Personally, I think we were already on our way to a world with full-screen smartphones, and the iPhone showed us what was possible. The problem is that they also practically spearheaded the design choices that many manufacturers would take on in their devices, such as a non-removable back piece, or the omission of a headphone jack. Nothing sticks out anymore, all that matters is which OS your glass brick got shipped with.

I’m aware of the Xperia line, but I don’t have that sort of money either.