2026-02-09 16:00:36
Apple’s iPhone lineup has grown more complicated over the years, with multiple models targeting different kinds of buyers. Some prioritize camera performance and display quality while others focus on design or price, and not everyone needs the most powerful option on the shelf. If you’re planning an upgrade, the challenge isn’t whether Apple makes a good phone; it’s figuring out which iPhone actually makes sense for you based on how you use it.
We test every new iPhone Apple releases, comparing performance, cameras, battery life and long-term value. In this guide, we break down the current lineup to highlight the best iPhones for different needs, from the best all-around picks to more specialized options that trade raw power for affordability or style.
For consistency, our recommendations are based on Apple’s standard pricing for unlocked models sold directly through Apple. Deals from carriers, third-party retailers or refurbished sellers can shift the value math, but this guide is meant to help you choose the right model first — then decide where to buy it.
Apple is still selling the last-gen iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus for $699 and $799, respectively, but the improvements made with the iPhone 17 have forced both devices into something of a no man’s land. The 16 Plus and its 6.7-inch display might be worth it if you want a large-screen iPhone for a much lower price than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but you’ll miss out on the base model’s 120Hz always-on display and upgraded dual-camera setup. If you just want a usable iPhone for as little as possible, meanwhile, the iPhone 16e is acceptable for $100 less. In general, we think the iPhone 17 is worth the extra $100; its 6.3-inch display helps it split the difference between the 16 and 16 Plus anyway.
The best time to buy an iPhone, or really any product, is whenever you need one. But if you want to maximize how long your iPhone is considered “current,” plan to upgrade in late September. Apple almost always introduces its new core models around then. SE and “e” iPhones, meanwhile, have arrived between February and April, but those aren’t guaranteed annual releases.
Cash discounts on new unlocked iPhones are rare, so there usually isn’t much reason to wait for a deal before buying (as is often the case with Samsung or Google phones). Carriers will run their own sales, but those typically involve locking you into years-long service plans. The exception would be if you specifically want an older iPhone, since Apple typically cuts the price of its last-gen devices by $100 or more when it introduces a new model. So, for instance, if you know you won’t care about the inevitable iPhone 17’s upgrades, you could wait until that device is announced and get the iPhone 16 for a little cheaper.
This depends on the person and how they define “last.” If we had to give a broad estimate, we’d say most iPhone users keep their device between two and four years. If you’re particularly sensitive to performance and camera improvements, you might want to upgrade on the earlier side of that timeline. If you’re not as picky, you could hold out for even longer — though you’ll likely want to get a battery replacement sometime around the three- or four-year mark (or whenever you notice your battery life has severely degraded).
Software support shouldn’t be a problem regardless: Apple is renowned for keeping its devices up-to-date long-term, and the current iOS 26 update is available on iPhones dating back to 2019. Most of those older phones don’t support Apple Intelligence, so there isn’t total parity, but that’s not a big loss in the grand scheme of things.
Go to your iPhone’s Settings, then tap General > About. You should see the Model Name right near the top. You can also tap the Model Number below that, then verify the resulting four-digit code on Apple’s identification page to further confirm.
If you don’t want to use software, for whatever reason, you can also find your iPhone’s model number printed within its USB-C or Lightning port, if the device lacks a SIM tray. For older devices, you can alternatively find that number within the SIM slot or — if you’re still hanging onto an iPhone 7 or older — right on the back of the handset.
September 2025: We’ve overhauled this guide to reflect the release of the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 series. The base iPhone 17 is our new top pick for most people, while the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max represent the best iPhones you can buy if money is no object. The iPhone Air is worth considering if you care about style above all else, while the iPhone 16e remains acceptable if you want the most affordable new iPhone possible.
August 2025: We’ve taken another pass to ensure our advice is still up-to-date and noted that we expect to Apple to launch new phones soon in September.
June 2025: We’ve lightly edited this guide for clarity and added a few common FAQs. Our picks remain unchanged.
