Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Apple's newest iPhone relies on cameras to hide its lack of innovation

Apple's newest iPhone relies on cameras to hide its lack of innovation

Apple, the company that created the modern-day smartphone, is relying on technology customers are already extremely familiar with, like cameras, and taking a backseat when it comes to smartphone innovation. But could the company's dedication to familiar technology be a benefit to the iPhone lineup?
The iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are Apple’s newest phones, and both tout a triple-camera setup. But this is not new. In fact, it’s one of the last smartphone manufacturers to include a wide-angle lens on its phones. LG added a wide-angle lens to its G5 and V20 phones in 2016, and Samsung introduced it on the Galaxy S10 and S10+ early in 2019. And besides cameras, Samsung has experimented with folding screens, mobile desktop interfaces, gesture controls and more in the past year.

Apple, the company that created the modern-day smartphone, is relying on technology customers are already extremely familiar with, like cameras, and taking a backseat when it comes to smartphone innovation. But the company’s dedication to familiar technology could be a benefit to the iPhone lineup.

Companies that make Android devices have a roster of smartphone firsts that later found their way to Apple products. Motorola built a fingerprint sensor into its Atrix 4G phone back in 2011, 2 years before the iPhone 5S brought TouchID to the iPhone. Also in 2011, Samsung brought big phones into the mainstream with its Note series, creating the “phablet,” or phone-tablet hybrid, something Apple took note of for its Plus and Max versions of iPhones starting with the 6 Plus in 2014.

But at times these innovations come at the cost of quality. Take the Samsung Galaxy Fold for example. Though Samsung wasn’t the first phone company to release a foldable smartphone, it was the largest company to do so, and created the most buzz around the technology in the US. But the phone has not been in good standing, reporting numerous problems with the screen and hinge mechanism.

Apple knows what its customers what. According to a recent study, the camera is one of the five most important features in a smartphone for customers. Apple ticked that box on the iPhone 11 Pro lineup. This same poll also suggests battery life, ease of use, memory and durability as important to phone buyers, most of which were addressed during the iPhone 11 announcement in September. This reliance on familiar technology also allows Apple to focus on new ventures, like Apple TV+ and other devices and services Apple has not made public yet.

Looking at Apple’s history as the creator of the modern smartphone, it’s disappointing to see a lack of innovation on the newest iPhones. It’s also hard to argue with Apple’s decisions when it holds a 41% market share of smartphones in the US. We’ll just have to wait and see what Apple has in store in 2020.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Syria Holds First Elections Since Fall of Assad
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
×