Power button fingerprint sensors. I had one on my S10e, and I loved it - with the way I held the phone, my thumb naturally rested on the power button, so it was pretty much auto-unlocked.
Now they seem to have fallen by the wayside in favor of in-screen sensors - which are cool, but ever-so-slightly more cumbersome. Ah well, still better than facial recognition.
IR blaster, removable battery, MicroSD slot, analog headphone jack, unlocked bootloader, stylus. The Note 3 was the peak of android phone design. I'm using an S22 Ultra nowadays because of all those features I'm a huge slut for the S-Pen, even to the point of sacrificing all of the others... But I'd love for the rest of those to make a comeback.
I'm suprised how much i like my s-pen, but would totally sacrifice it fora headphone jack.
Insane to have a phone this big, and not have something so simple as a 3.5mm barrel jack
Folding phones.
I was so skeptical at first, and even now it seems most people still are. It's a complete game changer though. There's almost nothing I can't do on my phone anymore, due to the multitasking and the larger screen. I can comfortably use desktop websites when necessary for banking etc. I have watched many dozens of movies and tv shows on it. It's just nicer for reading and browsing the web, and makes your phone feel so much more powerful to have the tablet form factor. I've actually been travelling for over a month with no laptop, just my Fold and a Steam deck.
I'm also appreciating having what is essentially a 5G-connected tablet where in the past I've always dismissed the LTE-connected ipads as a gimmick. It's hard to justify paying extra for the device and then a monthly fee, but now that I have it I can definitely see the appeal of a tablet that just works anywhere you go. Except since it folds you can put it in your pocket too.
I've been considering getting one but I've read too many horror stories about them breaking
You need an extended full coverage warranty, otherwise it's too stressful. That said, it's not nearly as fragile as you'd think.
On pixel phones, the squeeze for Google assistant feature. I used it all the time on my old pixel 2xl.
Hardware navegation buttons.
Doggy style and x-files
You n me, baby!
Probably the Quick View Window case on the LG G-series phones. The overview on notifications was great and allowed answering calls without opening the flap while protecting most of the screen. Also the reduced visible screen space did not blast you with light when checking time in the middle of the night.
Stadia, I had great internet and it worked great.
PIE navigation control
Still using it myself, in fact! LMT is still going strong, though I imagine it would work better if I were able to root the phone I'm using at the moment.
My old Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 had magnetic sensors in it that would shut off the screen. How it worked is you would put a case on it with a cover that would fold over the screen, and the cover had magnets in it that would activate the sensors and turn off the screen when you closed it.
Anyway, it got old and unreliable and I had to replace it. The new ones don't have that feature.
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