February 2025: The new iPhone 16e replaces the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus as our “budget” pick. We’ve also removed our notes on the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone SE (3rd generation), as each has been formally discontinued.
January 2025: We've made a few minor edits for clarity and ensured our recommendations are still up to date.
December 2024: We’ve made a few edits to reflect the release of Apple Intelligence, though our picks remain the same.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/best-iphone-160012979.html?src=rss2026-02-09 11:16:27
Mattia Ozbot via Getty Images
The 2026 Winter Olympics are taking place in Italy this year, with all the action taking place in Milan and the Alpine city of Cortina. This year marks the fourth time Italy has hosted the Winter Games; most recently, Turin hosted in 2006. Of the 16 sports that will be featured at the Winter Olympics, there will be 15 returning favorites, including figure skating, Alpine skiing, curling, ice hockey, speedskating, snowboarding, freestyle skiing and ski jumping, and one entirely new sport, snow mountaineering. (Will it be as big a hit as the 2024 Summer Games' new addition, breaking? It remains to be seen.)
Live coverage of every event at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will be available to stream on Peacock — though thanks to the time difference between Italy and the U.S., to watch many of the events live, you'll have to wake up (or stay up) until 2AM or 3AM ET. Primetime replays and select live coverage will air on NBC. The games officially kick off with the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, 2026.
Here's what else you need to know about watching the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Dates: Feb. 6 - Feb. 22
TV channel: NBC
Streaming: Peacock
The Winter Olympics officially begin with the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, although some events will start as early as Feb. 4). The Milano Cortina 2026 games will run through Feb. 22. The closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in the Arena di Verona on Feb. 22.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Northern Italy, primarily in Milan and also the Alpine mountain resort town of Cortina d'Ampezzo, where events like bobsled, skeleton, alpine skiing, curling, para snowboard, and more will take place.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will air on NBC and stream live on Peacock.
The Milano Cortina 2026 opening ceremony will be held on Feb. 6, 2026. Due to the time difference, the ceremony will kick off around 2PM ET/11AM PT.
This year's Olympic Games are in Italy, which is 6 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. Meaning that some events will start bright and early for U.S. viewers, and live coverage will likely wrap up around 4PM ET each day. NBC will have primetime replays of the biggest moments each night.
All times Eastern.
Wednesday, Feb. 4 (early competition starts)
Curling (round robin) – 2AM (Peacock – Live)
Curling (round robin) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Alpine skiing training – 3–6AM (Peacock – Live)
Thursday, Feb. 5
Curling (round robin) – 2AM (Peacock – Live)
Curling (round robin) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Freestyle skiing qualifications – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
Snowboard qualifications – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Friday, Feb. 6 – opening ceremony
Curling (round robin) – 2AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating (team event short programs) – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Snowboard slopestyle qualifications – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Speedskating (early distances) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
opening ceremony – 2PM (Peacock – Live)
opening ceremony – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)
Saturday, Feb. 7
Alpine skiing (men’s downhill) – 3AM (Peacock – Live)
Snowboard slopestyle finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Speedskating medals – 7AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating (team free programs) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Hockey (group play begins) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)
Sunday, Feb. 8
Alpine skiing (women’s downhill) – 3AM (Peacock – Live)
Freestyle skiing moguls finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating (pairs short program) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Luge (singles runs) – 9AM (Peacock – Live)
Hockey (group play) – 12PM (Peacock – Live)
Monday, Feb. 9
Biathlon sprint – 5AM (Peacock – Live)
Speedskating medals – 7AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating (pairs free skate – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Curling (round robin) – 9AM (Peacock – Live)
Skeleton (heat 1–2) – 11AM (Peacock – Live)
Tuesday, Feb. 10
Alpine skiing (giant slalom) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
Snowboard halfpipe qualifications – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating (men’s short program) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Curling (round robin) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)
