How the iPhone has changed over the past five years

Advancements in smartphones have become so incremental that you might struggle to spot the differences between the latest two models of a given device. But when you zoom out and study longer periods of time, it’s much easier to see what’s changed. You might want to know what an upgrade gets you, or maybe you enjoy iPhone history out of nostalgia.

Beyond the obvious increase in internal power, the iPhone has evolved over the past five years. Since 2021’s iPhone 13 lineup, we’ve seen revisions to the iPhone’s screen, physical buttons, camera features, charging port, operating system, and software design. Some of these points have remained the same for a long time, illustrating how far the system has come. Features previously exclusive to Pro-level phones have migrated to base devices. And with the expected reveal of the iPhone 18 series just a few months away, we could see even more of a gap from the early 2020s models.

Since the iPhone 5 in 2012, each generation has used Apple’s proprietary Lightning port for charging and accessories. While it’s an improvement over the old 30-pin connector, it was limited to USB 2.0 speeds on iPhones. It seemed more and more outdated as other phones moved to USB-C. Following a European law requiring all phones sold in the region to use USB-C, Apple phased out Lightning starting with the iPhone 15 (and 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max) in 2023.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are also the first models to replace the mute switch with the action button. This slider has been at the top left of every iPhone since the original in 2007, allowing you to turn off the ringer without opening Settings. Although the replacement can replicate this behavior, the action button is also customizable, allowing you to turn on the flashlight, activate the camera, or do whatever you want using the Shortcuts app. The iPhone 16 and newer models retained the action button, completing the transition.

Additionally, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 lines (excluding the cheaper “e” models) have added a brand new button: Camera Control. Pressing it opens the camera and takes photos; it’s also touch sensitive for adjusting controls like zoom and exposure.

The iPhone screen has received some minor improvements over the past five years, such as smaller bezels and higher maximum brightness. A more interesting development is ProMotion, which is the name Apple uses for an adaptive refresh rate. On iPhone 13 Pro/Max through iPhone 16 Pro/Max, and on all models in the iPhone 17 range, the screen goes up to 120Hz for high-motion activities like scrolling or gaming. It goes down to 1Hz to save battery power when you’re not moving. iPhones without this stay at 60Hz, which is less smooth. You’ll notice a higher refresh rate across your entire phone, making it one of the best upgrades in recent years. And luckily, it’s now part of the basic iPhone.

After the iPhone The following year, the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max replaced the notch with Dynamic Island, and it’s been on every iPhone (except “e” devices) ever since. Instead of a static bar, Dynamic Island displays ongoing actions from other apps, like a running timer, navigating Maps, or playing music. Using it, you can keep an eye on your Uber while you scroll through social media or skip the current song without leaving the message you’re composing.

An always-on display is available on Pro and Pro Max phones starting with iPhone 14 Pro and all iPhone 17 models (including iPhone Air). This keeps the lock screen dark while still showing details like the time, widgets, and notifications. It uses a little battery, but it can help you avoid picking up your phone as often and getting led down a rabbit hole.

AI as we know it today wasn’t publicly available in 2021, so it’s no surprise that the iPhone has since undergone major transformations in this area. Apple has been notoriously slower to adopt AI across its platforms, with Apple Intelligence not arriving until October 2024. On the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max and all later models, this is an optional feature that unlocks a suite of tools on your device.

Most of these will be familiar to you if you’ve used other AI offerings. Writing Tools summarizes long documents and helps you rewrite your own text for clarity and accuracy. Image Playground generates images or emojis from your prompts and can also edit your own photos. Siri is enhanced by Apple Intelligence with more natural understanding and can optionally connect to ChatGPT to handle more complex requests. Other features include visual intelligence (showing information about items scanned with your camera) and live translations during calls and messages.

When iOS 27 arrives in fall 2026, Siri will get a long-awaited comprehensive AI upgrade. However, some Apple Intelligence features will be locked on higher-end models. The iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone Air will benefit from some exclusive features, such as customizable expressiveness for Siri.

Every new iPhone brings camera improvements, so you’ll notice a lot of upgrades between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 17. The iPhone 13 used 12-megapixel lenses for its main and ultra-wide cameras, while the iPhone 17 increased them to 48 MP each. Macro photography is supported on the iPhone 17, which the iPhone 13 lacked. Selfies have also been improved, with the iPhone 17 sporting an 18 MP front camera compared to the 2021 model’s 12 MP.

On the Pro side, the iPhone 17 Pro supports optical zoom at 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x. In contrast, the iPhone 13 Pro was limited to 0.5x, 1x, and 3x. On an iPhone 17 Pro, you can also record 4K videos in Dolby Vision at up to 120 FPS, whereas the old device was limited to 60 FPS in this regard.

A brand new feature has also been added. The iPhone 14 lineup introduced Action Mode to stabilize shaky videos. Later, the iPhone 17 line (including the iPhone Air) introduced Center Stage, which automatically adjusts the view to keep human subjects in the center. It also added Dual Capture for simultaneous recording from both front and rear cameras.

Starting with the iPhone 14 and its siblings in 2022, the phone gained satellite connectivity, allowing you to call emergency services or message your contacts even with zero cellular signal. Also that year, Apple introduced collision detection, where your iPhone will call for help if you fail to respond following a detected collision. And these were the first iPhones to be eSIM only in the US, removing the SIM card slot that had existed on every previous generation.

Over the past five years, we have seen macroeconomic adjustments in the iPhone lineup. 2021 was the last time we got an iPhone mini, while Apple introduced the iPhone Air to replace the Plus model in 2025. In 2021, the base storage for an iPhone 13 was 128GB, while 2025 deals start at 256GB. What hasn’t changed forever is iCloud’s base storage limit, which has been 5GB since the service became available in 2011.