There is absolutely no rationale to update every year… but I did. I’ve owned every generation.
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Other Since the iPhone first launched how many iPhones have you owned?, What was your favourite iphone & Did you have any regret buys!
- Thread starter Marty80
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I have a problem 😅🥹
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone Xr
iPhone 13
That's in chronological order.
My order of most to least favorite is as follows:
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone 13
iPhone Xr
iPhone 7 Plus
My 6s Plus stayed on iOS 9 and was my all-time favorite iPhone, let alone smartphone, let alone phone.
My 13 has been fairly reliable considering I got it with iOS 16 and it has since been upgraded to iOS 17, neither of which have been the most stable iOS versions. But, definitely there haven't been any hardware glitches or issues with it.
My iPhone Xr was an okay phone; I just hated its camera, especially coming from the 7 Plus. That and there was a glitch that, after a DFU wipe, persisted (which, in Apple's eyes meant it was a defective iPhone). So, not my favorite phone.
My iPhone 7 Plus had iOS 11 when I bought it new. iOS 11 might've been one of the single worst iOS releases. On top of that, my phone had a number of messed up glitches and things that seemed to obviously be hardware related. I used it as part of a trade-in when buying my iPhone 13 (I had forgotten to do that when I got my Xr). I only got $60 back for it, but I was only too happy to have Apple pay me that money to destroy such a horrible iPhone. Coming from the 6s Plus, it was a night and day worse experience. I regret not buying an iPhone 8 Plus instead. I do miss the 5.5" Plus form factor.
My iPhones through the ages:
iPhone 3G
My first iPhone. Took it over from my dad when he ended up not being able to figure out how to use it and went back to his Nokia symbian phone.
⭐️ iPhone 3GS
Now I was hooked, and bought my first iPhone myself. Bought the white model, and had to have it replaced twice, due to the cracks in the white paint on the back. But wow it was delicious.
iPhone 4
Super nice design. But I remember I thought it was too heavy and felt bad in the hand compared to my 3GS, so I sold it after a few months and went back to the 3GS (a new one in black)
iPhone 4S
The 3GS was eventually outdated, so now I switched to the 4S. I learned to live with the design.
iPhone 5
Bought it when it came out. So much better design than 4S. Thinner, lighter, and larger screen, and 4G
iPhone 5S
Bought it a few months after release. Super cool that you could now unlock your iPhone with a fingerprint - as I recall, I actually never had a code on my iPhones before TouchID was introduced. I remember hating iOS 7.
iPhone 5C
A few months before the release of the iPhone 6, I wanted to try the 5C before I had to switch to the next top model. Even though it was plastic, it was pretty well put together. But never really became a fan of it. It was sold when the 6 arrived.
iPhone 6
I remember I thought it was huge at the time, but learned to like the size. Thought the back of the iPhone 6 was one of the ugliest. Really not nicely designed, with platik antenna bands across, and then it seemed so thin and frail - maybe also spurred on by bend-gate.
iPhone 6S
Never became a fan of the 6/6S series design. But remember that the 6S was more robust, and thought 3D Touch was smart.
iPhone 8
After the iPhone 6, 6S, 7 (which I skipped), I found the iPhone 8's design a bit boring. But bought it because I loved being able to charge wirelessly and at the time thought the iPhone X was way too expensive.
⭐️ iPhone 11 Pro
Probably my favorite of all my iPhones. It lay very well in the hand. Loved the matte back, and the size - and FaceID. My first iPhone with FaceID. I miss it.
iPhone 12 Mini
Bought it because I like small phones in general (I'm from the time when phones had to be as small as possible) - but never really liked it. Although it had the same powers as the 12 Pro, it seemed like a light version.
iPhone 12
The small screen and rather poor battery life made me, after a few months with the 12 mini, switch to the normal iPhone 12. Nice phone.
iPhone 13 Mini
I obviously hadn't learned anything, so I bought a 13 Mini. I ended up being happy with it, unlike the 12 mini. It was tweaked a bit here and there, but the battery life was still a bit poor.
iPhone 15 Pro
Didn't think the iPhone 14 series made sense, since it (apart from the Pro series) was almost identical to the 13 series, so I went for a 15 Pro when it came out, which I just sold while I can still get a good price, before 16 series is published.
iPhone 15
My carrier had a good offer on the iPhone 15, so after I sold my 15 Pro, I bought an iPhone 15 in black. It's my absent phone, which I plan to keep until January, when I think the most bugs in the iPhone 16 Pro have been fixed.. Compared to the iPhone 15 Pro, I love that the 15 is lighter and the battery life seems better.
iPhone 3G
My first iPhone. Took it over from my dad when he ended up not being able to figure out how to use it and went back to his Nokia symbian phone.
⭐️ iPhone 3GS
Now I was hooked, and bought my first iPhone myself. Bought the white model, and had to have it replaced twice, due to the cracks in the white paint on the back. But wow it was delicious.
iPhone 4
Super nice design. But I remember I thought it was too heavy and felt bad in the hand compared to my 3GS, so I sold it after a few months and went back to the 3GS (a new one in black)
iPhone 4S
The 3GS was eventually outdated, so now I switched to the 4S. I learned to live with the design.
iPhone 5
Bought it when it came out. So much better design than 4S. Thinner, lighter, and larger screen, and 4G
iPhone 5S
Bought it a few months after release. Super cool that you could now unlock your iPhone with a fingerprint - as I recall, I actually never had a code on my iPhones before TouchID was introduced. I remember hating iOS 7.
iPhone 5C
A few months before the release of the iPhone 6, I wanted to try the 5C before I had to switch to the next top model. Even though it was plastic, it was pretty well put together. But never really became a fan of it. It was sold when the 6 arrived.
iPhone 6
I remember I thought it was huge at the time, but learned to like the size. Thought the back of the iPhone 6 was one of the ugliest. Really not nicely designed, with platik antenna bands across, and then it seemed so thin and frail - maybe also spurred on by bend-gate.
iPhone 6S
Never became a fan of the 6/6S series design. But remember that the 6S was more robust, and thought 3D Touch was smart.
iPhone 8
After the iPhone 6, 6S, 7 (which I skipped), I found the iPhone 8's design a bit boring. But bought it because I loved being able to charge wirelessly and at the time thought the iPhone X was way too expensive.
⭐️ iPhone 11 Pro
Probably my favorite of all my iPhones. It lay very well in the hand. Loved the matte back, and the size - and FaceID. My first iPhone with FaceID. I miss it.
iPhone 12 Mini
Bought it because I like small phones in general (I'm from the time when phones had to be as small as possible) - but never really liked it. Although it had the same powers as the 12 Pro, it seemed like a light version.
iPhone 12
The small screen and rather poor battery life made me, after a few months with the 12 mini, switch to the normal iPhone 12. Nice phone.
iPhone 13 Mini
I obviously hadn't learned anything, so I bought a 13 Mini. I ended up being happy with it, unlike the 12 mini. It was tweaked a bit here and there, but the battery life was still a bit poor.
iPhone 15 Pro
Didn't think the iPhone 14 series made sense, since it (apart from the Pro series) was almost identical to the 13 series, so I went for a 15 Pro when it came out, which I just sold while I can still get a good price, before 16 series is published.
iPhone 15
My carrier had a good offer on the iPhone 15, so after I sold my 15 Pro, I bought an iPhone 15 in black. It's my absent phone, which I plan to keep until January, when I think the most bugs in the iPhone 16 Pro have been fixed.. Compared to the iPhone 15 Pro, I love that the 15 is lighter and the battery life seems better.
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Every single flagship iPhone, except iPhone 15 series:
Original iPhone
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4
iPhone 4s
iPhone 5
iPhone 5s
iPhone 6
iPhone 6s
iPhone 7
iPhone X
iPhone XS
iPhone 11
iPhone 12
iPhone 13
iPhone 14
Who else remembers the most scandalous high-profile leak in tech history? I'm talking about Gizmodo leaking iPhone 4 months before its official announcement. They leaked so much, there was nothing left for Apple to unveil. Every photo, video of the device, every detail, spec, even its teardown was published on Gizmodo months before Apple's event. Escándalo!
Original iPhone
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4
iPhone 4s
iPhone 5
iPhone 5s
iPhone 6
iPhone 6s
iPhone 7
iPhone X
iPhone XS
iPhone 11
iPhone 12
iPhone 13
iPhone 14
Who else remembers the most scandalous high-profile leak in tech history? I'm talking about Gizmodo leaking iPhone 4 months before its official announcement. They leaked so much, there was nothing left for Apple to unveil. Every photo, video of the device, every detail, spec, even its teardown was published on Gizmodo months before Apple's event. Escándalo!
