TOP 6 important features that iPhone will lack in 2025

All smartphone manufacturers receive criticism of their devices from time to time, but Apple is often at the center of such discussion, especially when it comes to the lack of certain features. The company is known for sometimes delaying the introduction of things that have been available in the Android sector for a long time. And many users are not too happy about it.

PhoneArena tells about six features that Apple smartphones lack.

Back button

Android offers a consistent way to return to the previous screen, either through a separate button or a gesture on either side of the display.

I really wanted to hear a clear explanation from Apple as to why there is still no unambiguous and universal way to return to the previous screen in any application. The worst part is that the standard gesture (swipe from left to right) works just enough to get you used to it, and then you come across an application where it doesn’t work.

Sometimes the only way to return is to tap the arrow or the X button in the upper left corner. This forces you to either reach out and twist your arm or pick up the phone with your other hand.

Number row on the keyboard

On Android, all numbers and additional characters can be entered quickly with a long press, and you can also customise how quickly this additional row appears. The ability to quickly type numbers has become very convenient for many people.

Interestingly, Apple has partially implemented similar functionality on iPadOS — you don’t need to long press, but can simply  "drag" a letter down to insert a character.

There are third-party keyboards (for example, Gboard), but they often lack some of the features that Android versions have.

Fast charging

Some smartphones are so fast that they even offer an interesting animation accompanying the process.

It’s not just Apple — Samsung and Google can also be criticised for insufficient charging speeds, but in the case of Apple, it’s even slower. In particular, this refers to wired charging, which, even in the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, is limited to a maximum of 25 watts.

A full charge cycle for the iPhone 16 Pro takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. For comparison, the Motorola Edge (2024) with a larger battery replenishes the charge in 39 minutes.

Higher screen refresh rate

Apple is terrified that 120Hz on regular iPhones could "kill" their Pro line.

In 2025, we still don’t have a single "non-Pro" iPhone with a screen that refreshes faster than 60Hz.

Smartphone enthusiasts know about this and often make fun of it, but many ordinary users don’t even know what a refresh rate is and why it is needed. So it’s worth emphasizing that USD 800 iPhone screens clearly lack the smoothness that a higher hertz rate provides. Even the new iPhone 16e, which costs USD 600, could take advantage of this advantage.

Fingerprint scanner

A true flagship should offer both biometric unlocking methods. If one is missing, this is an unforgivable gap in 2025.

Apple rarely brings back features that it has previously dropped, but the fingerprint scanner is definitely worth bringing back. Face ID is great, but it shouldn’t be the only method. For example, when you run in the cold with your face half-covered, the iPhone often fails to recognize the owner, and you have to enter the passcode.

It’s not difficult to restore the fingerprint scanner, so it’s hard to find a reason why it’s still not on newer iPhones.

3D Touch feature

3D Touch was one of the best features in iPhone history. It’s one of the most successful features to ever appear on an iPhone. It felt very natural to interact with the interface and was used by many users. Now it has been replaced by a long press, but it is less clear and intuitive, and sometimes even forgotten in everyday use.

As a reminder, in iOS 18, Apple updated the interface, which is why some users do not immediately find the settings for managing SMS. A large number of notifications makes it difficult to find the important ones, so periodic cleaning can be useful.

We also wrote that it’s important to control how applications access your location data to maintain your privacy. Check which applications have access to your iPhone geolocation and restrict it if necessary.