1. iPhone 14 Pro Max
(128GB; T-Mobile; Deep Purple)
—— Chalk it up to recency bias, but this phone has been a delight since I got it a few days back. Love the Dynamic Island, the new cameras, and the screen size and battery life. My first try of a phone bigger than the “standard” size (Pro, formerly just the flagship), and I have to say it’s been all good, and no bad/annoying so far. I was pretty neutral on the AOD before it was announced (nice to have, but I’m fine without it), but they have done it in such an elegant way that I can’t help but like it.
2. iPhone 12 Pro
(128GB; T-Mobile; Pacific Blue)
—— I love this iPhone. It was the perfect confluence of the iPhone 5s and iPhone X design languages. The Pacific Blue was and is still my favorite color ever on an iPhone. The Ceramic Shield was a nice addition to the build quality of the phone.
3. iPhone 13 mini
(128GB; T-Mobile; Blue)
—— The size alone is what made this a fan favorite for me. If Apple could develop an iPhone Pro mini, with respectable battery life, I’d be sold. Owning the mini iPhone, for what would be the last year of it being a flagship, was fun. Truly a beautiful, near perfect distillation of what iPhone is in essence.
4. iPhone X
(64GB; T-Mobile; Silver)
—— The most mind-blowing redesign of iPhone, since the original. I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited to preorder anything. T-Mobile charged me a pretty penny to upgrade, but you better believe I forked over the cash and my iPhone 7 so I could step into the future of iPhone. Crazy to think that was 5 years ago now… The Silver color option is still one of my favorite iPhone designs ever. So clean and minimalist.
5. iPhone 5s
(16GB; T-Mobile; Gold)
—— This was the first iPhone I bought by myself. I was 16, and had been saving up since I got my first job at a local supermarket earlier that year (the job was dreadful, but what first job isn’t, eh?) to get the 5s when it was announced. The second I saw the Gold color when announced, I knew I wouldn’t settle for anything less. Apparently neither would a lot of other people, seeing as I had to wait until December 2013 to get mine. This was the first year on T-Mobile, after I moved to to my own cellular plan. Glad to say their service has improved since haha. This design was my favorite for years, and it really looked like a jewel.
6. iPhone 4
(8GB; AT&T; Black)
—— Going from the 3G to the 4 really felt like a step into the future. This was a time when iPhone (and really all smartphones) felt like each year was a massive leap forward. FaceTime was like a vision of the future. The design was and still is world class. Artful and precise.
7. iPhone
(8GB; AT&T)
—— I mean, come on, it’s the original. Apple really did reinvent the phone in 2007. I remember waiting in line with my mother to buy this. It was the first time I ever went to an Apple Store. What an amazing first time. I remember turning it on for the first time and getting everything set up. Felt like the king of the world lol. I was 10, and I remember being the only person with an iPhone for the better part of that first year. Looking back, that original design is so unique and perfect. You can tell how much love and care went into the design process.
8. iPhone 7
(128GB; T-Mobile; Jet Black)
—— This year was almost the first year I went for a “Plus” sized phone. Was between Jet Black 7 and Matte Black 7 Plus, since it would have been the same out of pocket cost. Decided the color was more important than a dual camera. Design was nice, and was the best take on the 6-8/SE design language.
9. iPhone 11 Pro
(64GB; T-Mobile; Midnight Green)
—— I was just happy getting away from the gold iPhone Xs (read why below lol). The evolved design was appreciated, with the matte glass and triple camera setup. Nice increase in battery life too. Midnight Green was nice at the time but looks so tame compared to the colors we’ve gotten since.
10. iPhone 4S
(16GB; Verizon; Black)
—— Siri! What a promising feature. Still a defender and user of Siri to this day, but that introduction really made me a believer in the idea of AI and Machine Learning, even if the Siri of 2011 was won’t using either. Really felt like a big step forward. Shout out to the last 3.5 inch iPhone.
11. iPhone 6s
(16GB; T-Mobile; Rose Gold)
—— Rose Gold was so hyped, and I was definitely on the hype train for that color. Looking back, it was nice, if not a bit overly vivid. 6s was what the 6 should have been all along. RIP 3D Touch, what an underutilized feature. I remember so many people saying it was a boring “S” year, but looking back, and seeing how beloved the 6s became, I’d say it got the last laugh.
12. iPhone 6
(16GB; T-Mobile; Gold)
—— I was one of those people who never had an issue with the small size of iPhone (¡Viva la mini form factor!), so the “Bigger than Big” move was welcomed, but not more than somewhat tepidly by me. Apple Pay was the big motivator for me to upgrade, and it was so cool to use (in the places it was actually accepted in 2014-15), now it just feels like a given in societal commerce.
13. iPhone 3G
(8GB; AT&T; Black)
—— The first upgrade! Felt big back then, but looking back, it was a step down in design and feel. Best looking phone of 2008-09 for sure, but doesn’t exactly look stunning compared to what came before (iPhone) or after (iPhone 4).
14. iPhone 4
(16GB; Verizon; White)
—— I remember it being such a big deal to me to get the white iPhone 4. We literally broke the contract with AT&T to go to Verizon so I could get literally the same phone, but in white. Absolutely crazy of me looking back, but I’ll put it on me being an impulsive 13 year old haha.
15. iPhone Xs
(64GB; T-Mobile; Gold)
—— Let me preface this with the fact that I don’t think this was a “bad” phone. I don’t think there has ever been a bad iPhone to be honest. It was an updated and (very slightly) improved iPhone X, and really was the cliché “S” year iPhone. Even then I was on the fence about bothering to upgrade, but since the cost was reasonable (Just had to pay the taxes with a trade in with T-Mobile), I decided to go for it. Also briefly considered the Xs Max, but again punted on it because it would have been an additional $100, and as a college student, that was money I really couldn’t spare. I was solidly _whelmed_ by this phone from the get go. But the color? I was mildly excited for a gold phone, since I hadn’t had gold since the iPhone 6, but man did I grow to hate that version of gold. It was headache inducing because of the iridescent-esque sheen Apple applied to the glass or something. I wound up just putting a simple black case on it after a few months.
