What would you want in a true next generation iPhone?

[drysdale86]

The 7 sounds like it will be underwhelming going by recent rumours with no real innovation or jump compared to the 4->5->6 and sounds more like an 'S' iteration than a true next generation phone.

If you were Apple, what "should" the iPhone 7 be?

For me:

-4", 4.7" and 5.5" versions
-32GB/64GB/128GB options
-Minimum 1 full day battery life
-Thinner and lighter
-Overhauled design for iOS 10 (away from the "flat" look)
-Greatly improved front/rear camera (4K FaceTime camera)
-Flush lens, not protruding
-Removal of visible antennae lines
-Removal of physical home button
-"drop proof" glass/Sapphire glass
-Fully waterproof
-Stereo speakers like the iPad Pro.
-Headphone jack removed and phone packaged with wireless earbud headphones
-More customisation options within iOS 10
-Split screen multitasking with adjustable split screen ratios within iOS 10
-A filesystem/filestorage system for iOS 10


Optional, but not essential:

-Curved edge screen like the S7 Edge
-Virtual surround sound
-Multiple color options
-"Quick" charging enabling full charge within half an hour
-Wireless charging with an official Apple wireless charging plate
-Full NFC capabilities
-More integration between iOS and Mac OS, perhaps merging the two

Completely crazy:

-Solar charging/kinetic energy charging i.e charge whilst moving
-256GB storage
-Expandable storage via microSD
-Beats quality earbuds with phone
-2 day battery
-Optional LED rear Apple logo like the Macbook Pro that illuminates with notifications/calls
-Curved screen similar to LG's G-Flex
-Easily changeable front and rear glass/metal cover

 

[Ugi]

A realistic price would be nice.
Better quality control.
Quality displays.
Displays which don't differ in a range from piss yellow to ice cold blue
I'm modest.

 

[5105973]

I like most of your list except I don't necessarily need or want it to be thinner. And I don't want a curved screen of any kind because as cool as it looks on the S7 Edge I'm hearing enough complaining that it can be a pain to actually use, with accidental touches. Also the curved edges we have on the 6 series already complicates matters for screen protectors. I favor a return to flat screens like the SE has.

For my completely crazy list I would rescind my wish for a flat screen and change it to a flexible one so that we could have a foldable IPhone that's easily pocketed but unfolds to a large usable display.

I'm okay with sticking to aluminum but would like more color options including true copper color, brown (sounds awful but I've seen a good looking metallic brown), dark blue, and pure black.

I would love a Smart Cover capability like we have with iPads.

 

[bufffilm]

-Minimum 1 full day battery life
-Thinner and lighter

You list these two, but right now having the two together is impossible.

Give us more battery. So easy to do and we'd be very happy.

 

[got556]

Stop with that thin crap. One of the reason the 5 body was so popular was b/c it was easy to hold and durable. It will be a rejoicing day when Apple stops their thin obsession...

I just want an OLED display 720p for a 4", 1080 for the 4.7", and possibly 1440 or 2K for the 5.5".

Thinner/smaller bezels.

Better battery life, especially on the 4.7" and if that means adding some thickness, so be it. Also a better camera. Samsung is truly kicking Apple's ass in this department.

Agree about 32gb as a base model.

Bring back an all black or "slate" iPhone.

 

[Applefan4]

6 inch QHD screen
32gb base storage
2 day battery with heavy use
Unbreakable screen
Waterproof

 

[Channan]

The 7 sounds like it will be underwhelming going by recent rumours with no real innovation or jump compared to the 4->5->6 and sounds more like an 'S' iteration than a true next generation phone.

If you were Apple, what "should" the iPhone 7 be?

