With similar names and appearance, it can be difficult to tell exactly which iPhone you have. But, it’s important to know which phone you have so that you can buy the proper accessories and get the proper support for your device.
We’ll share how to check which iPhone you own through settings, and also which physical characteristics are unique to each iPhone model.
Check in settings
The most straightforward way to check which iPhone you own is to check in settings. Just open up Settings then go to General → About → Model Name. The model name will be which iPhone model you have.
However, you can also tell which model you own just by looking at it. We’ll tell you how.
iPhone 12 Series
The iPhone 12 series phones continue to set the cameras in a raised square on the rear of the phone like the iPhone 11 series phones. But, unlike the iPhone 11 series, the iPhone 12 series phones have a square frame not seen since the iPhone 5.
iPhone 12 Mini
Size: 5.4” screen, smallest 12 series phone
Most easily confused with: The iPhone 12 Max or iPhone 12 Pro. This mainly comes down to name confusion.
How to tell it apart:
- The size. It’s so much smaller than other recent iPhones, so it’s easier to tell it apart.
- You can also differentiate it from the iPhone 12 Pro because it only has two rear cameras instead of three.
- The last way to tell it apart is to look at the speaker holes. The iPhone 12 has two speaker holes on one side of the charging port and four on the other side. The 12 Max has an additional speaker hole on each side.
iPhone 12
Size: 6.1” screen
Most easily confused with: iPhone 12 Pro because they are the same size, and have the same number of speaker holes on the bottom.
How to tell it apart:
- The only way to tell it apart from the 12 Pro is the rear camera setup. The 12 Max has only two cameras, while the 12 Pro would have three cameras
iPhone 12 Pro
Size: 6.1” screen
Most easily confused with: iPhone 12 Max because they are the same size, and have the same number of speaker holes on the bottom.
How to tell it apart:
- The best way to tell it apart from the 12 Max is the number of rear cameras. iPhones with the ‘Pro’ designation have a higher quality camera setup, so the iPhone 12 Pro has three cameras instead of two like the 12 Max.
iPhone 12 Pro Max
Size: 6.7” screen, largest iPhone available
Most easily confused with: iPhone 12 Pro. Again, this is mostly due to confusing the names.
How to tell it apart:
- Like the iPhone 12, the size of the 12 Pro Max kinda gives it away as it’s the largest iPhone available.
- Like the iPhone 12 Pro, the 12 Pro Max also has three rear cameras.
- Finally, the 12 Pro Max has four speaker holes on one side of the charging port, and six speaker holes on the other side.
iPhone 11 Series
With the iPhone 11 series, Apple began setting the cameras in a raised square on the rear of the phone. This is similar to the camera configuration on the iPhone 12 series. However, the iPhone 11 series has rounded frames instead of the square frames that the iPhone 12 series uses.
iPhone 11
Size: 6.1” screen
Most easily confused with: iPhone 11 Pro. People assume that ‘iPhone 11’ means they have the smallest phone in the iPhone 11 series. But, the iPhone 11 is actually the middle size.
How to tell it apart:
- There are only two cameras on the back instead of three.
- There are an equal amount of speaker holes on either side of the charging Port.
iPhone 11 Pro
Size: 5.8” screen, the smallest 11 series phone
Most easily confused with: iPhone 11. Because it is the smallest in the 11 series, it’s easy to assume that it is just called the ‘iPhone 11’, but that is not the case.
How to tell it apart:
- There are three rear cameras instead of two. The ‘Pro' designation refers to the camera setup, so Pro phones will have a greater number of cameras than a phone without the Pro designation.
- There are an unequal number of speaker holes on either side of the charging port: three on one side, and six on the other
iPhone 11 Pro Max
Size: 6.5” screen, largest iPhone 11 series phone
Most easily confused with: iPhone 11 Pro. It’s easy to not realize that there are two Pro sizes and confuse the 11 Pro Max with the smaller 11 Pro.
How to tell it apart:
- There are three rear cameras instead of two. The ‘Pro' designation refers to the camera setup, so Pro phones will have a greater number of cameras than a phone without the Pro designation.
- There are an unequal number of speaker holes on either side of the charging port: four on one side, and seven on the other. The 11 Pro only has three on one side and six on the other.
iPhone X Series
The X series is when you start to see a vertical camera configuration instead of the horizontal configuration seen previously. It’s also the first time you see multiple rear cameras in an raised oval shape.
iPhone X
Size: 5.8” screen
Most easily confused with: iPhone XS. They are the same size and look almost identical.
How to tell it apart:
- The easiest way to tell the iPhone X apart from the XS is to look at the speaker holes on the bottom. The iPhone X will have an equal number of speaker holes on either side of the charging port, while the XS has an unequal number of speaker holes.
- The camera oval for the iPhone X is slightly smaller than the oval on the XS, but it is difficult to discern unless you’re looking at them side by side.
iPhone XR
Size: 6.1” screen
Most easily confused with: It’s probably confused the least with other iPhones.
How to tell it apart:
- It’s the only iPhone in the X series that has a single camera, and it’s not in the oval shape. It’s a round camera with the microphone and flash arranged vertically underneath.
iPhone XS
Size: 5.8” screen
Most easily confused with: iPhone X. They are almost identical in size and appearance.
How to tell it apart:
- Unlike the iPhone X, the iPhone XS has an unequal number of speaker holes on either side of the charging port: three on one side, six on the other.
- The rear camera oval is also slightly larger than the camera oval on the iPhone X.
iPhone XS Max
Size: 6.5” screen
Most easily confused with: iPhone XS. This is mostly just because the names are similar.
How to tell it apart:
- It’s the largest phone in the X series
- Aside from size, the easiest way to tell it apart is to look at the bottom speaker holes. There are four on one side of the charging port, and seven on the other side.
iPhone SE (2020)/iPhone 8/iPhone 7
These phones are very similar and look almost the same. But there are a few key differences that can help you tell them apart:
- The iPhone 7/7 Plus has an aluminum back, whereas the iPhone 8/8 plus and iPhone SE 2020 have glass backs to allow for wireless charging.
- The next difference is color options. The iPhone 7/7 Plus came in five colors: rose gold, gold, silver, black, and jet black. The iPhone 8/8 Plus only came in three colors: space grey, silver, and gold. The iPhone SE also comes in three colors: white, black, and product (red).
- The final major physical difference between the three phones is the position of the Apple logo. The apple logo on the 7/7 Plus is slightly higher than the Apple logo on the iPhone 8/8 Plus, but it is difficult to notice the difference unless you’re looking at them side by side. The iPhone 8 and SE are the most difficult to tell apart since they both have the glass back, but the apple logo on the SE is much lower and centered on the back of the iPhone. Whereas the Apple logo is centered high on the back.
Still have questions about which iPhone you own? Just email our customer service team at hello@totalleecase.com with pictures of the back and bottom of your phone, and they’ll help you out!
