The 5 worst iPhones of all time - Digital Trends

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Apple debuted the archetypal iPhone successful 2007, and we’ve travel a agelong way, arsenic demonstrated by 2022’s iPhone 14 lineup. There are 38 full iPhones that person travel retired successful 15 years, and much coming with each twelvemonth that passes.

But arsenic large arsenic the iPhone is arsenic a whole, it’s ne'er perfect. Some iPhones are wide winners … portion others person been large flops. Here are 5 of the worst iPhones of each time, and a look astatine however they made this list.

iPhone 4

You’re holding it wrong

Though we did see the iPhone 4 successful our database of greatest iPhones of each time, you can’t debar the elephant successful the room: “antennagate.”

The iPhone 4 introduced an all-new plan that departed from the curves of the archetypal iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the 3GS earlier it. We got flat, stainless alloy sides and edges connected the iPhone 4, which looked fantastic. But Apple besides moved the cellular antenna to the extracurricular via the stainless alloy frame, and erstwhile you held it successful your manus — naturally, mightiness I adhd — it would screen the antenna and effect successful immoderate awesome loss.

This became specified a immense woody that Steve Jobs made a peculiar announcement to sermon the problem, yet telling owners of the phone, “you’re holding it wrong.” This didn’t spell implicit good with astir people, and Apple yet admitted it was a plan flaw and offered escaped bumper cases to assistance alleviate the issue.

So portion the iPhone 4 did bring astir revolutionary caller features similar the Retina Display and 5MP camera, it was besides marred by the full antennagate controversy. After all, what bully is an iPhone if you can’t marque calls with it due to the fact that of however you’re holding it?

iPhone 5c

Unapologetically plastic

If there’s 1 happening that Apple isn’t known for, it’s being cheap. Unfortunately, that’s precisely what the iPhone 5c was, and it went against everything the institution stands for.

The iPhone 5c launched alongside the iPhone 5S, and was meant to beryllium a “budget-friendly” option, arsenic evidenced by the agleam and colorful polycarbonate integrative casing. These neon colors were an effort to marque the instrumentality much “fun” and appealing to a broader audience. As Apple said, the iPhone 5c was “unapologetically plastic.”

However, contempt being marketed arsenic a much affordable iPhone, it was $549 — conscionable $100 little than the flagship iPhone 5S. For conscionable $100 more, you could get the iPhone 5S’s superior physique quality, premium consciousness (the 5c felt flimsy owed to the plastic), Touch ID sensor, further storage, burst mode photos, and more.

Not to notation those hideous cases that were made for the iPhone 5c. You cognize the ones — the cases with holes successful them, combined with agleam colors to opposition with the vivid hues of the iPhone 5c integrative back? To me, they were similar the Crocs of iPhone cases.

With each of the unspeakable choices made with the iPhone 5c, it’s nary wonderment it flopped truthful badly. Seriously, what was Apple thinking?

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Does it bend?

Much similar the iPhone 4, the iPhone 6 brought astir a caller epoch of iPhone design. Apple ditched the level sides and edges for rounded corners, curves, and thinness. And don’t hide those antenna lines that stuck retired similar a sore thumb connected the backmost and sides of the device. But successful Apple’s quest for the thinnest telephone possible, determination came a caller controversy: bend-gate.

Because the iPhone 6 utilized 6000 bid aluminum, it was meant to beryllium bladed and light. But it lacked enactment astir the frame, mostly astir the buttons connected the edge. It didn’t instrumentality agelong for owners of the iPhone 6 to observe that having the instrumentality successful their pockets portion seated could use capable unit to crook the chassis. And unfortunately, aluminum doesn’t drawback backmost into signifier erstwhile bent, dissimilar different materials similar plastic.

The astonishing happening is that Apple was alert that this could beryllium a problem, yet it released the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus successful this authorities anyways. Internal investigating was done, and Apple engineers had calculated that the iPhone 6 was 3.3x much apt to crook than its predecessor, the iPhone 5s, and the iPhone 6 Plus was 7.2x much likely.

On apical of this, the iPhone 6 specs weren’t excessively awesome either, particularly erstwhile the iPhone 6s came out. Though the “s” years are typically iterative updates, the iPhone 6s made the leap to 12MP from 8MP connected the rear camera and to 5MP from 1.2MP connected the beforehand camera, which are some rather significant. The iPhone 6s besides debuted 3D Touch, one of the champion surface features that Apple puzzlingly eliminated for haptic touch, which is inferior.

iPhone SE (2022)

No longer a large value

The archetypal iPhone SE was unsocial and appealed to a precise vocal radical of users who craved a tiny iPhone for easiness of usage with 1 hand. The 4-inch surface size was beauteous overmuch perfect, and truly the past of an era.

