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My favorites from ye olden days are the 4S and the 6.

I thought the 4S looked sleek with the square sides.

The 6 was so light it felt like a fake demo model from a retail display.
 
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My favorites from ye olden days are the 4S and the 6.

I thought the 4S looked sleek with the square sides.

The 6 was so light it felt like a fake demo model from a retail display.
iPhone 6 in Space Grey is the only iPhone I've ever bought new, I even waited in line to get it on launch. However, I always found the plastic antenna lines that they cast into the aluminium frame ugly. It was not until the Jet Black iPhone 7 that I liked the design of that era.

My dad choose to upgrade to the 3GS when the 4 launched because he liked how the 3G felt in the hand. Always liked the sentiment and agreed on the feeling of the pebble shaped plastic.

Personally my top 5 in no particular order is 7 Jet Black, XS Space Grey, 5 Black & Slate, 3GS Black and 13 mini Midnight.
 
Someone turned in a lost iPhone X at work last night. While putting it away I couldn’t help but notice how much nicer it felt in my hand then my 15 Pro does.

It wasn’t just the rounded edges; there was such a precision that iPhones used to have that they just don’t anymore.

I’ve been an iPhone user since the first one 18 years ago. When things slowly change you don’t really notice it, like the analogy of the frog in the pot of water slowly boiling.

The X wasn’t even that long ago in my mind, and I really think that the industrial of the iPhone is deteriorating. They used to feel compact and pleasant and joyful in your hand. They currently feel… just lazier designed.

I’ve got my eye on this Air model for this reason alone. I want to love holding my phone again. I don’t love holding my 15 Pro.
Agree. iPhone X was peak iPhone in my opinion. It was a phone — not a phablet. It was elegant, light, easily usable in one hand, had good battery life, a great display, great overall utility as a personal information appliance and optimized for overall user experience. I think current iPhones are very good, high quality devices but they feel more optimized for functionality vs experience. Current iPhones are definitely post-Ive devices.
 
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Agree, I miss my XS, it was like a well-worn pebble as you turned it over in your hand. The 12-13-14 Pro series was the worst industrial design in the iPhone's history imo, just harsh edges, too big, too heavy. They dialled this back a bit with the 15 Pro, thankfully, but I think the flat-edge design allows them to have better cameras and a bigger battery, so that's been prioritised over it being nice to hold. It's a hard balance to get right, because I certainly wouldn't want to go back to the XS's camera now, but it was such a nice object in and of itself.
 
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Yes, I do have the Jony-Ive disease.
I’m not sure whose disease you have, but I don’t think it’s Jony Ive disease.
I’m honestly not sure whose disease it is for this “stick as much as you can into the iPhone, but keep it thin, even if the width and height dimensions expand annually” disease.
 
Agree. iPhone X was peak iPhone in my opinion. It was a phone — not a phablet. It was elegant, light, easily usable in one hand, had good battery life, a great display, great overall utility as a personal information appliance and optimized for overall user experience and. I think current iPhones are very good, high quality devices but they feel more optimized for functionality vs experience. Current iPhones are definitely post-Ive devices.
it was gimped by the low RAM, and the quickly outdated cameras (no HDR). The Xs was what it should have been.
 
That’s how I feel about the 6 and 6s. I’d be curious to try the iPhone Air, but can’t imagine wanting to settle for a lesser camera at this point.
 
The X and 11 Pro's felt great in the hand, and where pretty much the perfect size and weight as well.

Rounded edges will have their time again...
Sure thing!

The iPhone XR was one of the iPhones I had before we started thinking about flat-sided iPhones again during the pandemic. In my opinion, the iPhone XS was a pretty cool iPhone that felt really premium in my hands. The gold color is really striking and opulent, just like the gold stainless steel Apple Watches. If I had that iPhone, I would’ve kept it longer than the XR.

But the iPhone XR did feel like it was worth letting go when the speed couldn’t keep up anymore. I still admire the curved edges, even though we can have action buttons on it!
 
Off-topic, but we "know" by now that the iPhone 17 will have this camera bar on the back. So that means Apple is willing to shake things up. And they don't appear too worried that Google has used this layout for a while now.
Of course the design evolves, but not quickly. That camera bar on the back is just an extension of the current camera mesa.
 
As part of AT&T’s recent upgrade offer, we could trade in most any iPhone for $350.

I dug up my wife’s iPhone 7. I had forgotten how thin and smooth (and slippery to hold) it was, with no lens projections…. It cast a definitely different vibe than the engineered, bulky, carved look of my 16 Pro.

But I thought my 12 mini was small. HOLY COW.

I like my 16 Pro, but carrying it around is like wearing shoes on the beach. It’s been a week, and holding or pocketing it takes much more “involvement” and thought on my part than the 12 mini required.

The 7 slid into my front pocket and was barely felt. I do recall at the time critiquing its slipperiness, and felt the squared edges of my 12 mini felt safer to tote around w/o as much drop risk.

But I can’t believe iPhones were once that small and sleek.

Could I give up all the functionality and battery life if Apple offered an iPhone Nano sized Iphone 17 sized like the 7? And then just keep an iPad mini in the truck for when I need more? I’d really consider that.
That’s nothing. I found an iPhone 5 in a drawer a couple of days ago. Charged it up and got it going. It was so tiny! And dainty! The whole thing fits in the palm of my hand… with room to spare.

