Every iPhone Generation: A Full History of Release Dates

The Apple iPhone is 1 of the astir innovative inventions of the 21st century. To date, implicit 2.3 cardinal iPhones person been sold crossed the world. It's arguably 1 of the astir revolutionary devices ever created. With 18 years since the archetypal iPhone, it tin beryllium casual to get mislaid reasoning astir however galore iPhone generations determination person been. Apple released aggregate iPhone lines successful immoderate years, and each twelvemonth caller phones are released regardless. Below, we've compiled each iPhone ever released successful chronological order. With the latest iPhone being the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, there's an extended past to uncover from 2007 to 2025.

• iPhone Release History
• Upcoming iPhones

Previous Generation iPhones

How Many iPhone Generations Have There Been?

In total, determination person been 26 antithetic iPhone generations. The archetypal iPhone debuted successful 2007, and astatine slightest 1 caller exemplary has been released successful each twelvemonth following. This database counts abstracted models similar the Plus oregon Max bid with the mainline iPhone generation, but we did see caller models similar the iPhone SE 2, the iPhone XR, and the caller iPhone Air arsenic abstracted entries.

Every iPhone Generation successful Order of Release

iPhone - June 29, 2007

The revolutionary archetypal iPhone was released connected June 29, 2007. Revealed arsenic a instrumentality that was susceptible of iPod, Phone, and Internet functionalities, the iPhone marked the ample archetypal measurement successful the smartphone marketplace we cognize today. Apple made a immense departure from accepted compartment phones, choosing to destruct the keyboard and connection a integer enactment wrong the screen. With its 3.5-inch show and 2 megapixel embedded camera, the iPhone is simply a amusive instrumentality to look backmost connected arsenic it changed the satellite of exertion forever.

iPhone 3G - July 11, 2008

Image Credit: Cult of Mac

The 2nd iPhone ever released was the iPhone 3G. This instrumentality brought 3G functionality to the iPhone, allowing for overmuch faster speeds erstwhile utilizing cellular data. Additionally, this iPhone was the archetypal to see the Apple App Store, which opened the doorway to developers creating applications for mobile phones.

iPhone 3GS - June 19, 2009

iPhone 3GS was the archetypal iPhone to present a camera upgrade, with a caller 3 megapixel camera connected the backmost of the phone. This allowed for clearer pictures, further moving the smartphone into replacing accepted cameras. Additionally, caller retention options were introduced to let users to download much apps connected the App Store. Performance wide was besides claimed to beryllium doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic the iPhone 3G.

iPhone 4 - June 24, 2010

FaceTime was the prima of the iPhone 4, allowing for users to video telephone betwixt devices from immoderate fixed location. iPhone 4 featured a 5 megapixel camera, allowing for HD video seizure for the archetypal time. This camera besides included an LED flash, which had not antecedently been disposable connected the iPhone. Alongside these features, the iPhone 4 offered Apple's archetypal Retina display, which sharpened the show to marque substance overmuch much readable.

iPhone 4S - October 14, 2011

Most notably, the iPhone 4S is champion known for the debut of Siri. The virtual adjunct has gone connected to beryllium a staple of the Apple ecosystem, and it each started here. The iPhone 4S besides featured 1080p video capture, acknowledgment to its 8 megapixel onboard camera. Other large bundle similar iCloud, iMessage, and much made their debut present connected the iPhone 4S.

iPhone 5 - September 21, 2012

iPhone 5 was the archetypal iPhone to enactment LTE technology, which created opportunities for ample tasks and contented to beryllium disposable connected cellular data. Audio was besides a large focus, with caller microphones added for crystal wide audio crossed some calls and FaceTime. This instrumentality was besides the archetypal iPhone to diagnostic the Lightning port, a ample departure from the erstwhile 30-pin adapter.

iPhone 5S - September 20, 2013

The iPhone 5S marked the archetypal quality of Touch ID, a caller exertion that allowed you to unlock your iPhone by holding your digit against the location button. This became a staple successful each aboriginal models up until the iPhone X. Alongside this feature, the iPhone 5S packed successful the A7 processor and caller camera technologies.

iPhone 5C - September 20, 2013

The iPhone 5C was Apple's archetypal fund conscious iPhone. Released alongside the iPhone 5S, the 5C was made disposable successful vibrant colors that caught the attraction of anyone passing by. Internally, the instrumentality utilizing the aforesaid hardware arsenic the iPhone 5 from 2012, truthful Apple was capable to connection the 5C astatine a lower, much approachable price, making it 1 of the cheapest iPhones.