Wednesday, Feb. 11
Nordic combined – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
Freestyle skiing aerials finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating (men’s free skate – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Speedskating medals – 11AM (Peacock – Live)
Thursday, Feb. 12
Alpine skiing (slalom) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
Snowboard halfpipe finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating (ice dance rhythm dance) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Curling (medal round qualifiers) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)
Friday, Feb. 13
Biathlon pursuit – 5AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating (ice dance free dance – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Skeleton finals – 10AM (Peacock – Live)
Hockey (quarterfinals) – 12PM (Peacock – Live)
Saturday, Feb. 14
Alpine skiing (team combined) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
Cross-country skiing distance race – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating (women’s short program) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Speedskating medals – 11AM (Peacock – Live)
Sunday, Feb. 15
Snowboard cross finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating (women’s free skate – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Luge relay – 11AM (Peacock – Live)
Hockey (semifinals) – 1PM (Peacock – Live)
Monday, Feb. 16
Freestyle skiing dual moguls – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Cross-country skiing team sprint – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Curling (medal games) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Biathlon relay – 5AM (Peacock – Live)
Speedskating team pursuit – 7AM (Peacock – Live)
Hockey (placement games) – 12PM (Peacock – Live)
Wednesday, Feb. 18
Alpine skiing (final technical events) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
Freestyle skiing big air – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Curling (gold medal match) – 9AM (Peacock – Live)
Thursday, Feb. 19
Cross-country skiing marathon – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Snowboard parallel events – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Hockey (bronze medal games) – 1PM (Peacock – Live)
Friday, Feb. 20
Biathlon mass start – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Speedskating final medals – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating gala – 1PM (Peacock – Live)
Saturday, Feb. 21
Men’s hockey gold medal game – 12PM (Peacock – Live)
Women’s hockey gold medal game – 3PM (Peacock – Live)
Men’s hockey gold medal game – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)
Sunday, Feb. 22 – closing ceremony
Cross-country skiing final event – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
closing ceremony – 2PM (Peacock – Live)
closing ceremony – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)
While Peacock is the best way to watch the Winter Olympics, there are other options if you restrict yourself to the NBC broadcasts. As our guide to the best live TV streaming services to cut cable notes, both YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are excellent options, but you'll want to skip Fubo until and unless the service resolves its contract dispute with Comcast, as NBC channels remain unavailable for now.
2026-02-09 09:47:57
Super Bowl Sunday has arrived. Today, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will face off for Super Bowl 60. The Big Game is being played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, and kicks off at 6:30PM ET. Pre-game coverage for the 2026 NFL Championship Game starts at 12PM ET. Like all Sunday Night Football games during the regular season, Super Bowl 60 will be broadcast on NBC, and will stream live on Peacock. Here's everything you need to know to tune in to Super Bowl LX today, including the game channel, where to stream, and all about the Halftime Show.
Date: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026
Time: 6:30PM ET
TV channel: NBC, Telemundo
Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, NFL+ and more
The 2026 Super Bowl is set to begin at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT on Feb. 8, 2026.
The 2026 Super Bowl will air on NBC, with a Spanish-language broadcast available on Telemundo.
The New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will play in the 2026 Super Bowl.
The 2026 Super Bowl will be held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, home of the San Francisco 49ers.
The teams for the 2026 Super Bowl will be determined after the AFC and NFC Championship games are played on Sunday, Jan. 25. You can keep tabs on the post-season playoff bracket here.
You can stream NBC and Telemundo on platforms like DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV, both of which are among Engadget's choices for best streaming services for live TV. (Note that Fubo and NBC are currently in the midst of a contract dispute and NBC channels are not available on the platform.) The game will also be streaming on Peacock and on NFL+, though with an NFL+ subscription, you're limited to watching the game on mobile devices.