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Original - no case
3g - no case
3gs- no case
4 - free Apple bumper
4s - no case
5 - no case
6 - case
8 Plus - case
X - case
12 Pro (excellent blue) - no case
13 Pro (loved the green) - no case
14 Pro Max (dig the purple) - no case
3g - no case
3gs- no case
4 - free Apple bumper
4s - no case
5 - no case
6 - case
8 Plus - case
X - case
12 Pro (excellent blue) - no case
13 Pro (loved the green) - no case
14 Pro Max (dig the purple) - no case
3GS - Funky design with a white back. It was very small though.
4S - Siri was pretty cool when it debuted on this phone. It felt like the future. Still tiny.
5S - Hands down best looking Apple phone and the best space gray. Rubbish camera. Little bigger.
6Splus - Big screen, far more powerful than 6plus and no bendgate. Real workhorse of a phone.
XSMax - Nice all-round phone. FaceID was great. Average-solid cameras.
13ProMax - Decent cameras, great battery. Promotion. Bigger screen than XSMax but will literally pull your pants down!
and soon the 16PM - I guess the better cameras, thermals, battery and bigger screen (along with AI) will be the best points of this phone.
4S - Siri was pretty cool when it debuted on this phone. It felt like the future. Still tiny.
5S - Hands down best looking Apple phone and the best space gray. Rubbish camera. Little bigger.
6Splus - Big screen, far more powerful than 6plus and no bendgate. Real workhorse of a phone.
XSMax - Nice all-round phone. FaceID was great. Average-solid cameras.
13ProMax - Decent cameras, great battery. Promotion. Bigger screen than XSMax but will literally pull your pants down!
and soon the 16PM - I guess the better cameras, thermals, battery and bigger screen (along with AI) will be the best points of this phone.
iPhone OG
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4
iPhone 4S
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
iPhone 6s (2nd favorite)
iPhone X (favorite)
iPhone 12
iPhone 14 Pro
The 14 Pro is great, just not my favorite design. I wish it had chamfered edges like the 5 and it’s a bit chonky. Feature-wise it is excellent.
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4
iPhone 4S
iPhone 5
iPhone 6
iPhone 6s (2nd favorite)
iPhone X (favorite)
iPhone 12
iPhone 14 Pro
The 14 Pro is great, just not my favorite design. I wish it had chamfered edges like the 5 and it’s a bit chonky. Feature-wise it is excellent.
iPhone 3Gs Black
iPhone 4 White
iPhone 5 Black
iPhone 6 Space Grey
iPhone X Space Grey
iPhone 12 Pro Max Silver
iPhone 13 Pro Max Space Grey
iPhone 15 Pro Max White Titanium
For me the worst of all has been the iPhone 5 and 13 Pro Max.
The iPhone 5 I regretted not buying white instead of black, because I had a lot of problems with the finish. At that time Android phones started to grow and if you compared it to the Sony Xperia Z or the HTC One M7... it looked kind of ridiculous. The change from the 5s to the 5s was impressive on a technical level, which made it feel “obsolete” in just a year.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max, being a good phone in general terms, the camera seems to me the worst of all the ones I've had, if you compare it with its Android contemporaries. The processing is terrible, it washes out images excessively and always did weird things (didn't just happen on my unit, as my dad had one and the exact same thing happened to him).
The best, for me, have been:
iPhone 4. The design, the quality of the screen, the leap in iOS compared to previous versions. It was incredible. I was about 14 years old when I opened the box of my dad's iPhone 4 and the feeling of having something completely different than what existed at the time... it was quite a shocking moment for me.
The next favorite on the list is the iPhone X. It revolutionized the entire iPhone design from the ground up, it was a phone with excellent build quality, excellent size and good (without being outstanding) cameras. I wish regular iPhone Pro's had all the specs in camera with that size, I would love it so much. It was a phone I really enjoyed.
The latest favorite is my last iPhone. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, it has a spectacular camera (almost the main reason for the switch from the 13 to the 15 was that). The significantly reduced weight, the slightly smaller size, the quality of the screen, the Dynamic Island, the USB-C... I think it's a very complete phone and I'm really enjoying it. I think it's a very good phone.
iPhone 4 White
iPhone 5 Black
iPhone 6 Space Grey
iPhone X Space Grey
iPhone 12 Pro Max Silver
iPhone 13 Pro Max Space Grey
iPhone 15 Pro Max White Titanium
For me the worst of all has been the iPhone 5 and 13 Pro Max.
