iPhone

Accelerometer

A 3-axis senses the orientation of the phone and changes the screen accordingly, allowing the user to easily switch between mode. Unlike the , the iPhone does not rotate the screen when turned upside-down, with the Home button above the screen, unless the running program has been specifically designed to do so. The 3.0 update added landscape support for still other applications, such as email, and introduced shaking the unit as a form of input (generally for functionality). The accelerometer can also be used to control , notably games. It is also used for fitness tracking purposes, primarily as a . Starting with the iPhone 5S, this functionality was included in the M7 and subsequent revisions of the embedded chip.

Magnetometer

A is built-in since the iPhone 3GS, which is used to measure the strength and direction of the magnetic field in the vicinity of the device. Sometimes certain devices or radio signals can interfere with the magnetometer requiring users to either move away from the interference or re-calibrate by moving the device in a figure-eight motion. Since the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone also features a Compass app, which was unique at time of release, showing a compass that points in the direction of the magnetic field.

Gyroscopic sensor

Beginning with the iPhone 4, Apple's smartphones also include a , enhancing its perception of how it is moved.[129]

Radio

Some previous iPhone models contained a chip capable of receiving ; A campaign called "Free Radio On My Phone" was started to encourage cellphone manufacturers such as Apple to enable the radio on the phones they manufacture, reasons cited were that radio drains less power and is useful in an emergency such as the .[132]

Fingerprint sensor

Until 2017, iPhone models starting from (excluding the ) featured Apple's sensor. It is used for unlocking the device and authenticating Apple Pay purchases (since the ) using . It is located in the home button. Touch ID has been replaced by Face ID, starting with the .

Barometer

Included on the and later (excluding the ), a used to determine air pressure, and elevation from the device.[133]

Facial recognition sensor

Starting with the , a sensor, named the TrueDepth camera system is featured. It is used for unlocking the device and for authenticating purchases using . It can also be used for and .

Audio and output

On the bottom of the iPhone, there is a speaker to the left of the dock connector and a microphone to the right. There is an additional loudspeaker above the screen that serves as an earpiece during phone calls. The iPhone 4 includes an additional at the top of the unit for , and switches the placement of the microphone and speaker on the base on the unit—the speaker is on the right.[134] Volume controls are located on the left side of all iPhone models and as a slider in the iPod application.

The 3.5 mm for the headphones is located on the top left corner of the device for the first five generations (original through 4S), after which time it was moved to the bottom left corner. Subsequent generations eliminated the problem by using a flush-mounted headphone socket. Cars equipped with an allow handsfree use of the iPhone while driving as a substitute for . The iPhone 7 and later have no 3.5 mm headphone jack,, use Apple's (which has replaced the 3.5 mm headphone jack), or (for traditional headsets) use the Lightning to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter, which is included with iPhone 7 up until iPhone X and plugs into the Lightning port.

Apple's own has a multipurpose button near the microphone that can play or pause music, skip tracks, and answer or end phone calls without touching the iPhone. Some third-party headsets designed for the iPhone also include the microphone and control button. A fourth ring in the audio jack carries this extra information.

The built-in supports wireless earpieces and headphones, which requires the . Stereo audio was added in the 3.0 update for hardware that supports . While non-sanctioned third-party solutions exist, the iPhone does not officially support the .[140] The lack of these profiles prevents iPhone users from exchanging multimedia files, such as pictures, music and videos, with other Bluetooth-enabled cell phones.

Composite video at up to and stereo audio can be output from the dock connector using an adapter sold by Apple. iPhone 4 also supports 1024×768 output output, until the 3.0 software update.

Battery

The iPhone features an internal rechargeable . Like an iPod, but unlike most other mobile phones at the time of its launch, the battery is not user-replaceable. The iPhone can be charged when connected to a computer for syncing across the included USB to dock connector cable, similar to . Alternatively, a USB to AC adapter (or "wall charger", also included) can be connected to the cable to charge directly from an . Some models of the iPhone support wireless charging.[146]

Apple runs tests on preproduction units to determine battery life. Apple's website says that the battery life "is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity after 400 full charge and discharge cycles",[147] which is comparable to iPod batteries.

The battery life of early models of the iPhone has been criticized by several technology journalists as insufficient and less than Apple's claims. This is also reflected by a customer satisfaction survey, which gave the "battery aspects" of the iPhone 3G its lowest rating of two out of five stars.

If the battery malfunctions or dies prematurely, the phone can be returned to Apple and replaced for free while still under .. The battery replacement service and its pricing was not made known to buyers until the day the product was launched; it is similar to how Apple (and third parties) replace batteries for iPods. The , a group, has sent a complaint to Apple and over the fee that consumers have to pay to have the battery replaced.[155]

Since .2.1, Apple has instituted a of employing "performance management" techniques (including ) on iPhone devices whose batteries are degraded, in order to maintain device stability and prolong their lifespan. These changes came in the wake of reported issues with unexpected shutdowns on certain iPhone models following the release of iOS 10.1.1. In response to criticism over the practice, including concerns over this being a form of , Apple announced that it would offer discounted battery replacements for iPhone 6 and newer in 2018, and that it would add additional battery health information on a future version of iOS (.3, which also allows users to disable this throttling).[159]

Since July 2007, third-party battery replacement kits have been available in. Therefore, a soldering iron is required to install the new battery. The iPhone 3G uses a different battery fitted with a connector that is easier to replace.

A patent filed by the corporation, published in late July 2013, revealed the development of a new iPhone battery system that uses location data in combination with data on the user's habits to moderate the handsets' power settings accordingly. Apple is working towards a power management system that will provide features such as the ability to estimate the length of time a user will be away from a power source to modify energy usage and a detection function that adjusts the charging rate to best suit the type of power source that is being used.[163]

Camera

The first-generation iPhone and iPhone 3G have a 2.0- camera on the back for digital photos. It has no optical zoom, flash or , and does not natively support video recording. Video recording is possible on the first-generation iPhone and iPhone 3G via a third-party app available on the App Store or through . iPhone OS 2.0 introduced for photos.

The iPhone 3GS has a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus, auto white balance, and auto macro (up to 10 cm). Manufactured by , the camera can also capture 640×480 ( resolution) video at 30 frames per second. on the iPhone and directly uploaded to or other services.

The iPhone 4 introduced a 5.0- camera (2592×1936 pixels) that can record video at resolution, considered . It also has a sensor that can capture pictures in low light and an that can stay lit while recording video.. photos and record video. Saved recordings may be synced to the host computer, attached to email, or (where supported) sent by .

The iPhone 4S' camera can shoot 8-MP stills and 1080p video can be accessed directly from the lock screen and can be triggered using the volume-up button as a shutter trigger. The built-in gyroscope can stabilize the image while recording video.

The and , running or later, can take panoramas using the built-in camera app, can also take still photos while recording video.[168]

The camera on the reportedly shows purple haze when the light source is just out of frame,

On all five model generations, the phone can be configured to bring up the camera app by quickly pressing the home key twice., it can also be accessed from the lock screen directly.

The iPhone 5S features True Tone Flash, which has two LED lights, white and amber, that will improve white balance and will be adjusted in 1,000 combinations. Its image sensor is now 15 percent larger than its previous model.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus include , while the 6 Plus has . Both models can shoot 1080p videos at 60 frames per second.

With the release of , the iPhone 4S and later models can now shoot videos, with its capability to switch frame rates automatically as the recording increases its time.[172]

The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are outfitted with a 12-megapixel camera, with 4K HD video capability. The front-facing camera is upgraded to 5 megapixels. The user may change the resolution between 4K and 1080p in Settings.

The iPhone SE features the same 12 MP camera found on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus models, with the same 4K video capability, but its front camera only has 1.2 MP.

The iPhone 7 features optical image stabilization on its rear camera, a feature that was previously exclusive to the Plus models, and the 7 Plus is the first iPhone to feature dual-lens cameras (both 12 MP). Both models have a 7 MP front-facing camera. The second camera on the iPhone 7 Plus is a , which enables 2× optical zoom and up to 10× digital zoom. The rear cameras on the 7 and 7 Plus both have an f/1.8 .[137] It also has a new quad-LED True Tone flash, which is brighter compared to its predecessors.

The iPhone 8 camera remains largely the same as its predecessor, but it features a larger sensor and a newer color filter. The camera can also now record at in 240 frames per second. The new camera system also enables Portrait Lighting, which defines the light in a scene. It also features a quad-LED True Tone flash with 2× better light uniformity and Slow Sync.[173]

The iPhone X camera is almost the same as the iPhone 8's camera, but the lens has an of f/2.4 and optical image stabilization.

The iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR have an updated 12MP (1/2.55") sensor size with a 1.4 μm pixel size. The XS series has a telephoto lens, while the lower end XR has only one lens.

The iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max introduced an lens; the latter two became the first triple-camera iPhones. The 11 has a dual-lens setup, lacking the telephoto lens of the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. The front camera is now capable of recording video at 4K as a result of a new 12 MP sensor, and can also capture slow-motion footage.

Storage

The iPhone was initially released with two options for internal storage size: 4 or 8 GB. On September 5, 2007, Apple discontinued the 4 GB models.

The iPhone 3G was available in 8 and 16 GB when it was released in 2008.[178]

The iPhone 3GS came in 16 and 32 GB variants and remained available in 8 GB until September 2012, more than three years after its launch.[]

The iPhone 4 was available in 16 and 32 GB variants, as well as an 8 GB variant, to be sold alongside the iPhone 4S at a reduced price point.[] The iPhone 4S was available in three sizes: 16, 32, and 64 GB.[179]

The iPhone 5 and 5S were available in the same three sizes as the iPhone 4S: 16, 32, and 64 GB. The lower-cost iPhone 5C model was initially available in 16 and 32 GB models; an 8 GB model was added later.[]

The iPhone 6 and 6S were available in three sizes at launch: 16, 64, and 128 GB.[] The iPhone SE was available in 16 and 64 GB variants at launch.[182]

When the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were released, Apple changed the base model storage capacity from 16 to 32 GB. Both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have configurations of 32, 128, and 256 GB storage.] (32 and 128 GB), as well as the iPhone SE six months later.[]

The iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X have changed their base model capacity again to 64GB while retaining the 256GB storage option.[]

The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max introduced a 512GB storage option, in addition to the existing 64 and 256GB options. The iPhone XR comes in three storage options: 64, 128, and 256GB.

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max is available in the same three storage options as the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max: 64, 256, and 512GB storage options. The iPhone 11 comes with the same storage options as the iPhone XR: 64GB and 128GB while introducing a 256GB storage option.

SIM card

models of the iPhone use a to identify themselves to the GSM network. The SIM sits in a tray, which is inserted into a slot at the top of the device. The SIM tray can be ejected with a or the "SIM ejector tool" (a simple piece of die-cut sheet metal) included with the iPhone 3G and 3GS in the United States and with all models elsewhere in the world. Some iPhone models shipped with a SIM ejector tool which was fabricated from an alloy dubbed ""., which prevents the iPhone from being used on a different mobile network.[187]

The iPhone 4 features a card that is located in a slot on the right side of the device.[188]

The model of the iPhone 4, just the same as any other CDMA-only cell phone, does not use a SIM card or have a SIM card slot.

An iPhone 4S activated on a CDMA carrier, however, does have a SIM card slot but does not rely on a SIM card for activation on that CDMA network. A CDMA-activated iPhone 4S usually has a carrier-approved roaming SIM preloaded in its SIM slot at the time of purchase that is used for roaming on certain carrier-approved international GSM networks only. The SIM slot is locked to only use the roaming SIM card provided by the CDMA carrier.[189]

In the case of Verizon, for example, one can request that the SIM slot be unlocked for international use by calling their support number and requesting an international unlock if their account has been in good standing for the past 60 days.[190] This method only unlocks the iPhone 4S for use on international carriers. An iPhone 4S that has been unlocked in this way will reject any non-international SIM cards (AT&T Mobility or T-Mobile USA, for example).

The iPhone 5 and later iPhones use in order to save space internally. The iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR added support in addition to nano-SIM, therefore they support Dual SIM functionality.

Liquid contact indicators

All iPhones (as well as many other devices by Apple) have a small disc at the bottom of the headphone that changes from white to red on contact with water; the iPhone 3G and later models also have a similar indicator at the bottom of the .. However, with the adoption of water resistance as a feature of the iPhone, this practice is no longer in use by Apple.

The iPhone's indicators are more exposed than those in some mobile phones from other manufacturers, which carry them in a more protected location, such as beneath the battery behind a battery cover. These indicators can be triggered during routine use, by an owner's sweat, Criticism led Apple to change its water damage policy for iPhones and similar products, allowing customers to request further internal inspection of the phone to verify if internal liquid damage sensors were triggered.[194]