Other What was your favorite iPhone and why?

[Sullivan0930]

Not what's the best specs or anything, just which iPhone do you look back at and think, that was my best iPhone era. For me ill always look back at the XS Max as my favorite, the size, weight, display, stock wallpapers, everything was just perfect. Going from that to the note 10+ wasn't bad(i just wanted to give android another shot after 5 years) , but when i came back to the iPhone 11 (current phone) it felt like a downgrade in every aspect. I still look at the refurbs for the XS Max and just think that was the best looking iPhone.

 

[EddieKeyton1]

I e owned only a few iPhones. I’ve had the 4,4s,5,6,6 plus, 6s and X and now the 13. The 13 is my favorite so far. I think it’s beautiful.

 

[Motionblurrr]

My favorite iPhone was probably the iPhone 8 Plus.

The best looking iPhone? Definitely the XS Max. The ink planet wallpapers looked so premium on them when they were marketed everywhere. The pill shaped camera was not offensive looking at all, rounded stainless steel, curved glass, etc. I’d even argue that the glossy back glass made it more premium than matte glass—sans fingerprints lol.

Wasn’t the XS Max the last iPhone Jony Ive worked on?

 

[Barbareren]

I loved my iPhone X/XS, but I always felt it was a bit too big. Now, I’m perfectly happy with my 12 mini. I’ll probably get the 13 mini if the iPhone 14 line won’t include another high end Mini. It’s not the best looking iPhone out there, but for functionality and ease of use it’s the best option for me 🙂

 

[Sullivan0930]

My favorite iPhone was probably the iPhone 8 Plus.

The best looking iPhone? Definitely the XS Max. The ink planet wallpapers looked so premium on them when they were marketed everywhere. The pill shaped camera was not offensive looking at all, rounded stainless steel, curved glass, etc. I’d even argue that the glossy back glass made it more premium than matte glass—sans fingerprints lol.

Wasn’t the XS Max the last iPhone Jony Ive worked on?

not sure, but the aesthetic definitely changed after the XS. The glossy back was probably my favorite part, i hated having a case on it.

 

[Fred Zed]

XS Max. It was an honest iPhone.

 

[Tmacc47]

5, because it was my first iPhone, and gives me so much nostalgia!

 

[akash.nu]

3G I’d say. My first iPhone and I’ve never looked back since.

I tried to dip into the Android world when my 4 got stolen but came running back in a month. Since then I’ve never considered to use Android as my main driver.

After so many years now my house is full of gadgets including various Android mobile devices and tablets but for my own use it’s always iPhone.

 

[Reno Raines]

I loved the iPhone 4. Just loved the way it looked.

 

[Saladin12]

I've only had the 4S, 6S, XS, and now 13 Pro Max (as you can see I like my S years, including the 13 which essentially is a 12S). In between all of this I've had Samsung and Nexus devices.

My favourite iPhone has to be the 13 Pro Max. And the reason behind this is simple and singular: battery. It's absolutely phenomenal. I got almost 36 hours out of it the other day - I took it off charge (100%) at 7am Wednesday and it hit 17% at 6pm Thursday. That's unbelievable. In fact I'm sure that 17% would have lasted me another 2/3 hours easy but that's when I put it on charge.

 

[RRC]

5s and original SE, the size and fell in hand where great as was the aluminium back rather than just solid glass. Battery life when new and on original iOS was amazing for the time.

But I’d have to rate the current 12/13 minis as the “best” for me. To have that much technology in a phone that small, it’s amazing!

 

[John981]

My first iPhone was the 6s Plus, and it was also super reliable. Battery lasted forever and 3D Touch impressed me massively back then. I also used it a ton for link preview, mail preview, etc. Being able to move the cursor around so easily while texting was a revelation.

After that I had the iPhone X, but to me it always lacked wow factor, a feature that really influenced how I used the phone. It felt like the 6s for the most part, except for the better display. I was always a bit unimpressed by the cameras, which left me somewhat disappointed. It was very reliable though.

