You should learn about the (Kropff & Treves, 2008) hypothesis for grid cells. This model of grid cells does what you say: “If we get features one after another we can compare and place them next to each other…”. The (Kropff & Treves) model assumes that features which are adjacent in time are also adjacent in space and it uses this assumption to make grid cells.
I recorded a short video explanation of how the model works: