iPhone

You're viewing the source. Log in to edit.

{| style="width: 100%; border: 2px solid #333; text-align: center;" darkstyle="border-color: #48484a;"
|-
| style="padding: 28px 20px 42px;" |
<div style="font: bold 2em/1.2 -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'SF Pro Display', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: var(--wiki-color); margin-bottom: 0.8em;">iPhone</div>
<span style="color: #555; font-weight: bold;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-muted);">Designed by Apple in California.</span>
|-
| style="padding: 0;" | <div style="max-width: 418px; margin: 5px auto;">![[iphone_lineup.webp]]</div>
|-
| style="padding: 0 20px 16px;" | <div style="color: #666; font-size: 0.82em;">From left: iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air, iPhone 17</div>
|-
| style="background-color: #333; padding: 8px;" | [https://www.apple.com/iphone/ <span style="color: #fff;">Official iPhone site — Apple</span>]
|}

{{Apple Navbox}}
{{iPhone lineup Navbox}}

The iPhone is a line of [[smartphone]]s designed and marketed by [[Apple|Apple]] since 2007. Unveiled by [[Steve Jobs]] as "an iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator" in one device, the [[iPhone (1st generation)|original iPhone]] replaced the industry's keyboards and styluses with a multi-touch screen and, within a few years, made that design the definition of a phone. Nineteen generations later the line spans four current models — the [[iPhone 17]], [[iPhone Air]], [[iPhone 17 Pro]], and [[iPhone 17 Pro Max]], with the [[iPhone 17e]] as its entry point — and stands as one of the most commercially successful products ever made, with cumulative sales in the billions of units.

The iPhone runs [[iOS]], Apple's mobile operating system, and its tight integration of in-house hardware and software became the company's defining method: Apple-designed processors from the [[iPhone 4]]'s A4 onward, Apple GPUs, Neural Engines powering on-device machine learning and [[Apple Intelligence]], and — in the current generation — Apple's own cellular modems and networking silicon. The [[App Store]], introduced with the [[iPhone 3G]], created the modern app economy; Apple Pay, Face ID, and satellite SOS each pushed adjacent industries to follow.

This page surveys the line's history era by era; each model's article covers its generation in depth.

= History =

== 2007–2010: Foundation ==

The [[iPhone (1st generation)|original iPhone]] (2007) established the touchscreen slab; the [[iPhone 3G]] (2008) added 3G, GPS, and the [[App Store]]; the [[iPhone 3GS]] (2009) began the speed-year cadence; and the [[iPhone 4]] (2010) delivered the first redesign — Retina display, the A4 chip, FaceTime, and antennagate. In four years the line went from curiosity to the industry's reference point.

== 2011–2014: Scale ==

The [[iPhone 4s]] (2011) introduced Siri and closed the Jobs era. The [[iPhone 5]] (2012) stretched the screen to four inches and swapped the 30-pin connector for Lightning; the [[iPhone 5c]] and [[iPhone 5s]] (2013) split the lineup into tiers, the 5s adding Touch ID and the first 64-bit phone chip. The [[iPhone 6]] and [[iPhone 6 Plus]] (2014) finally went big — and became the best-selling iPhone generation ever, introducing Apple Pay along the way.

== 2015–2018: Redefinition ==

The [[iPhone 6s]] and [[iPhone 6s Plus]] (2015) brought 3D Touch and Live Photos; the first [[iPhone SE]] (2016) began the budget line; the [[iPhone 7]] and [[iPhone 7 Plus]] (2016) removed the headphone jack and added dual cameras and water resistance. In 2017 the lineup forked: the [[iPhone 8]] and [[iPhone 8 Plus]] refined the classic design while the [[iPhone X]] deleted the Home button, introduced Face ID and OLED, and reset the product's interaction model. The [[iPhone XS]], [[iPhone XS Max]], and [[iPhone XR]] (2018) spread the new design across three tiers — the XR's value formula becoming the world's best-selling phone.

