iPhone 14 features users want the most
In a wide-ranging thread on Reddit, users chimed in with iPhone features they’d love to see on the next iPhone. While some of the requests decidedly won’t be part of the iPhone 14 feature set, they nonetheless provide us with a little bit of insight into what features everyday users are clamoring for.
USB-C
The most upvoted answer on the thread is an iPhone with USB-C support.
“It will make life so much easier,” one user writes. “My iPad Pro is already USB-C. Even the Beats Fit Pro case charges via C. I hate having two sets of cables everywhere.”
Many Apple users can definitely relate to this.
The Lightning connector was a godsend when Apple introduced it in 2012. But now, 10-years later, perhaps it’s time for Apple to migrate over to USB-C. Aside from enabling faster charging, it also allows for faster data transfer speeds. At the same time, Lightning — with respect to the connection port — tends to be more durable.
The Lightning vs USB-C debate aside, it’s possible the writing is already on the wall. Just this week, a brand new EU law mandates that every electronic device will have to support USB-C by 2024. Apple presumably would like to deliver a portless iPhone in the future with wireless charging, but I can’t imagine Apple doing away with a physical charging port within the next two years.
All told, this is one request that will likely be granted sooner rather than later.
Return of Touch ID
Another iPhone feature the masses want, believe it or not, is the return of Touch ID. Even though Face ID works great — though its limitations are apparent when wearing a mask — many people still haven’t gotten over Apple removing Touch ID.
One Redditor writes:
Or they call it something like Ultra ID and position it as an even more secure thing than Face ID alone. And it kinda would be, because you could have a mask on and a partial fingerprint and it would be better than just Face ID. There’s some precedent for this, like how you can have your watch unlock your phone but only if there’s a partial match on the Face ID.
Throw in something about how they’re using advanced AI/ML tech to make intelligent decisions about the security of the authentication in real time and the ad copy basically writes itself.
It sounds intriguing, but I’m not sure it’s exactly necessary. It’s worth noting that Apple has reportedly looked into an iPhone feature that encompasses a fingerprint sensor embedded beneath the display or on the power button itself.
While some rumors pointed to Touch ID returning with the iPhone 15, more recent reports indicate that we won’t see Touch ID on the iPhone until 2024 at the earliest, if at all.
As an aside, the Touch ID module and sensor on the iPhone 8 were estimated to cost $6. Economically speaking, I can’t see the benefit to Apple spending an extra few dollars on every device sold when the added utility isn’t entirely apparent.
A flat back
Sure, a flat back on the iPhone would be nice, but don’t expect this to happen anytime soon. Especially as Apple packs more advanced camera technologies into the iPhone, expect the camera bulge to get larger.
Incidentally, some early iPhone 14 rumors claimed the camera bump would get smaller relative to the iPhone 13. From what we’ve seen lately, though, the camera bump will be moderately larger due to larger sensors.
3D Touch
Remember 3D Touch? It was great. It was forward-thinking. And without question, it was innovative. But all the same, it was an iPhone feature that never really took off in the way Apple hoped it would.
While there are many explanations behind Apple getting rid of 3D Touch – from developer adoption to display costs — one thing we can all agree on is that it’s not coming back. 3D Touch was an impressive technology, but there’s no indication that Apple is ever going to bring it back to the iPhone feature set.
Bigger battery
Year in and year one, the one feature iPhone users constantly want more of is battery life. And in recent years, Apple has obliged. This of course has resulted in slightly thicker form factors, but most users aren’t complaining.
We haven’t seen any reports about iPhone 14 battery life, but it stands to reason it may be marginally better than the iPhone 13 due to more power-efficient hardware components.
Always-On Display
Almost comically, the one feature that is most likely coming to the iPhone 14 wasn’t terribly high up on the list of desired iPhone features. Still, it should be a welcome surprise when it finally becomes official.
In short, the iPhone 14 Pro models will support an always-on display. The implementation will be similar to the Apple Watch. On the iPhone 14 Pro, only certain portions of the display will remain visible, a list that includes the time, new notifications, and battery life percentage.
iPhone features that will never happen
Some comical wishlist features that made the list but will never be part of a shipping iPhone include FM radio support and an SD card slot.
More iPhone coverage: For more iPhone news, visit our iPhone 14 guide.
