Apple is expected to announce at least two new iPhone models next week that might be called the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Plus. As is the case every year, the new phones will feature the latest in processor technology and improved cameras.
But there are a few features currently missing from the iPhone that are already present on competing handsets and ones that could technically be easily implemented on an iPhone.
Dual SIM support
Apple has long neglected the dual SIM band-wagon, which has almost become a standard on Android phones and is a required feature for many in markets such as India and China.
Flagship phones from Huawei and Samsung have been supporting dual SIM cards for a few years now. It certainly makes travelling with your phone a lot more convenient and affordable. Many people also use it at home by paying one telco for calls and the other for data.
There are strong rumors that Apple might be releasing an iPhone with dual SIM this year, thanks to code found on beta versions of iOS, though it's not clear which models of the iPhone will get this feature.
A 120Hz ProMotion display
Remember when you first saw the retina screen on the iPhone 4 and everything else paled in comparison? Moving to a panel with higher refresh rates has a similar effect and Apple has already done that on the 10.5-inch iPad that features a “ProMotion” display.
The fluidness of scrolling web pages or the animation effects in iOS really stand out, and would make it into a great feature on the iPhone. Apple could possibly restrict this to the larger iPhone XS Plus to differentiate between the two models and maybe even include support for Apple Pencil.
Launch camera with a hardware button
Launching the camera on the iPhone requires a tap or swipe on the screen, whereas many Android manufacturers allow launching the camera by double pressing the power or volume buttons.
This action lets you get to the camera app in the time it takes for you to hold the phone up to take a picture.
Always on display
Do you find yourself double tapping the iPhone X every few minutes just to see the time or any notifications? An always-on display is becoming increasingly common on Android phones equipped with an OLED panel and we'd love to see this feature on an iPhone.
OLED screens are quite efficient when it comes to selectively powering up the phone's screen. With Apple switching to OLED last year on the iPhone X, there is little reason to not support this feature and would give us less reasons to pick up or double tap the iPhone.
Replace Lightning port with USB-C Port
This is one of those things that will never happen, but it would be extremely convenient to charge your Mac and your iPhone with the same cable. However, other than that, there’s no reason for Apple to switch to a USB Type-C port on the iPhone, especially with the incompatibilities that Android users have faced connecting headsets to that port.
One can dream though, right?
We’ll only know which (if any) of the these features make it to the new 2018 version of the iPhone at Apple's iPhone 2018 launch event, scheduled for September 12.