Not to be under-estimated either: Android in general and Chinese phones.
Android has gotten pretty good. I broke my iPhone 7 earlier this year and am using a Pixel 2-- I thought I'd switch back, trade it for an X or an XS as they became available, but to my surprise I actually like it quite a bit.
Many of the complaints I used to have about Android have been worked out, and there's some cool features (like Night Sight) that I think I'd miss if I switched back.
Moreover, a lot of cool Android phones were released this year-- I'm sure the next iPhone, since it wont be an S, will be cooler and bring about a more radical change.
This past year in Android saw the release of many cool Chinese phones. I'd say the most exciting phones of the year came from Chinese manufacturers and featured creative ways to try to get rid of bezels and the notch-- finger-print sensor behind the srceen, two screens, notch-less with automatic mechanical parts, I recently even saw a slider-phone [1]! There's the promise of foldable phones too, which has me intrigued.
My cousin got a mid-tier Xiaomi phone-- it wasn't very expensive but it's pretty neat. If you do the side-by side comparison, it's not as great as an iPhone, but at the price, and for his use-cases, the big screen and fast chip are enough of a fit. I don't know how much iPhones cost in China, but I wouldn't rule out the fact that tariffs and macro-economics aside, Chinese phones have just gotten good enough, are probably more widely available, and honestly also just seem more exciting and creative.
Never thought I'd say this, but I hope Apple (and other manufacturers too) take some clues and inspiration from Chinese phone manufacturers ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HCcP0YexTU
Android has gotten pretty good. I broke my iPhone 7 earlier this year and am using a Pixel 2-- I thought I'd switch back, trade it for an X or an XS as they became available, but to my surprise I actually like it quite a bit.
Many of the complaints I used to have about Android have been worked out, and there's some cool features (like Night Sight) that I think I'd miss if I switched back.
Moreover, a lot of cool Android phones were released this year-- I'm sure the next iPhone, since it wont be an S, will be cooler and bring about a more radical change.
This past year in Android saw the release of many cool Chinese phones. I'd say the most exciting phones of the year came from Chinese manufacturers and featured creative ways to try to get rid of bezels and the notch-- finger-print sensor behind the srceen, two screens, notch-less with automatic mechanical parts, I recently even saw a slider-phone [1]! There's the promise of foldable phones too, which has me intrigued.
My cousin got a mid-tier Xiaomi phone-- it wasn't very expensive but it's pretty neat. If you do the side-by side comparison, it's not as great as an iPhone, but at the price, and for his use-cases, the big screen and fast chip are enough of a fit. I don't know how much iPhones cost in China, but I wouldn't rule out the fact that tariffs and macro-economics aside, Chinese phones have just gotten good enough, are probably more widely available, and honestly also just seem more exciting and creative.
Never thought I'd say this, but I hope Apple (and other manufacturers too) take some clues and inspiration from Chinese phone manufacturers ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HCcP0YexTU