One of the prevailing narratives surrounding the iPhone these days is that Apple doesn’t innovate the way it used to. This train of thought, however, is misguided for a number of reasons. First and foremost, we’ve grown so accustomed to Apple delivering game-changing innovations on the iPhone that we’ve started taking them for granted. In the span of two years, for example, Apple has delivered a radical new form factor (iPhone X) with an advanced biometric authentication scheme (Face ID), along with a camera system that is widely considered the best we’ve ever seen in a smartphone (iPhone 11 Pro).
There’s no denying that iPhone innovations have become somewhat incremental, but that’s not to say that they’re inconsequential or worth glossing over. Remember, incremental innovations, taken together over time, really do add up quickly. But with all the talk of comparing new iPhone models with their predecessors, it’s easy to forget just how far the iPhone as a whole has come since its inception. To that end, Marques Brownlee recently put together a video comparing the iPhone 11 Pro against the original iPhone. It’s definitely worth watching in its entirety, especially in light of how easy it is to take the current iPhone — or the smartphone market in general — for granted.
Right off the bat, the aesthetic difference between the iPhone 11 Pro and the original iPhone is glaring. The iPhone 11 Pro is gargantuan by comparison and boasts display technology that makes the non-Retina display on the original look like a relic from the distant past.
Across the board, it’s easy to forget just how far the iPhone has progressed in 12 years and this video, as Brownlee notes, “refreshes the way you see new” smartphone technology. It also makes for a nice trip down memory lane.
If you had an original iPhone or happen to remember what life was like during the pre-iPhone era, this video makes for a great watch:
