From a little reading here, adding some unfermentable sugars to the brew will help up the sweetness.
Pear juice is one such addition.
I have added in 1L of pear juice to my last 20L batch to see how much difference it makes.
Also it seems using yeast "71B" helps in the conversion of any Malic Acid, which can give a thicker mouthfeel and "feel" less dry. I have some of that on order for my next batch.
Also being new to cider brewing, these are questions I've been hunting for answers on myself. Especially as I'm not a fan of adding artificial sweetner at all.