In landscape there used to be two left-right cursor keys on the right side of the keypad along with most-used punctuation without having to go to the number screen. I know it’s a personal nitpickey thing but it was nice as I use the phone or tablet almost exclusively anymore.
See tip #7: http://www.gltrends.ng/2016/10/9-cool-iphone-keyboard-tricks-know/
Yeah, you're right. I had forgotten. I don't use my iPhone to send too many emails or edit much anymore. I use my iPad Pro and a full keyboard case. Sorry about that. You can download and install multiple third party keyboards that might meet your needs. Take a look for one that fits what you want.