== 2019–2022: The Pro era ==

The [[iPhone 11]], [[iPhone 11 Pro]], and [[iPhone 11 Pro Max]] (2019) named the Pro tier and added Night mode and triple cameras. The [[iPhone 12]] family (2020) — [[iPhone 12 mini|mini]], [[iPhone 12|12]], [[iPhone 12 Pro|Pro]], [[iPhone 12 Pro Max|Pro Max]] — brought the flat redesign, OLED across the line, 5G, and MagSafe. The [[iPhone 13]] generation (2021) fixed batteries and gave the Pros ProMotion ([[iPhone 13 mini]] · [[iPhone 13 Pro]] · [[iPhone 13 Pro Max]]); the [[iPhone 14]] generation (2022) added satellite SOS and Crash Detection, replaced the mini with the [[iPhone 14 Plus]], and gave the [[iPhone 14 Pro]] and [[iPhone 14 Pro Max]] the Dynamic Island and 48-megapixel camera.

== 2023–present: Titanium, AI, and Air ==

The [[iPhone 15]] generation (2023) moved the line to USB-C, with titanium [[iPhone 15 Pro]] and [[iPhone 15 Pro Max]] models introducing the Action Button ([[iPhone 15 Plus]] completing the four). The [[iPhone 16]] family (2024) — [[iPhone 16 Plus]], [[iPhone 16 Pro]], [[iPhone 16 Pro Max]] — was built around [[Apple Intelligence]] and the Camera Control key, joined in early 2025 by the [[iPhone 16e]], which retired the SE line and debuted Apple's first modem. The 2025 generation replaced the Plus with the 5.64 mm [[iPhone Air]] and rebuilt the Pros around vapor-chamber aluminum unibodies ([[iPhone 17]] · [[iPhone 17 Pro]] · [[iPhone 17 Pro Max]]); the [[iPhone 17e]] (2026) extended the annual entry tier. A folding model — the [[iPhone Fold]] — is widely expected to open the line's next chapter.

= Product strategy =

{| style="width: 100%; border: 2px solid #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="border-color: #48484a;"
|-
! style="background-color: #555; color: #fff; padding: 6px;" | Tier
! style="background-color: #555; color: #fff; padding: 6px;" | Current model
! style="background-color: #555; color: #fff; padding: 6px;" | Role
|-
| '''Pro Max''' || [[iPhone 17 Pro Max]] || Flagship: largest display, longest battery, full camera system
|-
| '''Pro''' || [[iPhone 17 Pro]] || Flagship capability at one-hand size
|-
| '''Air''' || [[iPhone Air]] || Design flagship: thinnest and lightest
|-
| '''Base''' || [[iPhone 17]] || The volume iPhone
|-
| '''Prior generation''' || [[iPhone 16]] · [[iPhone 16 Plus]] || Discounted continuation
|-
| '''Entry ("e")''' || [[iPhone 17e]] || Cheapest current iPhone, annual spring refresh
|}

The lineup's modern grammar solidified across the 2019–2024 generations: base models carry the volume with near-flagship cameras; Pro models hold the newest silicon, displays, and optics; the largest model anchors demand and price; and a value tier — [[iPhone XR|XR]]-style number models, then the [[iPhone SE|SE]], now the e-series — guards the entrance. Since the [[iPhone 14]], base models have run one silicon generation behind; since the [[iPhone 16]], every model has met the Apple Intelligence hardware floor.

= Hardware and software =

The iPhone drove, and was driven by, Apple's silicon independence: from licensed cores to custom CPUs ([[iPhone 5]]'s A6), the first 64-bit phone chip ([[iPhone 5s]]), Neural Engines ([[iPhone 8]]/[[iPhone X]]'s A11), 3-nanometer processes ([[iPhone 15 Pro]]'s A17 Pro), and finally Apple's own modems ([[iPhone 16e]]'s C1) and networking chips (the N1 across the 17 generation). Signature hardware — multi-touch, Retina displays, Touch ID, Face ID, MagSafe, ProMotion, the Dynamic Island, satellite radios — repeatedly moved from novelty to industry baseline.

Every iPhone runs [[iOS]], whose annual releases historically supported hardware for five to eight years; the [[iPhone 6s]] and [[iPhone SE]] received updates for a full decade. The platform's software eras — the App Store (2008), iCloud's PC-free devices (2011), iOS 7's redesign (2013), widgets and customization (2020), and Apple Intelligence with the Liquid Glass redesign of iOS 26 (2025) — track the product's own.

= Impact =

The iPhone is regularly ranked among the most influential consumer products of its century: it collapsed the camera, GPS unit, music player, and eventually wallet and car key into one object; its App Store built a multi-trillion-dollar software economy; and its design decisions — capacitive touch, app grids, notches, gesture navigation, the deleted headphone jack — became the industry's, usually within two product cycles. It remains Apple's largest business and the axis around which the company's services, wearables, and silicon strategies turn.

