The Pebble and the Brick: A 17-Year iPhone Journey (3GS vs. 16e)

Sometimes you have to lay the past right next to the future to really understand how far we’ve come.

I recently put my brand new iPhone 16e next to my old iPhone 3GS. The visual difference is staggering—the screen of the 3GS could almost fit inside the notification block on the 16e. But the difference goes deeper than just pixels and screen real estate. It’s a difference in philosophy, design, and how we interact with technology itself.

My First "Official" Smartphone

This specific iPhone 3GS is special to me. While I’ve acquired a few beat-up hand-me-down iPhones over the years, this is the only iPhone I actively went out and purchased myself.

I bought it unlocked in February of 2012 for $150 and slapped it on the old iWireless network. While Apple actually released the 3GS back in June 2009, it was still a very capable device when I picked it up. It served as my daily driver for about a year and a half before I eventually switched over to Android.

It was my foundation in the modern smartphone world, and amazingly, it still boots up today.

Steve Jobs’ Last "Pebble"

Holding the 3GS today is a trip back in time. It was the final iteration of the original iPhone design language before they switched to the flat-sided "sandwich" design of the iPhone 4.

That original shape was pure Steve Jobs vision. It has a rounded, plastic back that feels incredibly comfortable in the hand—like a smooth river pebble. It feels organic.

By comparison, almost every phone since (including my new 16e) has become a giant glass-and-metal brick. Modern phones are undeniably more functional; they are utilitarian Swiss Army knives designed to do everything. But they lost that aesthetic, unique feel that the original iPhone lineage had. The 3GS was designed to be held; modern phones are designed to be looked at.

A Digital Time Capsule

Keeping this device alive is like maintaining a small museum. Because it’s offline, it’s frozen in time.

It still holds games that are long abandoned and un-downloadable today, like a specific standalone The Sims game and Grand Theft Auto 3, both of which still run surprisingly well on the tiny hardware.

Luckily, the most important data—the photos—are safe. I did a mass import to Google Photos years ago, and because the metadata was intact, I can just search "iPhone 3GS" in Google Photos and instantly find pictures I took back in 2012. Knowing the memories are backed up makes it easier to enjoy the physical device without worry.

The Intentional Tool vs. The Infinite Scroll

The biggest difference between these two phones isn't the processor speed; it's how they make you use them.

The iPhone 3GS came from an era where a phone was much less data-centric. It wasn't a device for doom-scrolling infinite feeds for hours. It was exactly what Jobs originally pitched: a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough internet communications device.

You used it as a tool to do a specific task—listen to music, check a webpage, make a call—and then you put it back in your pocket. It was a companion, not an addiction.

Seeing them side-by-side isn't just about seeing 17 years of technological advancement. It’s a reminder of a time when technology felt a little softer, a little simpler, and a little more human-sized.