And now I‘m on the 13 Pro. It‘s somewhere in between the other two so far, I really like the smooth 120 Hz display and the awesome cameras. If it holds up, it could end up being my favourite, but for now I‘ll say the 6s Plus was the best iPhone experience I‘ve had.

 

[Sullivan0930]

5s and original SE, the size and fell in hand where great as was the aluminium back rather than just solid glass. Battery life when new and on original iOS was amazing for the time.

But I’d have to rate the current 12/13 minis as the “best” for me. To have that much technology in a phone that small, it’s amazing!

the 5 series is underrated imo. It gets overlooked by the 4s big design change and the 6 introducing the first plus series. But the 5 design with the two tone back and thin boxy design was great.

 

[Golgafrincham]

I usually make my iPhones last for a few years, out of iPhone1,1, 3GS, 4S, 6S Plus so far my 6S Plus is my favourite due to the size of the display and the battery capacity, still on the original battery, it is only in the last six months that it dropped into battery management and finally last week to "Service" however still perfectly usable until my 13 Pro Max arrives.

I also have a soft spot for my original iPhone1,1, queueing up for the 2 minutes past the hour launch in the UK (the carrier was "O2" over here), there was just nothing else like it at the time.

Least favourite? The 3GS, that plastic rear shell was just way too cheap a look and feel, when I accidentally cracked the rear it was the final excuse to purchase the 4S.

 

[AlexJ092]

I have owned every iPhone since the original and my favourite iPhone was the IPhone X.
1) The atmosphere at the apple store on launch day really added to the experience of owning the device.
2) The size of the device at the time for me was perfect, the look and feel of the device was perfect for my usual daily usage.
3) The device was seen as “expensive” when it launched but it felt like a luxury device and was a step in the right direction for the iPhone. I also appreciated Face ID and all the new features that came along with the X

 

[Tyler Spicer]

It was a tough one for me between the iPhone 6S and 8 Plus, but I think I just preferred the 8 Plus. Despite the lack of headphone jack, it was the first phone that I saw the processing specs and thought “that’s a phone that could truly last for years“ in terms of power, software updates etc. I’ve always liked those plus sized phones and they fit perfectly in my slightly larger hands. I’ve since been on an 11 and now 12, and I just don’t feel as excited by either of them. They’re good, but not quite right for me. I think a return to the Max-sized phone looms!

 

[fromsixtozero]

6S plus and 8 plus definitely. Still using 8 plus on daily basis.

 

[Barbareren]

I have owned every iPhone since the original and my favourite iPhone was the IPhone X.
1) The atmosphere at the apple store on launch day really added to the experience of owning the device.
2) The size of the device at the time for me was perfect, the look and feel of the device was perfect for my usual daily usage.
3) The device was seen as “expensive” when it launched but it felt like a luxury device and was a step in the right direction for the iPhone. I also appreciated Face ID and all the new features that came along with the X

Couldn’t agree more. I still have an X as a backup. I still prefer the Mini, though, because it has all the same features (and they have been vastly improved) in a significantly smaller form factor… But for those who prefer a slightly bigger phone screen it’s a no-go… Personally, I don’t get the phablets at all, unless that’s the person’s main computing device - which I also find ridiculous, tbh. If one can afford a $1000+ phone, surely the same person should be able to afford an iPad/tablet or a laptop… But maybe I’m just too old and annoyed at people who are glued to their phones at all times lol 🤷‍♂️

 

[Sullivan0930]

Couldn’t agree more. I still have an X as a backup. I still prefer the Mini, though, because it has all the same features (and they have been vastly improved) in a significantly smaller form factor… But for those who prefer a slightly bigger phone screen it’s a no-go… Personally, I don’t get the phablets at all, unless that’s the person’s main computing device - which I also find ridiculous, tbh. If one can afford a $1000+ phone, surely the same person should be able to afford an iPad/tablet or a laptop… But maybe I’m just too old and annoyed at people who are glued to their phones at all times lol 🤷‍♂️

For me even though i have an M1 ipad pro and M1 MBA i still find myself laying in bed watching youtube/netflix at night with my phone propped up so the max screens make this more enjoyable. Also as someone who does a lot of photo editing the larger screen makes fine edits a lot easier when you have to use your finger to try and draw lines.

