Other Name one iPhone feature Apple has done since iPhone 6 which made the iPhone an impulse buy

[I7guy]

Apple Pencil on Phones missing like Samsung note
True Slo-mo on Camera like Samsung 960 fps vs 240 fps
Night Mode - Google Pixel Phones
Wide Aperture Lens for Zoom lens - Google Pixel
Call Screening feature - Google Pixel Phones
USB-C - Everything but iPhone
Variable Aperture Lens - Samsung S9

on the top of my head

Slo-mo features on the Samsung are limited unlike the iphone which can go on until it runs out of memory. Call screening/blocking can be had on iphones 10 ways to Sunday. USB-C doesn't really get one much of anything. Basically none of the features are found in one phone. What do you do if you want night mode and true slo-mo together? Buy two phones?

 

[sdwaltz]

Your “already done by the competition” points are moot because none of the competition runs iOS. That’s automatically a “no sale” for me and nearly everyone here.

And to answer your question, the 6.5” screen on the Xs Max display model at Best Buy sucked me in when I had no intention of buying the phone.

In terms of features, almost every Android feature touted as “cutting edge” and an “iPhone killer” (ha, remember those articles back in the day?) has been half-baked and poorly implemented and it’s been like that for a decade.

Despite their occasional shortcomings, the features that Apple touts on their devices actually work as advertised, all of the time, from day 1.

Oh and lastly, I can’t for the life of me figure out why everybody wants USB-C so friggin badly. Who cares?

 

[1rottenapple]

I think for many simply it being Apple/iOS is the differentiator (as in often enough people don't even care about what the competition might offer).

I’ve tried android. Can’t do it. Tried 3x. It’s too different for my taste and everyone I know has iMessage.

Also timely iOS updates are my big feature and why I recommend iOS to most people who keep their phones for years.

 

[csurfr]

I’ve tried android. Can’t do it. Tried 3x. It’s too different for my taste and everyone I know has iMessage.

Also timely iOS updates are my big feature and why I recommend iOS to most people who keep their phones for years.

Same. I tried the note 9 for a few weeks, hated the “Samsung experience” as they call the UI skin. Had the pixel 3xl, loved the software features, but apps aren’t as fluid as they are on iOS, and the keyboard doesn’t come close to the iPhone. Back to the XS Max I went. Sure, it costs a little more (I have the 256gb), and doesn’t have some of the software features of the pixel, but those can always be added in iOS 13 this year. Even Apple had said they wanted iOS 12 to be more solid and better performing. Build on that this year, and we’ll have a winner.

Hell, Apple will be sending out betas of iOS 13 to the masses before most of the android phones on the market will even begin to see Pie.

 

[C DM]

I’ve tried android. Can’t do it. Tried 3x. It’s too different for my taste and everyone I know has iMessage.

Also timely iOS updates are my big feature and why I recommend iOS to most people who keep their phones for years.

Well, the actual Google Android phones (like the Pixel) get updated fairly often and for some time too. That said, to each his/her own. And that's basically why I mentioned that the OS itself and essentially the ecosystem that it comes from is a a large enough of a differentiating factor in itself for many.

 

[burgman]

Apple Pencil on Phones missing like Samsung note
True Slo-mo on Camera like Samsung 960 fps vs 240 fps
Night Mode - Google Pixel Phones
Wide Aperture Lens for Zoom lens - Google Pixel
Call Screening feature - Google Pixel Phones
USB-C - Everything but iPhone
Variable Aperture Lens - Samsung S9

on the top of my head

Then why are you here? Leave us poor ill-informed fanboys alone

 

[colonelbutt]

Name one NEW feature that Apple done which DIFFERENTIATES itself from the competition and results in the iPhone being a must buy.

3D touch? hardly anyone uses it. Even apple has forgotten about it
Face ID? seen as a replacement of touch ID nothing more nothing less
OLED? Already on competition
Larger screens? Already on competition
CPU/GPU? thats a yearly upgrade to an existing feature
Camera? Cameras have been almost equally best with others since iPhones 5S


I can't think of one. can you?

Second telephoto lens - a breakthrough for people shots and low distortion photography
Improved screens
Smaller size and loss o bezel for X
Lots of things actually ...

 

[Shanghaichica]

Ecosystem and software. Having multiple Apple devices that work together seamlessly.

The Apple Watch can only be used with an iPhone. The Apple Watch is the best smart watch on the market imo.

