The arms race nature of the competition means this isn’t the case. It’s just that everyone’s reaching the plateau of what this device/form factor can be and we’re waiting for the next big leap to arrive.

I just look for my reflection in the lenses, so the simpler answer would be a little mirror in the bump, curved to match the field of view of the main camera.

I’d prefer a fingerprint scanner to Face ID too

Nothing will ever project things in the air, sorry man.

Just from an RSI point of view, Android does gesture-back much better than Apple.

Having had Android phones with top-notch fingerprint scanners and now a 15PM for a month, I prefer the fingerprint scanners. Face ID is fine too, and it’s only a slight preference, but I would prefer an iPhone with touch ID (as long as it was in a sensible place - Androids tend to have it on the back where your finger naturally falls when you hold the phone, no need to reach for the screen)