The Unexpected Nostalgia of Finding an Original iPhone in My Junk Drawer

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I recently went digging through a junk drawer looking for some old photos; I found several USB cables, a calculator watch, some unidentified flash drives, and … an original iPhone. As in, the iPhone that I sat in line outside the Apple Store to buy on launch day back in 2007. Fourteen years have passed, and it’s honestly shocking to hold the original iPhone in one hand and my 12 Pro Max in the other!

Original iPhone

There is no chance I have the charger for the original iPhone anywhere, and I’m not 100% sure it would even turn on. But even stacking the OG iPhone on top of the iPhone 12 is shocking. Intellectually, I know that the original iPhone had a 3.5″ screen and that’s small by today’s standards, but it’s still a surprise to see how small that is now when 5-6.5″ phones are the expectation. It looks like a toy compared to a modern smartphone!

Original iPhone on top of an iPhone 12

On the positive side, I had also forgotten how good the original iPhone felt to hold. It’s thick, yes, but the rounded sides and heavy metal back make it feel like an utter tank. And yes, I’m aware that mine looks like it’s been in a few street fights; apparently, it’s a rough life in my junk drawer after multiple moves. I would 100% buy another phone that’s the size of the current iPhone but with the soft rounded edges of the original.

Original iPhone in iPhone 12 case

The OG iPhone is chilling in an iPhone 11 case for reference

So that’s my brief sojourn down memory lane. If you have any similar experiences with old phones, let us know in the comments!

Do you miss your original iPhone? An old RAZR? Those Windows Mobile phones with the slideout keyboards?

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About the Author

Zek
Zek has been a gadget fiend for a long time, going back to their first PDA (a Palm M100). They quickly went from researching what PDA to buy to following tech news closely and keeping up with the latest and greatest stuff. They love writing about ebooks because they combine their two favorite activities; reading anything and everything, and talking about fun new tech toys. What could be better?

1 Comment on "The Unexpected Nostalgia of Finding an Original iPhone in My Junk Drawer"

  1. Palm Treo 650 ! Still powers up and charges, but no comms due to 2G.

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