Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The newest version is always going to be the best in terms of performance and specs. But in terms of what I felt was the best improvement over the previous phone and the most exciting change/new feature I’ll have to go with the 6 Plus. Always felt previous iPhones were too small and the Plus iPhones have been perfect for me since.
 
best iphone ever released was the 5S in REAL black.

when it started chipping paint, that was too bad, but as a release phone - that one was the one to get.

The 5s didn’t come in black. It was the first space gray iPhone and the paint never chipped. I think you’re talking about the 5.
 
  • Like
Reactions: motulist
My vote is for the 4/4S too. There was just something about the phone when you held it. I found the weight to be perfect, and at the time, the screen was on point.
 
Best phone I've ever owned for the time was the iPhone 4. I just love the look of it, glass front and back and the stainless band around it. Performed great and I jailbroke it and had some cool tweaks on it. I loved the one where it had a live weather animation on the lock screen. Cool as hell. 🙂

If the X doesn't have many issues, I imagine it will take over a lot of people's top spots.
 
I'll just rank the iPhones I've owned in order of how much I enjoyed each one.

1. iPhone 5
2. iPhone 4
3. iPhone 6
4. iPhone 1
5. iPhone 6+
 
iPhone 2G was the biggest jump over what I'd been using before getting it (moto razr), and it's hard to imagine any future device ever topping that. iPhone 5 was the one that I missed the most when I upgraded. Had the iPhone 6 that replaced it not been a gift, I probably would have returned it and gone back to the 5. And best value ever was (and is) my old SE, which is now my wife's.
 
Best phone I've ever owned for the time was the iPhone 4. I just love the look of it, glass front and back and the stainless band around it. Performed great and I jailbroke it and had some cool tweaks on it. I loved the one where it had a live weather animation on the lock screen. Cool as hell. 🙂

If the X doesn't have many issues, I imagine it will take over a lot of people's top spots.

There are a lot of people saying similar things on the 4, but that is when I left the iPhone as I felt it was so unergonomic and uncomfortable in the hand. I had an android phone and a Nokia windows phone [which I loved, but had no apps......], then back to iPhone for the 6. Wont be going back to android thats for certain, and probably getting the X.

My favourite iPhone of all time was the first, simply because it was amazing to me, and something I had hoped would come. All the others were upgrades.
 
The iPhone 4 for me. I just remember being in awe and jealousy when every iPhone was released exclusively on AT&T up until Apple expanded to Verizon starting with the iPhone 4. I immediately got it and loved every aspect of it. That's when the smartphone life began for me.
 
The 5S was a wicked phone in its day. The SE carries that torch now-also an excellent handset.

However, as of now, it’s the 8 Plus. Awesome specs, proven design, beautiful screen, best battery life etc.. Will it be toppled by the X? Maybe...but it’s too early to really say.
 
The newest iPhone is always the best iPhone ever released

In terms of pure specs and technology, yes. But there are other ways in interpret the question, such as: best iPhone ever compared the competitor phones on the market at that time; best iPhone compared to the iPhone it replaced; the iPhone that you were happiest with at the time you got it; etc.
 
The iPhone 4 for me. I just remember being in awe and jealousy when every iPhone was released exclusively on AT&T up until Apple expanded to Verizon starting with the iPhone 4. I immediately got it and loved every aspect of it. That's when the smartphone life began for me.

The iPhone 4 was the smartphone that told me it was time to dump android and my carrier and move to AT&T. Once my contract was up I switched over and got the 4S.

I was blown away then, and when I see one now, I’m still impressed to this day.
 
4 and the 6S+
4 was design breaking for the time and was a good piece of hardware once you got past the antenna issue
6S+ for the RAM boost that was so needed and what the 6+ should have been,
 
Design: iPhone 4/4S.
In the days of Android plastic phones, the iPhone 4 easily stood out. It also carried a weight that speaks quality in your hand. It felt like holding a science fiction device that is also beautiful.

Handling: iPhone 5/5S
While the 4 has its weight, the 5 astonished me for how light it was. It felt night and day going from the 4 to the 5. It was as amazing holding a more advance device that is significantly lighter in your hand. It makes using the device day to day felt seamless, as if the phone is there but isn’t at the same time.

Performance leap: iPhone 6S.
Surely any newer iPhones will perform better than the previous one, but the 6S was quite a leap from the 6. The 6 was hobbled with 1GB RAM and so so GPU for its higher res screen. The poor performance shows on the 6 plus. The 6S took the GPU into serious business. Add on the 2GB of RAM, it can still outbest even the Galaxy S8.
 
I will have to go with the iphone 4s. The size was perfect, the glass back was so sexy and its speed at the time was top notch. Not to mention siri was introduced and the camera was also great.
Iphone 5s was super close to taking the top

iPhone 4s for me. But, the 2009 iPhone 3GS was pretty hard to beat with pre Siri voice control and the App Store. I know a friend who is still using one of these.
 
iphone_5_black_camera1_300x300.jpg


5 is the best ... that why SE still alive now,,,

4= antennar issue
6= bent
7= so so
8= new step wireless charging
 
It’s all dependant on the OS it was running at the time rather than the phone itself. The software makes the hardware and is just as (if not more) important.

Therefore, the iPhone 5 running iOS 6 was the best. The huge performance increase along with the OS which truly ran like butter with not a single frame drop anywhere while having a real premium look to it.
I didn’t like the 5S purely because it ran iOS 7 which performed worse and looked worse to me (although I’ve been forced to become accustomed to it nowadays as I have little choice).

Second would be the iPhone 4 which was my first iPhone experience. Blew me away with that Retina display. Again, the OS along with it and just the whole experience is what made me fall in love with Apple. I had a grin on my face from the moment I opened it and during the whole time I used it. That one was truly ‘magical’ to me.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Beeplance
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.