Then I tried to type in some passwords and it felt like I should be using a stylus just to hit those itty bitty keys.

Here it is next to my iPhone 15 Pro
IMG_0138.jpeg
 
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In terms of comfort I don’t think any phone will get the 3GS for me.

That lovely curved back and it was so snug in your hand with true one-handed use. Was beautiful!
 
Someone turned in a lost iPhone X at work last night. While putting it away I couldn’t help but notice how much nicer it felt in my hand then my 15 Pro does.

It wasn’t just the rounded edges; there was such a precision that iPhones used to have that they just don’t anymore.

I’ve been an iPhone user since the first one 18 years ago. When things slowly change you don’t really notice it, like the analogy of the frog in the pot of water slowly boiling.

The X wasn’t even that long ago in my mind, and I really think that the industrial of the iPhone is deteriorating. They used to feel compact and pleasant and joyful in your hand. They currently feel… just lazier designed.

I’ve got my eye on this Air model for this reason alone. I want to love holding my phone again. I don’t love holding my 15 Pro.
I am still using my iPhone Xs Max because of the form factor.
 
I’m not sure whose disease you have, but I don’t think it’s Jony Ive disease.
I’m honestly not sure whose disease it is for this “stick as much as you can into the iPhone, but keep it thin, even if the width and height dimensions expand annually” disease.
Apple would probably blame the customer for creating these monsters.
 
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I prefer flat sides, personally. The 5 was probably the best designed iPhone, to me. I also love my 13 mini (can't bring myself to sell it, even though it's been replaced by a 15 Pro). Flat sides have the most benefit when the phone is small enough to easily hold in one hand. I do have a new case for my 15 Pro that is much more grippy, and that's really helped it feel more secure, but it's still too big.
 
Used the X for 6 years before replacing it with a 15PM. Loved that phone, never gave me one issue except a battery replacement. If it would of received iOS17 and iOS18 I'd still be using it today. That said, I do love the 15PM. The bigger display and improvements across the board in hardware make it a worthwhile upgrade IMO. If I can get 6 years out of this phone, I consider it money well spent
 
It's also just smaller. Unsurprisingly, smaller feels better in the hand.

But larger means 2 things: more battery life, and a better camera system. And for Apple, it means more money (. larger has always = more $ for Apple products). People are ultimately going to choose battery and camera over the comfort of holding it, because they don't want to sacrifice those. If it were possible to get the same battery and camera in a smaller package, the smaller options would still exist, and would be very popular. But physics is a thing, for batteries and image sensors, and no matter how good you are able to make the small one, the bigger one will always be better. The screen barely factors in at all. I've used everything from a 3.5" iPhone to my 6.9" iPhone, and truly, there isn't much utility to the largest screens. It doesn't change the way you use the device in any fundamental way (for the better). There is some sweet spot around 5.5". But the best 5.5" iPhone Apple could make today, at any price, would be only 80% as good as the larger one. And that is something that users view as bad.
 
It's also just smaller. Unsurprisingly, smaller feels better in the hand.

But larger means 2 things: more battery life, and a better camera system. And for Apple, it means more money (. larger has always = more $ for Apple products). People are ultimately going to choose battery and camera over the comfort of holding it, because they don't want to sacrifice those. If it were possible to get the same battery and camera in a smaller package, the smaller options would still exist, and would be very popular. But physics is a thing, for batteries and image sensors, and no matter how good you are able to make the small one, the bigger one will always be better. The screen barely factors in at all. I've used everything from a 3.5" iPhone to my 6.9" iPhone, and truly, there isn't much utility to the largest screens. It doesn't change the way you use the device in any fundamental way (for the better). There is some sweet spot around 5.5". But the best 5.5" iPhone Apple could make today, at any price, would be only 80% as good as the larger one. And that is something that users view as bad.
I would disagree as the smaller non pro models sell the most every year. Sales by class for 2024:

Base: 42%
Plus: 13%
Pro: 19%
Pro Max: 26%


So, while within the 15 series the Pro models sell the most among just the 15's, more people are choosing non Pro and the smaller model by choosing older phones. Basically, the majority of people don't put battery and camera as their most important things.
 
I would disagree as the smaller non pro models sell the most every year. Sales by class for 2024:

Base: 42%
Plus: 13%
Pro: 19%
Pro Max: 26%


So, while within the 15 series the Pro models sell the most among just the 15's, more people are choosing non Pro and the smaller model by choosing older phones. Basically, the majority of people don't put battery and camera as their most important things.
You're not reading your own numbers correctly. A large chunk of the population value price first, over anything else. Hence the prop for the base model. After that, battery and camera dominate. It varies from year to year based on Apple's actual offerings.
 
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You're not reading your own numbers correctly. A large chunk of the population value price first, over anything else. Hence the prop for the base model. After that, battery and camera dominate. It varies from year to year based on Apple's actual offerings.
Then you agree that battery and camera don't dominate as you just said "price" dominates. Keep in mind what the numbers mean: they are total iphone sales for 2024. Plus:

When choosing in regards to battery 61% choose the smaller battery (includes both pro and non pro).
When choosing camera 55% choose the lesser camera phones (the non pro models).

Battery and camera do not dominate its as simple as that. Maybe they do for you but not overall for the world. Price matters but also size and in this case the smaller phones dominate with 61% compared to 39% for the larger phones.

*SE sales were not included in the numbers which would have further swayed things towards smaller battery and lesser camera.
 
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