In September Apple will release the latest version of the iPhone. It’s been that way for ever a decade, since the iPhone 5. But was that even the fifth generation of the iPhone? As we look back through the history of iPhone releases, we see that we’re really getting closer to the twentieth version
| iPhone model | Release date | Generation | Comments |
| iPhone | June 29, 2007 | 1 | The OG iPhone that started it all. Announced by Steve jobs at Macworld Expo in January 2007. This was not globally released. |
| iPhone 3G | July 11, 2008 | 2 | The second iPhone and the first to embrace 3G as well as GPS. It was released with the launch of the App Store. |
| iPhone 3GS | June 19, 2009 | 3 | Apple marketing said the “S” was for speed. This was the first iPhone to be sold globally. |
| iPhone 4 | June 24, 2010 | 4 | The fourth iPhone was the first to sport a new design with a harder, aluminium edge. It gained fame after a prototype was leaked to Gizmodo. Also infamous for the antennagate fiasco |
| iPhone 4S | October 14, 2011 | 5 | The real “iPhone 5” and the iPhone that brought us the first iteration of Siri. |
| iPhone 5 | September 21, 2012 | 6 | The first iPhone to be completely developed under the guidance of Tim Cook. |
| iPhone 5S & 5C | September 20, 2013 | 7 | The 5s was an incremental update on the iPhone 5 but brought TouchID. The iPhone 5c was a variant with a polycarbonate body that came in a variety of colours. The ‘c” in the name stands for ‘colour’. |
| iPhone 6 and 6 Plus | September 19, 2014 | 8 | The introduction of two screen sizes which is now standard. And we got NFC, which enabled Apple Pay and other innovations. |
| iPhone 6S and 6S Plus | September 25, 2015 | 9 | 3D Touch was introduced in what was otherwise a relatively minor update. |
| iPhone SE | March 31, 2016 | N/A | Apple’s first version of its budget/entry level handset. It used older tech in a more recent body (like a Kardashian). |
| iPhone 7 and 7 Plus | September 16, 2016 | 10 | Dust and water resistance are added to what otherwise looks a lot like the iPhone 6s. |
| iPhone 8 and 8 Plus | September 22, 2017 | 11 | The iPhone 8 was the first iPhone to get a glass back. Its release was overshadowed by the iPhone X, which was announced at the same time but released a little later. |
| iPhone X | November 3, 2017 | 12 | Welcome to the Notch. And what happened to the iPhone 9? The iPhone X was the first major redesign of the iPhone in years with FaceID and the first model without a home button. |
| iPhone XS / XS Max | September 21, 2018 | 13 | 3D Touch came and went. The iPhone XS dumped this feature. |
| iPhone XR | October 26, 2018 | 13.5 | Arriving a month after the iPhone XS, the iPhone XR was a lower-cost version of the iPhone, positioning it as an alternative to the ageing Phone SE. |
| iPhone 11 | September 20, 2019 | 14 | While outwardly similar to the iPhone XS, the big move with the iPhone 11 was what was left out. For the first time, Apple stopped shipping a power adaptor and headphones with the iPhone. |
| iPhone SE 2 | April 24, 2020 | N/A | It took Apple four years to update its budget iPhone. While outwardly, this looks like an iPhone 8, it boasted the same CPU as the iPhone 11. |
| iPhone 12 | October 23, 2020 | 15 | Apple returned to the squarer edge design, reminiscent of the iPhone 4. Most of the big changes came under the covers with better sound and video and an OLED display. And let’s not forget the iPhone 12 mini. |
| iPhone 13 | September 24, 2021 | 16 | Aside from a shuffling of the camera positions on the back, and the annual processor bump, the iPhone 13 wasn’t much different to the iPhone 12. This was the last time we saw a ‘mini’ version of the iPhone. |
| iPhone SE 3 | March 18, 2022 | N/A | Two years after Apple last updated its budget iPhone, it kept the iPhone 8 form factor, but boosted the same CPU as the iPhone 13. |
| iPhone 14 | September 16, 2022 | 17 | No more mini but did get a plus-sized version. The notch stayed and we started to see more AI more in the camera with Smart HDR and video stabilisation. |
| iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro | September 22, 2023 | 18 and 18.5 | Here’s where the generations get tricky. The iPhone 15 came in ‘regular’ and ‘Pro’ versions. The Pro version received a processor bump and we saw the Notch give way to the Dynamic Island. |
| iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro | September 20, 2024 | 19 and 19.5 | The Notch, which was part of the iPhone 15, was finally laid to rest. But more disappointingly for many of us, Apple stopped shipping Apple stickers in the box. |
| iPhone 16e | February 20, 2025 | 19 | Apple’s ‘budget’ replacement for the iPhone SE |
There’s little doubt that the 2025 version of the iPhone will be dubbed iPhone 17. Many rumours point to four different versions of the iPhone 17. We’re expecting to see:
- iPhone 17e
- iPhone 17
- iPhone 17 Air
- iPhone 17 Pro
However, it’s possible that there won’t be an iPhone 17e and, instead, we’ll get an iPhone 17 Pro Max.
2026 promises to be the year Apple finally releases a folding iPhone. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects mass production of the folding display to commence next year. With such a significant. product change coming, that seems like a great time for Apple to announce the iPhone XX (pronounced iPhone 20).
This would follow a similar pattern to when Apple skipped the iPhone 9 and brought out the iPhone 8 and iPhone X in the same year.
Apple has already signalled its ability to skip version number of change numbering protocols when it decided to dub this year’s software releases with 26 instead of continuing the same numbering system it had previously used.
One thing is certain. Apple has played fast and loose with how it has numbered iPhone generations.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.