I understand that things do not work the same or look the same and you turn it on with the power button, not with a swipe.
Not true. The swipe was repurposed. But you don't use the power button to activate the iPhone. If you want to look at the iPhone, just pick it up. You can turn it on with TouchID, or using the home button and your passcode. . . or if you don't set a passcode, just touching the home button. Using the power button to start the iPhone is unnecessary unless you powered it down.
The swipe to the right is now used to access previous alerts, widgets, and notifications and allows the user to see a lot more information at the lock screen. Swipe to the left brings up the camera ready to use. Swipe down brings in the news sources you've selected.