What are all the differences between the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8? Why did Apple sell all of these phones at the same time? Are these increasingly vintage models still worth considering?

Please note that the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8 all have been discontinued. This Q&A has been updated with the latest iOS support, configuration, and other details; and can be quite helpful for anyone buying or selling one of these models on the used market.

In recent years, Apple has sold a large number of iPhone models from different years at the same time. At one point, the company sold the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8 all at the same time. This Q&A compares them accordingly, but has been modified with up-to-date information on each model.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPhone 8)

There are thirty two different iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus models. This doesn't even include color or capacity options, but merely the number of distinct models.

Carrier and geographic restrictions mean that not all models originally were in all locations, but there still are a lot of options no matter how you categorize them.

Economic Theory & The Paradox of Choice

Only those at the upper echelons of Apple could tell you for certain why Apple decided to sell so many models at the same time, but in basic economic theory, a company -- particularly one with or approaching monopoly power -- tries to hit as many points on the demand curve as possible to maximize its profits. This appears to be Apple's primary reason for selling so many models simultaneously.

This profit maximization strategy works well until consumers essentially feel stressed by having too many options and become "less likely to buy anything at all, and if they do buy, they are less satisfied with their selection." This outcome is commonly referred to as the "paradox of choice" in marketing.

Whether or not the bean counters at Apple ultimately will be successful with their strategy will be determined by the market, but so far, they don't seem to have stressed out customers too much and EveryiPhone.com is here to help you slog through the options. As always, we have documented all of these iPhones in detail. However, this Q&A primarily addresses collective differences for the sake of simplicity.

External Design & Functionality Differences

Although all of these models share the same general size and shape, it would be easy to mistake any of them for one another, but the iPhone 8 is more externally distinctive to the observant because of material differences.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7 & iPhone 8 - Back)

Although there are tiny differences in size and weight, the iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus each share thin all aluminum designs with softly rounded sides.

The iPhone 8, on the other hand, shares the general size and shape, but has an aluminum alloy case reinforced by steel with a glass front and back, which gives it a look that is more of a throwback to the iPhone 4, commonly considered to be the most attractive iPhone design.

In basic terms, each subsequent model is more durable and water resistant and adds more advanced input capability than its predecessor. The iPhone 8 also adds "wireless" -- or really inductive -- charging capability:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+	iPhone 8/8+
Material:	Aluminum	Al (7000)	Al (7000)	Al/Glass
Ion-X Glass:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Water Resistant:	No	Rubber Gasket	IP67	IP67
Speakers:	One	One	Two	Two (Louder)
Headphone Jack:	Yes	Yes	No	No
Touch ID:	1st Gen	2nd Gen	Solid State	Solid State
Inductive Charging:	No	No	No	Yes (Qi)

Apple boasts that the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus models have the "most durable glass in a smartphone," but it still is likely that the 7000 series aluminum used by the iPhone 6s/6s+ and iPhone 7/7+ will be able to withstand more abuse in real world use.

Display Differences

All of these models have a multitouch "Retina HD" display and the same dimensions, resolutions, pixel density, and contrast ratio as well as dual domain pixels, but each line is better quality and more capable than its predecessor.

The display quality and functionality is different between models accordingly:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+	iPhone 8/8+
Dimensions:	4.7/5.4"	4.7/5.4"	4.7/5.4"	4.7/5.4"
Resolution:	1334x750 1920x1080	1334x750 1920x1080	1334x750 1920x1080	1334x750 1920x1080
Pixel Density:	326 ppi 401 ppi	326 ppi 401 ppi	326 ppi 401 ppi	326 ppi 401 ppi
Contrast Ratio:	1400:1 1300:1	1400:1 1300:1	1400:1 1300:1	1400:1 1300:1
Max Brightness:	500 cd/m2	500 cd/m2	625 cd/m2	625 cd/m2
Wide Color:	No	No	DCI-P3	DCI-P3
True Tone:	No	No	No	Yes
3D Touch:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tapic Sensor:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

These displays all are bright and high quality, but perhaps most notably, the iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus have "wide color" support for more accuracy and the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus go a step further with Apple's "True Tone" technology which automatically adjusts the white balance of the display to best match the external lighting.

