iPhone Revealed:
Jan. 9, 2007
CEO Steve Jobs described the original iPhone in terms that a 2007 audience would understand: an iPod with a wider screen and touch controls, a mobile phone, and an Internet communications device all in one. Consumer Reports testers were impressed with the device’s simplicity, multimedia features, and innovative touch screen (“It’s almost easy to forget the iPhone is, well, a phone,” we wrote) but were less pleased with the voice quality. The first iPhone launched at $499 for a 4GB model and $599 for an 8GB model.
explore the past.
June 29, 2007
iPhone 3G Revealed:
June 9, 2008
Apple promoted the iPhone 3G as “Twice as Fast at Half the Price” to attract consumers who were put off by the original iPhone’s high price. With an AT&T contract, the 8GB model cost $199, while the 16GB model was $299 (this was the first iPhone to be subsidized by the carrier). The iPhone 3G debuted just shy of the App Store launch in July 2008. The first cloud-storage capabilities and updates to GPS made the phone attractive to users on the go. CR liked the phone—and loved the apps. Sega's Super Monkey Ball, which you played by tilting the phone, was "one we found hard to put down.”
July 11, 2008
iPhone 3GS Revealed:
June 8, 2009
The iPhone 3GS launched with a higher quality, 3-megapixel camera; video capability; and a health tracker. This phone also debuted a number of new functions, including the Find My iPhone app, courtesy of OS 3.0. (The name “iOS” for Apple’s mobile operating system was first used with the iPhone 4, in 2010.) Apple teamed up with Nike for an app that used a $19 sensor placed in the user’s Nike+ shoe to connect with the iPhone. It tracked miles run and could sync with certain gym equipment.
June 19, 2009
iPhone 4 Revealed:
June 7, 2010
The iPhone 4 with iOS 4 was thinner than its predecessors, with a front-facing camera for the new FaceTime app. It showed video on the highest-resolution display yet built into a phone. CR placed the iPhone 4 at the top of our smartphone ratings—but didn’t recommend it because of what soon became known as “Antennagate”: If a caller blocked the lower left portion of the phone with his or her hand, the signal strength dropped sharply. Apple responded with a software update that better displayed signal strength and free iPhone cases that fixed the problem—but the fixes didn’t satisfy CR testers.
June 24, 2010
iPhone 4s Revealed:
Oct. 4, 2011
Two now-iconic iPhone features—Siri and iCloud—were announced with the iPhone 4s, which ran on iOS 5. This was the first Apple device that could work with carriers other than AT&T. CR added the 4s to its recommended list and reported that Antennagate was now history. “In special reception tests of the iPhone 4s that duplicated those we did on the iPhone 4, the newer phone did not display the same reception flaw,” we wrote. This was the last iPhone created under the direction of Steve Jobs; the Apple co-founder died one day after the introduction.
October 14, 2011
iPhone 5 Revealed:
Sept. 12, 2012
The iPhone 5 was the first Apple smartphone of the post-Jobs era. It was also the first of the devices to have a larger screen and require a different charger from the original. The small, reversible Lightning connector allowed the phone to become thinner and lighter, despite the larger screen, a faster chip (the Apple A6), and more pixels than the 4s. The phone had improved glare resistance, and the iOS 6 software integrated Facebook into various apps for the first time (including Contacts and Calendar).
September 21, 2012
iPhone 5s Revealed:
Sept. 10, 2013
With the iPhone 5s, Apple introduced AirDrop and what CR called the “surprisingly reliable” Touch ID fingerprint reader, both enabled by iOS 7. (The more affordable iPhone 5c was launched at the same time, winning few fans.) Apple said its new A7 chip would make graphics render more smoothly. The additional built-in M7 chip could measure motion data for the next generation of more accurate health trackers. Apple improved on the camera in the iPhone 5, which Consumer Reports said “already has one of the best cameras in our ratings.”
September 20, 2013
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Revealed:
Sept. 9, 2014
The iPhone 6 Plus (announced alongside the smaller iPhone 6) addressed a critique of the 5s, that the screen was too small. The bigger screen meant new layouts for apps in landscape mode, and the Sleep/Wake button was moved to the side for easier access. But attention quickly moved to “Bendgate,” with consumers complaining that the new iPhones deformed in pants pockets. CR conducted “bend tests” of a number of smartphones and determined that “it took significant force to do this kind of damage” and that any of the phones tested “should stand up to typical use.”
September 19, 2014
iPhone 6s Plus &
iPhone 6s Revealed:
Sept. 9, 2015
The new iPhone 6s and larger iPhone 6s Plus introduced 3D Touch and a newly improved 12-megapixel camera, which could shoot Live Photos and 4K video. Consumer Reports testers found that the new phone had shorter battery life than its predecessor, and we warned readers that Live Photo files were three times larger than still photo files. “Live Photo looked cool, but it didn’t really add a lot of value,” we wrote. The new front-facing camera received a big boost in resolution, and the new display flash improved lighting. Rose Gold was an appealing new color option.
September 25, 2015
iPhone 7 Plus &
iPhone 7 Revealed:
Sept. 7, 2016
The next generation of iPhones was water- and dust-resistant, similar to top phones from some Android competitors. But the biggest news was what the new phones lacked: The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus had no headphone jack. Instead, the phones had a single Lightning port for charging, data transfer, and plugging in the Lightning EarPods. (An adapter was included for fans of older headphones.) Apple said the switch made room for new stereo speakers and a second camera lens on the back. CR recommended the new phones but said, “They don't present a strong case for upgrading from the 6s models.”
September 16, 2016
“iPhone 8” Anticipated:
Fall 2017
Apple hadn’t released much information about the highly anticipated “iPhone 8” by the 10th anniversary of the original, but the new phone was expected in the fall. What was clear: The phone would run on Apple’s newest mobile operating system, iOS 11, which was showcased during the Apple WWDC 2017 conference in June. Siri was due to get a new voice, and use improved artificial intelligence to play music and share news based on user tastes. Rumors suggested that the iPhone 8 could have an edge-to-edge display, similar to its high-end Android competitors.