I have played older editions.
The 1e grey elf enjoys a +1 Intelligence in a gaming system where in 1e a +1 to a mental ability score for a spell caster is considered broken even by 1e standards.
The 1e grey elf has extremely powerful intelligence.
The 3e grey elf is +2 Intelligence. (The Pathfinder elf, likewise, is +2 Intelligence.)
I remember the 3e sun elf, standard in Forgotten Realms and is +2 Intelligence and −2 Constitution. (It lacks Dexterity improvement.)
I remember the 4e eladrin elf, +2 Intelligence and +2 Charisma. Finally an elf that is actually is good at performance checks to write poetry, sing songs, charm others.
The 5e Players Handbook claims the mediocre intelligence of the high elf is the same thing as a grey elf and a sun elf. Fail.
The 5e elf sucks.
The AVERAGE 5e human gets +1 to all ability scores. The 5e elf is either average or crap.
The 5e grey elf is fail.
The 5e sun elf is fail.
The 5e eladrin elf is fail.