IPhone 13 lacks 5 useful features that you can get on Android phones

This story is part of Apple event, our comprehensive coverage of the latest Apple news.

Apple has given iPhone owners something to be excited about iPhone 13, from its new cinematic video mode to its longer battery life and additional storage space. But there are still some useful features missing from Apple phones compared to Android competitors such as Samsung Galaxy S21.

For example, many Android phones have a bezel-less display with a notch-less design and an in-display fingerprint sensor. These features aren’t new either and have been available on select Android phones for years.

That being said, the iPhone has come a long way in the past couple of years. Before IPhone 13 debuts, the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 gained capabilities that were previously only available on Android devices, such as support for 5G, OLED display technology on entry-level phones, and night mode for the camera.

Your phone preference will likely depend on your preference for iOS or Android rather than specific features. Anyway, there are still a few ways I would like to see the iPhone catch up with Android.

Notchless design

The iPhone 13’s notch isn’t as wide as the iPhone 12’s, but it’s there. Many Android device makers, on the other hand, have managed to design screens with barely noticeable camera cutouts, making the front of the phone look more like a transparent sheet of glass.

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 smartphones, for example, have a small camera hole near the top of the screen and it has been implementing similar designs on its flagship devices since the Galaxy S10 launched in 2019. You can tell. as much Google’s Pixel 5a and the Oneplus 9.

However, there may be a good reason that the iPhone’s notch is larger than the cutout on Samsung’s phone and other Android devices. The iPhone’s notch includes more than the selfie camera; This is also where the sensors that power Apple’s Face ID facial recognition feature are located. Face ID has generally been considered to be ahead of the competition and more secure.

A screen that can show time and calendar events even when asleep

When your iPhone screen is off, your phone turns into an inactive black rectangle. But many modern Android phones can display information like time and calendar events even when the screen is asleep. Device makers, including Samsung, Google, and Xiaomi, have all released phones with always-on screens.

I’ve found this useful when I just want to quickly check the time or see my next meeting without being distracted by picking up my phone.

The ability to charge other devices when you’re not near an outlet

Many people have a habit of charging their phones overnight. But if you have a smartwatch or wireless headphones, chances are you forgot to plug them in at least once.

Android phones like Samsung’s Galaxy S21, Google’s Pixel 5, and older Galaxy phones like the S20 and S10, have a feature that can come in handy in situations like this. Samsung calls it Wireless Power Share and Google calls it Battery Share, but they basically do the same. The back of these devices can serve as wireless charging cradles for products that support the Qi wireless charging standard, which is found on most modern phones and accessories.

Apple didn’t mention this feature at Tuesday’s iPhone 13 launch event, so we can only assume that the company’s latest smartphones don’t support it. But there have been previous hints that Apple is at least considering bringing such technology to the iPhone. In October 2020, FCC documents surfaced suggesting that the iPhone 12 was capable of reverse wireless charging, likely to power your AirPods on the go.

An on-screen fingerprint sensor to unlock your phone

Face ID works well most of the time, but not when you’re wearing a mask. If you own an iPhone without Apple Watch, you’re probably missing the good old days when you could just put your thumb on the home button to unlock your iPhone.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t change with the iPhone 13. Android phone makers like Samsung and OnePlus, on the other hand, take a different approach. Samsung has been building fingerprint scanners into the screens of its Galaxy S phones since the Galaxy S10 launched in 2019. You will also find a fingerprint reader integrated into the screens of the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro.

A charger that also works with Macs and non-Apple devices

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could use the same charger to power your iPhone and Mac? Do not worry.

IPhone 13, like all iPhone models since iPhone 5, includes Apple’s proprietary Lightning port for charging. You can also charge the iPhone 13 via Apple’s MagSafe charger or a standard Qi wireless charger, but if you want to plug it in you’ll have to use Lightning.

It’s a shame that there is no USB-C support on iPhone, although this is the charging standard on iPad Air, iPad Pro, MacBook and the brand new iPad Mini. Using just one type of charger to power all of your devices is exactly the kind of simplicity I’d like to see from Apple.

USB-C is the charging standard established on Android devices, whether you buy a phone from Samsung, OnePlus, Google, or Motorola. Needless to say, these included USB-C cables are much more ubiquitous and useful than the iPhone’s, as you can use them with other devices and accessories as well.

It is not known if we will ever see USB-C arrive on the iPhone. Apple would work on an iPhone without a port and sound MagSafe pricing system certainly seems to be a step in that direction.