These days every corner of our everyday lives have been touched by the light of Apple.

Look to the left: iPhone. Look to the right: iMac. Go online: Ad for the new iPhone. Go on a drive: Billboard for the new iMac. Through time all of the devices have proven to be the top of the line and most premium fruits of innovation in the technology world. It sounds too good to be true, however; like most things in life, it is, at the starting price of $699 for the recent iPhone 8. Luckily the iPhone 8 is not the consumers only option. The choice one makes is simply dependant on one’s budget and deciding the best value for that budget.

Although it may be a bit frightening to think that just a few decades earlier things were much different, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the usefulness of these devices hasn’t done a lot of good! People are now able to pick their Apple devices up and not only talk to but interact with their family and friends half way across the globe with a few touches of a screen. It is safe to say that the world today truly is in the palm of our hands, however; it does come at a price. Apple’s latest release, the iPhone X, celebrates the tech empire’s 10th year anniversary since the original iPhone release in 2007. A lot of improvement has occurred since then, of course, such as the quality of the camera, computation speed, screen quality, battery life, internet speed and much more, but for many consumers, their scale of value for the devices is based on budget. Naturally, anyone would be happy with getting the new top of the line iPhone every year, the only problem
is many people’s wallets aren’t deep enough to support this dream. The average iPhone user’s salary is 40% higher than the average Android user (Comscore). This statistic shows that the iPhone lineup is more premium than that of the major competitor.

It has been established that the iPhone is a premium product, but there are also many different iPhones. There are several different models from several different years and they tend to differ greatly. Finding the iPhone is not a difficult process just as long as you know what to look for. These devices become a staple in the consumer’s everyday life, so the consumer needs to ensure that the device will not only cover, but extend the abilities of their hobbies, responsibilities, and most of all communication. After all, it is an iPhone. For simplicity's sake, we will review a comparison between the iPhone SE, the iPhone 7, and the iPhone 10 to decide which model is best suited for which type of consumer.

All three models despite their good and bad differences are essentially still the top of the line premium. Since the release date between these devices is about 1­3 years the differences will be subtle at a glance, but noticeable in a long­term environment. Both the SE and the 7 posses high­end 16­megapixel cameras that are all around great in almost any situation the user will find themselves, however; the X (10) possesses two 16­megapixel, both at different zoom ranges. This allows the user to optically zoom at both a wide angle and a telephoto range. Some subtle features such as image stabilization and better low light performance have also been improved throughout the progression of models.

Secondly, and arguably the most important feature of the iPhone is the processor. The processor is a chip inside the phone about the size of a fingernail, and it is responsible for calculating every single equation necessary for smooth use of the device. Over the three models processors have progressed from the A9, to the A10 Fusion, to the A11 Bionic cores. This may all seem like a bunch of marketing hullabaloo and for the most part it is, but for the average consumer, it gets the point across that all that is necessary to understand is that as processors progress in quality, speed, and efficiency in each model.

Clearly one must understand that each model has its ups and downs, and which device one chooses is dependant on their price budget, the required uses for the phone, and how dependent they are on the functionality of the device. Excluding price, the iPhone X is clearly the better phone, but the price is a main factor in the decision of most consumers so it must be taken into account. The starting price of the iPhone 7 is nearly half of that of the X, yet the performance of the 7 is so near that of the X that we begin to notice diminishing returns as the model and price consequently jumps. It is safe to say that the iPhone 7 is the choice with the greatest value.