Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What is the best iPhone so far?

  • iPhone

    Votes: 1 0.8%
  • iPhone 3G

    Votes: 1 0.8%
  • iPhone 3GS

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • iPhone 4

    Votes: 12 9.7%
  • iPhone 4S

    Votes: 4 3.2%
  • iPhone 5

    Votes: 2 1.6%
  • iPhone 5S

    Votes: 12 9.7%
  • iPhone 5C

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • iPhone 6

    Votes: 2 1.6%
  • iPhone 6 Plus

    Votes: 1 0.8%
  • iPhone 6S

    Votes: 2 1.6%
  • iPhone 6S Plus

    Votes: 1 0.8%
  • iPhone SE

    Votes: 13 10.5%
  • iPhone 7

    Votes: 5 4.0%
  • iPhone 7 Plus

    Votes: 4 3.2%
  • iPhone 8

    Votes: 4 3.2%
  • iPhone 8 Plus

    Votes: 6 4.8%
  • iPhone X

    Votes: 9 7.3%
  • iPhone XS/iPhone XS Max

    Votes: 33 26.6%
  • iPhone XR

    Votes: 12 9.7%

  • Total voters
    124

MacBnc

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 25, 2017
22
1
So if you compare the different iPhone generation with their state of the art at that time and compared to other smartphones, which were launched that time, what do you think is the best iPhone so far?
 
So far? I’d have to vote for the 8. Not because I think it’s Apple‘s ‘best looking iPhone’, because it’s one of the iPhones that was last with the home button/Touch ID and this phone had _very_ few hardware problems whatsoever. It matured nicely, it’s still one of Apples best priced iPhones in their lineup and is completely underrated.
 
The 8+ is an amazing phone in screen resolution and the way it feels. The size of the screen is fine and if apple had made an x model with that screen size id have bought it, but I bought the Xs Max because I am used to the overall size of the plus size phone.
 
iPhone 4. There was nothing like the first retina display in that time, also the stainless steel frame with front and back glass was pretty much unheard of on phones.

Agreed. I voted for 5S because I appreciated the huge boost in performance, and at the time there were a lot of new high graphic games being developed to take advantage of it. The state of the app store today is different.


In my personal opinion everything after the 6 sucked. Rehashed design, and very little innovation. OLED might count, but it was a long time coming and there has been so much that competition has done in the last several years that they don't get any credit in my book for what they've put in the iPhone.

Once they develop a foldable phone that surpasses other companies in terms of durability, I will give them more credit again.
 
iPhone 4. There was nothing like the first retina display in that time, also the stainless steel frame with front and back glass was pretty much unheard of on phones.
So far, not 2010. Today's Xs beats the 4 in every possible way - don't even bother saying OLED is better than 4's display.
 
So far, not 2010. Today's Xs beats the 4 in every possible way - don't even bother saying OLED is better than 4's display.

That's not what OP was asking, he was asking what you think is best at the time of release (see op quote below)

So if you compare the different iPhone generation with their state of the art at that time and compared to other smartphones, which were launched that time, what do you think is the best iPhone so far?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lekro
That's not what OP was asking, he was asking what you think is best at the time of release (see op quote below)
Yes and if you compare the respective iPhone with the other smartphones of their generation.
 
lol people this poll isn't to decide what is the best performing/best display/etc iPhone, as the most recent iPhone will always have the better stats. This is about what was the best iPhone compared to the competition at the time.

I voted for the iPhone 4 because it was my first iPhone and the display and apps available etc where so much better than what i upgraded from. Obviously that does not mean i think the iPhone 4 display is better than the latest 'tennis match'
 
I would vote for the 6.
But when i see the list I can’t believe that apple still sells the same 4.7” front design now for half the iphone life since its invention. And probably another 2 years with the 8 :rolleyes:
 
Nostalgically, I’d say the 4s. Coming from a little slider phone with a qwerty keyboard, the 4s felt like it had come out of the future: beautiful to look at and amazing to hold and use. I’ve had six iterations of the iPhone since that 4s. I was always excited to get them, but then after a few days, the thrill was gone and it was just another iPhone. The Xs is the only one that has held my attention like the 4s did. I’ve had it since September, but it still surprises me with how seamlessly it works. Just like the 4s, it feels like something that has come from the future.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jetcat3 and Lekro
My vote goes to the XS Max since it's objectively the most powerful iPhone so far in terms of specs and hasn't suffered from any severe defects that a few of the previous iPhones had (bending, battery degradation, scratching, etc). My favorite at the time was probably the 6S Plus though. It was incredibly reliable and the first time that I felt that I could be productive on a smartphone using the extra screen real estate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jetcat3
Best iPhones in their historic context; at time of release vs other phones?

That is tough. Those would have to be the iPhones that changed or pushed the industry forward such that other phones followed. In that case, my vote would have to go to several:

- Original iPhone -> defined the smartphone. Enough said there. Set the foundation for the modern industry that now drives the world.
- iPhone 4 -> that screen resolution and premium quality to design. The iPhone 4 screen was unlike anything at the time. Also FaceTime and front facing cameras became a smart phone staple.
- iPhone 5S -> Unbelievable jump in performance at the time as well as 64 bit processing on a mobile phone being in the market 1-2 years before the competition thought it was possible.
Also, touch ID.
- iPhone X -> Edge to Edge design with the notch. True premium pricing. Many design followers after the notch. Many also followed up to premium pricing once Apple set the bar that high.


Some shout outs...

We could throw iPhone 3G in there -> although the phone itself didn't bring it, the App Store was pretty massive and a major sell point at the time of the 3G. Obviously the original iPhone users could also utilize this, but the 3G speeds made it feasible off of WiFi. The phone specs were otherwise identical but in a new case and cheaper to the masses. This is where iPhone really exploded globally. I remember so many people had them after the 3G came out.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus -> although they were not impressive spec updates over the 5S, and brought little in the way of performance enhancements, similar to the iPhone X they set a new bar and standard for the way the industry designed phones. In this case, the curved aluminum with the antenna bands. I know HTC did it first technically but the success of these phones really paved the way for the incredible design copy cats as well as the "Plus" model iteration that still exists to this day
 
Last edited:
I'm gonna vote for my 4S mostly because I still am using it and it still has the original battery and is a great 1 hand phone and small enough for small pockets and storage places - it takes great pictures (retired my digital camera), it has 64 g of space and has a ton of apps that don't work on my newer iPhone 8 - it's a warrior and took a beating but still working great!
 
My vote goes to the 3GS as it changed not only the mobile phone market but it introduced also a completely new user experience on mass scale.

Second place for the 6 Plus thanks to its new form factor and the big screen.

Still hoping to figure out soon that the next revolutionary product from Apple has arrived!
 
iPhone 4. There was nothing like the first retina display in that time, also the stainless steel frame with front and back glass was pretty much unheard of on phones.

I think the 4s was better because it actually had a big hardware upgrade to be able to run that display in a far snappier manner.

And in that vein, the SE was the ultimate evolution of that form factor.

My vote goes for the SE, with the 4s and 4 closely following.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.