Apple revived the iPhone SE successful 2020 with the 2nd generation, but alternatively of having that classical 4-inch display, the iPhone SE was a spot of a Franken-phone: it recycled the chassis of the iPhone 8, but had the A13 Bionic spot from the iPhone 11 series, which besides allowed it to usage a azygous lens for Portrait mode images similar connected the iPhone XS and iPhone XR. But it was conveniently priced astatine $399, making it a existent budget-friendly iPhone.

However, 2 years aboriginal successful 2022, Apple released the 3rd-generation iPhone SE. It retains the aforesaid iPhone 8 body, but the spot has been bumped up to the A15 from the iPhone 13 lineup, and it present has 5G connectivity. The terms besides accrued from $399 to $429. Though it’s conscionable a $30 terms difference, it nary longer feels similar a budget-friendly instrumentality astatine supra $400.

While the 3rd-gen iPhone SE isn’t a bad device, it conscionable seems … unnecessary. At slightest the 2nd-gen exemplary was charismatic due to the fact that of the worth that it offered, but the iPhone SE (2022) conscionable doesn’t person the aforesaid value with that terms increase. It besides inactive has the aforesaid aged iPhone 8 assemblage and conscionable somewhat bumped-up specs with the A15 and 5G.

And if you conscionable wanted the iPhone SE due to the fact that it’s a tiny phone, well, there’s ever the iPhone 13 mini.

iPhone 14 Plus

Replace the tiny enactment with … a large one?

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups were large due to the fact that determination was a small spot of thing for everyone, including those who wanted a small iPhone. But with the iPhone 14, Apple decided to enactment the 5.4-inch mini size connected the chopping artifact and bring backmost the Plus arsenic a 6.7-inch behemoth. Those who similar smaller smartphones are present near with either a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 oregon the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro. There’s inactive the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, and for immoderate reason, present the iPhone 14 Plus.

I can’t rather wrapper my caput astir it. At slightest with the mini, it was advantageous for those who wanted a smaller surface due to the fact that it was cheaper than the baseline iPhone 12 oregon iPhone 13. But the iPhone 14 starts astatine $799, with the iPhone 14 Plus $100 much astatine $899. For $100 much than that, you tin get the iPhone 14 Pro. And $200 much nets you the iPhone 14 Pro Max — which would beryllium the superior larger telephone anyway.

The iPhone 14 Plus is conscionable the aforesaid arsenic the iPhone 14, conscionable … bigger. You inactive person the last-gen A15 Bionic, nary telephoto lens, lone a 12MP main camera alternatively of 48MP connected the Pro models, a notch alternatively of the Dynamic Island, nary 120Hz ProMotion display, and lone up to 512GB of storage. I accidental the lone existent payment to the iPhone 14 Plus is if you don’t attraction astir each the fancy bells and whistles of the Pro devices, but privation a larger 6.7-inch surface alternatively than a 6.1-inch one. Also, the aluminum plan is much lightweight than the Pro’s stainless steel.

But still, if you’re spending that overmuch connected a phone, shouldn’t you conscionable outpouring for the 1 with much awesome features? Maybe that’s conscionable me, though. I consciousness that the iPhone mini had its spot with a definite crowd, but the iPhone 14 Plus feels oddly retired of place.

Looking to the roadworthy ahead

Deep Purple iPhone 14 Pro held successful manus with a woody gross successful the background

While Apple has a batch of successes nether its belt, determination person been plentifulness of flops, too. However, it feels similar Apple has mostly learned from its past failures, arsenic much caller iPhone models don’t person a caller “antennagate” oregon “bend-gate” occupation similar successful the past. Apple has inactive made immoderate questionable decisions, similar with the iPhone SE (2022) and iPhone 14 Plus. Even then, they’re not immense controversies similar the iPhone 4’s infamous “you’re holding it wrong” saga.

Though the iPhone 14 lineup conscionable came retired recently, we’ll person the iPhone 15 astatine immoderate constituent adjacent year. Will that bid beryllium a smashing success? Or volition it person a exemplary that sticks retired similar a sore thumb, akin to the iPhone 14 Plus? Only clip volition tell.