6 Changes We Want to See in 2018’s iPhone Lineup

Smartphones get better, faster and more feature-packed every year. Apple devices, Samsung Galaxy, and other smartphones are no exception. But sometimes there can be a disconnect between the features that consumers want, and the features that phonemakers decide to implement in their Apple devices — especially if the features or improvements are small ones. Press the right arrow to learn about six changes that we hope to see next year.

6 Dual-Cameras Across the Lineup

Apple’s iPhone cameras are some of the best on the market, particularly the dual-lens setup on the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X. Unfortunately, owners of the smaller iPhone 8 don’t get that incredible camera functionality.

Now, with the entire industry moving toward dual-lens camera setups, it’s not too far-fetched to think that Apple will install such a system across its entire lineup — including whatever base-model phone is released next year. It’s high time for fans of smaller iPhones to be able to use a dual-lens system, too.

5 Fast Charging Included in the Box

Apple’s 2017 iPhone plan, including the iPhone 8, sport fast-charging capabilities. But, with the fanfare around wireless charging, that fact may have been a bit buried. That’s especially true since quick-charging still requires additional purchases for this year’s iPhones.

Apple’s standard 5W charger is fine — it’s small, portable and does the job. But it is a bit of letdown that the new iPhones’ quick charging capability is only accessible with a $49 extra purchase. Next year, Apple could give every iPhone user a upgrade by including an Type-C USB cable and a quick-charge compatible charger in the box.

4 Better Water Resistance

The iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X all carry an IP67 water- and dust-resistance rating. That means, among other things, that the iPhones can survive immersion in about one meter of water in 30 minutes. But Samsung's Galaxy Lineup, one of Apple's chief competitors, already carries a better IP68 rating.

Granted, that doesn’t mean much more protection in the real-world (it means submersion in about 1.5 meters as opposed to 1 meter) — and we aren’t expecting a fully waterproof iPhone anytime soon. But when a device costs $1,000, and water damage isn’t covered under warranty, every little bit will help give consumers some extra peace of mind.

3 Improved Battery Life

Battery life is one of the biggest complaints levied at smartphones — and maybe especially at iPhones. Battery drain is a constant issue we always hear about.  Only this year’s iPhone X offered any announced battery life improvement over previous models (though there’s evidence to suggest the iPhone 8 Plus fared better in the real world).

Thankfully, next year’s iPhone lineup is pretty likely to feature better battery technology. Of course, there’s a caveat here. iPhone users everywhere want better battery life, not necessarily slimmer devices. Apple could make a huge mistake if they use that better battery tech to create a thinner smartphone with the same battery life as this year’s iPhone lineup.

2 More Stable iOS

This isn’t strictly an iPhone feature, per se. But it is related. This year’s iPhone X launch has been marred by the instability and general bugginess of iOS 11 — ranging from battery drain to a software-side cold weather bug.

To be fair, pretty much any major software release will have bugs present, even with extensive beta testing. Though for a company as massive as Apple, there aren’t many excuses for extremely buggy software. It would be nice if Apple doubled-down on getting iOS 12 to be as stable as possible before the 2018 iPhone lineup drops.

1 A Lower Price

If you look at the relatively short history of smartphones, you’ll be amazed at just how far the industry has come. Secret iPhone deals are getting harder and harder to come by with the amount of technology packed into modern smartphones is incredible, especially as feature-packed flagships and handsets get cheaper.

So maybe this is a given, but the iPhone X’s feature list shouldn’t be restricted to the upper echelons of next year’s Apple lineup. Apple fans shouldn’t have to spend a premium to get features like Face ID or Animoji, or frankly, whatever innovative tech Apple includes on its next top-tier flagship.  Because Apple is extremely strict on their price control; it's pretty rare to see iPhone deals.  But when we do, they are amazing deals.