The delicious and sometimes bizarre history of the iPhone

Tech fans will no doubt remember it as if it were yesterday. The iPhone was launched on June 29, 2017. And many more would follow.

Provided: if we explain all iPhones in detail, this will be a bizarrely long article. So we mainly focus on any new features of the devices from the past, and when the phones came out. So bring back old memories.

From the first iPhone to the last

The first iPhone was without a doubt a revolutionary product. Like the first iPod, it changed the way we would use the phone, and certainly smartphones in the future, especially because of multi-touch.

iPhone – June 29, 2007

Holy shit! A smartphone with a multi-touch screen, so much storage (16GB) and a 2 megapixel camera?! Insane! We were really blown away by this piece of tech ingenuity, even if it left a little to be desired even at the time. Those wishes eventually came true.

iPhone 3G – July 11, 2008

Actually, the 3G was an updated version of the first iPhone, but now you got 3G instead of 2.5G (EDGE). So you had access to decent internet, but more importantly, you suddenly had the App Store!

iPhone 3GS – June 19, 2009

The main update was storage. This was doubled from 16GB to 32GB. Of course, that was partly due to the introduction of the App Store. And in this case, the device got a 3 megapixel camera, so that extra storage was very welcome, also because you could suddenly shoot videos. Then it gets tough.

iPhone 4 – June 24, 2010

Not only was the design heavily changed from ’round’ to ‘angular’, the iPhone 4 also got a ‘selfie camera’. It was also the first iPhone with a Retina screen. The camera on the back has also been improved (5 megapixels).

iPhone 4S – October 14, 2011

First of all, the camera on the iPhone 4S was again considerably better. This went from 5 megapixels to 8 megapixels. The fact that you also had 64GB of storage came in handy. It was also the first time that you could shoot videos in 1080p, and that took up storage space. Oh and let’s not forget: “Hello Siri!”

iPhone 5 – September 21, 2012

For the first time there was an LTE version of the iPhone, and the screen got bigger (from 3.5 inches to 4 inches). It was also the first time that the Lightning connector was introduced. So we’ve been stuck with that for ten years now, in whatever form and speed.

iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C – September 20, 2013

There were not many differences between the 5S and the 5C. The 5C was slightly cheaper, thanks in part to the plastic housing (and four awesome colors). However, the 5S did get Touch ID and slow-mo videos. We found the bright colors and good price convincing enough to go for the 5C in 2013.

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus – September 19, 2014

The jump from the 5C to the 6 was not very big, except for the screens. The iPhone5 had a 4-inch screen, and the 6 and 6 Plus 4.7 and 5.5 inches respectively. In addition, the Retina display was HD and the 6s had 128GB of storage, double the size of the iPhone 5S.

iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus – September 19, 2015

The camera improved considerably on these devices; from 8MP to 12MP. What the 6S and 6S Plus have become best known for is ‘bend gate’ because the devices were easily bent. In later versions, Apple has addressed this with a stronger housing.

iPhone SE – March 31, 2016

The iPhone SE had the specs of the 6s, but in a smaller package. Also, the SE did not have 3D Touch. It was therefore an affordable and colorful iPhone.

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus – September 16, 2016

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus immediately had 32GB with the entry-level model, with a maximum of 256GB. The shiny Jet Black color was also introduced (and looked very premium). The 7 also had two cameras on the back that allowed for better zooming, Portrait mode and depth of the photos (Depth of Field). They were also the first devices with included (wired) EarPods.

