Top 10 Revolutionary iPhones and Their Impact on Smartphone Photography
The iPhone, a symbol of modern technology, has revolutionised the smartphone industry since its inception. Over the years, each new model has brought significant advancements, particularly in the realm of photography.
The iPhone X (2017): Marked a significant moment for iPhones, featuring an all-screen design and an OLED display that was leagues ahead of the iPhone 8 series. This innovation paved the way for future design improvements.
The iPhone 4 (2010): Introduced the first front camera and FaceTime video call service, making communication more personal. The iPhone 4 also marked a shift where Apple began to consider the possibility that an iPhone could have a good canvas, with improved low light performance.
The iPhone 4s (2011): Furthered Apple's commitment to improving the iPhone's camera with an 8MP rear camera, setting a new standard for smartphone photography.
The iPhone 5 (2012): Was the first iPhone fully overseen by Tim Cook and the last with any input from Steve Jobs. It featured a reworked design, a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio display, and super-fast Lightning connectivity.
The iPhone 6s Series (2015): Significantly improved the iPhone's video capabilities. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were the first iPhones to have a 4K-capable camera, and the 6s Plus was the first iPhone to feature a dual-camera system, enhancing the phone's camera versatility.
The iPhone 7 Plus (2016): Introduced Portrait Mode, enabling the phone to produce images with a shallow depth of field and artfully blurred backgrounds.
The iPhone 11 (2019): Was the first iPhone to have Night Mode, significantly improving low-light iPhone photography.
The iPhone 16 Series (2024): Optimised for running generative AI, with an Apple A18 chip and a significantly upgraded Neural Engine. This series also introduced rebranded photo editing features as Photo Intelligence, including the ability to quickly clean up distracting objects from the backgrounds of images.
The iPhone 17 Series (2025): The slimmest iPhone yet released, with a thickness of just 5.6mm. The iPhone 17 series also features a new 18MP "Centre Stage" front camera with zooming and rotating options, and dual video capture from both cameras. Video benefits from ultra-stabilisation on this series.
The iPhone 18 Pro (2026): Expected to be significant for iPhone photography, featuring advanced camera improvements such as a rear camera with a variable aperture for DSLR-like manual control and possibly under-display Face ID for a reduced camera cutout.
The iPhone, while not the first smartphone with a camera, has undoubtedly popularised the concept. Today, a big chunk of the billions of images captured every day are taken on iPhones, solidifying its place as a leader in mobile photography. Notable examples include Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later, released in 2022, which was shot using the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and Korean directors Park Chan-kyong and Park Chan-wook's short film Night Fishing, entirely shot on the iPhone 4 in 2010, one of the first instances of iPhone filmmaking.
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