On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s game-changing 3-in-one iPhone – “a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough internet communications device.” That’s right – it’s only been 10 short years since the innovation debuted, and with it has come many innovations and iterations. Today we’re going to look back at the original iPhone and compare it with Apple’s latest device, the iPhone 7 to see just how much that technology has evolved over the years.
1. Speed
Original iPhone: 412 MHz
iPhone 7: 2.3 GHz
The iPhone 7 is 6x faster than the first-gen iPhone. In the animal world, that’s basically the difference between a squirrel and a cheetah. Great improvement.
2. Dimensions
Original iPhone: 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 & 4.8 oz. (135 g)
iPhone 7: 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.28 & 4.87 oz. (138 g)
The iPhone has grown up a bit since 2007, being roughly 120% taller and 60% thinner than its original predecessor. Not to be crass, but it’s gained a little weight, too.
3. Storage
Original iPhone: 4, 8, 16 GB
iPhone 7: 32, 128, 256GB
16GB may have seemed like a lot in 2007, but in 10 years, the iPhone 7 has gained 16x the storage capacity of the original iPhone. Thankfully, Apple knew we’d need all that extra space for bathroom selfies and multiple Angry Birds apps.
4. Resolution
Original iPhone: 320 x 480 (163 ppi)
iPhone 7: 1334 x 750 (326 ppi)
Since 2007, the iPhone has made great strides in pixel resolution. The graphics capacity of the original iPhone can fit within an iPhone 7 almost three times!
5. Display
Original iPhone: 3.5″ Color
iPhone 7: 4.7″ Color
Give the iPhone an inch, and it will go a mile. That extra 1.2″ of iPhone real estate seem to be the norm across most smartphones today, offering a display that’s easy on the eyes.
6. Battery Life
Original iPhone: 24 Hours
iPhone 7: 40 Hours
If there’s one thing Apple fans have wanted for years, it’s been better battery life. With 16 additional hours of charge since 2007, the iPhone could probably have done better in this area. Maybe technology of the next 10 years will give us a week’s power.
7. Camera
Original iPhone: 2.0 Megapixels
iPhone 7: 12.0 Megapixels
One of the most striking differences between the original iPhone and Apple’s newest device is definitely the camera capabilities. With shots comparable to some DSLRs, the hardware alone has improved by 600%.
8. Other Features
Among many other innovations, Apple has given us splash-proof technology (still waiting for those completely waterproof iPhones), a variety of colors, an “improved” Home button and a stereo speaker system, we’re excited to see where the next 10 years will bring us. Maybe hologram ability? Regardless, Happy Birthday, iPhone! We’re proud of you.
