A design that lasted 10 years
This weekend, I said goodbye to the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 design after 10 long years. It started with the iPhone 6 itself in 2014, a long-awaited upgrade in screen size for the iPhone. Over the years, the design has gone through several iterations and has stood the test of time. However, after more than six iterations of this design, it’s time to move on. What was once acceptable has become increasingly difficult to tolerate.
The difference between the iPhone 6 and the newer iPhone 16 is evident not only in the specs, but also in the overall feel. The battery, camera quality, and water resistance are just a few of the features that have been replaced with much more advanced versions, but visually the two models look almost identical. In fact, the 2014 design spawned a series of smartphones that have been much-loved, yet as technology has advanced and new needs have emerged, the need for change has become imperative.
When you look back on the good old days with this iPhone series, it’s hard not to feel a little nostalgic. From everyday use to special moments captured on camera, each model has left its mark. Yet there’s no denying that 10 years is a long time to keep the same design. Innovation is a huge part of what makes a device valuable, and the world of smartphones continues to evolve rapidly. Now is the time to say goodbye and embrace the future.
Battery problems
Battery life has always been an Achilles heel of this design; the battery has had to compete with every other component of the phone for a relatively small amount of space. As a result, it has always been exceptionally difficult to get through the day on a single charge. A portable power bank or a mid-day top-up was almost always necessary, especially if I dared to use a power-hungry feature like Personal Hotspot.
Plus, charging more means putting more cycles on the battery, which, after a couple years of use, makes battery life even more mediocre. The battery life of my first “modern” iPhone—an iPhone XR, in 2018—was a revelation after years with the 6, 6S, and 8. Since then, I’ve found my iPhone 13 Pro and 15 Pro to be just as capable of getting through the day with a decent percentage of charge left.
Battery management, and the trade-offs that come with it, have been a constant throughout the lifecycle of these smartphones. Each new model brought with it the promise of a significant improvement in battery life, but the compact design has always imposed limitations. Now, a decade later, I can confidently say that recent battery innovations have not only improved my daily smartphone experience, but have also made the dependence on charging a thing of the past.
Goodbye, Lightning Ports
In many ways, Apple’s Lightning connector won the port wars. It’s clear that people were largely content to standardize on a small, omnidirectional port that was versatile and innovative. However, Lightning is not the final version of this standard that took hold in the world. It’s still strange to note that Macs were among the first to adopt the USB-C connector, while the iPhone essentially ignored it until forced to do so by regulators.
Personally, I’m happy to see the last of the Lightning devices in my home retire, much as I got rid of all my Micro USB cables a few years ago. For the past year, I’ve been living with a mix of Lightning and USB-C iPhones, making the process of sharing chargers or connecting to the car’s entertainment system only slightly more complicated. I even attempted to order a cable with a USB-A connector on one end and both Lightning and USB-C connectors on the other from Monoprice; once I realized that was never coming, I was resigned to having to swap out cables every time I used the car.
Over time, I’ve noticed that most Lightning cables in my house (especially, but not exclusively, Apple-designed ones) have worn out and stopped working much faster than USB-C cables. I still have an Apple TV remote, a Magic Trackpad, and an older iPad that charge via Lightning, but having all my phones standardize on a single connector is finally a significant simplification in my day-to-day life.
Camera limitations
All iPhone 6 variants have included only a single camera lens on the back. This was initially a result of the photography habits of the time, where most smartphones only offered a single lens. As the years went by, the design retained this feature, making it difficult for newer versions to compete with those that featured multiple lenses. While later models like the 7 Plus and 8 Plus were able to feature a dual-lens system, the iPhone 6 continued to use a single 12-megapixel lens, significantly limiting photographic flexibility.
This design choice has proven to be particularly restrictive, especially when comparing photographic performance to that of newer models. For those who want to capture a variety of shots, a dual-lens system offers many more options, such as the wide-angle lens and a 2x zoom function, which allows for much more dynamic and creative photography. Shooting modes such as Portrait and Space photos, which are impossible to shoot with a single lens, also become more accessible with a more advanced system.
Moving to newer models has been an eye-opening experience: image quality and versatility have increased exponentially. For example, the modern iPhone 14, 15, and 16 not only offer mainstays like a wide-angle lens, but also access to sophisticated editing and capture features that successfully recreate complex scenes even in difficult lighting conditions. Going back to a single lens now seems like a limiting necessity in a world where mobile photography has reached new standards of excellence.
Nostalgia and the Future of the iPhone SE
There are aspects of the iPhone 6’s design that I still like. It’s compact in a way that modern smartphones aren’t. That size contributes to battery and camera limitations, but the older device is easier to slip into a pocket or small bag than today’s iPhones. Sometimes, I miss having Touch ID. The iPhone 6 and 6S were the last Apple models to include headphone jacks, a feature removal that I’m still a little disappointed about.
It is also critical for Apple to sell a more affordable version of the iPhone and Apple ecosystem to customers on tight budgets who don’t want to buy an old used phone, to those who want a modern phone at an affordable price for their kids or older users, or to anyone whose frequency of use doesn’t justify the cost of a full-priced iPhone 16 or 16 Pro. I believe the iPhone SE as it currently exists is in dire need of an update, but the iPhone SE concept and market position are still an important niche for Apple.
The design isn’t completely outdated yet, though it’s fading in my rearview mirror for me. Apple is still selling the third iPhone SE model, and there are rumors of a new model (which would look similar to the iPhone 14, but with just a single camera and a USB-C port) that won’t arrive until next spring. Apple is continuing to update both the second- and third-generation iPhone SEs, and will likely continue to do so for at least a few years, so app developers will still have to consider that 4.7-inch screen when designing their apps.
However, ten years is a long time to spend on a product design, no matter how good it was at the time. I wouldn’t want to use a 2014 MacBook Air, even if it had a modern Apple Silicon chip; display technology improves, designs get slimmer, ports change, and eventually the benefits of upgrading (or the frustrations that come with it) become too great to ignore.