iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max

The price Apple charged in the US on launch day, for the lowest storage option, before tax.

This is not what the phone costs today. Older models drop in price over time, so check the used and refurbished links for current prices.

Apple's battery test: how many hours the phone can play video nonstop on a full charge, in Apple's own lab conditions.

Real life uses more power (games, camera, weak signal), so you will get fewer hours than this. The number is still useful for comparing two phones, because Apple tests them all the same way. Batteries also wear out: an older phone today holds less than it did when new. You can see how much your current battery has left in Settings > Battery > Battery Health.

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Optical zoom is how much the zoom lens magnifies using glass, without losing quality. 5x means things look five times bigger than with the main camera.

Digital zoom only enlarges part of the picture, so it gets blurry. Optical zoom stays sharp. "None" means there is no zoom lens, though phones with a 48 MP main camera can still do a clean 2x by cropping.

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Megapixels of the selfie camera. More dots means more detail, as with the main camera.

Mostly noticeable when you crop or zoom into selfies, or on large screens during video calls.

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A new kind of front camera with a square sensor. It can take a wide (landscape) selfie while you hold the phone upright.

No more turning the phone sideways for group selfies: the frame widens automatically when more people come in. During video calls it keeps you centered as you move.

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Screen size measured corner to corner, in inches. One inch is 2.54 cm.

A bigger screen is easier to read and better for video, but the phone is larger and heavier. A smaller phone is easier to use with one hand and fits more pockets.

Weight in grams. 100 grams is about 3.5 ounces.

Around 30 grams difference is noticeable when holding the phone for a long time, lying down, or in a shirt pocket. Bigger batteries and screens add weight.

The material around the edge of the phone.

Aluminum is light and spreads heat well. Stainless steel is shiny and heavy. Titanium is strong and light. Day to day, most people notice the weight more than the material, and many use a case anyway.

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The chip is the phone's brain. It runs every app, processes photos and handles the AI features.

A newer chip makes the phone faster, keeps it fast for more years, and decides which new features it can get. Apple Intelligence, for example, only works on recent models.

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Storage is where your photos, videos, apps and messages are kept. 1 TB (terabyte) is 1,024 GB.

iPhones have no memory card slot, so you cannot add storage later. As a rough guide, 128 GB fills up fast if you shoot a lot of video. 256 GB suits most people.