 

[Dented]

I’ve owned the 3G, 3GS, 4S, 5, 6S, SE (original), XR and now the 13 Pro. It’s too soon to judge the 13 Pro, I like everything about it so far especially the camera, but we’ll have to see how it holds up over the long term.

I have two candidates for favourite - the first having to be the 3G. As someone who had been playing with earlier smartphones for years before the iPhone (and who dismissed the original iPhone as it didn’t support third party software) the 3G along with the introduction of iPhone OS 2 and the AppStore really impressed me. It’s easy to forget now just how far ahead of everything else on the market the iPhone was at that point, in terms of speed, ease of use, and the sheer quality and quantity of apps and whole new capabilities that started spilling out of that store in the early days. It was a fun time and a really enjoyable, pioneering device to own.

Second is much more recent - the XR. After eleven years of using iPhones, it was the first one I owned which did away with the home button, had that much bigger display and brought in Face ID, refreshing and improving the basic experience of interacting with the phone for the first time since the 3G. It was also the first iphone I owned which really had killer battery life, to the point where I simply never had to worry about it making through the day, or probably the next, throughout the whole two+ years I used it. For various reasons it made sense for me to upgrade it, but I enjoyed using it right to the end and it would be no hardship to go back to it now, which isn’t always how I‘ve felt about iPhones I’ve replaced in the past.

 

[kimmen]

Definately the original SE with its iPhone 5 formfactor and 6s performance!
I still use mine, with no plan to "upgrade".
Perfect in your pocket; small and featherweight, and with great performance for everything one should use a phone for: Music, messaging and calls. And as a bonus one can use every headphone with its minijack, Lightning and bluetooth.
I never understood walking around with a Pad in your pocket all the time... I wait 'til I get home to watch movies or edit video anyway...

 

[kamikazeeMC]

I've owned 3G, 4, 5, 5S, 6S, 8, 8 Plus, X, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 13 mini.

5S would be my favorite (would say original SE, but didn't own one). Perfect size height and width for my hands, while the top and bottom bezel are dated now, while gripping one handed with the corner of the phone planted in your palm, your thumb didn't need to reach all the way to the top and bottom of the phone to cover the whole screen. Even with the mini I still need to shuffle it around a little. Loved the slate colour and gold on the 5S and metal back.

Had a 5 from launch, after it developed a sticky power button I moved to a Nexus 5. After Apple offered a replacement program for it and getting a refurbished, I moved back to it. Then upgraded to a 5S and used that for a decent period. Should have got a SE instead of the 6S.

Runner up would be the X and the one phone I have managed to hold onto the longest. Originally didn't like the idea of FaceID over TouchID, but gave it a go and haven't looked back. Using stainless steel on the band so I wasn't worried about denting it (I don't like cases), would like to see titanium being used in the future. From this point I felt it got to a point spec wise I didn't need to change it every year.

 

[Greenmeenie]

I’ve only had one iPhone so far, the iPhone 11 Pro Max. So that is my favorite! Being a photographer, I may upgrade to the 13 Pro Max for the camera improvements tho.

 

[ForkHandles]

3GS! Everything was amazing and new, touch screen, scrolling, music, internet, every feature would put a smile on my face. In fact it was so good it made me buy a mobile phone having resided for decades. I have a 12 Pro now which is 1,000 better but nowhere near as exciting.

 

[reeneebob]

It’s a tie - my 4S (that white and silver were perfect), and my X. The X was the first iPhone in years that I used for longer than 2 years, and after I retired it I would take out of the box every once in a while just to admire it.