Our shortlist

Apple sells seven iPhones in the UK in May 2026. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max is the strongest of the current line: A19 Pro chipset, 6.9 inch ProMotion display, 4,823 mAh battery, 8x optical zoom. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro carries the same chipset and camera system in a 6.3 inch chassis. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max remains on sale as the previous-generation flagship and typically lands £150 to £250 below the iPhone 17 Pro Max at major UK retailers. compareelectronic ranks every Apple iPhone in the UK catalogue on chipset, display, camera, and battery.

Which iPhone should I buy?

The right iPhone depends on three factors: budget, screen size, and camera workload. The picks below map each buyer profile to the strongest model in the current line.

• Strongest iPhone overall: Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max. A19 Pro chipset, 6.9 inch ProMotion display, 8x optical zoom, 4,823 mAh battery.
• Flagship in a one-hand chassis: Apple iPhone 17 Pro. Same chipset and camera system in a 6.3 inch, 206 g body.
• Best previous-generation value: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. Typically priced 15-20 percent below the iPhone 17 Pro Max at UK retailers.
• Best photos without Pro video: Apple iPhone 17. The standard iPhone gained the A19 chipset and the 6.3 inch ProMotion display in 2026.
• Best iPhone under £700: Apple iPhone 17e at £599. Apple Intelligence is supported. The iPhone 17e uses a traditional notch rather than the Dynamic Island.

1. Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max - the best iPhone Apple makes

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max runs the Apple A19 Pro chipset, fabricated on TSMC's 3 nm node. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max ships with a 6.9 inch Super Retina XDR display and 120 Hz ProMotion refresh. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max carries a 4,823 mAh battery, the largest cell Apple has fitted in any iPhone. Apple quotes up to 39 hours of video playback for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The camera is where this generation actually feels different. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max ships a 48 MP main, a 48 MP ultrawide, and a 48 MP telephoto with 8x optical zoom. Last year the telephoto was 12 MP at 5x. So you're getting 4x the telephoto sensor resolution and 60 percent more optical reach, year on year. That's the biggest single camera jump in the iPhone line since the original Pro launched in 2019.

One thing nobody talks about: this is the first iPhone where wired charging is genuinely competitive on paper. 50 W means a 15 minute top-up gives you maybe half a working day. That's a speed comparable to the wired charging on the OnePlus 13 and Xiaomi 15 Ultra.

Who it's for: the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the right choice for buyers who want the strongest iPhone and plan to keep it for three to five years, for photographers who need long telephoto reach, and for owners of the iPhone 14 Pro Max or earlier where the upgrade gap is largest.

2. Apple iPhone 17 Pro - same flagship, smaller body

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro runs the same Apple A19 Pro chipset, ships with the same 12 GB of RAM, and carries the same 48 MP triple-camera system as the 17 Pro Max. The difference is the chassis. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro has a 6.3 inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion 120 Hz refresh. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro weighs 206 g, against 233 g for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The 27 g weight saving and 0.6 inch smaller chassis make the iPhone 17 Pro the easier one-hand option in the line.

You're losing two things versus the 17 Pro Max. Display real estate (0.6 inches) and battery capacity (the 17 Pro has a smaller cell, roughly 3,800 mAh). Everything else is identical. A19 Pro chipset, Wi-Fi 7, satellite messaging, IP68, stereo speakers, MagSafe, USB-C. The 17 Pro got dragged along with everything the Pro Max gained. The price gap is typically £200, which is the most honest cross-shopping decision Apple has offered in years.

Who it's for: the iPhone 17 Pro suits buyers who want flagship-tier chipset and camera performance in a 6.3 inch chassis, and previous owners of non-Plus iPhones for whom the Pro Max size represents too large a step up.

3. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max - last year's flagship, still excellent

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max runs the Apple A18 Pro chipset, also on TSMC's 3 nm node. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 6.9 inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion 120 Hz refresh. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max carries a 4,685 mAh battery and a titanium frame. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max moved to an aluminium frame this generation to save weight and manufacturing cost, which makes the iPhone 16 Pro Max the last titanium-frame iPhone in the Pro line.

What you lose versus the 17 Pro Max: the new A19 Pro chipset (so AI workloads run a bit slower), the 8x telephoto (the 16 Pro Max is 5x), the 50 W wired charging (the 16 Pro Max is 27 W), and the 3,000 nits HDR peak brightness (the 16 Pro Max is 2,000 nits). What you keep: nearly identical battery, the same ProMotion display size, Wi-Fi 7, the full Apple Intelligence support, USB-C, MagSafe, and the titanium frame the new flagship gave up.

