Apple iPhone 14 wishlist: Things that the company needs to work on

The iPhone 13 seemed like iPhone 12S. If Apple wants to compete with others, it needs an iPhone 14, not another iPhone 12 upgrade

The tech world is changing so fast that if a company misses out on one of the critical updates, it is trashed on blogs, vlogs, and print. The disappointment of the reviewers takes a different manifestation. For most smartphone makers, an underperforming device means the end of the road for it until next year. However, for Apple belying expectations translates into new renders of the next iPhone. The iPhone 13 has been suffering the same fate. While Apple has made notable improvements to battery life, a design overhaul is much needed. Besides, the company also needs to up the specs if it plans to compete in the premium smartphone market. New entrants have already been disrupting this space with flagship killers at half the price of premium smartphone makers’ premium devices.

Here’s a list of Apple improvements that we would love to see in the future iterations. Moreover, companies need to realise that a phone goes much beyond its camera. Although with the Instagram generation, the camera is significant, the phone's changes need to go beyond that.

Display of 90Hz-120Hz refresh rate

Apple has made significant improvements to the screen with more brightness. The sound quality on the phones has also got better with more depth and richness. But the company has shied away from fiddling with the refresh rates. The 60hz display has been a standard feature on iPhones, while other smartphone makers have graduated to 120hz (some even to 144hz) display. While Apple has introduced the adaptive refresh rate feature in pro models, the technology needs to trickle down in regular phones. At least the new lower-range iPhone can have a 90hz display to improve the gaming and movie-watching experience. Apple will have to adjust battery life accordingly as a higher refresh rate would translate into lower battery life.

A notch below

It was 20 per cent smaller this time around, but a regular feature since the iPhone X has not entirely disappeared. Meanwhile, the world has moved to hole-punch cameras and even under-screen cameras (not very successful, though). A design refresh should consider the hole punch. Although the notch does not obstruct viewing angles, given that most devices do not have a notch, it does look archaic.

Touch ID

One of the fallouts of the pandemic has been the death of the Face ID. Given that everyone is masked up, it is difficult to remove the mask every time to unlock the phone. Most smartphone makers provide fingerprint scanners as an alternative. Apple can consider bringing back the touch ID. They have already done it for the iPad mini, integrating it in the power button, so doing the same for the iPhone would not be so difficult. Iris scanners would also work, but Apple has the touch ID feature ready.

USB-C for charging and data transfers

The new USB C-Type technology has a faster charging speed and better data connections. So, one wonders why this technology did not get space in the latest range of iPhones. If saving the environment is a concern, then a switch to USB-C is more environmentally-friendly.

Ceramic front and back

Although the iPhones do need a design upgrade, most smartphone makers have become reticent about the practicality of phone designs. Indeed, the phones look more beautiful, but they need to be put in covers as they are made of fragile materials. What’s the point of making a better-looking device if, ultimately, it ends up in a cover? Apple can remedy this next year by putting ceramic shield glass on the front and back.

Touch refresh/sampling rate

This year, one of the focuses of the Cupertino-based giant was to lure serious gamers to the iPhone. Battery levels were improved, and screen brightness was made better. However, the touch sampling rate has not changed drastically. To ensure a more flowing touch experience, Apple needs to work in this regard along with the screen refresh rate.