iPhone 6 - September 19, 2014

The iPhone 6 took a departure from the boxy plan antecedently seen successful the past 3 generations and offered a slimmed retired instrumentality cleanable for immoderate pocket. Arguably, the biggest diagnostic of the iPhone 6 was nary different than Apple Pay, which was powered by NFC exertion embedded wrong the phone. This was besides the archetypal iPhone procreation to present aggregate models, with the iPhone 6 Plus offering a larger 5.5 inch screen.

iPhone 6S - September 25, 2015

The flagship diagnostic of the iPhone 6S was 3D Touch, a exertion that allowed the surface of the instrumentality to measurement and instrumentality successful antithetic amounts of pressure. This allowed for aggregate commands depending connected however firmly you pressed against the screen, which led to caller gestures each around. Additionally, the iPhone 6S was the archetypal iPhone to person 4K video capabilities, which paved the mode for iPhone to beryllium utilized for filming.

iPhone SE - March 31, 2016

The iPhone SE (Special Edition) brought backmost the assemblage benignant of the iPhone 5S and packed it with new, updated features. Capabilities from the iPhone 6S specified arsenic 4K video were included connected the SE, offering a prime and compact enactment astatine a little terms point. This marked the archetypal iPhone SE, with 2 much generations produced successful the years pursuing 2016.

iPhone 7 - September 16, 2016

iPhone 7 launched successful Fall 2016 with a immense arguable twist - Apple decided to region the headphone jack. This determination shifted audio to either Bluetooth oregon done the Lightning port. This procreation besides added h2o absorption to the iPhone, successful summation to a sturdy location fastener that utilized Apple's Taptic Engine for haptic feedback. Lastly, the iPhone 7 Plus was the archetypal iPhone to connection a dual camera system.

iPhone 8 - September 22, 2017

iPhone 8 was mostly the aforesaid plan arsenic the iPhone 7, with a fewer coagulated improvements to assistance the instrumentality basal out. First, wireless charging was added with a solid sheet placed connected the backmost of the iPhone. For the archetypal time, you did not request to complaint the telephone done the Lightning port. Further, the iPhone 8 was the archetypal telephone to present the True Tone display. This show changes the colors and brightness of your instrumentality depending connected your biology surroundings.

iPhone X - November 3, 2017

The iPhone X was a immense departure from anterior models, serving arsenic the company's imaginativeness 10 years aft the merchandise of the archetypal iPhone. The instrumentality made distant with the location button, opting for a telephone made wholly of conscionable screen. New facial designation exertion called Face ID was revealed, which allowed users to unlock the iPhone X by straight looking astatine it. The iPhone X shaped each models that released aft it, with each caller iPhone utilizing a akin show and Face ID tech.

iPhone XS - September 21, 2018

The iPhone XS was a minimal betterment implicit the iPhone X, but determination are immoderate decent upgrades that aboriginal models benefitted from. Water absorption A mostly overlooked caller diagnostic successful the iPhone XS was the summation of a dual-SIM tray. This opened up the quality to load aggregate SIM cards into 1 iPhone, which was a godsend for travelers overseas.

iPhone XR - October 26, 2018

The iPhone XR acted arsenic 2018's fund affable iPhone model. This instrumentality utilized a LCD show alternatively of the OLED show recovered connected the iPhone X and iPhone XS. It besides included lone 1 camera connected the back, akin to iPhone 8. Overall, the iPhone XR offered a akin acquisition to the premium iPhone X and iPhone XS astatine an affordable terms point.

iPhone 11 - September 20, 2019

iPhone 11 accrued the modular surface size crossed basal models to 6.1 inches, moving from a Super Retina show to a Liquid Retina display. The instrumentality besides opted for an Ultra Wide camera implicit the Telephoto camera recovered successful anterior dual camera models. The iPhone 11 was besides the archetypal procreation to connection Pro models, which contained Super Retina displays, a triple camera setup, and HDR support.

iPhone SE (2nd Gen) - April 24, 2020

The iPhone SE 2 was a ample betterment implicit the archetypal SE model, with a caller A13 Bionic spot that drastically improved performance. The surface size accrued from 4 inches to 4.7 inches, with a True Tone show to connection the champion representation prime nary substance your environment. Additionally, Haptic Touch was added to the iPhone SE 2, arsenic it was not contiguous connected the archetypal model.

iPhone 12 - October 23, 2020

The iPhone 12 introduced MagSafe, a diagnostic that allowed definite chargers and accessories to magnetically link to the backmost of the iPhone. The basal models received the Super Retina XDR display, providing a gorgeous OLED sheet astatine an affordable price. iPhone 12 besides added a Ceramic Shield, which proved to beryllium tougher than solid and overmuch much durable implicit time.

iPhone 13 - September 24, 2021

iPhone 13 brought monolithic leaps successful artillery life, with up to 19 hours of video playback. New features for photography were besides introduced, similar Cinematic Mode, which automatically focused connected objects for cleanable transitions each time. The iPhone 13 Pro models featured ProRes video, a benignant of seizure that allowed for earthy 4K30 videos.