For me:

-4", 4.7" and 5.5" versions
-32GB/64GB/128GB options
-Minimum 1 full day battery life (Everyone's usage is different. Some people already get a full day of battery life. I know I do.)
-Thinner and lighter (You just said you wanted better battery life. Better battery life is only going to happen with a bigger battery, which means thicker and heavier phone.)
-Overhauled design for iOS 10 (away from the "flat" look)
-Greatly improved front/rear camera (4K FaceTime camera) (4K would require an almost 9MP front facing camera. I don't know anyone making front facing cameras that high res ATM.)
-Flush lens, not protruding (Also not gonna happen if you keep making the phone thinner.)
-Removal of visible antennae lines
-Removal of physical home button
-"drop proof" glass/Sapphire glass (Unless Apple figures out a way to defy gravity, you can't have a drop-proof phone. Sapphire is already less shatter resistant than glass, so you can't have shatterproof and sapphire.)
-Fully waterproof
-Stereo speakers like the iPad Pro.
-Headphone jack removed and phone packaged with wireless earbud headphones
-More customisation options within iOS 10
-Split screen multitasking with adjustable split screen ratios within iOS 10
-A filesystem/filestorage system for iOS 10


Optional, but not essential:

-Curved edge screen like the S7 Edge
-Virtual surround sound
-Multiple color options
-"Quick" charging enabling full charge within half an hour
-Wireless charging with an official Apple wireless charging plate
-Full NFC capabilities
-More integration between iOS and Mac OS, perhaps merging the two

Completely crazy:

-Solar charging/kinetic energy charging i.e charge whilst moving
-256GB storage
-Expandable storage via microSD
-Beats quality earbuds with phone
-2 day battery
-Optional LED rear Apple logo like the Macbook Pro that illuminates with notifications/calls
-Curved screen similar to LG's G-Flex
-Easily changeable front and rear glass/metal cover

My reply in quote.

 

[Peter K.]

Stop with that thin crap. One of the reason the 5 body was so popular was b/c it was easy to hold and durable. It will be a rejoicing day when Apple stops their thin obsession...

I just want an OLED display 720p for a 4", 1080 for the 4.7", and possibly 1440 or 2K for the 5.5".

Thinner/smaller bezels.

Better battery life, especially on the 4.7" and if that means adding some thickness, so be it. Also a better camera. Samsung is truly kicking Apple's ass in this department.

Agree about 32gb as a base model.

Bring back an all black or "slate" iPhone.

Finally, someone else who understands that mere retina displays don't cut it anymore.

 

[maxsix]

6 inch QHD screen
32gb base storage
2 day battery with heavy use
Unbreakable screen
Waterproof

You've nailed it!

After owning and evaluating well over sixty smartphones of virtually every size and operating system, it's become very apparent that today's designers can easily create a phone that's barely larger than my Nexus 6P, but features a full 6.0" display. If I'm going to carry a large smartphone, and I am... 6.0" surrounded by narrow bezels is optimum.

 

[lordofthereef]

My wants are honestly pretty minimal. Bump the camera to be equal to or better than competing cameras. Also give me a smaller footprint with the same size or larger screen.

I'm happy with the screen quality. Yes I've seen other phones but in perfectly happy with 1080p and don't personally have much need for something better.

Anything outside of those two points is just icing on the cake, really.

 

[smacrumon]

Flat glass front, flat glass back with curved edges to meet the front. (Think simple curves like iPad mini). Colored inside black, white, silver, gold, rose gold, ocean blue.

One single storage size 128GB across all models so users need never contend with a storage full error. (Storage costs are negligible today).

4 inch size.

Lower price point.

Solar passive charging (longer battery life).

No curved displays.

No protruding cameras.

No antenna breaks.

No smart connector dots.

 

[garirry]

This is me being crazy, but oh well.

NOT thinner. Please, just make a 4S-thick phone, I won't even complain. Put as much crap as you can inside.

Standard storage 64GB. Extra $50 for 128GB, not $100.

No antenna lines, smoother design in general (I would want a blocky design like the 5S/SE or the Galaxy S6/7)

Two-day long battery. You can do it Apple, you just don't want to.

No protruding camera. Front-facing camera should be improved, 1080p30/720p60 at the very least.

Improved screen res, 720p for 4", 1080p for 4.7", 1440p for 5.5".

Cheaper phone, starts at $399 for the 4" model. +$50 for double storage, +$100 for 4.7", +$100 for 5.5" (which should be 128GB default in my opinion). Probably offer something weaker like the SE (32GB pls) for $299 so people could actually afford one.

iOS that actually works. Rewrite it entirely, make it into something a human could use like a normal computer. It sucks currently.

Can't think of much else rn.

 

[drysdale86]

My reply in quote.

I did say "next gen", I know a lot of it isnt possible at the moment but that's where Apple would have to innovate. A thinner but stronger phone with increased battery life or a flush rear with no protruding camera in such a phone may seem impossible now, but whose to say in future Apple wont have found a solution.

