a much smoother gameplay experience. It’s also not a massive upgrade on last year’s model, especially if you own an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, but it’s worth upgrading to if you own an iPhone 13 or anything older. For more details, check out our iPhone 16 review.

If you’re looking for the best value in an iPhone for gaming, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is that choice for you. It might be considerably more expensive than other older iPhones, but you really get what you pay for here.

The display is huge, at 6.7 inches, with a variable refresh rate of up to 120hz, high pixel density, and the new Dynamic Island cutout at the top. It also supports a much higher contrast ratio, HDR, and a much higher maximum brightness. Couple that with an enormous battery life of around 29 hours and you’ve got a serious gaming phone.

Setting aside the lovely textured matte glass and stainless steel design, and many other lovely features like that ridiculous three-camera setup, it really is the best iPhone for gaming.

The iPhone 14 is the phone we’d recommend to most serious prospective iPhone gamers and the best iPhone for gaming overall. Although we put the iPhone 14 Pro Max at the top of this guide – thanks to its high-level performance – the vanilla 14 model is around two-thirds of the price of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but as it packs in most of the features that count, it’s the shrewd person’s choice.

You’ve still got a beautiful OLED display screen, which helps the best iPhone games look their absolute best. While its battery life sits around the 20-hour mark, rather than the Pro Max’s 29, you’ll still get a lot out of it between charges.

If you’ve got money to spend, and you can live without the most luxurious of features, this is, without a doubt, the gaming iPhone to buy. It comes in a raft of fancy colors too, and we’re particularly big fans of the yellow option. Who doesn’t want a yellow iPhone?

Bigger isn’t always better, as the iPhone SE can attest to. Not only is it the cheapest iPhone on the market, but it’s also got an upgraded A15 chip inside. That’s there to offer the same horsepower as an iPhone 13.

The trade-off? A smaller screen, no Face ID unlocking, and a home button, among other things. The screen could be the only dealbreaker though. It really is quite tiny. It’s an impressive phone nonetheless, and if you want access to the incredible A15 at the lowest possible price, this is the iPhone for you.

While all this is still true, it’s also worth pointing out that we’re anticipating a new iPhone SE model in 2025, with a souped up chipset and an OLED display. Both of these changes are sure to make the next SE even more ideal for gaming, and considering we’re also expecting the fourth generation model to retail for less than $500, it might be worth waiting a few months to pick up the latest version.