Which Apple Smartphone to Gift for the New Year: A Review of the Best Models in 2025

There are so many wonderful moments in life that you want to capture: a New Year’s ball at school, a performance at kindergarten, a festive dinner with family, walks through a snowy park—all of this magic will be preserved by the camera. And this is one of the main reasons to treat yourself or your loved ones to a new iPhone. To make it easier to choose, we’ve compiled a ranking of Apple smartphones with the best cameras.

1.     iPhone 16 Pro — The Flagship for Creating Fantastic Content

Apple’s flagship smartphone can replace a professional video and photo camera. No wonder, as this iPhone is equipped with the most powerful hardware, a long-lasting battery, and a bright 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display. Additionally, it features a camera block with improved optics and the latest image processing algorithms. So, here’s what the iPhone 16 Pro has in store:

·       A telephoto lens for capturing incredibly beautiful landscapes and clear portraits from any distance. The camera supports 5x optical zoom.

·       Optical image stabilization, allowing you to take high-quality shots even while running or snowboarding. Thanks to the anti-glare lens coating, you can forget about overexposed and blurry shots.

·       4K Dolby Vision video recording at up to 120 frames per second. Plus, add four microphones for studio-quality sound.

·       The presence of a LiDAR scanner, whose capabilities are used not only in 3D modeling but also for processing photos, especially when shooting in low light or darkness (this cool feature is also found in the iPhone 15 Pro). So if you’re still wondering what to gift a blogger girlfriend or boyfriend for the New Year, the answer is right in front of you. By the way, for convenient shooting, the novelty has a new touch button, Camera Control – for the first time in an iPhone. Want a larger screen? There’s a solution—iPhone 16 Pro Max with a 6.9-inch display.

2.     iPhone 15 Pro — When You Want Everything and More

If you’re looking for a phone to shoot videos, here’s your solution—iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max with a larger screen and 5x zoom. The perfect option for professional shooting: three stunning lenses plus many options.

·       Shoot freely at night—the camera captures even the smallest details. With powerful optics and stabilization, the photos will be as sharp as possible. So, you won’t have to worry about ruining a single frame from the New Year celebration.

·       Capture the most beautiful natural wonders in the moment. Use the time-lapse mode for the Northern Lights and slo-mo for filming falling snowflakes.

·       The True Tone flash adapts to any situation: it directs light when it’s insufficient and adjusts to the distance from the subject. This feature will be particularly relevant during the winter months when it gets dark early.

·       Use the ProRAW format with the ability to adjust exposure, color, and other parameters to get the perfect shot.

·       The smartphone allows you to record professional ProRes video. The power of the processor is enough to handle its processing.

So, what should you gift a photographer girlfriend or video blogger boyfriend for the New Year? It seems pretty obvious here.

3.     iPhone 16 — For Spatial 3D Shots

Another excellent New Year’s gift is the iPhone 16 with a camera for 3D video. The smartphone has three cameras, including a front TrueDepth camera that allows you to take stunning selfies. But this device has other features for creating professional content. Here’s a quick review of the iPhone 16 cameras:

·       The smartphone allows for macro photography with fantastic detail. This means you can capture every facet of a snowflake and icicle—all of it will look magical.

·       Capture the happiest moments of your life in photo or video format, then bring them to life in 3D using the Apple Vision Pro feature. Your smartphone is perfect for spatial shooting.

·       Don’t forget about the mood. Any shot can be enhanced using photographic styles: make it warmer, more contrasted, change the tone. Add more air, naturalness, and vibrant colors—you have a whole palette of tools to adjust the result to your impression. All this can be done in the Camera app.

·       Without Apple Intelligence neural network, this would not be possible. In just a few seconds, this magical tool will remove unnecessary objects from the shot, enhance the image, or generate memories from the content.

·       The base iPhone 16 also supports the Camera Control button. Shoot with one hand: open the camera, focus, zoom, change sharpness, and depth. What should you gift to your mom or dad? If they’re into photography, of course, the iPhone 16. By the way, check out the iPhone 16 Plus with the same options as the base version, but with a larger screen.

4.     iPhone 15 — For Stunning Portraits

The base iPhone 15 is ideal for those who always wanted to be a real photographer. Here are the benefits of this smartphone:

·       Want to take a sharp, detailed shot? The 48 MP camera will help with that. The photo will be vibrant with cosmic color accuracy. Even editing won’t be necessary.