Housing Color & Material Differences

For the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus lines, Apple added new color options and reduced them again for the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus:

iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+	iPhone 8/8+
White Front/ Silver Back	White Front/ Silver Back	White Front/ Silver Back	White Front/ Silver Back
White Front/ Gold Back	White Front/ Gold Back	White Front/ Gold Back	White Front/ Gold Back
Black Front/ Space Gray Back	White Front/ Rose Gold Back	White Front/ Rose Gold Back	Black Front/ Space Gray Back
	Black Front/ Space Gray Back	Black Front/ Matte Black Back	Black Front/ Matte Red Back
		Black Front/ Glossy Black Back
		White Front/ Matte Red Back

Note, again, that the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus models have a glass front and back. The tint of the gold color also falls somewhere between the previous gold and "Rose Gold" options.

Camera Differences

The iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus all have dual cameras, but each model has cameras better than the one that came before it.

FaceTime Cameras

The later iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus models have significantly better front-facing "FaceTime HD" cameras:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+	iPhone 8/8+
Megapixels:	1.2 MP	5 MP	7 MP	7 MP
Aperture:	f/2.4	f/2.2	f/2.2	f/2.2
Video:	720p	720p	1080p	1080p

Most notably, the front-facing camera in the later models have larger sensors and wider aperture values, which allow for better light. They shoot higher resolution video, too.

iSight Cameras

The rear-mounted cameras, which Apple formerly called "iSight" but dropped this branding starting with the iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus, have become better and better with each new model:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+	iPhone 8/8+
Megapixels:	8 MP	12 MP	12 MP x2*	12 MP x2*
Aperture:	f/2.2	f/2.2	f/1.8/f/2.8*	f/1.8/f/2.8*
Pixel Size:	1.5µm	1.22µm	1.22µm	1.22µm
LED Flash:	Dual	True Tone	Quad True Tone	Quad True Tone with Slow Sync
Lens:	Yes	Five-Element	Six-Element	Six-Element
Zoom:	3x	5x	5x & 2x/10x*	5x & 2x/10x*
Video:	1080p	4K	4K	4K
Slo-Mo:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Focus Pixels:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
AIS:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
OIS (Photos):	No	No/Yes	Yes	Yes
OIS (Videos):	No	No/Yes	Yes	Yes

* The iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus models have dual rear cameras. There are two rear 12 megapixel cameras, one wide-angle with a f/1.8 aperture and another telephoto with a f/2.8 aperture. By combining an image from both cameras, these models emulate a 2x optical zoom as well as a 10x digital zoom. These models also have a portrait mode and the iPhone 8 Plus adds a "Portrait Lighting" feature, as well.

Perhaps the most substantial improvements in the rear camera in recent years is related to software rather than hardware, though. The iPhone 8 -- and especially the iPhone 8 Plus -- have substantially improved HDR and vastly improved low light performance because of the "Slow Sync" flash. For more details about how these software improvements can affect photos in the hands of a professional photographer, you also may find Austin Mann's review quite useful.

Identification Differences

It is easy to mistake any of these models for one another when they are not side-by-side.

Many of the devices can be identified by Model Number, which is listed on the back of the iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus, but not the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus (which have this identifier on the cardboard shipping box and within the iOS Settings app). Not all of the iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus models can be individually identified in this way, either.

Nevertheless, for the purpose of this Q&A, it is sufficient to note that the following model numbers refer to these devices:

iPhone Model	Model Numbers
iPhone 6	A1549, A1586, A1589
iPhone 6 Plus	A1522, A1524, A1593
iPhone 6s	A1633, A1688, A1700, A1691
iPhone 6s Plus	A1634, A1687, A1699, A1690
iPhone 7	A1660, A1778, A1779, A1780
iPhone 7 Plus	A1661, A1784, A1785, A1786
iPhone 8	A1863, A1905, A1906, A1907
iPhone 8 Plus	A1864, A1897, A1898, A1899

These devices also can be spotted uniquely by other identifiers.

Specifically, EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iLookup feature can precisely identify these iPhone models by Order Number (referred to as "Model" within the iOS "Settings" app under General > About), and their Serial Numbers, as well.

Battery Life Differences

The iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus generally have better battery life than the earlier iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus models.

