iPhone 18 & iPhone Fold Ranked: My Honest Tier List of Every iPhone

Okay, we need to talk about iPhone 18

So before the keynote actually happens and every review site posts the same fifteen headlines, I wanted to do something a little more useful: rank every iPhone I've actually owned or used long-term, from the perspective of someone deciding whether to upgrade — not just a spec-sheet comparison. Think of this as one iPhone user's real-world take, not a marketing rundown — where each phone still holds up today, where it doesn't, and whether it's worth waiting for the 18 Pro instead of grabbing something on sale right now.

I actually put this whole ranking together on TierMakerPro, so if you want to follow along or make your own version as you read, that's the tool behind the tier list below.

What's actually different about iPhone 18 (quick version)

I'll keep this part short because you've probably already read three articles about it today. The headline stuff: the Pro models are expected to move to a 2-nanometer A20 chip built for better performance and efficiency, and the cameras are getting a real upgrade, including a variable-aperture main sensor for better control over light and background blur. The Dynamic Island is also rumored to shrink.

The bigger story is the foldable. It's expected to close around 5.5 inches and open up to roughly 7.8 inches, basically tablet-adjacent when unfolded, and reports suggest a starting price near $2,000. There's also a genuine changing-of-the-guard moment happening in the background: Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO on September 1, handing the reins to John Ternus, so this could be Ternus's first keynote in the big chair. That alone makes this a launch worth watching even if you're not upgrading.

iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro: is it actually worth waiting?

Since this is turning into a bit of a buyer's guide, here's the part that actually matters if you're on the fence right now. The iPhone 17 Pro is already a genuinely great phone — fast, reliable, and it'll almost certainly drop in price the moment the 18 Pro is official. The iPhone 18 Pro is bringing a real jump on paper: a 2nm A20 chip instead of the 17 Pro's A19, a variable-aperture main camera for actual control over depth and low light instead of a fixed aperture, and a visibly smaller Dynamic Island. None of that is a gimmick — it's the kind of upgrade you'd notice in daily use, not just in a spec sheet.

My honest take: if your 17 Pro is running fine and you're not desperate for the camera upgrade, there's no shame in sitting this one out and letting the 18 Pro's price settle first. But if you're coming from anything older than a 15 Pro, or camera quality is genuinely a deciding factor for you, the 18 Pro is shaping up to be the bigger, more meaningful jump — probably more than the 16 Pro to 17 Pro step was.

My iPhone tier list: worst to best

I'm doing this S-to-D style, based on how each phone actually felt to own — not just what the spec sheet said on launch day.

• S-Tier: iPhone X, iPhone 13, iPhone 15 Pro
• A-Tier: iPhone 11, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro
• B-Tier: iPhone 16, iPhone 6, iPhone SE (2020)
• C-Tier: iPhone 8, iPhone 11 Pro Max (yes, really)
• D-Tier: iPhone 5c, iPhone XR

S-Tier: the ones I'd defend forever

The iPhone X gets S-tier purely for what it did culturally — it killed the home button, normalized Face ID, and every phone since has basically been an iteration on that shape. The iPhone 13 is the phone I recommend to literally everyone who asks "what should I get," because it still holds up years later and battery life is genuinely great. And the iPhone 15 Pro finally gave us USB-C and the titanium frame felt like the first real material upgrade in years — that one earns its spot.

A-Tier: really good, just not quite legendary

The iPhone 12 mini deserves way more love than it gets. It's still the best "actually fits in one hand" phone Apple has made, and I genuinely think Apple killing the mini line was a mistake — the resale value alone tells you people still want it. The iPhone 17 Pro is here too; it's an excellent phone, it just launched into a year where everyone's attention was already on what's coming next.

B, C, and D-Tier: the ones I have complicated feelings about

I'll be honest, the iPhone 16 lands in B-tier for me not because it's bad, it's just... fine, in the way a lot of "in-between" iPhone years are fine. The iPhone XR goes to D-tier and I know that'll be controversial — I just never got along with that LCD screen after using OLED phones. This is purely a personal preference thing, so feel free to yell at me in the comments.

Random iPhone 18 trivia that's been floating around

A couple of things I found genuinely interesting while going down this rabbit hole: Apple is splitting the iPhone 18 lineup across two separate launch windows for the first time, which is a real departure from how it's released phones for over a decade. And the event date is widely expected to land on Wednesday, September 9, since Apple has historically avoided scheduling it the day right after Labor Day.

The random tool I used to make my ranking into a picture

Once I had my list sorted out in my head, I wanted an actual image to post instead of just a wall of text, so I pulled up TierMakerPro's iPhone tier list template and just dragged my rankings straight in — way faster than opening Photoshop for something this dumb. If you want to try your own version, the tech and gadget templates page has a few other phone-related boards too, and you can always start fresh from the blank tier-list maker if you'd rather build it your own way.

Alright, your turn

So that's my list — S-tier is the X, the 13, and the 15 Pro, if you skimmed past that part. I know the 12 mini slander (or lack thereof) and the XR placement are going to get some pushback, and honestly I'm here for it. Once the iPhone 18 Pro and the foldable actually launch in September, I'll probably redo this whole thing. Until then — where would you put your current iPhone, and what did I get wrong? Drop it in the comments.

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FAQ

Q1: Is the iPhone 18 actually launching in September 2026? Not the standard iPhone 18. Multiple reports agree that Apple is splitting the lineup this cycle — the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the first foldable iPhone are expected in September 2026, while the regular iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e are expected to follow in spring 2027.

Q2: Is the foldable iPhone really going to cost $2,000? That's the number showing up in most current leaks, though nothing is official yet. Given it's a first-generation product with all-new hinge and display tech, a premium price wouldn't be surprising — but treat any specific figure as a rumor until Apple confirms it.

Q3: What's genuinely different about the iPhone 18 Pro versus the 17 Pro? The most talked-about changes are the move to a 2nm A20 chip, a smaller Dynamic Island, and a variable-aperture main camera for better low-light and background-blur control. It's expected to look similar to the 17 Pro rather than a full redesign — most of the redesign energy is going into the foldable.

Q4: Is my old iPhone still worth using, or should I upgrade? Honestly depends on the phone. If you're on something from the X/11 era or newer, iOS support and day-to-day speed are still fine for most people. If you're mainly excited about Apple Intelligence features or the new camera hardware, that's really the deciding factor, not the model number itself.

Q5: What tool did you use to make the tier list image? I used TierMakerPro's iPhone template — it's a browser-based drag-and-drop ranking board with the iPhone lineup already loaded in. You just drag each phone into a tier and export the finished ranking as a PNG. No account needed for a quick one-off list like mine. And if a specific model or color you want isn't already in there, you can just upload your own image and add it to the board.

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