Loading editor…

{| style="width: 100%; border: 2px solid #333; text-align: center;" darkstyle="border-color: #48484a;" |- | style="padding: 28px 20px 42px;" | <div style="font: bold 2em/1.2 -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'SF Pro Display', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: var(--wiki-color); margin-bottom: 0.8em;">iPhone</div> <span style="color: #555; font-weight: bold;" darkstyle="color: var(--wiki-muted);">Designed by Apple in California.</span> |- | style="padding: 0;" | <div style="max-width: 418px; margin: 5px auto;">![[iphone_lineup.webp]]</div> |- | style="padding: 0 20px 16px;" | <div style="color: #666; font-size: 0.82em;">From left: iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air, iPhone 17</div> |- | style="background-color: #333; padding: 8px;" | [https://www.apple.com/iphone/ <span style="color: #fff;">Official iPhone site — Apple</span>] |} {{Apple Navbox}} {{iPhone lineup Navbox}} The iPhone is a line of [[smartphone]]s designed and marketed by [[Apple|Apple]] since 2007. Unveiled by [[Steve Jobs]] as "an iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator" in one device, the [[iPhone (1st generation)|original iPhone]] replaced the industry's keyboards and styluses with a multi-touch screen and, within a few years, made that design the definition of a phone. Nineteen generations later the line spans four current models — the [[iPhone 17]], [[iPhone Air]], [[iPhone 17 Pro]], and [[iPhone 17 Pro Max]], with the [[iPhone 17e]] as its entry point — and stands as one of the most commercially successful products ever made, with cumulative sales in the billions of units. The iPhone runs [[iOS]], Apple's mobile operating system, and its tight integration of in-house hardware and software became the company's defining method: Apple-designed processors from the [[iPhone 4]]'s A4 onward, Apple GPUs, Neural Engines powering on-device machine learning and [[Apple Intelligence]], and — in the current generation — Apple's own cellular modems and networking silicon. The [[App Store]], introduced with the [[iPhone 3G]], created the modern app economy; Apple Pay, Face ID, and satellite SOS each pushed adjacent industries to follow. This page surveys the line's history era by era; each model's article covers its generation in depth. = History = == 2007–2010: Foundation == The [[iPhone (1st generation)|original iPhone]] (2007) established the touchscreen slab; the [[iPhone 3G]] (2008) added 3G, GPS, and the [[App Store]]; the [[iPhone 3GS]] (2009) began the speed-year cadence; and the [[iPhone 4]] (2010) delivered the first redesign — Retina display, the A4 chip, FaceTime, and antennagate. In four years the line went from curiosity to the industry's reference point. == 2011–2014: Scale == The [[iPhone 4s]] (2011) introduced Siri and closed the Jobs era. The [[iPhone 5]] (2012) stretched the screen to four inches and swapped the 30-pin connector for Lightning; the [[iPhone 5c]] and [[iPhone 5s]] (2013) split the lineup into tiers, the 5s adding Touch ID and the first 64-bit phone chip. The [[iPhone 6]] and [[iPhone 6 Plus]] (2014) finally went big — and became the best-selling iPhone generation ever, introducing Apple Pay along the way. == 2015–2018: Redefinition == The [[iPhone 6s]] and [[iPhone 6s Plus]] (2015) brought 3D Touch and Live Photos; the first [[iPhone SE]] (2016) began the budget line; the [[iPhone 7]] and [[iPhone 7 Plus]] (2016) removed the headphone jack and added dual cameras and water resistance. In 2017 the lineup forked: the [[iPhone 8]] and [[iPhone 8 Plus]] refined the classic design while the [[iPhone X]] deleted the Home button, introduced Face ID and OLED, and reset the product's interaction model. The [[iPhone XS]], [[iPhone XS Max]], and [[iPhone XR]] (2018) spread the new design across three tiers — the XR's value formula becoming the world's best-selling phone. == 2019–2022: The Pro era == The [[iPhone 11]], [[iPhone 11 Pro]], and [[iPhone 11 Pro Max]] (2019) named the Pro tier and added Night mode and triple cameras. The [[iPhone 12]] family (2020) — [[iPhone 12 mini|mini]], [[iPhone 12|12]], [[iPhone 12 Pro|Pro]], [[iPhone 12 Pro Max|Pro Max]] — brought