Ah, the iPhone. That little rectangle of magic that’s wormed its way into our lives and hearts over the last two decades. It’s hard to believe that this pocket powerhouse has gone through so many transformations since its debut in 2007. 

The most recent iteration, the iPhone 16, dropped in September, and is a far cry from its ancestor. So, let's take a look back at how far the iPhone has come since its humble beginnings to become a true behemoth in the tech landscape. 

The Beginning

It was the year 2007. Skinny jeans were just starting to squeeze the life out of us. Rihanna dropped her iconic song ‘Umbrella’. Britney Spears had a breakdown and shaved her head. 

Another big moment in history? Steve Jobs stepped onto the stage at the MacWorld Convention to announce the launch of the iPhone – the first touchscreen phone to have a built-in MP3 player and a fully working web browser. 

It was marketed as a three-in-one device: A revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and an internet communications device enabling users to email, browse the web, and so much more, all on one small handheld device. There was nothing like it. The iPhone truly began the modern smartphone era. 

The iPhone was followed up by the iPhone 3G in 2008, which levelled up the original by making it faster to load web pages and incorporating GPS to improve the maps and navigation experience.

2010 saw the release of the iPhone 4, widely heralded as the iPhone with the best design of all time. It was the first iPhone to feature a Retina display, and its 640x960 pixel resolution was the highest resolution of the time.

By 2012, the iPhone 5 launched. The biggest change of note with this drop was that it was the first phone with a chip created by Apple itself, as the previous versions featured Qualcomm chips. This allowed Apple to better optimise performance. It was also the first iPhone with 4G LTE support. 

The iPhone 5S, released alongside the 5c a year after the iPhone 5, featured the new Apple A7 Cyclone chip, the first ever 64-bit chip on a phone, as well as Touch-ID fingerprint-based secure identification system. It also marked the first Apple launch featuring a flagship, and a more budget-oriented variant – a pattern that’s come to define the smartphone cycle for the entire market.

Bigger and Better

By 2015, Apple finally answered the call for a bigger screen with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which featured a 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch screen respectively. This phone was designed to be a competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Note, and it worked.

Next came the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the first iPhones that could record 4K video. While Android phones had this capability for years already at this point, Apple pulled it off better by fixing the bugs Android’s feature had – the video was crisp, recorded at high bit-rates, and iMovie was updated to allow better editing. This was also when Siri was first introduced to the world. 

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus may have been the most contentious drops, as Apple killed the headphone jack. On the plus side, these devices were also the first to be waterproof.

2017 was a big year for Apple, who dropped the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The iPhone X (dropped mere months after the iPhone 8) truly paved the way for the future: It was the first to feature a bezel-less edge-to-edge screen, and the first with an OLED display which introduced the new Face ID system to replace Touch ID. In 2018, the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max dropped.

The iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max came in 2019, with the most notable difference to its predecessors being the new ultra-wide camera. These devices were also thicker, with bigger batteries.

2020 was a scary year for the world, but one bright moment was the release of the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max. These devices featured a complete visual refresh, with flat sides and thin bodies. All four also came with 5G connectivity, a first for any iPhone.

Teenage Years

In 2021 the iPhone reached its teens with the release of the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max. Not much changed compared to its predecessors, except the battery capacity increasing from 10-20%, resulting in a much more significant battery life. 

Next up? The iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max in 2022. Apple notably dropped the ‘Mini’ design and replaced it with the ‘Plus’. The designs mostly stayed the same, however, the Pros got a camera nodule in place of the notch.

2023 saw the release of the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. The biggest update here was the new 48-megapixel main camera sensor was 2x sensor crop, and higher quality zoom options. Other features of note include the A16 Bionic chip, the Dynamic Island, and a new USB-C port.

The most recent release is the iPhone 16, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max. The new iPhone 16 models come with larger display sizes, new creative capabilities with innovative pro camera features, stunning graphics for immersive gaming, and more – all powered by the A18 Pro chip, which takes the crown as the most powerful ever in an Apple phone. 

Looking to the Future

So, what’s the takeaway from this trip down iPhone Memory Lane? It’s that things will always change – fast. New technology is always around the corner, and you need a solution that allows you to access this tech in the easiest, most affordable, and most flexible way possible. That’s why you need subscriptions.

Subscribing allows you to keep up with every new drop. As soon as a new version is released, you can easily upgrade your device to the latest version, completely penalty-free! Simply return your old phone and you’ll get your new one to replace it. No need to sell your old phone or sit with outdated tech.

Stay ahead of the curve – subscribe today.

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