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus – September 22, 2017

We were able to use wireless charging for the first time thanks to the glass back of the devices. There was some grumbling around these devices because the headphone jack had suddenly disappeared. There are still people who would like to have a ‘jack’, but most headphones nowadays connect you with Blue-tooth anyway.

iPhone X – November 3, 2017

The 9? Where’s the 9? Doesn’t matter because the X came out exactly ten years after the first model, so the name was perfect timing-wise. It was also the first device that no longer made use of the Home button and the bezels became considerably smaller. You unlocked your phone via Face ID with the front camera. This actually felt like the future.

iPhone XS and XS Max – September 21, 2018

The biggest difference between the X and XS and the XS Max was the fact that the latter got the considerably faster A12 chip and that the battery lasted longer.

iPhone XR – October 26, 2018

The XR was a lot cheaper than the ‘normal’ X-series, and also came in cool colors. In addition, the device was also cheaper. They were also a bit smaller, which many users found very pleasant.

iPhone 11 – September 20, 2019

This device also came out in cool colors and was the cheapest device compared to the ‘regular’ annual iPhone releases. It had a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display and two 12-megapixel rear cameras.

11 Pro – September 20, 2019

This phone was smaller than the 11, with a 5.8 inch Super Retina XDR Display. And wow, that image was beautiful. This device got a third camera, also a 12 megapixel HDR lens.

11 Pro Max – September 20, 2019

The 11 Pro Max was a hefty phone with a 6.5-inch screen. The specs changed little compared to the 11 Pro. The device was just bigger.

iPhone SE (second generation) – April 24, 2020

The iPhone SE got an upgrade, but remained pretty much as small and cute as the first version. Suddenly the Home button was back, but in terms of specs, users had nothing to complain about. This SE had an A13 Bionic chip, wireless charging and the battery lasted a lot longer.

iPhone 12 mini – November 13, 2020

This was (and is) the smallest phone in Apple’s smartphone line. In addition, the device was also very light, but had a powerful A14 Bionic chip. The biggest difference from the 12 was the size and the fact that the battery lasted two hours less. Then you could theoretically watch videos for fifteen hours on the 12 and only thirteen on the iPhone 12 mini. That was reasonably manageable.

iPhone 12 – October 23, 2020

The 12 therefore had the same specs as the 12 mini, but in terms of features it really lost out compared to the 12 Pro.

12 Pro – October 23, 2020

The 12 Pro got three cameras just like the 11 Pro, but in this case with LIDAR scanning, improved Night Mode and better zoom. The devices also had the fastest shutter speed ever used on an iPhone. It was also possible for people to shoot in RAW; a file format used by many professional photographers. That made editing photos in Photoshop, for example, a lot more pleasant.

12 Pro Max – November 13, 2020

Again, the specs of the Pro were similar to those of the 12 Pro. It was especially the large size (with a 6.7 inch screen) that was the most striking feature.

iPhone 13 – September 24, 2021

The 13 inherited many design features from the 12, but received a significantly smaller notch. In addition, the device ran on an A15 chip, and the camera got a Cinematic mode and Photographic Styles. The screen remained the same size. This one was 6.1 inches.

13 mini – September 24, 2021

The demand for smaller phones continued and the iPhone 13 mini responded to this. This little one also received a powerful A15 Bionic chip. The battery was also impressive: it lasted half a day extra compared to the iPhone 12 mini. The screen was impressive. The device had a 5.4 inch Super Retina XDR display).

13 Pro – September 24, 2021

This Pro especially excelled when it came to photography. He got a Telephoto camera and Wide and Ultra Wide lenses. It was also the Apple device with (at that time) the largest storage ever: a whopping 1 Terabyte).

13 Pro Max – September 24, 2021

The 13 Pro Max was much the same as its smaller brother, but with a hefty 6.7-inch screen, the same as the 12 Pro Max. At the time, it was the most expensive Apple phone ever.

iPhone SE (3rd generation) – March 8, 2022

The SE series remained very popular over the years and Apple decided to release a third generation. Once again, the tech giant returned to the well-known Home button. Still, this device could compete in specs with the more expensive versions of iPhones, also with an A15 Bionic chip, 5G support and a camera with a Portrait mode, control over depth, high definition video, wireless charging and a long battery life.

It was a pleasure for us to see many devices from our past reviewed, and can therefore not wait for the iPhone 14, which will be announced on September 7th.

By the way, check out the introduction of the very first iPhone here: