iPhone to iPhone 6: History in specs

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the latest in a line of Apple phones stretching back to the original in 2007. Year after year, release after release, they've grown bigger, faster, more powerful, and better. You can see it in the specs and feel it in the experience. Now, some people believe specs mean everything. That you can sum up any phone, any device, by the rows on a spreadsheet. Other people believe specs mean nothing. That it is experience and experience alone that defines a device. The truth, as is often the case, lies smack in between. Specs matter in that they're needed to deliver an experience. If the specs aren't sufficient, the experience will suffer. If they specs aren't utilized, then they don't matter. Since Apple uniquely controls everything from the chipset to the software and services, they're best positioned to wring every ounce of experience out of their specs. So, with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, what are those specs?

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Header Cell - Column 0	iPhone	iPhone 3G	iPhone 3GS	iPhone 4	iPhone 4S	iPhone 5	iPhone 5c	iPhone 5s	iPhone 6	iPhone 6 Plus
Row 0 - Cell 0	Row 0 - Cell 1	Row 0 - Cell 2	Row 0 - Cell 3	Row 0 - Cell 4	Row 0 - Cell 5	Row 0 - Cell 6	Row 0 - Cell 7	Row 0 - Cell 8	Row 0 - Cell 9	Row 0 - Cell 10
Code Name	M68	N82	N88	N90/N92	N94	N41/N42	N48/N49	N51/N53	N61	N56
Model Name	iPhone 1,1	iPhone 1,2	iPhone 2,1	iPhone 3,1	iPhone 4,1	iPhone 5,1	iPhone 5,3	iPhone 6,1	iPhone 7,2	iPhone 7,1
Launch OS	iPhone OS 1.0	iPhone OS 2.0	iPhone OS 3.0	iOS 4	iOS 5	iOS 6	iOS 7	iOS 7	iOS 8	iOS 8
Screen Size	3.5 inches	3.5 inches	3.5 inches	3.5 inches	3.5 inches	4.0 inches	4.0 inches	4.0 inches	4.7 inches	5.5 inches
Screen Resolution	480x320 (163ppi)	480x320 (163ppi)	80x320 (163ppi)	960x640 (326ppi)	960x640 (326ppi)	1136x640 (326ppi)	1136x640 (326ppi)	1136x640 (326ppi)	1334x750 (326ppi)	1920x1080 (401ppi)
Screen Type	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	I PS LCD
System-on-a-chip	Samsung S5L8900	Samsung S5L8900	Samsung APL0298C05	Apple A4	Apple A5	Apple A6	Apple A6	Apple A7	Apple A8	Apple A8
CPU	ARM 1176JZ(F)-S	ARM 1176JZ(F)-S	600MHz ARM Cortex A8	800MHz ARM Cortex A8	800MHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9	1.3GHz dual-core Swift (ARM v7s)	1.3GHz dual-core Swift (ARM v7s)	64-bit 1.3GHz dual-core Cyclone (ARM v8)	64-bit 1.38Ghz dual-core (ARM v8)	64-bit 1.38Ghz dual-core (ARM v8)
GPU	PowerVR MBX Lite 3D	PowerVR MBX Lite 3D	PowerVR SGX535	PowerVR SGX535	PowerVR dual-core SGX543MP4	PowerVR triple-core SGX543MP3	PowerVR triple-core SGX543MP3	PowerVR G6430	TBD	TBD
Co-processor	none	none	none	none	none	none	none	M7 Motion	M8 Motion	M8 Motion
RAM	128MB	128MB	256MB	512MB	512MB	1GB	1GB	1GB	1GB	1GB
Storage	4GB/8GB/16GB	8GB/16GB	16GB/32GB	16GB/32GB	16GB/32GB/64GB	16GB/32GB/64GB	16GB/32GB/64GB	16GB/32GB/64GB	16GB/64GB/128GB	16GB/64GB/128GB
Cellular Data	EDGE	3G 3.6	HSPA 7.2	HSPA 7.2	HSPA 14.4	LTE/DC-HSPA	LTE/DC-HSPA	LTE/DC-HSPA	LTE Advanced	LTE Advanced
SIM	Mini	Mini	Mini	Micro	Micro	Nano	Nano	Nano	Row 14 - Cell 9	Nano \| Nano
