Magento 2 Leading Key Features

CACHING
Offers built-in full page cache and that too with Varnish

GUI
The new and simpler interface with faster back end GUI

FRAMEWORK
Leverages Zend but starting to become its own framework

DIRECTORY
Compact concise directory structure

CSS
LESS (Powered by JavaScript) CSS Processor

STANDARDS
PSR compliance, best practices for PHP and JavaScript and Zend framework coding standards

TESTING
Code testing Suite feat functional, integration, JS, performance, static, and unit

CROSS DEVICE
Greatly enhanced GUI (for Admin - touch friendly screen optimized for tablets and mobile)

CUSTOMIZATION
Flexible data grids, drag & drop reordering, custom views & configurable columns for greater control

Magento 2 has Better Checkout Better
CHECKOUT
Assumed guest checkout with email recognition for ease of purchase

MVC
Easier front end customizations with Magento UI library