The reason this phone is on the list and not on a discontinued shelf: by May 2026 most UK retailers have softened iPhone 16 Pro Max pricing by £150 to £250 against the 17 Pro Max. Same flagship category, real money saved.

Who it's for: the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the right choice for buyers who do not need 8x optical reach, who prefer the titanium frame the iPhone 17 Pro Max gave up, and who want flagship performance without paying the launch premium on the latest generation.

iPhone spec comparison: full sheet

How to choose between iPhone models

The framework below covers four buyer-profile questions in priority order. Each H3 maps to one decision dimension; the answers together identify the right iPhone for a given buyer.

How long do you keep your phones?

Owners with a two-year upgrade cadence are best served by the cheapest current iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence: the iPhone 17e at £599. Owners who keep their phone for four to five years should buy the iPhone 17 Pro or the iPhone 17 Pro Max, where the A19 Pro chipset carries the longest forward software runway and the strongest resale value. Apple supports each iPhone with software updates for at least five years from launch, which places the iPhone 17 Pro Max's support window through to at least 2030.

What do you actually shoot?

The standard Apple iPhone 17 captures the same main-sensor photo as the iPhone 17 Pro at zoom levels up to 2x. The iPhone 17 Pro Max's 8x optical telephoto delivers a meaningful uplift for buyers who routinely shoot beyond 2x. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max support 4K video at 120 fps; the iPhone 17 caps at 4K at 60 fps. ProRes video and ProRAW photo formats remain Pro-only.

How much screen do you actually want?

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is 6.9 inches. The iPhone 17 Pro is 6.3 inches. The iPhone Air is 6.6 inches in a thinner chassis (the slimmest iPhone Apple has shipped). The iPhone 17 standard is 6.3 inches in the same physical envelope as the iPhone 17 Pro, with a smaller battery and a downgraded camera system. Previous Pro Max owners who found the size uncomfortable should step down to the iPhone 17 Pro.

What's your budget honestly?

The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at £1,199 in the UK. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at £999. The iPhone 17 starts at £799. The iPhone 17e starts at £599. Apple Intelligence requires the A17 Pro chipset or newer, which means every current iPhone supports it. The iPhone 17e is the cheapest Apple Intelligence iPhone in the line. Buyers who do not use the Pro Max's telephoto camera or ProMotion display heavily extract less value from the £1,199 starting price than from the iPhone 17 standard at £799.

Older iPhones still worth a look

Three iPhones from previous generations are still on sale via UK retailers and refurbished marketplaces in May 2026. None of them is the absolute best, but each has a specific buyer.

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro ships with the A18 Pro chipset, a 6.3 inch ProMotion display, and a 3,582 mAh battery. The iPhone 16 Pro is essentially the iPhone 17 Pro minus this year's chipset and camera bumps. If retailers drop the iPhone 16 Pro by £200 or more against the iPhone 17 Pro, it's a serious consideration.

The Apple iPhone 15 Pro runs the Apple A17 Pro chipset, has a 6.1 inch ProMotion display, and carries a 3,274 mAh battery. The iPhone 15 Pro was the first iPhone with a titanium frame. It's the iPhone most likely to land below £700 in the refurbished market. Apple Intelligence works on the iPhone 15 Pro thanks to the A17 Pro chipset and 8 GB of RAM.

The Apple iPhone 16 ships with the Apple A18 chipset, a 6.1 inch Super Retina XDR display, and a 3,561 mAh battery. The iPhone 16 is the cheapest current-line iPhone with Apple Intelligence support. It does not have ProMotion (the display is fixed at 60 Hz), which is the single biggest user-visible thing you lose against the iPhone 17 line.

Verdict

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max is the strongest iPhone Apple sells in the UK in May 2026 and the right pick for buyers who plan to keep a phone for three years or more, who shoot heavy photo and video, and whose budget reaches £1,199. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro carries the same chipset and camera in a 6.3 inch chassis and is the right pick for buyers who find the iPhone 17 Pro Max too large. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is the stronger value once retailer pricing settles below £999. The Apple iPhone 17 is the strongest standard-tier iPhone Apple has shipped at £799. The Apple iPhone 17e at £599 is the only current iPhone with Apple Intelligence support under £600.