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Most Desired iPhone 9 Feature: Longer Battery Life

According to a new survey from USA Today, the most desired features for this year's iPhone lineup are pretty basic: better battery life, improved durability, and expandable storage. Fewer people are hoping for a notch-less design.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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With Apple's big hardware event just days away, what features are you hoping to see in this year's iPhones?

According to a new survey from USA Today, the most desired features for this year's iPhone lineup are pretty basic: better battery life, improved durability, and expandable storage. Three quarters of the 1,665 US adults surveyed online from Aug. 17 to 21 said they are hoping for longer battery life, 66 percent said they'd like a shatter-proof glass screen, and 44 percent are crossing their fingers Apple will follow Samsung's lead and allow for expandable storage.

Meanwhile, more than a third of respondents want Apple to either bring back the headphone jack or offer some other way of charging the phone while listening to headphones simultaneously, the survey revealed. Some 29 percent are hoping the company ditches its proprietary Lightning connector in favor of a USB-C port, 19 percent said they want Face ID to work better, and 18 percent want a faster refresh rate for apps.

Interestingly, fewer people are hoping for a notch-less design. While many have complained about the display cutout at the top of the iPhone X screen, just 10 percent of those surveyed by USA Today want Apple to leave the controversial notch out of the so-called iPhone 9's design.

Fortunately, we don't have too much longer to wait before all is revealed. Apple's event will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. PT at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, Calif.

According to a recent PCMag survey of 2,500 respondents, the iPhone 9 (which may also be called iPhone 11, XI, or SE 2) is the most anticipated phone release of 2018. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 came in second followed by the Google Pixel 3, LG V40, Huawei Mate 20, and OnePlus 6T.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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