A few weeks ago, I wrote about some iPhone 12 features that Android smartphones should copy. Irrespective of what one thinks about an iPhone, it's clear that in many ways, they have played a key role in pushing the smartphone industry forward. But it's not like iPhones are perfect. Android OEMs like Samsung, Huawei, and OnePlus have come up with innovative new features with their flagship smartphones that are genuinely useful in daily life as well.
So, for the iPhone 13 series in 2021, here are some features I wish that Apple ends up copying from various Android flagships.
120Hz refresh rate display
Apple was among the first companies to use a 120Hz ProMotion display on its iPad Pro lineup. Three years after the debut of the feature on its iPad Pro lineup though, Apple has not brought the same feature to iPhones. Meanwhile, Android smartphones like the Poco X3 that are priced as low as $300 are now also shipping with a 120Hz refresh rate display.
A high refresh rate display was among the top features that power users wanted on the iPhone 12 series this year but that did not happen. Nonetheless, one can hope that Apple gets around to using a higher refresh rate display on the iPhone 13 series in 2021.
USB-C
The world has already moved to USB-C but Apple is still stuck with its Lightning connector. USB-C is now widely being used in smartphones, tablets, and other accessories, and it offers the same or even more advantages than what Lightning connector offers. As someone who uses multiple smartphones and devices, it is frustrating to look for a Lightning cable every time I want to connect my iPhone to my MacBook Pro or want to fast charge it.
There are rumors of Apple launching a portless iPhone in the coming years but that won't really solve the problem.
Periscope zoom
Almost every major flagship Android smartphone now features a periscope zoom lens that offers an optical zoom of around 3x to 5x, with hybrid and digital zoom of as much as 30x and 50x. While the results are average to below par at higher zoom levels, a 3x-5x optical zoom lens can come in very handy on a smartphone as it allows for tighter portrait photos and shoot faraway subjects with ease.
Apple has improved the telephoto lens on the iPhone 12 Pro Max to offer 2.5x optical zoom, a bump of 0.5x from the iPhone 11 Pro Max but it's still lower than what the likes of the Galaxy S20 Ultra, Note20 Ultra, and Huawei's Mate series offer.
Better notification experience
Ok, this is more of an iOS issue but one that still pertains to iPhones. The notification experience on iPhones is still notably inferior to what Android offers. If you receive a lot of notifications throughout the day from multiple apps, the iOS Notification Center will quickly become a mess. In comparison, Android manages notifications in a much better manner allowing you to reply to them right from the notification shade itself. It can even auto-suggest replies and let you set up a reminder or check a location in Google Maps -- all based on the context of the conversation you are having and all from the notification shade itself.
With home screen widgets support finally coming to the iPhones in iOS 13, a better notification experience is what the OS now sorely needs.
Multi-window multitasking
Right now, irrespective of which iPhone you buy, you will get the same experience on it. Despite the 'Max' iPhones coming with a 6.5-inch - 6.7-inch display, they do not offer any kind of advanced multitasking options for better utilisation of the screen real estate. In comparison, even $200 budget Android smartphones allow users to run apps in split-screen mode or in a floating window form thereby allowing them to multitask.
This is something that only power users might enjoy, but if you rely on your phone to get a lot of things done, the ability to run multiple apps in split-screen mode is a very handy feature to have. With Apple bumping the screen size on the iPhone 12 Pro Max to 6.7-inches, it feels like a major oversight from the company to not offer any kind of advanced multitasking option on it.
What are some features that you think iPhones should copy from Android? Drop a comment and let us know!
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