Rear Camera	2MP	2MP	3MP/480p	5MP/720p, ƒ2.8, 1.75µ	8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.4, BSI, 1.4µ	8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.4, BSI, 1.4µ	8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.4, BSI, 1.4µ	8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.2, BSI, 1.5µ	8MP/1080p 60fps, ƒ/2.2, BSI, 1.5µ	8MP/1080p 60fps, ƒ/2.2, BSI, 1.5µ OIS
Front Camera	none	none	none	VGA	VGA	1.2MP/720p, BSI	1.2MP/720p, BSI	1.2MP/720p, BSI	1.2MP/720p, BSI	1.2MP/720p, BSI
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 2.0+EDR	Bluetooth 2.0+EDR	Bluetooth 2.1+EDR	Bluetooth 2.1+EDR	Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 4.0
Wi-Fi	802.11b/g	802.11b/g	802.11b/g	802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz)	802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz)	802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz, 5GHz)	802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz, 5GHz)	802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz, 5GHz)	802.11a/b/g/n/ac	802.11a/b/g/n/ac
GPS	none	aGPS	aGPS	aGPS	aGPS, GLONASS	aGPS, GLONASS	aGPS, GLONASS	aGPS, GLONASS	aGPS, GLONASS	aGPS, GLONASS
Sensors	Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity	Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity	Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass	Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope	Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared	Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared	Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared	Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared, fingerprint	Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared, fingerprint, barometer	Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared, fingerprint, barometer
Mic	Single	Single	Single	Dual	Dual	Triple	Triple	Triple	Triple	Triple
Connector	30-pin Dock	30-pin Dock	30-pin Dock	30-pin Dock	30-pin Dock	Lightning	Lightning	Lightning	Lightning	Lightning
Height	4.52 inches (115mm)	4.55 inches (115.5mm)	4.55 inches (115.5mm)	4.54 inches (115.2mm)	4.54 inches (115.2mm)	4.87 inches (123.8mm)	4.91 inches (124.8mm)	4.87 inches (123.8mm)	5.44 inches (138.1 mm)	6.22 inches (158.1mm)
Width	2.40 inches (61mm)	2.43 inches (61.8mm)	2.43 inches (61.8mm)	2.31 inches (58.6mm)	2.31 inches (58.6mm)	2.31 inches (58.6mm)	2.33 inches (59.2mm)	2.31 inches (58.6mm)	2.64 inches (67.0mm)	3.06 inches (77.8mm)
Thickness	0.46 inches (11.6mm)	0.48 inches (12.3mm)	0.48 inches (12.3mm)	0.37 inches (9.3mm)	0.37 inches (9.3mm)	0.30 inches (7.6mm)	0.35 inches (8.97mm)	0.30 inches (7.6mm)	0.27 inches (6.9mm)	0.28 inches (7.1mm
Weight	4.72oz (135g)	4.69 oz (133g)	4.72oz (135g)	4.83oz (137g)	4.94 oz (140g)	3.95oz (112g)	4.66oz (132g)	4.30oz (122g)	4.55 oz (129g)	6.07 oz (172 g)
Battery	1400mAh	1150mAh	1219mAh	1420mAh	1440mAh	1440mAh	1510mAh	1560mAh	1810mAh	2915mAh
Colors	Aluminum	Black/White	Black/White	Black/White	Black/White	Slate/Silver	Blue/Green/Pink/White/Yellow	Space gray, Silver, Gold	Space gray, Silver, Gold	Space gray, Silver, Gold
Launch Price	$499/$599 on contract (no subsidy)	$199/$299 on contract	$199/$299 on contract	$199/$299 on contract	$199/$299/$399 on contract	$199/$299/$399 on contract	$99/$199 on contract	$199/$299/$399 on contract	$199/$299/$399 on contract	$299/$399/$499 on contract
Release Date	6/29/2007	7/1/2008	6/19/2009	6/24/2010	10/14/2011	9/21/2012	9/20/2013	9/20/2013	9/19/2014	9/19/2014

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.