Replacement expected? October 2022
Expect updates until? 2024 (Android 14), 2026 (security patches only)

Google’s Pixel 6 Pro is a big, unusual phone, launched to compete head-to-head with Apple and Samsung at the top end of the market. It offers a touch of stand-out glamour, along with high-end features and performance that make it a credible iPhone alternative. Launched in October 2021, it’s one of the newest phones around. It’s also due to get Android updates until October 2024, with security patches for a further two years.

Much of the focus at launch was on this phone’s Google-designed Tensor processor. While this gives it a performance lift compared to previous Pixels, its main benefit is powering the AI behind the phone’s most advanced features. These include tricks like speech recognition, language translation, and Magic Eraser – which can touch unwanted objects out of photographs.

The Pixel 6 Pro has a triple-camera system, including 48MP telephoto and 50MP wide lenses. This pro-level hardware gets levelled up further by Tensor’s advanced image processing. Stand-out image quality, enhanced by powerful creative modes, make this one of the best camera phones you can buy. Several years of updates should also help it feel new, and stay secure, for longer.

Replacement expected? September 2022
Expect updates until? 2028

The iPhone 13 Pro isn’t just the best smartphone available, it’s still one of the newest. It’s got all the features you’d expect from the latest phones, most notably a battery that goes all day, waterproofing, and 5G support. This phone comes with Apple’s latest photo and video features – including the much talked about Cinematic mode – and pro formats including Apple ProRAW and ProRes for video. On top of that, it’s expected to get iOS updates until at least 2028, so it’s about as future-proof as a phone gets.

But that’s not the only reason to grab one. Inside its robust and stylish case, the iPhone 13 Pro has a special version of Apple’s A15 Bionic processor, with an extra graphics core compared to the lesser iPhone 13. It’s simply faster than any other phone. The iPhone 13 Pro also gets a massive camera upgrade over regular iPhones, with larger sensors and lenses to make low-light shots even better.

If this phone has a flaw, it’s that its 6.1” OLED screen – now with a 120Hz maximum refresh rate – can’t quite match the resolution of some rivals. It’s also rather expensive – especially if you go for the model with 1TB of storage. But if you buy one today, it’s likely to remain the ultimate iPhone until at least September 2022. Even then, its strong features and long updates will keep it feeling new for longer.

Replacement expected? September 2022
Expect updates until? 2028

While the iPhone 13 mini is by no means the ultimate iPhone, it’s comfortably the best small phone you can get your hands on. It gets the same waterproofing, 5G support, and seven-year iOS updates as the rest of the range, so it has the same long-term appeal. The iPhone 13 mini also has similarly mind-melting performance from its A15 Bionic chip, although it is a slightly de-tuned version of the monster fitted to the Pro-level flagships.

This phone’s main catch is that its 5.4” screen is limited to ‘just’ a 1,080×2,340 resolution, and it has only a 60Hz refresh rate. Its camera is also more basic than on the flagship iPhones, but you still get a dual-lens 12MP system with Night Mode, Photographic Styles and Cinematic mode. The phone’s smaller battery won’t hold on as long, but it’ll still last a day of normal use – and we got it to loop movies for more than 13 hours.

In essence, the iPhone 13 mini is a smaller, cheaper version of the regular iPhone 13, with very few compromises. If you want outright performance, get the iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max, but if you can sacrifice speed and a little photo quality for something more pocketable, buy an iPhone 13 mini, safe in the knowledge it’ll feel brand new for just as long.