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What features would a $2,000 iPhone need to make it irresistible?

What would it take for Apple to be able to coax $2,000 out of me for an iPhone? It would take a lot, but I have to admit that Apple could do it.
1TB of storage
1 of 10 iFixit

1TB of storage

I don't want to mess about. If I'm paying that sort of money, I want so much storage that I won't worry about running out of storage again. Given that Samsung's high-end Galaxy Note 9 maxes out at 512GB, a round 1TB seems like the next logical step.

Complimentary 1TB iCloud storage
2 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Complimentary 1TB iCloud storage

There's no point having 1TB of storage if you can't back it up, so Apple should offer enough iCloud storage to be able to fully back up the device (in fact, I feel Apple should already be doing this - 5GB of free iCloud storage really is an insult given how much money people are spending on hardware).

microSD card slot
3 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

microSD card slot

Yes, I know, 1TB of storage should be enough, but the ability to add storage in the form of cheap microSD cards would be really useful. At the very least it would be a quick and easy local backup solution, or a handy way to transfer files.

Gigabit LTE
4 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Gigabit LTE

While we're a long way off gigabit cellular going mainstream, it's going to happen over the next few years and this would be a good way to futureproof the iPhone. Also, some lucky people could begin to take advantage of it today.

And it's worth remembering that Qualcomm has the Snapdragon X24, which is a 2 Gbps LTE modem.

Docking station
5 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Docking station

I really like Samsung's DeX docking station technology, and would love to see Apple's take on this. It would take the iPhone and make in the center of my digital world, streamlining much of my workflow. While I still couldn't do away with a laptop and desktop completely, it would totally transform my work day, making one device the focus of most of what I do.

Boosted camera resolution
6 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Boosted camera resolution

I know that Apple claims that it's not the megapixel count that matters, but I'm of the belief that if the light isn't captured in the first place, nothing can be done later on to compensate of that.

With some handsets packing 40-megapixel cameras - like the Huawei P20 Pro, which, along with a 40-megapixel rear camera has a 24-megapixel front-facing camera - the iPhone's 12-megapixe rear camera feels outgunned nowadays.

Better battery life
7 of 10 iFixit

Better battery life

One of the biggest downsides to the iPhone is poor battery life. I believe that Apple is compromising its ability to supply all-day battery life in order to make the iPhone absurdly thin and light. A few millimeters of additional thickness and a few tens of grams is all it would take to allow for a far bigger battery.

Dump the lightning port, go fully wireless
8 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Dump the lightning port, go fully wireless

As much as I like the Lightning port, I'm coming round to the idea of the iPhone going fully wireless. Bundle a fast wireless charger with the $2,000 and I wouldn't complain.

Fully waterproof iPhone
9 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Fully waterproof iPhone

The current crop of iPhones have an IP (Ingress Protection) rating of IP67. The "6" in the "67" indicates that the iPhone is completely dust-proof, while the "7" indicates it is water-resistance for up to 30 minutes in up to 1m depth.

But there are smartphones out there - such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 - that have an IP rating of IP68, which are waterproof to 1.5m for 30 minutes.

Impact-resistant glass
10 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Impact-resistant glass

There have been suggestions that Apple was working on bringing durable, scratch-resistant, sapphire displays to the iPhone.

Sapphire is currently used as crowns for high-end wristwatches, and also as the lens cover for the Touch ID button on the iPhone.

While progress on this technology seems to have gone cold - or at the very least, quiet - I'm still holding out hope that one day we will move away from glass to more durable materials for displays.

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