iPhone XI Wishlist: 7 Things Apple Needs to Add in 2019

There are new iPhones coming this year, but because last year was an incremental update, Apple aficionados and iPhone fans everywhere should probably expect big things from the 2019 lineup. We don’t have a crystal clear picture of what the new iPhones will look like or what features they'll have, but there are a number of things we can hope for. Continue reading to learn about our iPhone XI Wishlist: 7 Things Apple Needs to Add in 2019!

Better Accessories in the Box

At this point, there’s pretty much no excuse to keep bundling an objectively slow 5W charger with devices that cost upwards of $1,000. When you fork over that much money for a smartphone, you shouldn’t be expected to buy extras to access what’s now basic functionality.

Apple should package its 2019 iPhones with a power adapter and cable that can provide fast charging. And honestly, at the price point of current iPhones, Apple could incentivize new consumers by including AirPods in the box rather than EarPods. If a wireless future is truly on the books, it only makes sense.

Physically Larger Batteries

Asking for better battery life is likely the least groundbreaking thing to include in a wishlist. But battery life is incredibly important to basically all consumers, so it warrants a place on this list. But there’s also another reason to ask for a bigger battery: the status quo is not progress.

iPhones have become increasingly power efficient over the years, which has allowed Apple to thin out its devices and provide the same amount of battery life in a slimmer package with more internal space for their components. But that’s not what consumers are asking for. Apple needs to combine power efficiency with a bigger battery to provide even more battery life than its previous iPhones.

A Cheaper Price Point

Apple’s devices occupy the premium end of the smartphone spectrum — and that doesn’t seem likely to change. But there are major reasons why Apple should at least consider lowering the price point on its flagship devices. There’s a precedent for a cheaper iPhone, too. Let’s not forget that Apple has done “budget devices” before.

Smartphone components are always getting cheaper and there’s just too much aggressive competition in the mid-range market from Android manufacturers. While the premium section is growing, the most critical smartphone markets in the world demand an iPhone that’s not out of their budget.

Next-Level Camera Tech

Apple is already rumored to add a triple-lens iPhone to the mix. But what the 2019 lineup really needs is a set of advanced computational photography features to keep up with competitors like Google. Hopefully, the addition of 3D sensing and depth-mapping tech can allow for that. (And hopefully, a triple-lens iPhone won’t be this ugly.)

With computational photography, new iPhones could have seriously upgraded abilities even if they only have incremental camera hardware upgrades. On a similar note, with the largest iPhone rumored to sport a triple-sensor design, an iPhone XR2 with a dual-lens camera doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.

USB-C

There are certainly valid arguments on either side of the “Lightning vs USB-C” debate. For one, switching over to Lightning will be temporarily painful for users with a ton of Lightning-based accessories. Even with that in mind, Apple should still switch its iPhones to USB-C — and it should switch them soon.

USB-C is bound to be a much more universal standard and it comes with its own set of benefits. But USB-C iPhones won’t just work better with third-party devices, they’ll work better with Apple devices. It’s already paved the way with its Mac and iPad Pro lineups. Just imagine a utopian, dongle-less future where your iPad, Mac and iPhone all use the same port standard.

Upgraded Displays

There are many things that Apple could do to bump up the display technology on its 2019 iPhones. Some notable possibilities include support for 4K resolutions on larger iPhones and a much faster refresh rate across the board. Most displays today are excellent, but there’s always room for improvement.

At the very least, Apple should ditch LCD displays and go all-OLED across its 2019 lineup. There have been some rumors suggesting this won’t be the case, but we’re still crossing our fingers. An OLED iPhone XR successor at the same price point would be much more competitive in today’s market (and people won’t complain about its sub-par resolution).

Smaller Notch, In-Display Touch ID

When it comes to the front design of newer iPhones, it’s hard to complain. Gesture control is great (just ask Android's developers). And you either love or hate the notch, but most people can learn to live with it. Yet, there are still a couple things Apple could add to the front of its devices that would make iPhone owners everywhere happy.

For one, making the notch smaller and giving users the ability to mask it with black bars in software is a good start. But Apple should also consider adding in-display Touch ID. It’s mulled the possibility before, and despite its “all-in on Face ID” stance, a smartphone with two authentication methods would have several major benefits.