However, it also is worth noting that the earlier iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus models actually have better battery life than the later models for phone calls and music playback:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+	iPhone 8/8+
Talk Time (3G):	14/24 Hours	14/24 Hours	14/21 Hours	14/21 Hours
Internet (3G):	10/12 Hours	10/12 Hours	12/13 Hours	12/13 Hours
Internet (4G/LTE):	10/12 Hours	10/12 Hours	12/13 Hours	12/13 Hours
Internet (Wi-Fi):	11/12 Hours	11/12 Hours	14/15 Hours	12/13 Hours
Video Playback:	11/14 Hours	11/14 Hours	13/14 Hours	13/14 Hours
Audio Playback:	50/80 Hours	50/80 Hours	40/60 Hours	40/60 Hours

Unsurprisingly, battery life is better for the larger "Plus" models, as they have physically larger batteries.

Wireless Connectivity & Data Differences

In basic terms, each line of iPhone models support more advanced wireless connectivity than their predecessors.

All of these devices support 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with MIMO, GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), and UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz), as well as LTE/4G connectivity but support for specific bands varies. Later models support more advanced and faster LTE/4G.

For details, if desired, see these separate Q&As:

• iPhone 6 (Four Models)
• iPhone 6 Plus (Four Models)
• iPhone 6s & iPhone 6s Plus (Four Models Each)
• iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus (Four Models Each)
• iPhone 8 & iPhone 8 Plus (Four Models Each)

It also is worth noting that the iPhone 6/iPhone 6 only have basic support for Bluetooth 4.2. The iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models fully support Bluetooth 4.2 and the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus support Bluetooth 5.0.

Internal Differences

The iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus models have substantially different architectures with each being more advanced and faster than their predecessors:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+	iPhone 8/8+
Clockspeed:	1.4 GHz	1.8 GHz	2.3 GHz	2.4 GHz
Processor:	Apple A8	Apple A9	Apple A10 Fusion	Apple A11 Bionic
Cores:	Two	Two	Four	Six
RAM:	1 GB	2 GB	2 GB/3 GB*	2 GB/3 GB*
Architecture:	64-Bit	64-Bit	64-Bit	64-Bit
Coprocessor:	M8 Motion	M9 Motion	M10 Motion	M11 Motion
Neural Engine:	No	No	No	Yes
Orig. Storage:	16/64/128 GB†	16/64/128 GB	32/128/256 GB	64/256 GB‡
Apple Pay (NFC):	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Barometer:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

* The iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus models have 3 GB of RAM whereas the smaller iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models only have 2 GB of RAM.

† Apple re-introduced 32 GB variants of the iPhone 6, but not the iPhone 6 Plus, in February and March 2017 in the US (on AT&T GoPhone and Boost Mobile), in India, Europe, and other international markets in Space Gray. The company also introduced a 32 GB variant of the iPhone 6 in Gold in China and Taiwan. This reintroduced iPhone 6 was discontinued again on September 12, 2018.

‡ On September 10, 2019, Apple discontinued the 256 GB configurations for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus and introduced new 128 GB ones.

The Japan-specific iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus models also are advertised to have support for Sony's FeliCa for contactless payments on iD and QuicPay as well as Suica support on JR East.

iOS Support Differences

Each of these iPhone models originally shipped with the then current version of the iOS:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+	iPhone 8/8+
Original iOS:	iOS 8	iOS 9	iOS 10	iOS 11
Max iOS:	iOS 12	iOS 15	iOS 15	iOS 16

The oldest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models support iOS 12, but do not support iOS 13. or later versions of the iOS, including the current version.

All other models all support iOS 13, but do not support the Adjust Portrait Lighting and High-Key Mono photgraphy features, Dolby Atmos playback, and modest AR features (Motion Capture and People Occlusion).

All of these models except for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus support iOS 14 and iOS 15.

However, when running iOS 14 or later, none support the minor Car Keys, Location Anchors, Exposure Compensation, Burst Photos, QuickTake Video, and On-Device Dictation features. The iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus models do support Spatial Audio and App Clips whereas the the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus do not.

When running iOS 15, none of these models support a large number of advanced features including Spatial Audio, Portrait Mode, Immersive Walking Instructions, Live Text in Photos, Live Text Translation, Visual Look Up, 3D Landmarks, Home Keys, and more.

Finally, the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus do not support iOS 16, the current version of the iOS. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus support iOS 16, but they do not support many advanced features including Live Text, expanded Siri capabilities, improved Dictation, Adding medications via camera, Accessibility Detection, Live Captions, improved Depth of Field, and Visual Look Up. They do not support Apple Music Sing (Karaoke), either.

None of these models support iOS 17, or later versions of the iOS, including the current version.

