Tim Cook will get on stage this Tuesday to parade the most valuable piece of hardware humankind has ever produced: the iPhone 17.
If you’re like us, constantly trading in your phone for the latest model so you can play Candy Crush with better resolution (obviously), then you’ve already forgotten what came before the phone you’re currently holding. Here’s a quick list of every iPhone generation, along with a feature that defined it:
iPhone (June 2007)
16 GB, 128 MB, and a 2.0 megapixel camera. Your kid could probably come up with a better phone in your basement. On the other hand, there were no smartphones before the iPhone. So, well done, Apple.
iPhone 3G (July 2008)
No, we didn’t skip one. The second generation is known for its 3G connectivity. Oh, and the introduction of a little thing called the App Store.
iPhone 3GS (June 2009)
Storage and memory doubled. The camera got better, too.
iPhone 4 (June 2010)
Did you know that Apple invented the selfie? Well, it might as well have. This model introduced the front-facing camera.
iPhone 4S (Oct. 2011)
Hey, Siri, can you write this article for us? No, well, thanks for coming along anyway.
iPhone 5 (Sept. 2012)
Pssst. What’s the Wifi password? Doesn’t matter because you don’t need it. This iPhone has LTE connectivity.
iPhone 5s and 5c (Sept. 2013)
5c just slapped on a color shell, while 5s gave us Touch ID and an M7 motion coprocessor. Translation: motion-tracking apps could work with it, and it saved battery.
iPhone 6 & 6 Plus (Sept. 2014)
What if we made the iPhone…bigger?
iPhone 6s & 6s Plus (Sept. 2015)
What if we made the iPhone…better? Apple swapped out an 8 MP camera for a 12 MP one.
iPhone SE (March 2016)
What if we made the iPhone…smaller again?
iPhone 7 & 7 Plus (Sept. 2016)
What do you mean there’s no headphone jack? How convenient that you’re selling AirPods.
iPhone 8 & 8 Plus (Sept. 2017)
Sometimes you get world-changing features. And sometimes you get wireless charging.
iPhone 9 (Never)
Who needs numerical consistency when you can just invent your own numbering system?
iPhone X (Nov. 2017)
Standard selfies are so 2016. I’ve got portrait mode, suckers.
iPhone XS & XS Max (Sept. 2018)
More power with the A12 bionic chip.
iPhone XR (Oct. 2018)
Like the XS but cheaper and not as good.
iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max (Sept. 2019)
“Guys, we really need to cram a fourth camera on this thing. If you get a fifth one on there, we can call it the ‘pro’ version. Make another one that’s hard to hold and call it ‘Pro Max’.”
iPhone SE 2nd Generation (April 2020)
How do we feel about smaller phones again?
iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max (Oct-Nov. 2020)
The era of “pick the size and budget that works for you.”
iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max (Sept. 2021)
The new A15 Bionic chip made graphics crisper, apps faster, and Siri less likely to mess up your spouse’s name.
iPhone SE 3rd generation (March 2022)
“Let’s see if we can get some folks to swap out their old phones.”
iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro & 14 Pro Max (Sept.-Oct. 2022)
Smartphones can save your life. These models added Crash Detection and Emergency SOS.
iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro & 15 Pro Max (Sept. 2023)
“We love how everyone’s added Lightning chargers everywhere. Let’s switch to USB-C.”
iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro & 16 Pro Max (Sept. 2024)
The big leap was to the A18 Chip, which Apple said was 40% faster than the iPhone 15’s A16 chip.
iPhone 16e (February 2025)
“Maybe T-Mobile will run some sort of offer.”