iPhone to iPhone 6: History in specs

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

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 iPhoneiPhone 3GiPhone 3GSiPhone 4iPhone 4SiPhone 5iPhone 5ciPhone 5siPhone 6iPhone 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 NameM68N82N88N90/N92N94N41/N42N48/N49N51/N53N61N56
Model NameiPhone 1,1iPhone 1,2iPhone 2,1iPhone 3,1iPhone 4,1iPhone 5,1iPhone 5,3iPhone 6,1iPhone 7,2iPhone 7,1
Launch OSiPhone OS 1.0iPhone OS 2.0iPhone OS 3.0iOS 4iOS 5iOS 6iOS 7iOS 7iOS 8iOS 8
Screen Size3.5 inches3.5 inches3.5 inches3.5 inches3.5 inches4.0 inches4.0 inches4.0 inches4.7 inches5.5 inches
Screen Resolution480x320 (163ppi)480x320 (163ppi)80x320 (163ppi)960x640 (326ppi)960x640 (326ppi)1136x640 (326ppi)1136x640 (326ppi)1136x640 (326ppi)1334x750 (326ppi)1920x1080 (401ppi)
Screen TypeIPS LCDIPS LCDIPS LCDIPS LCDIPS LCDIPS LCDIPS LCDIPS LCDIPS LCDI PS LCD
System-on-a-chipSamsung S5L8900Samsung S5L8900Samsung APL0298C05Apple A4Apple A5Apple A6Apple A6Apple A7Apple A8Apple A8
CPUARM 1176JZ(F)-SARM 1176JZ(F)-S600MHz ARM Cortex A8800MHz ARM Cortex A8800MHz dual-core ARM Cortex A91.3GHz 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)
GPUPowerVR MBX Lite 3DPowerVR MBX Lite 3DPowerVR SGX535PowerVR SGX535PowerVR dual-core SGX543MP4PowerVR triple-core SGX543MP3PowerVR triple-core SGX543MP3PowerVR G6430TBDTBD
Co-processornonenonenonenonenonenonenoneM7 MotionM8 MotionM8 Motion
RAM128MB128MB256MB512MB512MB1GB1GB1GB1GB1GB
Storage4GB/8GB/16GB8GB/16GB16GB/32GB16GB/32GB16GB/32GB/64GB16GB/32GB/64GB16GB/32GB/64GB16GB/32GB/64GB16GB/64GB/128GB16GB/64GB/128GB
Cellular DataEDGE3G 3.6HSPA 7.2HSPA 7.2HSPA 14.4LTE/DC-HSPALTE/DC-HSPALTE/DC-HSPALTE AdvancedLTE Advanced
SIMMiniMiniMiniMicroMicroNanoNanoNanoRow 14 - Cell 9 Nano | Nano
Rear Camera2MP2MP3MP/480p5MP/720p, ƒ2.8, 1.75µ8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.4, BSI, 1.4µ8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.4, BSI, 1.4µ8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.4, BSI, 1.4µ8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.2, BSI, 1.5µ8MP/1080p 60fps, ƒ/2.2, BSI, 1.5µ8MP/1080p 60fps, ƒ/2.2, BSI, 1.5µ OIS
Front CameranonenonenoneVGAVGA1.2MP/720p, BSI1.2MP/720p, BSI1.2MP/720p, BSI1.2MP/720p, BSI1.2MP/720p, BSI
BluetoothBluetooth 2.0+EDRBluetooth 2.0+EDRBluetooth 2.1+EDRBluetooth 2.1+EDRBluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0
Wi-Fi802.11b/g802.11b/g802.11b/g802.11b/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/ac802.11a/b/g/n/ac
GPSnoneaGPSaGPSaGPSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASS
SensorsAmbient light, accelerometer, proximityAmbient light, accelerometer, proximityAmbient light, accelerometer, proximity, compassAmbient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscopeAmbient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infraredAmbient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infraredAmbient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infraredAmbient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared, fingerprintAmbient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared, fingerprint, barometerAmbient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared, fingerprint, barometer
MicSingleSingleSingleDualDualTripleTripleTripleTripleTriple
Connector30-pin Dock30-pin Dock30-pin Dock30-pin Dock30-pin DockLightningLightningLightningLightningLightning
Height4.52 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)
Width2.40 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)
Thickness0.46 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
Weight4.72oz (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)
Battery1400mAh1150mAh1219mAh1420mAh1440mAh1440mAh1510mAh1560mAh1810mAh2915mAh
ColorsAluminumBlack/WhiteBlack/WhiteBlack/WhiteBlack/WhiteSlate/SilverBlue/Green/Pink/White/YellowSpace gray, Silver, GoldSpace gray, Silver, GoldSpace 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 Date6/29/20077/1/20086/19/20096/24/201010/14/20119/21/20129/20/20139/20/20139/19/20149/19/2014
Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

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.

24 Comments
  • iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S screen resolutions are off by one model.
  • Thanks, fixed!
  • Where are all the stories going viral today? iPhone 6 battery life horrible. WiFi not working. Keyboards crashing. Apps crashing on iOS 8 78% more than on iOS 7. C'mon imore, fair and balanced. Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • We're working on covering every bug, along with solutions. Our goal isn't to just cut and paste stuff without context or thought, it's to help people have better experiences with their phones. We'll be trouble shooting every common bug we come across this week.
  • Rene is the most biased person I've ever read. Posted via the Android iMore App!
  • Hugs!
  • Totally no difference in specs between the iphone5s and 6. Just a larger screen. Sent from the iMore App
  • Except cameras, battery, processor, upgraded radios. But yeah no difference at all....
  • Lol Sent from the iMore App
  • iMore needs to find a better way to post these charts. Can anyone see the whole chart in their browser window? I had to paste it into Excel to make sense of it.
  • Its their new website layout, horrible. I understand their marketing strategy, but this is going to drive members away from this site.
  • There's no marketing strategy to the new layout, but it is new and we will encounter glitches. Feedback helps us make it better :)
  • Get those phones off the concrete! Jeezus!
  • That was my first thought too!!
  • So..... ^you guys^ mad....?
  • iphone6 specs needed to be the same as 6+ as currently not worth the upgrade from the iPhone5s. iphone 7 will be worth the upgrade for me, I hope. Quiz question for Rene and the rest of you... How may different models of iPhone since its inception including all memory sizes across all networks globally have apple released? Virtual pint for the winner if I only new the answer myself...
  • Optical Image Stabilization is the only major difference. Sure on specs the 6 Plus has more ppi, but honestly, it's hard for me to tell. Of course, the bigger will have a better battery because of its bigger size. And landscape mode is only relevant on the 6P. I ordered my Soave gray 6 Plus Saturday! Sent from the iMore App
  • Haha Friday for me. Sent from the iMore App
  • Gosh, those sure are some impressive specs these iphones have had over the years........if only high end android was privelages enough to have specs like these Oh wait, that's right, high end android demolishes anything apple has ever produced, lolololo Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • Thank you for taking the time to share.
  • Every time I see that picture, I cringe!
  • Me too.
  • The one thing that always gets me is that the original iPhone had the biggest battery for quite a few generations. Also that even apple knew the iPhone 3G was the same as the original sans 3G hence the code name iPhone 1,2.
  • In Australia an unlocked 6 is only 16% more expensive that a similar 5S. One of our Telco's (Virgin) actually has a plan where the 6 is $1 per month cheaper than the 5S. So it appears to be an easy decision to get the 6 given it's bigger screen and (slightly) better specs. However, the 2 iPhone problems (bending, IOS 8.0.1) of late point to reduction in their initial reliability. Which is the reason I just purchased a 5S. Perhaps next time (6S?) I will have the confidence to go with the latest.