It might not have the best hardware but it’s the overall package that matters.
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Second telephoto lens - a breakthrough for people shots and low distortion photography
Improved screens
Smaller size and loss o bezel for X
Lots of things actually ...

All of these things were available on android phones before they were on the iPhone.
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I’ve tried android. Can’t do it. Tried 3x. It’s too different for my taste and everyone I know has iMessage.

Also timely iOS updates are my big feature and why I recommend iOS to most people who keep their phones for years.

The funny thing is I don’t mind android or even the Samsung Experience. There are a lot of features that I wish were available on iOS. However I just prefer iOS and the way it works on my devices. There isn’t anything wrong with android.

 

[Ralfi]

Then why are you here? Leave us poor ill-informed fanboys alone

Gotto always remind them, we’re ALL fanbois/girls, so their blanket statements possess some substance...

 

[44267547]

Name one NEW feature that Apple done which DIFFERENTIATES itself from the competition and results in the iPhone being a must buy.

3D touch? hardly anyone uses it. Even apple has forgotten about it
Face ID? seen as a replacement of touch ID nothing more nothing less
OLED? Already on competition
Larger screens? Already on competition
CPU/GPU? thats a yearly upgrade to an existing feature
Camera? Cameras have been almost equally best with others since iPhones 5S


I can't think of one. can you?

It seems to me you’re trying to dismiss features like Face ID and 3D Touch by adding your anecdotal opinion of why no one would else would care. Face ID was a huge implementation, even though they replaced touch ID, it was the first biometric security to use 3-D facial mapping, are you saying that’s not something that the consumer didn’t consider when purchasing the iPhone? What about the dual camera when that was introduced on the iPhone 7 Plus? That was a success its own right with the telephoto lens.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Since your very anti Apple post (Android fanboy obviously) was posted on a Macrumors forum, I'll take the opportunity to answer this as an... Apple fanboy.

I didn't even consider the competition because I've used the competition - every year or two I make a point to use an Android phone for a day or two to make sure I'm making the right decision for myself.


So my thought process was:


I owned the 6+. Loved that phone, but the 1GB of ram was getting old, I'd go to Hangouts, talk, then open another app, then by the time I'd go back to hangouts a reload was necessary.

6s+ had the faster CPU and more ram and a rear camera mp bump from 8 to 12 MP. As someone who takes many many photos, this was important to me. The CPU difference between the A8 and A9 was very noticeable for me.

I then went to the 8+ because of the two cameras (telephoto lens). The camera was the main reason but the extra gig of ram wasn't bad either. The increase of storage to 256GB was of interest to me as well.

I was intending on keeping this phone for 2-3 years but when the Xs MAX was introduced I went with that phone because of the 512 GB storage (I could finally put my entire photo library on my phone) - OLED screen - reading on this has been amazing - I read books and books on my phone. I love it. (1920 x 1080 vs 2688 x 1242). The 4GB of ram interested me for future proofing, but more was the IS on the telephoto lens and an f stop of 2.4 on the telephoto vs the 8+'s 2.8 and no IS (just on wide angle).

Yeah the price is a bit painful, but my wife and I will be keeping our phones for 3 years easy. We normally do 2 as we have for our last phones (6+, 6s+). 8+ was only 1 year.


An impulse buy? I use my phone for hours every day. I read books on it. I used to take thousands of photos a month on it (getting older with less time now). I communicate with family on it. It is a huge part of my life as well as my family's lives.

To be honest even if said feature was on an android phone it doesn’t run iOS and can’t be used in an ecosystem which is as good as Apple’s. So when I made my purchasing decisions a new feature did not have to be exclusive to the iPhone.

6 plus - This was the year I switched back to Apple. I came back for the larger display, 1080p screen, 128GB of internal storage and battery life. I also wanted the Apple Watch after seeing it unveiled at the keynote. Also wanted Apple Pay. Yes google wallet had been out for years but it was half baked. Apple Pay seemed like the real deal.



6S plus - Better camera and 3D Touch. Wanted a non black phone.
After having the phone I realised that having 2GB of ram made a huge difference in performance.

7 plus - Dual lens camera, wider colour gamut, water resistance, stereo speakers. I wanted rose gold.

X- OLED and higher resolution display. Face ID, new design, improved rear facing camera. 256 GB storage.

XS Max - Bigger display, camera improvements, improved speakers.