A lot of my suggestions are over the top but its difficult to see where Apple can distance itself or offer new innovative features.

 

[Channan]

I did say "next gen", I know a lot of it isnt possible at the moment but that's where Apple would have to innovate. A thinner but stronger phone with increased battery life or a flush rear with no protruding camera in such a phone may seem impossible now, but whose to say in future Apple wont have found a solution.

A lot of my suggestions are over the top but its difficult to see where Apple can distance itself or offer new innovative features.

I honestly don't think people are begging for a thinner phone. If Apple increased the thickness of the iPhone just to the camera bulge, it would still be one of the thinnest smartphones and the battery could be massive. The iPhone already gets pretty good battery life, but nothing would be able to mess with it after that.

 

[bufffilm]

I honestly don't think people are begging for a thinner phone. If Apple increased the thickness of the iPhone just to the camera bulge, it would still be one of the thinnest smartphones and the battery could be massive. The iPhone already gets pretty good battery life, but nothing would be able to mess with it after that.

What may not be realized by many is that there is a consequence to having a low battery capacity with the 6s and the current iPads.

You may think..."Just has to last 10 hrs till I charge it tonight again" is ok, but the problem is the routine of running the battery from 100% to 10-20% daily means a helluva of charge cycles on the battery over time and that leads to more chances of early battery death, faster degradation, etc.

Then you might say, "Well, if that happens it only costs me $80 bucks to get a replacement phone with trade-in of my current phone". But do you really want to chance dealing with screen defects, etc when that happens.

I'd rather not...thank you.

A larger battery is a easy way of getting higher grades with customer satisfaction and it would signal a return to Apple listening to their customers complaints and addressing the iPhone's shortcomings.

 

[JohnApples]

My wish list is relatively simple.

• Bigger/overall better camera. Not that the current one we have is "bad" by any means, but it *is* lacking when you compare it to some of the other smartphone cameras out there right now.
• Better screen. I'm in the camp that feels that the current screen is lackluster. Again, not "bad", but not as good as it could be. A bump in resolution would be nice, as would a switch to OLED.
• Better battery, of course. Doesn't even have to be a big bump- a couple more hours would suffice, I think.
• Water resistance OR wireless charging. One or the other. Water resistance would be nice since I often do water-related activities, and it rains a lot here. Not to mention I'm kinda clumsy. The only reason why I really want "wireless" charging is just so I can charge my phone without having to plug something into it each time, reducing the chance of me fraying the cord.

Other, not-so-important things include:

• Slimmed down bezels. I don't think it's absolutely necessary, but it would be nice. If that means getting rid of the physical home button, than I'm okay with that.
• A new design. I know people go on and on about how it "doesn't matter", (and it doesn't) but since I only upgrade once every 2 years, I would like to have something that looks a bit 'fresh' so that I don't stick with the same look for 4 years.
• Some sort of true, subtle notification light. Yeah, I've always wanted one, and still do.

 

[LovingTeddy]

For me the most important things are:

• Complete redesign. Shrink top and bottom bezels. Left and right bezels need be slimmer as well. This will enable Apple create larger devices without going larger.
• Larger battery. I don't give crap about thin and light. I care about true full day usages under heavy uses.
• iPhone has slowest charging rate, even with iPad charger. Quick Charge 3.0 or equivalent should be implemented. 30 minutes from empty to 80% should be standard.
• OIS should be available on smaller iPhone as well.
• Water proof and ability to use touch screen under water. Samsung made it, Apple can make it as well.
• OLEF screen. FullHD with 4 and QuadHD with 4.7 and 5.5 iPhone.
• 32GB starting and 50 dollars bump for each storage increased. 130 dollars for storage bump is complete criminal.
• Minimum 3GB RAM and enable us true multitasking, like split screen on iPhone (4.7 and above).
• Change way RAM management, use as much RAM as possible and leave background app in memory as long as possible. So we don't behave to deal with app refresh everytime switch between apps.
• iOS 10 need file system and better ways of sharing files between apps.
• iOS 10 need Bluetooth mouse support.

That is pretty much I wanted from iPhone 7. If Apple can deliver most of them, Apple will have my money. Not sure about 5.5 iPhone, but I will buy 4 and 4.7 iPhone, if Apple can deliver most of my wishes.

