Which is the best iphone for seniors?

When choosing an iPhone, it’s essential to consider what you’re looking to do with it and how comfortable you are with everything it has to offer. Do you want to do FaceTime video calls with your friends and family? Do you want to use Apple Pay to purchase items at the store? Do you enjoy using social media? Are you someone who loves learning about AI and all that it can do? Lastly, do you have a disability, and would accessibility features such as voice-over or live speech be helpful or even life-changing?

While there are a lot of iPhones to look at, I’ll be comparing four different iPhones for this article: the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 16 Pro, the iPhone 15, and the iPhone 14. All of the phones that we’ll look at have the same size screen at 6.1 inches, and while they share similarities, they also have their differences. 

iPhone 16e Pros and Cons

Pro                                                                       Con

Price                                                                     Lacks Magsafe

Size of the phone                                                 Slower Wireless Charging than other models

Supports the Latest Software                               Less bright display than other models 

(Apple Intelligence)                                              Substandard camera compared to other models

Great Battery Life        

The iPhone 16e is the newest option and one of the least expensive, starting at $599. While it is the most affordable phone in the new iPhone line, it lacks some key features that are found on other iPhone models. The iPhone 16e does not support MagSafe. What is MagSafe, you ask? iPhones with MagSafe have a magnetic back that allows you to charge your phone wirelessly with a separate charging pad. MagSafe also allows iPhone users to connect things like a magnetic wallet to the back of the phone. This is super handy because our society is more reliant on technology for daily tasks. It’s nice to be able to have access to all of your important cards and info just by grabbing your phone.

Back to the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 16e has one camera lens on the back, so if you are the family photographer/videographer, you can’t take ultrawide photos like you can on the regular iPhone 16 or iPhone 15. This means that it’s tougher to fit large scenes into the frame. The 16e also has a less bright display than the iPhone 16 and 15. Some of those things may be negatives, but the iPhone 16e does have the longest battery life out of any of the current iPhones mentioned in this article, lasting for more than a full day. If you’re new to iPhones or smartphones in general, the more you use them, the faster the battery drains. 

The iPhone 16e is the newest iPhone on the market, which means that it supports Apple’s AI. If you are interested in learning about AI and all that it can do, the iPhone 16e could be a good choice for you. If you’re brand new to Apple or iPhone, or if you have an older iPhone, this is a great choice for the price and the ability to run the latest software. The iPhone 16e phone will last for years.

iPhone 16 Pros and Cons

Pro                                                                       Con

Action Button                                                       More expensive than other models

Size of the phone                                                 Slower Wireless Charging than other phones

Supports the Latest Software                              Less bright display 

(Apple Intelligence)                                            Only one Camera Lens

Good Battery Life   

USB-C Port  

The iPhone 16 is more expensive than the iPhone 16e, starting at $799. It is the latest and greatest model of iPhone featuring the new “Action Button,” which is great for taking photos and making it easier to complete tasks. The Action Button is also able to be used for other things, such as turning on/off the phone’s ringer. The iPhone 16 has a MagSafe back and supports the fastest wired and wireless charging available. The iPhone 16 also has two cameras, which allow you to do more with your photos. Both the iPhone 16 and 16e have a USB-C charging port, which older devices don’t have. If you have multiple devices with USB-C ports, you can use the same cable to charge all of your devices. This is nice because in the past, you had to have a different cable to charge your iPhone and another cable that would charge your Mac; now it’s one cable fits all. The biggest game changer with the iPhone 16, as well as the 16e, is Apple AI. If you’re someone who wants to learn about all that Apple’s Artificial Intelligence software can do for you, the iPhone 16 is a great choice.

iPhone 15 Pros and Cons

Pro                                                                       Con

Price                                                                    No Apple Intelligence

USB-C port                                                           Slower Wireless Charging than other phones

MagSafe

Size of the phone                                                

Supports the Latest Software                               

Good Battery Life

The iPhone 15, while over a year old, is a great phone. Starting at $699. The iPhone 15 can do many of the things that the iPhone 16 can, except for support for Apple’s AI software. It has a slightly older processing chip, which will make it a bit slower, but hardly enough to notice. It contains the same cameras as the iPhone 16, except for the iPhone 16’s Ultra Wide camera. The iPhone 15 does have an Ultra Wide camera, but you might notice that wide photos are not quite as sharp with the iPhone 15 as they would be with the iPhone 16. The iPhone 15 has the same optical zoom capabilities, supports 20 hours of video playback as opposed to the iPhone 16’s 22 hours of video playback, and can charge up to 15 watts with a 20-watt charger or higher. The iPhone 15 also has a USB-C charging port, so just like the iPhone 16 and 16e, you can use the same cable to charge your iPhone 15 and all of your USB-C devices. If you aren’t quite sure about AI yet and are looking for all the best features that the iPhone has to offer at a slightly better price, then the iPhone 15 is the iPhone to choose.

iPhone 14 Pros and Cons

Pro                                                                    Con

Price                                                                 Available at Limited Retailers

Size of the phone                                              Lightning Port for Charging

Supports the Latest Software                           Slower Processing Chip

Many of the same features of the iPhone 15

iPhone 14

The iPhone 14 is two years old, but it is a great choice for many seniors who are looking for an iPhone. It has many of the same features the iPhone 15 has, such as an Ultra Wide Camera for photos, up to 20 hours of video playback, and fast charging, up to 15 watts with a 20-watt charger or higher. The two key differences between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 are that the 15 has a slightly brighter display, and the iPhone 14 has a Lightning port for charging instead of USB-C, which means you need to have a separate cable just for charging your phone. It also has a slightly older and slower processing chip, which makes switching between apps and scrolling slower. The iPhone 14 is not available directly from Apple anymore, but you can find it from retailers such as AT&T and Best Buy. The nice thing about the iPhone 14 is that it is still a fairly new phone, but for people who don’t want AI or would like to save a little bit of money, it’s a great option.

If the size of the phone is important to you, then you can find older models of iPhone, such as the iPhone 12 or 13 mini, online or at other retailers such as Cricket or Total Wireless.  

To learn more about the differences between iPhones, check out Apple.com. For another take on the best iPhones for seniors, check out this article from Senior Living.com.