Bad Bunny, who holds the title as the most-streamed artist in the world, will be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance. You can expect that show to begin after the second quarter, likely between 8-8:30PM ET. Singer Charlie Puth will also be at the game to perform the National Anthem, Brandi Carlile is scheduled to sing "America The Beautiful," and Coco Jones will perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
2026-02-09 07:42:46
The 2026 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will air on NBC today, Feb. 8, at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT. The Big Game is also streaming live on Peacock. If you no longer subscribe to cable, don't have access to NBC over the air and aren't currently signed up for Peacock, there are still ways to watch Super Bowl LX — and Bad Bunny's history-making Super Bowl halftime show — for free.
Here's how to tune in this afternoon. And if you're looking for live Super Bowl updates, we've got you covered.
Date: Sunday, Feb. 8
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
TV channel: NBC, Telemundo
Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, NFL+ and more
Super Bowl LX will air on NBC. A Spanish-language broadcast is available on Telemundo.
You can stream NBC and Telemundo on platforms like DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV; both offer free trials and are among Engadget's choices for best streaming services for live TV. (Note that Fubo and NBC are currently in the midst of a contract dispute and NBC channels are not available on the platform.)
The 2026 Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Sunday, Feb. 8. Green Day will be performing a pre-game special starting at 6 p.m. ET.
The AFC champions, the New England Patriots, will play the NFC champions, the Seattle Seahawks.
The 2026 Super Bowl will be held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., home of the San Francisco 49ers.
Bad Bunny is headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance. You can expect that show to begin after the second quarter, likely between 8-8:30 p.m. ET. Green Day will perform a pre-game show starting at 6 p.m. ET. If you're tuning in before the game, singer Charlie Puth will perform the National Anthem, Brandi Carlile is scheduled to sing "America the Beautiful," and Grammy winner Coco Jones will perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
2026-02-09 05:34:44
Amazon MGM just released the final trailer for its upcoming film starring Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary, and it provides our first good look at his five-legged alien co-star, Rocky. The movie adapts a 2021 Andy Weir (The Martian) novel of the same name, and follows Dr. Ryland Grace, a scientist who wakes up on a spacecraft far from Earth with no recollection of how he got there or why, only to discover he's on a seemingly impossible mission to stop an extinction event.
If you've read the book, you already know we're in for an emotional rollercoaster with this one, and the latest trailer aptly tugs at our heartstrings with a glimpse of the friendship that grows between Grace and an alien he meets after waking up — and the incredibly high stakes they're facing. The movie will be released nationwide on March 20, but Amazon announced alongside this trailer that it'll be offering tickets for early screenings in premium formats including IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX and 70MM to Prime members. Those screenings will begin on March 16, and tickets go on sale February 20 through Fandango.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-final-trailer-for-project-hail-mary-is-here-and-its-an-emotional-ride-213444765.html?src=rss2026-02-09 04:22:00
It might be near impossible to be a kid these days without a smartphone, but AT&T wants to offer parents a decent compromise. The wireless carrier launched its AmiGO Jr. Phone, which combines Samsung hardware and AT&T's app, to offer kids a smartphone that has parental controls baked right in.
The AmiGO Jr. Phone is just a Samsung Galaxy A16, which still remains a solid budget smartphone pick with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 6.7-inch display and reliable battery life. However, AT&T tweaked the Samsung hardware into its kid-friendly smartphone by including features like live location tracking, safe zones and screentime restrictions that can be controlled via the AmiGO app. It's not the first time we've seen a smartphone with parental controls, since competitors like Bark and Pinwheel have been on the market for a couple of years now, but it's the first time a major mobile carrier is offering its own standalone product.
As for the AmiGO Jr. Phone, it's now available on AT&T's website for $3 a month, but you'll have to commit to a 36-month contract that provides bill credits. You still have to pay for your monthly service charges as an AT&T customer, but it'll be cheaper than buying a Galaxy A16 outright for $200. For even more security, AT&T also launched its AmiGO Jr. Watch 2 to expand its ecosystem that already includes a tablet designed for kids.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/atts-budget-friendly-phone-for-kids-was-designed-with-parental-controls-in-mind-202200139.html?src=rss
