​iPhone 3G

The iPhone 3G was the second model to come out, and while it didn’t look too different, it packed some big upgrades on the inside. It had GPS, 3G data, and was tri-band.

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​iPhone 3GS

If you’re wondering what the S in 3GS stands for just listen to Phil Schiller: It stands for speed. That may be a bit hokey, but the 3GS was a significant improvement over the 3G. It doubled the data connection speed, upped the camera resolution to a whopping 3MP, doubled the RAM, and added a digital compass.

The 3GS also came with voice control, but it wasn’t SIRI. That was still a couple years away.

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​iPhone 4S

Don’t let the S in 4S confuse you: It doesn’t mean speed. It means Siri. The iPhone 4S was the first one to feature Apple’s digital assistant, along with an impressive 8MP camera and the option of 64 GB of storage space.

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​iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 looked like the iPhone 4, only a bit taller. The larger screen space was welcomed, though it did elicit some complaints about its being too large.

Screen size wasn’t the biggest beef that people had with the iPhone 5, though: It was the first iPhone to ditch the 30-pin connector for the 8-pin lightning port, rendering all those old iPhone accessories obsolete.

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iPhone 5S

The 5S was Apple’s first 64 bit iPhone, and it was also the first device to come with Touch ID. Like most S model iPhones it looked just like its predecessor but had improvements under the hood. A quad core processor, the A7 chip, and a variety of camera improvements set the 5S apart.

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​iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

The iPhone 6 brought with it another design change and a new type of iPhone: The “phablet” Plus model. The 6 Plus had a 5.5″ screen as opposed to the 4.7″ of the 6. That might not sound like much of a difference, but the 6 Plus was pretty darn big.

The 6 series was a pretty advanced device: It had a 1.8 GHz A9 processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a 12 MP camera.

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iPhone 6S and 6S Plus

The 6S and 6S Plus were another incremental upgrade, bringing new guts to the iPhone 6 series with the same outer shell, with one notable exception: 3D Touch.

Apple’s latest innovation brought pressure sensitivity to the iPhone’s touchscreen, allowing for more control of apps. Standard taps would act the same as they always did, but a hard press on the screen brought up additional menu options.

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​iPhone SE

The launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus brought with it some unsurprising complaints: The screens on both models were simply too large. The iPhone SE is Apple’s response to those problems. The SE is the same model as the iPhone 5, but with upgraded internals to bring it up to par with the 6 series.

The SE’s specs are essentially the same as the 6, but without the additional 0.7″ of screen. It might not seem like a lot, but even those three quarters of an inch are enough to make one-handed iPhone operation a bit difficult for the small handed among us.

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​iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are an incremental upgrade over the 6. The design is largely the same with the exception of a different antenna layout and an attempt to make the camera lens bump a bit less obtrusive.

The 7 series’ biggest upgrades are in the camera. The 7 Plus has two lenses that allow for greater depth of field, optical zoom, and optical image stabilization. Both 7 models also come with the A10 chip processor.

We can’t forget the most controversial change: This iPhone series dropped the headphone jack, an industry first that others are now emulating, much to users’ despair.

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iPhone 8 and 8 Plus

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are almost identical to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The only cosmetic difference is the colors they are available in. The 7 and 7 Plus were available in jet black, black, silver, gold, and rose gold, while the 8 and 8 Plus come in silver, space gray, gold, and Product red.

The size difference between the first model and the plus model are the same for both editions as well as the camera and touch ID functions. The major upgrades in the 8 and 8 plus are wireless charging, an A11 Bionic chip processor, neural engine, embedded M11 motion coprocessor, and True Tone display. The iPhone 8 Plus is the only one of the group with Portrait Lighting, however, which is the only unique difference.

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iPhone Xs and Xs Max

This generation iPhone, announced at Apple’s September 12, 2018 event, comes in two sizes: The Xs is 5.8-inches and Xs Max is 6.5-inches. Coming in gold, silver, and space grey finishes, the iPhone Xs and Xs Max have the new A12 Bionic chip, launching apps 30% faster than 2017 iPhones.

The battery life is longer than that of previous iPhones. The iPhone Xs lasts 30 minutes longer than the iPhone X, and the iPhone Xs Max lasts 1.5 hours longer than iPhone X. Now with Dual-SIM card support through e-SIM technology, the Xs and Xs Max lets users have two different phone numbers on one phone.

The new iPhone has IP68 water-resistance rating, a wider stereo field, and AR Support with the ARKit and A12 Bionic chip.

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iPhone XR

The iPhone XR, also announced at the 2018 September 12 event, is Apple’s cheaper iPhone X series model. A 6.1 LCD screen, 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with portrait mode, FaceID with True-Depth camera, and A12 Bionic chip, all power this impressive device. With a battery life that adds 1.5 more hours per day than the iPhone 8 Plus, the iPhone XR comes in blue, coral, yellow, white, and black.

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iPhone 11

The iPhone 11, announced at Apple’s 2019 September 10 event, is Apple’s latest generation iPhone. With a 6.1″ liquid retina display, the phone comes in purple, white, yellow, green, black, and Product Red. Featuring two cameras, both a wide 12MP camera and ultra wide 12MP camera, the phone hosts a 120 degree field of view. The device holds one more hour of battery life than the iPhone XR and boasts the brand new A13 bionic chip. The iPhone 11 starts at $699.

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iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max

The first Pro versions of the iPhone, the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max were also announced at the 2019 September 10 event in Cupertino, CA. The iPhone 11 Pro has a 5.8″ display, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 6.5″ display, but both have Super Retina XDR OLED screens. With new colors including space grey, dark green, silver, and gold, the new phones have three rear cameras. The three cameras—12MP wide camera, 12MP telephoto camera, 12MP ultra wide camera—offer a 4X optical zoom range. The iPhone 11 Pro has four more hours than the Xs, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max has five more hours than the Xs Max. The iPhone 11 Pro starts at $999, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max starts at $1,099.

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iPhone 12

The iPhone 12 is a big generational change in iPhone design, with the new iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max getting sleek new flat sides reminiscent of the old iPhone 4 design. Not only do they sport a new look, the 12 series of iPhones is the first Apple smartphone to come with 5G, and the series is the first on the market with a 5nm chip. The iPhone 12 starts at $799 and is available from Apple now. Price varies based on model. 

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Editor’s note: This gallery is updated with the latest iPhone models.