·       Need to zoom in on the object? Use the 2x zoom, which will maintain high image quality.

·       The smartphone recognizes people and animals in the shot and will automatically switch to portrait mode. You’ll always be able to take the best photo with your pet or loved ones.

·       Create wonderful content even at night. The camera captures all the details and nuances even in poor lighting. Head to the city, shoot New Year’s decorations and illumination, and fill your social networks with festive content.

·       Forgot to adjust the focus? The smartphone will save the day. A couple of taps, and the device will handle the correct focus on the final photo. The Photonic Engine algorithm processes colors perfectly—you can shoot without professional lighting.

5.     iPhone 14 — Still Relevant

The iPhone 14 remains relevant and will remain popular for several more years. By the way, all Apple tech retains excellent performance for years after release. It’s the iPhone 14 that is the device to gift to your younger sister or brother for the New Year. This smartphone has everything needed to create high-quality photos.

·       The phone is built on the high-performance A15 Bionic chip, which means it will process photos quickly. Plus, it has a bright screen that’s easy to see even in direct sunlight outdoors.

·       Use the portrait mode with automatic focus and depth control. Create stunning portraits with the main subject sharp and the background beautifully blurred.

·       Don’t be afraid to shoot in low light. The camera has a powerful flash that will convey the brightness of colors and sharpness of details.

·       Shoot objects even in the shadows. Thanks to Smart HDR 4 mode, the algorithm improves color accuracy and contrast. Every tree will be clearly visible in your landscape.

·       The shots will be sharp, even if your hand shakes. This is because the smartphone supports the Action mode stabilization feature. By the way, this option is available for video with up to 60 fps. The camera is perfect for filming your kids at a performance, while playing on the playground, or during sports events. 

Which Apple Smartphone to Choose

So, which iPhone has the best camera for video and photo shooting? The Pro models have a more extensive arsenal—they’re for those who professionally create content. If you’re choosing a gift for social media posts or family photo albums, basic smartphones are enough. Your stories and selfies will not go unnoticed. To make it easier to navigate through the variety of models, we’ve prepared a comparison table of iPhone camera specifications.

iPhone Camera Specifications Comparison

Feature/Option	iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max	iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max	iPhone 16/Plus	iPhone 15/Plus	iPhone 14/Plus
Number of Cameras	3 rear + front	3 rear + front	2 rear + front	2 rear + front	2 rear + front
Main Camera	Fusion camera 48 MP, ƒ/1.78	48 MP, ƒ/1.78	Fusion camera 48 MP, ƒ/1.6	48 MP, ƒ/1.6	12 MP, ƒ/1.5
Ultra-Wide Camera	48 MP, ƒ/2.2	12 MP, ƒ/2.2	12 MP, ƒ/2.2	12 MP, ƒ/2.4	12 MP, ƒ/2.4
Telephoto Lens	12 MP, ƒ/2.8	12 MP, ƒ/2.8	–	–	–
TrueDepth Front Camera	12 MP, ƒ/1.9	12 MP, ƒ/1.9	12 MP, ƒ/1.9	12 MP, ƒ/1.9	12 MP, ƒ/1.9
Optical Zoom	Up to 5x	Up to 3x	Up to 2x	Up to 2x	Up to 1x
Camera Control Button	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
High-Resolution Photos (24 & 48 MP)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Macro, Slo-Mo, Time-Lapse	Yes, up to 48 MP	Yes	Yes	No	No
Night Portrait Photography	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Dolby Vision 4K Video Recording	120 fps	60 fps	60 fps	60 fps	60 fps
ProRAW Photo Format	Supported	Supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
ProRes Video Recording	Up to 4K, 120 fps with external storage	Up to 4K, 60 fps with external storage	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Spatial Photos & Videos	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Photographic Styles	Latest Generation	Yes	Latest Generation	Yes	Yes
True Tone Flash	Adaptive	Adaptive	Yes	Yes	Yes
Apple Intelligence for Photo/Video Enhancements	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No

Celebrate the New Year with iSpace

Our managers will help you choose the perfect New Year’s gift for your loved ones, colleagues, and friends, and assist in selecting equipment that you can test directly in the store. We also have an online store, where all the latest iPhone models are available—no one will be left without a gift.

Even more New Year offers are waiting for you here.