Modern pH meters come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes suited to many different applications.

Some pH meters and electrodes have been devised that require very little or no solvent at all. These electrodes can be used to measure the pH of a piece of leather or concrete, for example.

The electronics of the Model G set it apart from other pH instruments of its time, and electronics are what have changed the most in instrumentation since. Modern electronics have largely eliminated all vacuum tubes, allowing production of handheld pH meters that operate from AA batteries.

The sealed glass electrode of the Beckman Model G has changed relatively little since its inception in 1937. The sealed design is still used today, but almost all electrodes are now combination electrodes. Combination electrodes incorporate an internal reference electrode inside the sample probe, eliminating the need for cumbersome reference electrodes.

Interestingly, though the electronics of pH meters has dramatically advanced along with gains in electrodes, miniaturization, and dynamic range (pH meters commonly can measure from -2 to 20 today), the resolution of modern pH meters is little better than the Model G. This anomaly is a result of an unavoidable voltage, called the junction potential, that develops in all glass-type electrodes and limits the resolution of all pH meters.