It also is not possible to install a version of the iOS earlier than the one that was pre-installed, and it is difficult even to "downgrade" to an earlier version after upgrading a compatible iPhone to a later version of the iOS.

iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, & iPhone 8 Comparison Chart

These differences as well as other details and US pricing information is summarized below:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+	iPhone 8/8+
Introduced:	Sept 2014	Sept 2015	Sept 2016	Sept 2017
Clockspeed:	1.4 GHz	1.8 GHz	2.3 GHz	2.4 GHz
Processor:	Apple A8	Apple A9	Apple A10	Apple A11
Coprocessor:	M8 Motion	M9 Motion	M10 Motion	M11 Motion
RAM:	1 GB	2 GB	2/3 GB	2/3 GB
Orig. Storage (GB):	16/64	16/64/128	32/128/256	64/256
Battery Life (Hours):	10-80	10-80	12-60	12-60
Display Size:	4.7"/5.5"	4.7"/5.5"	4.7"/5.5"	4.7"/5.5"
Resolution:	1334x750 1920x1080	1334x750 1920x1080	1334x750 1920x1080	1334x750 1920x1080
Pixel Density:	326 ppi 401 ppi	326 ppi 401 ppi	326 ppi 401 ppi	326 ppi 401 ppi
Contrast Ratio:	1400:1 1300:1	1400:1 1300:1	1400:1 1300:1	1400:1 1300:1
Wide Color:	No	No	DCI-P3	DCI-P3
Headphone Jack:	Yes	Yes	No	No
Ion-Strengthened Glass:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
3D Touch:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Taptic Sensor:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Stereo Speakers:	No	No	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth:	4.2	4.2 (Full)	4.2 (Full)	5.0
Rear Megapixels:	8 MP	12 MP	12 MP (x2)	12 MP (x2)
Rear Video:	1080p	4K	4K	4K
Rear Aperture:	f/2.2	f/2.2	f/1.8/2.8	f/1.8/2.8
Rear Zoom:	3x	5x	5x & 2x/10x	5x & 2x/10x
Rear LED Flash:	Dual	True Tone	Quad True	Quad True
Primary Material:	Al	Al 7000	Al 7000	Al 7000/Glass
Water Gasket:	No	Yes	Yes (IP67)	Yes (IP67)
Touch ID:	1st Gen	2nd Gen	Solid	Solid
Apple Pay (NFC):	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Barometer:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
SIM Card:	Nano	Nano	Nano	Nano
Original iOS:	iOS 9	iOS 9	iOS 10	iOS 11
Maximum iOS:	iOS 12	iOS 15	iOS 15	iOS 16
Orig Price* (US):	US$649-US$949	US$649-US$949	US$649-US$969	US$699- US$949

* Note that these prices are for devices unlocked and paid in full upfront. Carrier subsidized options also were available.

For pricing in dozens of countries, see the "Global Prices" on the specs page for each iPhone as well as the "By Global Original Prices" section of EveryiPhone.com.

So, which is for me? Should I buy an iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, or iPhone 8? Are any of these models still worth considering?

Just compared to one another (and ignoring newer models), the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus models are the best of the four. They're (1) faster, (2) have higher quality displays, (3) have better cameras (and much better low light performance, in particular), (4) have convenient inductive charging, (5) have better support for augmented reality, and (6) support the most recent version of the iOS.

However, the earlier models, especially the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus, still are capable (and the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus have a headphone jack), and it is likely that the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus did not offer significant enough improvements to justify an upgrade if you already had one of these models when it was released originally (although these days, newer iOS support could make a difference).

On the used market at a discount price, all of these models remain worth consideration. Because the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are furthest out-of-date in terms of operating system support, they are more likely to be incompatible with some apps than the other options, though. Because the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus do not support versions of the operating system past iOS 15, current app support is becoming less likely on these models, as well.

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models also no longer support the current version of the iOS, and app support will start to wane from here, but they are the most usable of these options.

iPhone Purchase & Sale Options

There are no shortage of places to buy an iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, or iPhone 8. However, buying your iPhone from a quality company with an excellent track record will provide an ideal experience and save you money and time, also.

In the US, site sponsor Other World Computing sells used and refurbished iPhone models with free shipping. On the other hand, if you need to sell an iPhone, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older iPhone with an instant quote and prompt payment.

Please also see EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iComparison feature to dynamically compare any iPhone model to any other iPod, iPhone, or iPad.