the flat redesign, OLED across the line, 5G, and MagSafe. The [[iPhone 13]] generation (2021) fixed batteries and gave the Pros ProMotion ([[iPhone 13 mini]] · [[iPhone 13 Pro]] · [[iPhone 13 Pro Max]]); the [[iPhone 14]] generation (2022) added satellite SOS and Crash Detection, replaced the mini with the [[iPhone 14 Plus]], and gave the [[iPhone 14 Pro]] and [[iPhone 14 Pro Max]] the Dynamic Island and 48-megapixel camera. == 2023–present: Titanium, AI, and Air == The [[iPhone 15]] generation (2023) moved the line to USB-C, with titanium [[iPhone 15 Pro]] and [[iPhone 15 Pro Max]] models introducing the Action Button ([[iPhone 15 Plus]] completing the four). The [[iPhone 16]] family (2024) — [[iPhone 16 Plus]], [[iPhone 16 Pro]], [[iPhone 16 Pro Max]] — was built around [[Apple Intelligence]] and the Camera Control key, joined in early 2025 by the [[iPhone 16e]], which retired the SE line and debuted Apple's first modem. The 2025 generation replaced the Plus with the 5.64 mm [[iPhone Air]] and rebuilt the Pros around vapor-chamber aluminum unibodies ([[iPhone 17]] · [[iPhone 17 Pro]] · [[iPhone 17 Pro Max]]); the [[iPhone 17e]] (2026) extended the annual entry tier. A folding model — the [[iPhone Fold]] — is widely expected to open the line's next chapter. = Product strategy = {| style="width: 100%; border: 2px solid #555; text-align: left;" darkstyle="border-color: #48484a;" |- ! style="background-color: #555; color: #fff; padding: 6px;" | Tier ! style="background-color: #555; color: #fff; padding: 6px;" | Current model ! style="background-color: #555; color: #fff; padding: 6px;" | Role |- | '''Pro Max''' || [[iPhone 17 Pro Max]] || Flagship: largest display, longest battery, full camera system |- | '''Pro''' || [[iPhone 17 Pro]] || Flagship capability at one-hand size |- | '''Air''' || [[iPhone Air]] || Design flagship: thinnest and lightest |- | '''Base''' || [[iPhone 17]] || The volume iPhone |- | '''Prior generation''' || [[iPhone 16]] · [[iPhone 16 Plus]] || Discounted continuation |- | '''Entry ("e")''' || [[iPhone 17e]] || Cheapest current iPhone, annual spring refresh |} The lineup's modern grammar solidified across the 2019–2024 generations: base models carry the volume with near-flagship cameras; Pro models hold the newest silicon, displays, and optics; the largest model anchors demand and price; and a value tier — [[iPhone XR|XR]]-style number models, then the [[iPhone SE|SE]], now the e-series — guards the entrance. Since the [[iPhone 14]], base models have run one silicon generation behind; since the [[iPhone 16]], every model has met the Apple Intelligence hardware floor. = Hardware and software = The iPhone drove, and was driven by, Apple's silicon independence: from licensed cores to custom CPUs ([[iPhone 5]]'s A6), the first 64-bit phone chip ([[iPhone 5s]]), Neural Engines ([[iPhone 8]]/[[iPhone X]]'s A11), 3-nanometer processes ([[iPhone 15 Pro]]'s A17 Pro), and finally Apple's own modems ([[iPhone 16e]]'s C1) and networking chips (the N1 across the 17 generation). Signature hardware — multi-touch, Retina displays, Touch ID, Face ID, MagSafe, ProMotion, the Dynamic Island, satellite radios — repeatedly moved from novelty to industry baseline. Every iPhone runs [[iOS]], whose annual releases historically supported hardware for five to eight years; the [[iPhone 6s]] and [[iPhone SE]] received updates for a full decade. The platform's software eras — the App Store (2008), iCloud's PC-free devices (2011), iOS 7's redesign (2013), widgets and customization (2020), and Apple Intelligence with the Liquid Glass redesign of iOS 26 (2025) — track the product's own. = Impact = The iPhone is regularly ranked among the most influential consumer products of its century: it collapsed the camera, GPS unit, music player, and eventually wallet and car key into one object; its App Store built a multi-trillion-dollar software economy; and its design decisions — capacitive touch, app grids, notches, gesture navigation, the deleted headphone jack — became the industry's, usually within two product cycles. It remains Apple's largest business and the axis around which the company's services, wearables, and silicon strategies turn.