The iPhone 5 I regretted not buying white instead of black, because I had a lot of problems with the finish. At that time Android phones started to grow and if you compared it to the Sony Xperia Z or the HTC One M7... it looked kind of ridiculous. The change from the 5s to the 5s was impressive on a technical level, which made it feel “obsolete” in just a year.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max, being a good phone in general terms, the camera seems to me the worst of all the ones I've had, if you compare it with its Android contemporaries. The processing is terrible, it washes out images excessively and always did weird things (didn't just happen on my unit, as my dad had one and the exact same thing happened to him).
The best, for me, have been:
iPhone 4. The design, the quality of the screen, the leap in iOS compared to previous versions. It was incredible. I was about 14 years old when I opened the box of my dad's iPhone 4 and the feeling of having something completely different than what existed at the time... it was quite a shocking moment for me.
The next favorite on the list is the iPhone X. It revolutionized the entire iPhone design from the ground up, it was a phone with excellent build quality, excellent size and good (without being outstanding) cameras. I wish regular iPhone Pro's had all the specs in camera with that size, I would love it so much. It was a phone I really enjoyed.
The latest favorite is my last iPhone. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, it has a spectacular camera (almost the main reason for the switch from the 13 to the 15 was that). The significantly reduced weight, the slightly smaller size, the quality of the screen, the Dynamic Island, the USB-C... I think it's a very complete phone and I'm really enjoying it. I think it's a very good phone.
My iPhone journey started with the first gen iPod touch.
3G
3GS
OG
4
6
SE
12 mini
My favourite iPhone was the iPhone 3G. It was my first iPhone. The touch experience was still new and the first years of the Appstore where special. Close second is the iPhone 4. Still the best design and I did a lot of iPhoneography.
Wouldn't say I regret buying the iPhone 6, but I replaced it sooner than expected with the iPhone SE. I liked the slow-motion 240 fps video but wasn't that impressed with the photo camera. Liked the smaller form factor of the iPhone SE more. Now I am still happy with the iPhone 12 mini which reminds me of the iPhone 4 and 5 design. Probably use the iPhone 12 mini for a few more years. Haven't seen a compelling reason to upgrade yet.
3G
3GS
OG
4
6
SE
12 mini
My favourite iPhone was the iPhone 3G. It was my first iPhone. The touch experience was still new and the first years of the Appstore where special. Close second is the iPhone 4. Still the best design and I did a lot of iPhoneography.
Wouldn't say I regret buying the iPhone 6, but I replaced it sooner than expected with the iPhone SE. I liked the slow-motion 240 fps video but wasn't that impressed with the photo camera. Liked the smaller form factor of the iPhone SE more. Now I am still happy with the iPhone 12 mini which reminds me of the iPhone 4 and 5 design. Probably use the iPhone 12 mini for a few more years. Haven't seen a compelling reason to upgrade yet.
3G 8GB - It stopped working just before it turned 2 years old.
4 32GB - I cracked the screen.
6 16GB - I dropped it in water.
5C 8GB - It was a second-hand replacement for the 6.
7 32GB - It still works.
12 128GB - My current phone. It's still gorgeous, but I only prefer the older screen from the 7. This thing is so light in the dark, even if I put the brightness way down. I'm probably going to wait until the 17 or 18 before upgrading (or when iOS support stops).
4 32GB - I cracked the screen.
6 16GB - I dropped it in water.
5C 8GB - It was a second-hand replacement for the 6.
7 32GB - It still works.
12 128GB - My current phone. It's still gorgeous, but I only prefer the older screen from the 7. This thing is so light in the dark, even if I put the brightness way down. I'm probably going to wait until the 17 or 18 before upgrading (or when iOS support stops).
iPhone 3G
iPhone 4
iPhone 4s
iPhone 5
iPhone 5s
iPhone 6
iPhone 6s
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro
Favorite was the 4S. That white on white was so sexy at the time and it had the design of the 4 but with the proper amount of power. It was also the first time I felt the camera was decent enough to finally get rid of my digital camera.
Least favorite was the 3G. Didn't care much for the design in hindsight compared to newer iPhones but it was still a big deal at the time coming from a flip phone.
iPhone 4
iPhone 4s
iPhone 5
iPhone 5s
iPhone 6
iPhone 6s
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro
Favorite was the 4S. That white on white was so sexy at the time and it had the design of the 4 but with the proper amount of power. It was also the first time I felt the camera was decent enough to finally get rid of my digital camera.
Least favorite was the 3G. Didn't care much for the design in hindsight compared to newer iPhones but it was still a big deal at the time coming from a flip phone.
