The iPhone 18 — ah. What else needs to be said? Well, the naming convention is now beyond absurd, for one thing. Because the ‘iPhone 15’ is the current model, not the ‘iPhone 18’ as it would be if the phone were named chronologically (though even that isn’t precisely simple — more below). Bring on The Architect from The Matrix Reloaded’s voice:
You may not realize how ancient the iPhone is. This is the 18th iteration since I like to count from the appearance of one essential anomaly to the emergence of the next.
The names of the first 17 iPhone models were inconsistent due to the mixture of several naming conventions. And if you include the “iPhone 8,” which was announced in 2017 along with the “iPhone X,” it may just be the 17th generation of the iPhone. They would have been of the same era if names had been used today; the “iPhone X” was actually the “iPhone 8 Pro” or, if ordered chronologically, the “iPhone 11 Pro.”
So, yes, the ‘iPhone 15’ is actually the ‘iPhone 17’ or ‘iPhone 18’ depending on how you count. Unless you count alphabetically, with ‘S’s put into names and orders like Apple. Just to double-check my math, let’s count them out:
- iPhone — 2007 (‘iPhone 1’)
- iPhone 3G — 2008 (‘iPhone 2’)
- iPhone 3GS — 2009 (‘iPhone 3’)
- iPhone 4–2010
- iPhone 4S — 2011 (‘iPhone 5’)
- iPhone 5–2012 (‘iPhone 6’)
- iPhone 5S — 2013 (‘iPhone 7’)
- iPhone 6–2014 (‘iPhone 8’)
- iPhone 6S — 2015 (‘iPhone 9’)
- iPhone 7–2016 (‘iPhone 10’)
- iPhone 8–2017 (‘iPhone 11’)
- iPhone X — 2017 (’iPhone 12’)
- iPhone XS — 2018 (‘iPhone 13’)
- iPhone 11–2019 (‘iPhone 14’)
- iPhone 12–2020 (‘iPhone 15’)
- iPhone 13–2021 (‘iPhone 16’)
- iPhone 14–2022 (‘iPhone 17’)
- iPhone 15–2023 (‘iPhone 18’)
As you can see, only the names of the original iPhone and the iPhone 4 correspond to the actual chronological order of the devices. We won’t even mention the ‘iPhone 5C’ (an iteration I actually liked, but Apple clearly felt was a mistake), the ‘iPhone XR’ (I’m still not sure what this gadget is called, but it’s funny to think of today as we wait for the Vision Pro “XR” device), or the multiple ‘SE’ models.
This is a lengthy way of expressing that I wish Apple had modified the naming convention this year to avoid using digits. Yes, I hope they would do this every year, but will there really be an “iPhone 24” in 2032? Maybe! Probably? However, this year has seen a tangible difference on the high end, quite literally.
It’s the iPhone’s best and most obvious upgrade this year. The ‘iPhone 15’ for the “regular” new models and the ‘iPhone Titanium’ for the “premium” versions might have been used instead of the 2017 naming gimmick discussed above, even if it only applied to a portion of the Pro models.
And yes, it seems likely that Apple will adopt the material moving forward given how wonderful the material looks and feels (and presumably does not contribute to overheating iPhones). Maybe it stays a ‘Pro’ line-only feature for a while, or maybe it ultimately appears on all iPhone models. However, I believe it was worthwhile to specifically mention the new material in the device’s nomenclature this year.
Breaking this naming pattern might give Apple more freedom to innovate the following year. Maybe Apple should give each new iPhone a “fun” moniker, like they do with macOS. When anything different — geographic, like macOS — occurs, is it occasionally connected to the gadget itself, like in the case of “Titanium”? Another thing?
Yes, everything is marketed. However, Apple enjoys marketing! Apple may be the marketing master. Just tell me which name sounds more seductive: “iPhone 15 Pro” or “iPhone Titanium”? What about the iPhone Ultra or the iPhone 16 Pro Max? (More below on this.)
Anyway, that’s about 600 words on the name of the iPhone this year. But once more, I do think the titanium finish of the Pro model this year is the nicest, most notable aspect. Although it looks fantastic, the new model feels much better in the hand. It feels more refined and is substantially lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro from the previous year. Compared to the sharp edges of the previous year, it’s somewhat like a smoothed stone. It only seems right. which is arbitrary but also accurate. This. An iPhone should feel like this.
The 5x optical zoom on the ‘Max’ version of the ‘Pro’ (more ridiculous naming conventions) is one of this year’s other significant advancements. In general use, it’s fantastic, but others have written about it in far more detail than I could ever hope to. I realize that some people don’t want to lug around a bigger gadget only to use this feature, but if you’re debating whether to do so, it might be worthwhile for you. I’ve had the larger size for a few years now, and it’s not difficult to adjust. After a few days, it will feel completely normal after initially feeling enormous. And I believe this year’s reduced weight due to the use of titanium will only facilitate the changeover.
