Personal favourite iPhone Generation from a nostalgic/life experience POV

iPhone 4. It was the first phone I had owned that did everything I needed, and well.
I'd had plenty of mobiles up to that point but none had the excellent build quality, camera, features, and smooth operation that phone had. I was extremely happy with it for two whole years. No upgrade itch and no problems. To this day it remains my favourite phone.

Iphone 3g in all its black greatness. It was the baddest phone around and it was still a rare sight at that time. It got me through the wait time between classes the first semester of college.
Unfortunately it got stolen#

It's pretty simple for me. My favorite phone was my 4S. It was my first iPhone and my intro into the smartphone world. It's funny because it was Nov 2011, and the 4S had recently come out. My mom wanted me to get a smartphone (at the time I claimed I didnt have any use for one). I originally went into Verizon and got a white iPhone 4. I took it home, played with it, loved it, but then after a few days I was like, what the hell, why didnt I get the fastest most current iteration of the iPhone?

So back I went to Verizon and returned it in hopes they would have a white 4S in stock. They didnt. It was around the holidays and they were practically out of stock everywhere. So I had to have it shipped to me at my place in Los Angeles (I ordered it at home in Ohio). About a week or so rolled by and my iPhone arrived. I came home from work and saw it standing in front of my apt door. I remember how excited I was. Having the iPhone 4 and then returning it was such a tease for me. I had to go back to my LG flip phone until my 4S came. I opened the box, carefully placed it in into the case I had for the 4, booted it up and fell in love.

I noticed immediately how much faster the 4S was over the 4, and the camera was so much better. I was so happy that I had returned the 4 for the 4S. And since then it's been all iPhone. Had the 4S, had the 5S, spent some time on a 4, and now on the 6. The 6 is so fast, and I love the bigger screen, but the 4S will always be my most coveted.

Probably not really the purpose of the thread, but I think the iPhone 4/4s with iOS6 was the "golden age" of iPhones, aesthetically speaking. That's my favourite iPhone generation I'd say.

From a looks perspective, The 4 and 5 are smashing, the 6 is too thin. I never saw an iPhone 3 or earlier but I would probably be impressed.

I will not sell the iPhone 4 gens and the 5 that I have.

I've had the 3GS,4 and 5..

This is a hard one.

The 3GS will hold a special place as it was first, I got it in September 2012 and it was a nice phone, but the battery wasn't in great shape.

However I really liked the iPhone 4 that I got after it. I got the 4 in April 2013, and had it till April 2013. I had literally no issues with that phone. It had great battery life, a great solid feel, it ran iOS 6 well, and iOS 7 perfectly acceptably. The 4 always felt premium and was one of those 'unreachable things' when it was released while I was getting towards the end of high school, so when I got it(despite being considered old at that stage) it was pretty amazing.

My current iPhone 5 is nice, but the battery life isn't as nice as the 4 and its just different.

Holding the iPhone 6 in my hand, I still long for the same processing power and apps compatibility in my iPhone 4s. Would have loved to have a powerhouse packed iPhone 4s.

mangywarez said:

Holding the iPhone 6 in my hand, I still long for the same processing power and apps compatibility in my iPhone 4s. Would have loved to have a powerhouse packed iPhone 4s.

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I would love a 3.5 or 4 inch A8 iPhone.. both were good screen sizes.

It's hard to decide between the 3G and the 4.

The 3G was my first iPhone and first real smartphone. So I have sentimental feelings attached to it. However the 4 was more polished and stable than the 3 and the retina display was a revelation in its day.

For me, it would be the iPhone 4. I camped overnight to get one for me and my wife. It was sleek, fast, and did everything I needed it to.

Purely emotionally? The iPhone 4 and/or 4S (they weren't awfully different). It was a huge leap forward in design and function. My iPhone 6s are much better, more useful phones, but I have a warm spot for the 4S.

My personal favorite iPhone to date has been the iPhone 5s. I absolutely love the device.

The original has a special place, but the 5s is still my favorite...

However the iPhone 6 is really growing on me. I like the screen size. The antenna bands have really grown on me and I can't imagine the phone without them now. However the protruding camera is still an issue for me.

I'd say it would be the 3GS (remarkable performance during its time), 4 (iconic design) and the 5s (the last iPhone-ish looking of all iPhones).

The 6/6+ designs have deviated so far from the rest of the previous iPhones.

I would say iPhone 6 because I got my 6 in the mail at 11:12am on launch day. That really made me so happy.

Also great thread OP.

The 4.

It was such a quantum leap from what the 3GS was....it was a Bob Beamon jump in smart phone technology.

Since then I think the market has gotten a bit jaded. Every release seems incremental and a lot of the features 'gimmicky'...but the 4 was SO good.

It's between the 3G and the 4.

When I first saw a coworker using the iPhone 3G and later went to buy one myself, it totally blew me away. Made me go from "what's the purpose of a smartphone" to "oh my god, full internet websites in my hands plus an iPod".

But then when I saw how beautiful and sleek the design of the iPhone 4 was along with its gorgeous retina display, I felt like I just HAD to have it. I had no interest in the 3GS the year prior, but the iPhone 4 was incredible.

iPhone 4 followed by the original 2G.

I think mine has to be the iPhone 5. The chamfered edges (even though they were the most scratch prone surface on the planet) and the whole aesthetic of the device made it feel really premium. It also ran iOS more smoothly than any device I've ever owned, seriously overpowered at the time for iOS 6.

The iPhone 2G. My last year of high school, the first year of college, and then the year that followed.

iPhone 4/4S. That stainless steel + glass front and back combination was (and still is) legendary. The GSM iPhone 4 had only three antenna bands which provided better structural integrity than the CDMA version and the 4S, which both had four bands.

But overall I prefer the symmetrical appearance of the latter, because the redesigned antenna layoutmeant an uninterrupted steel surface along top edge, and also better reception. And you can't help but love that ambiguous grille design down the bottom, which mislead many people into thinking it had stereo speakers!



Nostalgic part: the design was also the last to be released under Steve Jobs-era Apple, which I consider to be the last "true" iPhone. Newer generations, although retaining the general design and are excellent devices, just don't feel the same

Nothing can replace the dense, solid feel of stainless steel and the scratch resistance of glass. Fun fact: the iPhone 6 Plus is the only iPhone that's heavier than the 4S.

The 4 was my first. I had a Droid before that. Really no comparison between the two. The iPhone 4 was just special. The 5 was better and the 6 is the best, but the 4 will always be most nostalgic to me.

vantt1 said:

Nostalgic part: the design was also the last to be released under Steve Jobs-era Apple, which I consider to be the last "true" iPhone. Newer generations, although retaining the general design and are excellent devices, just don't feel the same

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Yes to that. I haven't tried to tally up the posts, but I think the 4/4S are probably leading the pack here.

yjchua95 said:

I'd say it would be the 3GS (remarkable performance during its time), 4 (iconic design) and the 5s (the last iPhone-ish looking of all iPhones).

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I agree. The iPhone 3Gs was a great phone. It was fast and great to hold. My 4s was pretty damn nice too, but it didn't hold my interest as long as the previous models. Maybe my attention span is just getting shorter.

The 6/6+ designs have deviated so far from the rest of the previous iPhones.

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The rounded edges and mostly aluminum back on the 6/6+ really remind me of the original iPhone.