10 Things Apple Must Offer in iPhone 8 to Compete With Galaxy Note 8

Samsung demonstrated its might in the smartphone market when it unveiled the Galaxy Note 8 Aug. 23. The device, which is slated to hit store shelves Sept. 15, comes with a slew of impressive features, including a high-end processor, fast wireless charging and an outstanding design. And, with Samsung’s own Android skin running atop the operating system, the Galaxy Note 8 delivers a level of refinement most companies don’t offer. The Galaxy Note 8 also puts pressure on Apple to respond with a high-end iPhone this year, which it is rumored to be doing with the iPhone 8. But what exactly should Apple offer? And what features would make the iPhone a strong competitor to the Galaxy Note 8? Read on to find out what Apple should offer in its next iPhone.

As Apple knows, design is critical to a smartphone’s success. Samsung delivered a fine design in the Galaxy Note 8. Apple must respond with a next-generation design and a screen that nearly entirely covers its face, with no physical home button.

Apple is rumored to be planning an OLED screen in the iPhone 8, a first for the company. As the Galaxy Note 8 shows, OLED technology delivers outstanding visuals. Offering OLED instead of LCD would go a long way in helping Apple match Samsung.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 runs on the high-powered Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and has 6GB of RAM to complement the device’s power. Apple needs to respond with some power of its own. Rumors are the iPhone 8 will come with an A11 processor, which could be more powerful than the Snapdragon 835.

Apple’s iPhone 8 is expected to ship with iOS 11, the mobile operating system Apple announced earlier this year. iOS 11 is a nice step up compared to last year’s iOS 10 and includes features designed to boost user productivity and ease of use. It’s a nice, if not superior, competitor to Android Nougat.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 comes with several device security features, including a fingerprint sensor, iris scanner and face scanner. Apple is rumored to be ditching the fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 8 and instead will have a face scanner and perhaps an iris scanner. If it can’t include a fingerprint sensor, the face and iris scanners need to be top-notch.

Apple must go beyond offering a single rear-facing camera. Most reports suggest the iPhone 8 will have a dual-camera array with vertically aligned shooters to deliver better functionality than horizontally aligned alternatives—which is what the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has.

Apple often has been criticized for not offering wireless charging in its iPhones, but the iPhone 8 could offer full wireless charging support. That might seem like a minor feature to Android users, but to iPhone users, wireless charging represents a major upgrade.

Samsung’s devices come with Bixby, a virtual assistant with boatloads of potential—and boatloads of problems. Apple’s Siri isn’t so different. The race is on to see which company can deliver a better virtual assistant. For Apple to win, it needs to spend considerable time upgrading Siri in time for the iPhone 8’s launch.

There’s no better way for a smartphone to run into trouble than by being locked to certain carriers. Luckily, Apple has been carrier-agnostic for years, with its devices running on the network of customer choice. The company must continue to do that going forward.

Cost could be one of the iPhone 8’s major hurdles. According to some reports, the iPhone 8 could cost at least $1,000 and as much as $1,400. That’s hundreds of dollars more than the Galaxy Note 8. Apple must keep the iPhone’s price down as best as possible. If it can’t, it must be able to make customers believe they’re getting something special for the price.