Nice idea for a thread. Got my first iPhone, the 3G, in early 2010. I liked it so much, coming from Motorola, that I kept it for almost three years, the longest I have had any phone.
3G - Black
5 - White (2013)
5S - Space Grey (2015)
SE 1 - Silver (2017)
7 - Black (2019)
12 Mini - Purple (2021)
14 - Midnight (Feb. 2023 and my current phone).
I will certainly get a 16 model in the next couple of months - either the 16 or 16 Pro.
Biggest regret was getting the 7 much too late in the day. Favourite was the 12 mini. It reminded me so much of my second favourite, the 5. Yes, I like small phones too.
3G - Black
5 - White (2013)
5S - Space Grey (2015)
SE 1 - Silver (2017)
7 - Black (2019)
12 Mini - Purple (2021)
14 - Midnight (Feb. 2023 and my current phone).
I will certainly get a 16 model in the next couple of months - either the 16 or 16 Pro.
Biggest regret was getting the 7 much too late in the day. Favourite was the 12 mini. It reminded me so much of my second favourite, the 5. Yes, I like small phones too.
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I'm a bit of an odd journey because I started on Android despite being an avid Mac user since 1991 and owning plentiful other Apple gear (at least 5 iPods and 4 iPads). When the iPhone launched it was exclusive to Cingular/AT&T in the US, and I had a much stronger preference to remain on Verizon, so Android was my only option
Even after the iPhone became available on Verizon I was resistant to jump ship, mostly because I didn't think that iPhones were as good as competing Android phones and I wasn't terribly impressed with my work-issued iPhone 7. Nevertheless even with the Moto X and Pixel, which got Android updates in a fairly timely manner, I became frustrated with the Android's update policy, fragmentation, and the challenge of syncing my iTunes library with Android using all manner of ridiculous third-party workarounds.
Having an iPad and a Mac I knew my life would just be easier if my phone were also on the same ecosystem so I took the time to get to know iOS on my work phone and decided to take the plunge. The iPhone XS was the first model where I was truly impressed with the hardware.
There are still things I like better about Android, like the app drawer (which the App Library feature sort of covers) but the seamless syncing across devices is enough to keep me locked in.
I will likely be upgrading to the 16 Pro this fall even though I dislike the rumored color options.
- Motorola Droid 2009-2011
- Motorola Droid Bionic (arguably the worst phone I've owned out of the bunch) 2011-2013
- Moto X (one of my favorite phones, it had tiny bezels before it was cool and really cool human interface features) 2013-2015
- Motorola Droid Turbo 2015-2016 (my second least favorite phone, I regret trading the Moto X in for it but the Moto X's storage was constantly full)
- Google Pixel (original) 2016-2018
- iPhone XS #1 - drowned in pool after 1 year and replaced under protection plan 2018-2019
- iPhone XS #2 - also drowned in the same pool a year later 2019 - 2020 (I have since learned not to let my phone anywhere near pools)
- iPhone 11 Pro - Midnight Green 2020-2021
- iPhone 13 Pro - Sierra Blue 2021-Present
Even after the iPhone became available on Verizon I was resistant to jump ship, mostly because I didn't think that iPhones were as good as competing Android phones and I wasn't terribly impressed with my work-issued iPhone 7. Nevertheless even with the Moto X and Pixel, which got Android updates in a fairly timely manner, I became frustrated with the Android's update policy, fragmentation, and the challenge of syncing my iTunes library with Android using all manner of ridiculous third-party workarounds.
Having an iPad and a Mac I knew my life would just be easier if my phone were also on the same ecosystem so I took the time to get to know iOS on my work phone and decided to take the plunge. The iPhone XS was the first model where I was truly impressed with the hardware.
There are still things I like better about Android, like the app drawer (which the App Library feature sort of covers) but the seamless syncing across devices is enough to keep me locked in.
I will likely be upgrading to the 16 Pro this fall even though I dislike the rumored color options.
I've had 7:
3G
4
5
6 Plus
7 Plus
XS
13 Pro
The 13 Pro is my favorite of all them, followed by the XS. None of them have ever been a regret buy for me.
3G
4
5
6 Plus
7 Plus
XS
13 Pro
The 13 Pro is my favorite of all them, followed by the XS. None of them have ever been a regret buy for me.
I had the 4, 5s, 6 plus, X (my favorite ever), 12P (hated it, got sucked in by the Pacific Blue, 5G, and claims of better camera), 13 mini (loved it, hated the battery life), 14PM, and 15P. They all just seem the same now.
