The Taptic Engine and the Retina Display brought the iPhone to life for me. The dense and luxurious feel of the glass/stainless steel sandwich of the iPhone 4/4s come next.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Other What was your favorite breakthrough in the evolution of the iPhone?
- Thread starter lkalliance
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Lots of people mentioning the Taptic Engine...and though it would be considered a "failed" feature, I think I should have included 3D Touch on the list!
For me the best feature was the introduction of eSim with the XS as it finally allowed iPhone users in the US to use Dual-sim.
The combination of Dual-sim with iPhone's IMS capabilities makes it hands down the best platform for travelers IMO.
The combination of Dual-sim with iPhone's IMS capabilities makes it hands down the best platform for travelers IMO.
Face ID for sure.
I still have to reregister fingers on my back up with Touch ID (an SE 2020), as they turn completely unrecognizable to the system.
I still have to reregister fingers on my back up with Touch ID (an SE 2020), as they turn completely unrecognizable to the system.
I went with Retina display. The larger sizes were nice but I wasn’t someone who was demanding them. Even now the plus and max sizes are huge. I almost went with a mini but wanted better cameras
For me the biggest breakthrough features are mainly three:
1. Retina display because it was the first time we got high resolution in a phone's display (not sure about other manufacturers but I believe Apple did it first, correct me if I'm wrong).
2. TouchID because it finally gave security to iPhones. Prior to that, I think nobody used to set a passcode because having to enter it all the time was inconvenient, and the only ones who did were those already aware of privacy or security concerns. iPhone 5s was the turning point who allowed people to have a secure phone without the annoyance of having to type passcodes every time.
3. FaceID because it gave the iPhone screen the opportunity to go really edge to edge (minus the notch). And also, let's face it, having your phone unlocking himself with pretty much no interaction from you feels kinda magical.
Bonus: it's not listed here, but I consider the introduction of the haptic Home button on the iPhone 7 a pretty neat feature.
1. Retina display because it was the first time we got high resolution in a phone's display (not sure about other manufacturers but I believe Apple did it first, correct me if I'm wrong).
2. TouchID because it finally gave security to iPhones. Prior to that, I think nobody used to set a passcode because having to enter it all the time was inconvenient, and the only ones who did were those already aware of privacy or security concerns. iPhone 5s was the turning point who allowed people to have a secure phone without the annoyance of having to type passcodes every time.
3. FaceID because it gave the iPhone screen the opportunity to go really edge to edge (minus the notch). And also, let's face it, having your phone unlocking himself with pretty much no interaction from you feels kinda magical.
Bonus: it's not listed here, but I consider the introduction of the haptic Home button on the iPhone 7 a pretty neat feature.
Just yesterday, I got the amazed reaction at Walgreens, when I used my Watch to both give my My Walgreens account info and then pay for the stuff. I’m shocked that they’re shocked, because Walgreens was one of the first to accept Apple Pay all those years ago, and the Watch has been able to do the same almost from the beginning.
But I definitely use my Watch for Apple Pay about 95% of the time. It’s just so incredibly convenient, even more so than the phone, which is saying a lot.
I also got my almost 80-year-old tech-averse relative to use Apple Pay, which I consider one of our greatest breakthroughs.