5 critical features the iPhone needs to keep up with Android

Now that new models of iPhone have larger screens than ever before, it would make sense for Apple to add new features that make it possible to take advantage of it in different ways. Android has supported split-screen multitasking since 2016, and companies like Samsung offered it on their own phones even before then. It's possible to run more than one app simultaneously on the iPad, but Apple has yet to bring this feature to its larger-screened smartphones.

Apple has supported fast-charging since the iPhone 8, but you have to purchase the company's $29 18-watt charger separately to take advantage. However, Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S10, Google Pixel 3, and OnePlus 6T come with a fast charger in the box at no extra charge.

Apple may actually take this approach come the fall, as a report from Japanese Apple news blog Mac Otakara says the company will include an 18-watt charger with its next iPhone.

As edge-to-edge screens have become more popular on modern smartphones, some tech companies have come up with ways to eliminate the "notch" — the cutout near the top of the screen where the front-facing camera and facial recognition sensors are usually located.

With its Galaxy S10, for example, Samsung created a hole-punch cutout that's less noticeable than the traditional notch. Companies like Oppo and and Vivo have equipped their phones with cameras that pop or slide out of the device's body when needed.

When Apple eventually redesigns the iPhone, we're hoping that it will come up with a new way to conceal the notch to allow for a more seamless look.

Apple nixed the Touch ID fingerprint sensor from its smartphones in 2017 when it unveiled the iPhone X. Doing so has made it possible for Apple to extend the size of the iPhone's screen without having to make the phone itself larger.

But that also means you must use Face ID to unlock your phone if you don't want to type in a passcode, while Android phones like the Pixel 3 and Galaxy S10 have both a fingerprint sensor and facial recognition. Samsung's Galaxy S10 has a fingerprint sensor that's embedded directly into the screen, although early reviews have suggested it isn't very reliable.

I've often found that Touch ID has worked more quickly and seamlessly based on my own personal experience. As such, I'd very much appreciate a new iPhone that has the edge-to-edge screen of the iPhone X lineup, but augmented with a fingerprint reader. Some phone makers like Google have opted for a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, but given the iPhone's seamless glass back this seems like an unlikely option for Apple.