What I Want From the 2019 iPhones

Methinks you're going to be very disappointed in what is essentially the iPhone XSS that they're about to release. Agreed on most counts, by the way.

@Nick Yeah, this is a wish list. I know from the rumors that most of this isn’t likely, and I’m probably not going to upgrade for at least another year, anyway.

I really with they would also provide a (non-cheapest) phone in 5S (or even better, 4S) size.

I think I will pass on this upcoming model, as it is unlikely to use the Qualcomm X55 5G modem/baseband chip. For grippiness, they really should machine ribs into the casework. And of course, ditch the notch.

No FaceID ever, my iPhone 8 plus replaced my 6 plus last year, tech 21 case mandatory. The 8 plus is enough for me thru 2023.

The X series and anything with a stupid notch? Do not want, it’s an EXPLETIVE clumsy design compromise to whatever’s next.

I used to say buy 6 months old, now I say buy 1+ year old Apple kit, at least you won’t be beta testing hardware, and “emerging integration bugs.”

Your wish list is almost the same as mine. We could only hope for it to become true!

More comfortable/grippy are top of my list too. I genuinely don't understand how the industrial design team has created phones that are difficult to hold for 5 years in a row. How was this not a top design consideration when it's an object that you primarily interact with by holding it in your hand?

Anyway, that and smaller size (not cheaper – just smaller) are my top wishes. So I expect to sit this year out too.

"I genuinely don't understand how the industrial design team has created phones that are difficult to hold for 5 years in a row."

Pretty sure they knew it increased dropping of said phones and so increase repairs & replacements. There's no other logical reason for supposedly top notch design team to release the equivalent to a super-expensive and delicate bar of soap.

See also the piss-poor wire connections emanating from Apple's charging bricks... clearly designed to fail.

Luckily such things seem to have no impact on their environmental impact rating ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I like the list, I'd add a rearranged buttons, to avoid frequent accidental double clicking.

As a Pixel 2 XL owner – who's idly considered switching back to iPhone every now and again – that's an interesting list.

> A shape that’s more comfortable to hold.
> A more grippy texture. Again, I want to go back to not needing a case.

The Pixel 2 XL is extremely comfortable to hold and has a lovely grippy/textured metal back. I've never used a case or dropped the phone. It feels great in the hand.

> An antenna that’s better at picking up weak signals.

Can't say I've ever had a problem with signal on the Pixel.

> Touch ID alongside Face ID.
> Optical zoom for the rear camera.

Both are rumoured to be coming on the Pixel 4. Which may well be my next upgrade.

> A better front-facing camera.

The rear camera is the star of the show on the Pixel phones. I'm sure the iPhone camera/processing has improved. But I'm always amazed and delighted by the quality of image I get with the Pixel 2. If they could nail depth-of-field I don't think I'd need to pick up an SLR again.

The front-facing camera doesn't interest me at all, but I believe the Pixel 3 has a good one (or two!).

> Battery life at least as good as the iPhone XR’s.

My Pixel 2 XL does 2 days without breaking into a sweat. Good enough for me.

> USB-C—I think. If they’re going to switch, do it now, and update the AirPods, too.

As a household with a mix of Android and iPhones, this would be a big win.

Overall I have no real desire to switch back to iPhone. The Pixel 2 XL is the best phone I've ever owned, with the superb camera/image quality being most important to me.

@Dmitri Do you mean not having the Sleep/Wake button exactly opposite the volume button?

@John It’s a mystery to me how Apple seemingly forgot how to do the shape/grip. It’s clearly possible since other companies are doing it. To be clear, I’m not having problems with the XR’s antenna relative to other phones; there’s just always room for improvement in this area, as I am often in areas with little or no coverage.

Yes, "Power" button being there is annoying and often gets in a way

Really want an iPhone 6s (and older) style home button. The fake pseudo-button on iPhone 7 & 8 doesn’t work when an app freezes. The real hardware home button on iPhone 6s does.
Swiping on the X-model iPhone doesn’t do anything if it’s frozen. The real hardware home button on iPhone 6s still works when the display freezes.
(Not talking about issues that require a reboot, just when an app stops responding, and Control Center and Notification Center swipes do nothing.

[…] What I Want From the 2019 iPhones […]

I too really hate the current position of the sleep/power button. I have lost a number of photos by accidentally putting my phone to sleep while trying to snap a photo using the volume button (which I can do without looking at the phone, as opposed to tapping the shutter button on screen). I didn't have that problem when the sleep button was on the top edge.

So I suppose you kind of got 2 (I believe I saw mention that the texture is grippier), possibly 3 (jury's out), 5, 8, and 9, as far as the iPhone 11 is concerned, or 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9 for the iPhones 11 Pro.