 

[Channan]

• OLEF screen. FullHD with 4 and QuadHD with 4.7 and 5.5 iPhone.

Unless Apple gets into VR, QHD on a 4.7" display is complete overkill. I'd say 720p, 1080p, and 1440p for 4", 4.7", and 5.5" without VR support.

 

[dk001]

Hardware:

• QHD Display
• 4GB RAM
• Smaller bezels
• Stereo speakers
• Better battery
• Quick charge capability
• Improved camera

Software:

• Set default apps
• Customize look
• Some type of common non-cloud repository where apps can share - aka dummy file system
• Better camera options (RAW, better JPEG algorithm)
• Fix the bugs! BT, Airdrop, and other basic functions
• Redesign Settings

More coming as I think of them...

 

[maxsix]

Hardware:

• QHD Display
• 4GB RAM
• Smaller bezels
• Stereo speakers
• Better battery
• Quick charge capability
• Improved camera

Software:

• Set default apps
• Customize look
• Some type of common non-cloud repository where apps can share - aka dummy file system
• Better camera options (RAW, better JPEG algorithm)
• Fix the bugs! BT, Airdrop, and other basic functions

More coming as I think of them...

I've come to really like the "Quick Charge" technology incorporated into my Nexus 6P and 5X models. In just 15 to 20 minutes they're recharged to 90%. An incredibly useful feature that's become priceless.

I buy a smartphone to _use_ it's full capabilities.

As such, it's easy to run the battery down long before days end. I'd like to see Apple get serious about giving us world class battery life. The fact that they're so busy bragging, posturing and working the headlines, reveals a company who's allowed it's continuing success to keep it detached from the very customers that fatten it's bottom line.

 

[uid15]

Here's a nice, simple proposition:

Keep the 4/4S stainless steel band/antenna design, but make the back from a MUCH stronger glass, and make variants of different sizes, accordingly. It's a SOLID, SOLID design icon and a truly robust design, and I don't know of many people who like the soap bar effect of the rounded edges on the 6 ranges.

Stick to an excellent design - 4/4S was that design. Ignore the stupid people who demand quad HD displays (which are utterly unnecessary) and simultaneously expect the device to last 1-2 days - (you clearly know nothing of basic physics or electronics.)

PS: folks, AMOLED is not gonna happen, I say this with 4,000% certainty. Apple are not the idiots that Samsung and (some) consumers are.

PPS: I've changed my mind - we should leave the design to Apple, seeing as THEY are good at it.

 

[At Sea]

Smaller bezels, and the ability to drag/drop music or other files to Windows Explorer, which I understand is not a hardware issue.

 

[maxsix]

PS: folks, AMOLED is not gonna happen, I say this with 4,000% certainty. Apple are not the idiots that Samsung and (some) consumers are.


PPS: I've changed my mind - we should leave the design to Apple, seeing as THEY are good at it.

You're right, Apple's influence over its customers has successfully con_vinced them to believe that AMOLED isn't for the elite devotees.

Convinced that Samsung is the enemy, only Apple is to be trusted.

Just buy Apple, no independent free thinking required

 

[got556]

^Idiots is a pretty harsh statement for those of us that enjoy what Sammy's LED screens have to offer. Plus it's another way to save battery life and "wow" the consumer. The Samsung screens on their current lineup are gorgeous and many of the major tech reviewers on Youtube have stated that they are the most beautiful screens they have ever seen. I agree with them. A lot of this stuff listed throughout these posts in this thread are already and have already been on Android phones for a bit now. Apple needs to back off the software side for a bit and focus on hardware as they are falling behind quickly. Not to mention all the focus on the software side and we still can't get stable builds....

They have billions upon billions in the bank...time to start reducing margins a bit and release some truly amazing tech. Matter of fact my Note 5 had

3,000mah batter
QHD AMOLED screen
Thin bezels
Easily all day battery life
32GB base model
Quick charge
Amazing camera (the best at it's time of release)
And still cost less than the iP6S+ off contract.

The quick charge is truly amazing. Plug it in for 15 minutes or so and you're at 60 to 70% from 20%....

If Apple wants to keep putting ridiculously small batteries in their phones, at least let us quick charge.

 

[AFEPPL]

first thing it needs is a complete new OS.