The new iPhone X unlocks with Face ID, has the largest display ever seen on an iPhone and 3D Touch
It might be uncharitable to say it, but I’m glad that’s all over. The iPhone X is at last official – alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, and despite all the secrecy and speculation, it’s much as everyone expected it to be.
The iPhone X has a screen that occupies nearly the entirety of the phone’s frontage, it has an improved dual camera (shaped in the figure eight) with better portrait features than before and the price? Well, let’s just say that it’s going to be the most expensive smartphone on the market.
If you’re not already foaming at the mouth at the $999 starting price, you might also be interested to discover that the iPhone X represents the start of a new era for Apple smartphones: it’s the first iPhone to have an OLED display.
The UK price is likely to be £999, even though the direct conversion from $999 translates to £750. This is due to taxes and import fees that are whacked on top of Apple products coming into the UK.
iPhone X preview: Key specifications and release date
- 5.8in 2,046 x 1,125 OLED display with 455ppi
- 64-bit 6-core Apple A11 Bionic processor
- 64GB and 256GB storage
- Dual 12MP rear-camera f/2.4 and f/1.8 with OIS
- 7MP front-facing camera
- Wireless charging
- No 3.5mm headphone jack
- Available in Space Grey and Silver
- Price: $999 / £999
- Pre-orders: 27 October 2017
- Available: 3 November 2017
iPhone X preview: Design, key features and first impressions
Even before you lay your eyes on the iPhone X’s OLED screen, however, it’s clear that this is the model Apple lavished the most attention on. It might have a larger 5.8in screen than anything we’ve seen on an iPhone before, but it’s considerably smaller and lighter than the 5.5in design that Apple has been using for the past three years.
With Apple’s rival Samsung squeezing its 5.7in Galaxy S8 into a handset much smaller and lighter than the iPhone 7 Plus, it’s been a long time coming and even from a distance it looks fantastic, with the glossy glass rear of the iPhone 4 and 4s making a comeback and the vertically arranged dual-camera adding a dash of something different as well.
Available in Space Grey and Silver colours – an all-glass rear – the iPhone X is a stunner and, in the metal, it retains that allure. It’s available in two storage options, 64GB and 256GB.
Apple has been hard at work, it appears, as have the software designers and hardware integrators, but the big consequence of all this work is that there’s no longer any room for a home button on the front of the iPhone X. Instead Apple is moving to a new biometric approach, with Face ID the primary means of unlocking the phone.
Assuming this works well for everyone (even Samsung’s Galaxy S8 has trouble with its face unlock feature) you’ll now only need to look at your phone, although sticklers for tradition can use a PIN if they really want to. There’s no other way of unlocking the new iPhone X.
That’s all well and good, but it’s the display that really captures the attention with the iPhone X. With a resolution of 2,046 x 1,125 and a pixel density of 455ppi, it’s quite possible the best iPhone display ever made. Especially with HDR10 and Dolby Vision support and its True Tone display which will accurately and vividly portray images. We’ll have to reserve final judgement until we’re able to clap our colorimeter onto its glossy surface, but if you’ve ever coveted a friend’s Samsung Galaxy phone, you’re in for a treat.
The iPhone X follows on from the iPhone 7 and 8 with the omission of the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Inside, you’ll find an Apple A11 Bionic processor. This is a 64-bit 6-core chip, which will power through anything you throw at it. We can’t wait to get our hands on it to benchmark it against the iPhone 7 – to see how things have progressed since last year’s model.
A new dual 12-megapixel rear-camera features at the back of the iPhone X. These have an aperture of f/2.4 and f/1.8 with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), which results in smooth videos. A front-facing 7-megapixel camera is your go-to for selfies and unlocking your shiny new iPhone X.
Apple also showcased wireless charging capabilities (call AirPower) on the new iPhone X, which works in the same way as the Apple Watch, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
And, elsewhere, Apple isn’t letting up on the software front, either, with the Face ID camera employed to deliver the new Animoji (which are Emojis responding to your facial expressions in real-time), peer-to-peer Apply Pay on the way and face data protected by secure enclave.
Just like the iPhone 7, the new iPhone X is water- and dust-resistant.
iPhone X preview: Early verdict
The iPhone X moves things on at last in terms of design, at last, drawing level with Samsung in terms of pure aesthetics, but unfortunately, it will be the price that takes all the headlines for Apple’s groundbreaking handset.
With prices starting at an eye-watering £999 for the 64GB version and a frankly silly price of £1,149 for the top spec 256GB phone. Apple’s celebratory smartphone will be out of reach for most, and it’s even more pricey than the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
Still, if you’re not feeling rich, at least there’s the iPhone 8 and Samsung’s equally sexy Galaxy S8, which these days retails for a far more reasonable £550.
Sоurсе: expertreviews.co.uk
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