Apple iPhone 13 (Unlocked)

iPhone SE (3rd Gen) - March 18, 2022

Released successful the Spring of 2022, iPhone SE 3 brought backmost the location fastener for the archetypal clip successful 5 years. Additionally, this exemplary included 5G connectivity to instrumentality vantage of the caller 5G towers that began popping up successful 2021. Many of the photography features that were released successful betwixt the SE 2 and SE 3 were added to this model, including Night Mode, Photographic Styles, and more.

Now that Apple has released the iPhone 16e successful spot of the SE successful 2025, this is apt the past procreation iPhone SE we'll see.

Apple iPhone SE 3rd Gen (Unlocked)

iPhone 14 - September 16, 2022

iPhone 14 brought caller features similar Emergency SOS, which utilizes Satellite connectivity to scope effect teams successful the lawsuit of an emergency. Additionally, the camera strategy crossed each models received sizable upgrades, specified arsenic improved ultrawide and zoom lenses. This procreation besides marked the instrumentality of the Plus model, a modular iPhone 14 with a larger screen.

Apple iPhone 14

iPhone 15 - September 22, 2023

The erstwhile iPhone procreation is present the iPhone 15. Similar to the iPhone 14, a standard, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max exemplary are each disposable to purchase. The biggest changes with this procreation mostly hap with the Pro models, with a caller lens, titanium frame, and enactment fastener to regenerate to mute switch. Of course, by acold the biggest alteration is the power from Lightning to USB-C, which was made owed to caller EU regulations.

Apple iPhone 15 (Unlocked)

iPhone 16 - September 20, 2024

Apple officially revealed the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max backmost successful September 2024. The biggest updates to the latest procreation iPhone are faster CPU performance, a customizable enactment button, and the integration of Apple Intelligence.

In our reappraisal of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Prom Max, we elaborate each of the differences the latest phones received implicit the past generation.

Apple iPhone 16 (Unlocked)

iPhone 16e - February 28, 2025

Apple has revealed the caller iPhone 16e, announcing that would regenerate the outdated iPhone SE enactment from 2022. As the cheapest caller iPhone, it comes with a terms tag of $599, which is lone $200 little than the modular iPhone 16. It's the archetypal telephone to diagnostic Apple's C1 cellular modem, which we haven't had the accidental to trial conscionable yet.

Apple iPhone 16e (Unlocked)

iPhone 17 - September 19, 2025

The September Apple lawsuit has conscionable revealed the latest iPhone 17 phones, each of which volition beryllium disposable starting connected September 19. The biggest updates this twelvemonth came to the iPhone Pro models, which present see a vapor enclosure welded into the chassis to assistance dissipate heat. All 3 cameras connected the Pro are "Fusion cameras" and the main lens includes a 48MP telephoto. The iPhone 17 is priced astatine $799 and the Pro starts astatine $1,099. There is nary iPhone Plus this procreation arsenic it has been replaced with the caller iPhone Air.

iPhone Air - September 19, 2025

Although it was announced alongside the iPhone 17 models, the iPhone Air is simply a caller procreation of Apple telephone that we've breached retired separately. The iPhone Air is eSIM-only and is capable to acceptable successful a artillery that supposedly supports all-day artillery beingness acknowledgment to the other room. Inside the telephone is the A19 Pro, which volition let 'MacBook Pro level performance' according to Apple. With a 6.5 inch show and backmost solid that is much resistant to shattering, this caller telephone is being promoted arsenic the astir durable iPhone yet. It's disposable to preorder starting connected September 12 for $999.

When Is the iPhone 17 Coming Out?

The latest iPhone models are present disposable for preorder and volition beryllium officially released connected September 19, 2025. This includes the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro models, and the caller iPhone Air.

As for the adjacent procreation of phones, we tin apt expect an iPhone 17e exemplary to get somtime aboriginal adjacent year. The 16e was released during Apple's February lawsuit this year, truthful it volition apt travel a akin pattern.

Noah Hunter is simply a freelance writer and reviewer with a passionateness for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused connected nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to assorted publishers penning astir the medium. His favourite bid see Xeno and Final Fantasy.