...an SD card slot for expandable storage?
...a high capacity removable battery?
...IP-something-decent water resistance?
...durable build materials?
...a VR solution that works well with established players in that space instead of creating a whole new standard?
...and most important of all A REASONABLE PRICE?
If the answer to any of those is no, then it's not exactly what I (and I suspect a lot of people) wanted. At least they kept the headphone jack. SMH
I don't expect a removal battery anywhere anymore (although I held out til the last possible moment with the Samsung S4 Active until I got the 5X). But I was hoping for a higher-capacity battery, absolutely. But it charges quickly, they say. Great, so I still have to carry an Anker around.
The lack of water resistance is infuriating. The S4 Active had it, the IPhone has it. I guess the marketing research guys decided we didn't want that feature.
Sigh.
Another friend added such a case to her iPhone. Again, if/when it travels, it's in a bag.
I've looked for a such a case for my Nexus 5x, but it's apparently much too small a market to attract such a third-party product.
Maybe with the enhanced commercialization of the Pixel, it will get such things. But, it's a risk you won't face with a Samsung S series nor an iPhone.
(Plus, the S7 takes a microSD card, once again.
Yeah, the headphone jack. But I think now most people are going to just start making do with Bluetooth. The minority who care for the quality and features Bluetooth lack, are just that, a minority these manufacturers can afford to ignore.)
P.S. The quick charging is nice, though. My 5x can go from 40-ish percent or maybe 50, to over 90 percent charge during a 20-30 minute car ride, using a Pleson brand car charger that supports quick charging.
I used to let my phones drain more thoroughly, or at least drain steadily through a full day, before recharging them. Trying to reduce charging cycle count. Now, I've kind of given up on that and taken to her behavior (somewhat or substantially erstwhile, now that she has the battery case), charging several times a day, when I have the opportunity, and whether or not I have time to let it reach full or near-full charge.
We'll see how long its battery stays in good shape.
But have you considered that HN (and most tech sites) are an echo chamber. And that really, most people don't care?
That ship has already sailed, and most manufacturers don't have these features anymore, cause they don't sell.
People would rather lightness, or build quality or extra capacity etc. over these features.
A lot of people don't know what they want until they see it. I've gotten plenty of people very interested after I tell them that my good old Galaxy S3 lasts ~5 days without charging. For some people the bulk is a deal breaker, but many others either love it (it feels really good to hold and resists quite a beating) or aren't inconvenienced by it.
It's going to be replaced soonish by an LG V20 which is bound to get an extended battery as well, but as long as I have a choice I'm sure as hell going to keep buying phones that don't have me scrambling for a charger once or even twice a day, I love that my device serves me and not the other way around.
Count me as one of them. Yes, I still use an S3. Mine can last all day on a charge - most of the time. Unless I use it a lot.
https://amazon.com/Warranty-WITHOUT-battery-Zerolemon-Midnig...
https://amazon.com/ZeroLemon-7000mAh-Extended-Protection-GT-...
My battery is actually Hyperion branded but it seems to no longer be produced; that ZeroLemon one however has the same capacity and should be as good. The case is the same I have. Both battery and case have been with me for close to 3 years, no sign of capacity degradation and it has taken a lot of hits like a champ without even a screen protector.