In a world where iPhone, iPhone XS, and iPhone XR have redefined what people think of when the word ‘iPhone’ is mentioned, it’s easy to forget what the iPhone, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 5, and others have to offer. Part of it are 10 iconic iPhone features that no longer exist.
- 10 Iconic iPhone Features That No Longer Exist (Part I)
Iconic iPhone features that no longer exist
We took a trip down memory lane and racked our brains to remember iPhone features that were once defined and no longer exist. Sure, we wrote something sentimental, and shed a few tears, but it’s also a celebration of how far we’ve come …
Physical home button
- First Appeared: 2007, Original iPhone
- Last appeared: 2015, iPhone 6S
An iPhone staple from day one, the iconic circular home button It gave Apple phones an instantly recognizable look.
However, having a sizeable physical key on a phone occupied a vital internal space, and in 2016 Apple introduced a new type of home button.
The capacitive button acted like the physical button, using haptic feedback (vibrations) to give the effect that you were getting physically depressed, although there were no moving parts.
However, little did we know at the time that the writing was already on the wall for the new button …
Capacitive start button
- First appeared: 2016, iPhone 7
- Last appeared: 2017, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
The observer among you will have noticed that the home button in any form is now old news for iPhone.
The touch sensitive key made its final appearance on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in 2017, just a year after its introduction, with Apple switching to a gesture-based navigation system.
With the shift to full-screen displays, the home button is unlikely to make a comeback, but its 10-year reign as one of the most recognizable iPhone features will not be forgotten.
Touch ID
- First appeared: 2013, iPhone 5S
- First appeared: 2017, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
Touch ID brought accurate, fast, and easy-to-use fingerprint scanning to the smartphone masses. It was a simple implementation, and one que quickly caught on as the lure of secure biometrics to promote every candid message, selfie, and email that resonated with the market.
However, fingerprint scanners are now old news, as the introduction of Face ID on the iPhone X in 2017 marks the end of the line for Touch ID, and all three iPhones released in 2018 come with facial recognition technology.
Thick bezels
- First Appeared: 2007, Original iPhone
- Last appeared: 2017, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
Almost as iconic as the home button once were the chunky bezels above and below the screens on iPhones.
The uniform appearance ensured Apple phones stood outAlthough many similar devices were created by rivals over the years.
However, as screen sizes on Android phones continued to grow, Apple finally dropped out of frames in 2017 with the introduction of the iPhone X, while it also gave us the ultimate phones to shake up the look: the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.
SIM tray
- First Appeared: 2007, Original iPhone
The iPhone XS, iPhone XS Plus, and iPhone XR brought with them a new feature for iPhones: an integrated eSIM along with a traditional nanoSIM tray, which provides iPhone users dual SIM capabilities for the first time.
An eSIM works like a traditional SIM card, but instead of being physically inserted into the phone, it is built-in, and can be erased and assigned to a different provider if the user wishes to change.
While the physical SIM card is likely to be completely gone for a few years, the introduction of the e.g on the latest iPhones it could spell the beginning of the end.
LCD screens
- First Appeared: 2007, Original iPhone
With its latest batch of iPhones, Apple has moved away from LCD screen technology in favor of OLED panels, with only the iPhone XR waiting… for now.
OLED displays ofrproduce better color reproduction, lower power consumption and less volume than their LCD counterparts, making them ideal for smartphones.
We expect the iPhone XR to be the last iPhone to pack an LCD panel, with all the new 2019 iPhones using OLED displays.
