So every year about this time we’re all inundated with critiques of the new iPhone and in particular the camera. Though it makes sense to me to compare the camera on the 14 pro to the one on the 13 pro or to the most recent Pixel or Samsung or [insert high-end phone here], I also enjoy looking at how the cameras have improved over the years.
So I’ve combed through my Photos library, comparing shots from different generations of iPhone. I thought I’d share some here. I’ve selected an outdoor shot, an indoor shot, and a low-light shot for each of the seven iPhone models I’ve owned. I tried to find “indoor” shots that were just lit by indoor lighting, but if I couldn’t find a decent one I would use one that was indoors but lit by filtered outdoor light.
In each category, I’m showing photos from, in order:
iPhone 2G
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4S
iPhone 5c (i.e. iPhone 5)
iPhone SE 2016 (i.e. iPhone 5S)
iPhone SE 2020 (i.e. iPhone 8)
iPhone 13 mini
EDIT: user @legomite points out below that the SE 2016 camera was in fact the 6S camera, and not the 5S.
Here we go!
OUTDOOR SHOTS







INDOOR SHOTS







LOW-LIGHT SHOTS







So I’ve combed through my Photos library, comparing shots from different generations of iPhone. I thought I’d share some here. I’ve selected an outdoor shot, an indoor shot, and a low-light shot for each of the seven iPhone models I’ve owned. I tried to find “indoor” shots that were just lit by indoor lighting, but if I couldn’t find a decent one I would use one that was indoors but lit by filtered outdoor light.
In each category, I’m showing photos from, in order:
iPhone 2G
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4S
iPhone 5c (i.e. iPhone 5)
iPhone SE 2016 (i.e. iPhone 5S)
iPhone SE 2020 (i.e. iPhone 8)
iPhone 13 mini
EDIT: user @legomite points out below that the SE 2016 camera was in fact the 6S camera, and not the 5S.
Here we go!
OUTDOOR SHOTS







INDOOR SHOTS







LOW-LIGHT SHOTS







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