Apple shouldn't be praised for doing the bare minimum

The iPhone 11 launch has come and gone, and it seems like Apple has a few slick features in the new phones. Between the A13 chipset and multiple rear cameras on all models, it seems like a decent upgrade on paper for iPhone fans or Android users curious about the Apple ecosystem.

Cynics might argue that the presence of triple rear cameras and a night mode proves that the Cupertino company doesn’t have much in the way of its own ideas left. But you can certainly argue that both technologies are still relatively new for the industry, and that Apple’s release cycle is also out of sync with other mobile leaders to an extent. We’ve also seen HUAWEI, Samsung, Apple, and other players all copy from one another in the past anyway.

But there was one rather telling moment in the conference, when Apple’s Phil Schiller noted that the iPhones now have an 18W fast charger in the box (see 1:17:07 for the exact moment). Right after mentioning this, Schiller paused, expecting rapturous applause that never came.

It’s certainly a long-overdue move for the company, but Apple shouldn’t be seeking praise (be it at the event or on its website) for finally doing this. When you pay for a $700 to $1000+ smartphone, the least you can expect is that a fast charger is included in the box.

And despite Apple finally including a fast charger in the box, the firm is still at least a year behind the competition in the fast charging space. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro and P30 Pro both come with 40W chargers, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus includes a 25W charger (even though it can handle 55W charging).

In fact, you can argue that Apple is more than three years behind some high-profile Android manufacturers. After all, the likes of the OnePlus 3T and HUAWEI Mate 9 series both included at least 20W chargers in the box. Yes, Apple’s latest fast-charging solution still isn’t as fast as phones from 2016.

Storage wars to continue?

Another area where Apple is lagging behind is in storage, only offering 64GB of base storage across the board. It’s notable because virtually everyone in the industry now offers 128GB as the base storage for premium models.

In fact, the only high-end phones that don’t offer 128GB of base storage these days are affordable flagships such as the Xiaomi Mi 9, ASUS Zenfone 6, and Redmi K20 Pro. And these devices generally retail for way under $600 anyway.

64GB of base storage is understandable for the cheapest models in a flagship family, but inexcusable when you’re paying $999 or $1099 for a smartphone. It’s also a disappointing turn of events due to Apple touting storage-heavy 4K video for selfies.

It all really makes you wonder just how many generations it will take for the company to announce 128GB of base storage and 25W charging to expected applause.

Are there any iPhone 11 features that stood out for you though? Give us your answers below!