Most of these features were available on android phones but those phones didn’t run iOS so it didn’t matter that they were not ground breaking.
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Sorry, none of those would make me switch or try an android device. You have anything else more impressive?

I’ve used the S-pen, it’s useful and I would like pencil support but it’s not enough to make me switch.

I’ve tried variable aperture and the super slow motion and they are not that good. The camera on my XS max is better than the camera on the S9 plus I had. Even my X had a better camera so I wouldn’t switch for those.

The night mode is silly imo because it makes the photo look very unrealistic.

The call screening thing is disappointing considering that the google Assistant can do a lot more.

I don’t think that list is very good. Apart from the S-pen I don’t care about any of them.

Features I like on android devices are:

S-pen
Dex
Google Assistant
In screen fingerprint sensor
Split screen apps
Trusted devices/places
Ability to wirelessly charge another device from your phone
Virtual reality headsets
Triple lens camera
Faster wireless charging
Higher resolution displays
Customisation
More control over your device

However they are not enough to make me switch but I wish Apple would implement some of them.

 

[Paradoxally]

iOS 12. It's so good I switched back to iOS. 11 was a disaster and made me leave.

Also, iMessage. Android has piss-poor messaging implementations -- or none at all (without third-party crap like WhatsApp).

 

[LeeW]

For the vast majority, impulse buying is not a thing, you buy an iPhone to replace an iPhone, familiarity is the key decision. Exactly the same as Android.

 

[PeteS1963]

Name one NEW feature that Apple done which DIFFERENTIATES itself from the competition and results in the iPhone being a must buy.

3D touch? hardly anyone uses it. Even apple has forgotten about it
Face ID? seen as a replacement of touch ID nothing more nothing less
OLED? Already on competition
Larger screens? Already on competition
CPU/GPU? thats a yearly upgrade to an existing feature
Camera? Cameras have been almost equally best with others since iPhones 5S


I can't think of one. can you?

I certainly can. Although you could argue the same kind of thing for the iPhone 6 and earlier. What was the iPhone 6 over the iPhone 5S? A slight redesign and bigger screen. Is that it? I can’t think of anything else.

But this is 2019. Does anyone really use their smartphone in isolation anymore? I run a small business via my Apple devices. I also have an Apple Watch which is just an extension of my iPhone. For example, with the Watch I can instantly see and sort my notifications, answer a call without taking my phone out or put a call on hold while I find it... all these features mean I can quickly and easily deal with a customer, which customers like, and this puts me above the completion. If you miss a call or message and have to contact them it’s amazing how many people go onto something/someone else if you are not quick. I also work outside and sometimes along the coast. Anyone who knows the UK coastline knows that the wind can be so strong that you can’t even hear the thing ring. With the Watch - no problem. The Watch plus iPhone has improved my business and made me money. There isn’t a smart watch that comes close. I’ve used Android in the past and it doesn’t come close.

Of course their are other features that are not to do with business. Heath and fitness (I also use it for sleep tracking as long hours take their toll), using HomeKit to control my lights and heating from my wrist. These are recent innovations.

Then there’s Continuity and Handoff. All my invoices, finances, lables, flyers etc are done on the go. Everything efficiently and seamlessly syncs with my iPhone, iPad and Mac. If I’m at home and a call, message, social media contact comes in I can deal with it instantly from whatever device I’m using. Not just on the phone. Sure, I could setup something similar on Android but it’s shonkey and doesn’t work as well. If I miss something I could potentially lose a customer. Because I do my finances on the go it’s simple and quick to send data off to my accountant.

Times have changed. It’s no longer just the phone.

 

[1rottenapple]

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The funny thing is I don’t mind android or even the Samsung Experience. There are a lot of features that I wish were available on iOS. However I just prefer iOS and the way it works on my devices. There isn’t anything wrong with android.[/QUOTE]
exactly. It’s a preference thing. All are great.

Chevy Vs Ford
Honda Vs Toyota
BMW vs Mercedes
Mac Vs Pc VS Chrome OS

 

[profets]

6s: 4K video, 3D Touch, Hey Siri

7: new camera, Plus size, water resistance, stereo speakers

X: OLED, Face ID, stainless steel design - to me the iPhone 4 and iPhone X were the biggest jumps in iPhone improvement year over year

XS: First year I haven’t upgraded. The Max size looks incredible and I’d love to go for it, but I’m priced out on it.