Why Apple Jumped From iPhone 8 to iPhone X
The missing number was less a cultural taboo than a product-design choice. In 2017, Apple introduced the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus alongside the iPhone X—“X” being the Roman numeral for 10. The X marked the iPhone’s tenth anniversary and signaled that this model was a bigger change than a routine numbered update.
The iPhone X replaced the familiar home button with an edge-to-edge display and Face ID, which unlocked the phone by recognizing its owner’s face. Calling it “iPhone 9” would have made it sound like the next small step after the 8; the X gave Apple a label that distinguished the new design and linked it to the anniversary.
A Name, Not a Missing Generation
Apple did not release a phone called iPhone 9, and it has not established a cultural aversion to the number as the reason. The numbering gap is best explained by how the company chose to present its 2017 lineup: the iPhone 8 carried on the existing line, while the X announced a new milestone. The result was a name that made the redesign feel like an event—not a phone that had somehow been skipped in development.
