The iPhone X is for sure the most anticipated smartphone in the year 2017, and its success will be very important for Apple as a brand. If you are yet to get yours, I am very sure you are still sitting at the edge of your seat, waiting patiently for the moment you will lay your hand on this device. To keep your curiosity low (yet increase your expectations), I decided to do this iPhone X review, showing you what you will get after spending your £1,000 on this wonderful device.
iPhone X Review
I have already written a post on the full Apple iPhone X Specifications, so you can easily go back and have a recap on that page. This very post is all about an in-depth review of some important features of the iPhone X. For your information, the device is actually pronounced iPhone 10. So, let’s get it started.
Face ID
The face ID is one of the key features of the iPhone X and is indeed a winner. The home button, fingerprint sensor, and Touch ID found on all previous iPhones were removed. With the new iPhone X, you now have a sophisticated facial recognition system, meaning that the phone can easily be unlocked by merely looking at it.
Other phone brands have included facial recognition in their respective devices, but of the iPhone X stands out from the rest. This is because it is significantly more consistent and reliable, as it works perfectly in low light and even in pitch darkness. It still works perfectly when you are putting on glasses or not, contact lenses, or even with sunglasses.
The frustrating aspect about this facial unlock feature is that it does not work for anyone else…hehe! of course, that was the main purpose it was designed. So, be rest assured that no one can eavesdrop on your device when you are not around.
The facial recognition features is also very advanced, for example, if your phone rings and notice you are looking at the screen, the ring volume of the iPhone X lowers automatically. This feature is quite cool.
There is another Face ID dividend, too. Apps that worked with Touch ID now all, automatically, work with Face ID instead.
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New Interface Gestures
For the first time in 10 years, the iPhone has started working in a new dimension. Previously, you normally press the home button to wake the phone, get to the home screen from any app, unlock the screen, or zoom back to the first home screen. But with the iPhone X, you can easily swipe from the bottom of the screen to achieve all the above-mentioned results.
Previously when you want to reach the multitasking screen showing all open apps or to pre-arm Apple Pay, you double-pressed the Home button. But with the new iPhone X, you can easily swipe up and pause i=until the multiple open apps appear.
Though it is a straightforward change, it can take some time before you get used to it.
The simplest change with the new iPhone X is the new way to invoke Apple Pay. Now, all you do is press the side button (previously known as the sleep/wake button) twice, while looking at the display. The button is now almost twice its previous size in earlier iPhones, so it is easier to find.
Though every gadget in the world is turned off in the same way, by pressing a power switch or button. it is a different case from the iPhone X. To power off this device, you need to press two buttons, the side button and either the volume button. When you hold both buttons for a while, the “slide to power off” appears on your screen.
There are other changes with the iPhone X that you need to adapt to as well, like the Control Centre which contains icons to toggle airplane mode, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on and off. With the iPhone X, you need to swipe down from the top right corner of the display instead of swiping up on previous iPhone screens.
Also read: Apple iPhone 8 Specifications, Features, Price and Release Date
Display
The iPhone X cane with the first OLED screen on an iPhone, and the benefits of the technology are high contrasts with deep blacks that you cannot find on an LCD screen. Apple made it known that they worked to ensure color fidelity and much more. The screen looks great as it has a 458ppi.
The display also features a different screen ratio compared to previous iPhones. The newly released iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have displays of a 16:9 screen ratio, while the iPhone X screen has a ratio of 19.489:9 or a little over 2:1 when measured from each corner.
Many phones have this longer, narrower screen format now, such as the LG V30 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8. The longer shape is fine, but it takes a little while for it to look quite normal.
It also has High Dynamic Range (HDR) capabilities, so you can watch compatible content in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats.
Design
Looking at the design, the iPhone X is completely different from previous iPhones, but it can still be recognized instantly as an Apple device.
The visible screen lacks a square corner on it, and the tip and bottom corners follow the curves on the iPhone’s edges perfectly.
The design is achieved by using a flexible display that can be folded down, with individual pixels controlled to make a perfectly round edge. The corners around the iPhone X TrueDepth camera system also have rounded areas where right angles might be expected.
The display also has a frame around it, and it is not as narrow as many users had expected. But the point is that the chin and forehead have been removed, and the look of the phone from the front view is highly pleasing.
The edge of the iPhone X is made from stainless steel, a little bit similar to the antenna band of the iPhone 4, but this is a gleaning shiny version. The antenna band peeps through on both sides near the top and bottom.
Just like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the rear of this device is made from glass, so it can handle wireless charging as well. The phone comes in two different color variants; space grey and silver. To make the TrueDepth camera system blend in better, the screen is framed in black glass in both color options.
The rear cameras at the back stand out, as they always do on every iPhone. This time around, the twin camera sits one below the other, instead of the normal side by side.
The screen-heavy front, highly polished antenna band, and glossy glass back work together to make the iPhone X the most luxurious-looking iPhone yet.
TrueDepth Camera System
The TrueDepth camera system of the iPhone X is what powers the Face ID feature. It takes up a wide, if shallow, swathe at the top of the display. It is normally known as “the notch” by some reviewers. It comprises a whole range of technology; a regular camera, infra-red camera, dot projector, proximity sensor, flood illuminator, ambient light sensor, speaker, and microphone.
The benefits of this feature are worth having especially for Face ID and Apple Pay
Animoji
Animojis are cute, remarkable animated animal, robot, and alien faces that move in concert with your facial expressions (it analyses 50 muscle movements). Apple made it known that the Animoji experience was the initial reason the TrueDepth camera was designed before the use for authentication was even thought about.
Animojis are fun, and they are what every iPhone X user will enjoy making and sharing with friends. It is an amazing experience to see the rabbit, dog, fox, cat, and all the other animals responding to the faces you pull, be it frowning, winking, or raising an eyebrow.
You can also record messages of up to 10 seconds, and can also be sent to none iPhone users.
Cameras
As you will find on the iPhone 8, the rear cameras of the iPhone X are a pair of 12MP sensors. One of the sensors is a wide-angle camera with an f/1.8 aperture, just like that of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. But the difference is the telephoto lens, as it has an f/2.4 aperture and is designed so it offers an effective 2X optical zoom when you switch to it from a wide angle.
Both sensors have optical image stabilization (OIS), which offers sharper images in low light. The telephoto lens on the Plus iPhones lacked OIS, which means that with the iPhone X a better image could be achieved using digital zoom on the wide-angle sensor, and the phone will shoot that automatically.
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Watching movies
If you are the type that loves watching movies on smartphones, then the iPhone X is all you need. This is because video playback, be it from Netflix or onboard content looked and sounded great on this device. The speakers on this phone have been improved to produce great loudness while the voices are still clear.
The video is smooth, even though it is not a 4K resolution display. in all this, the contrast levels and the amazing color management results in a tremendous viewing experience.
Battery life
The iPhone X battery life can last up to a day when used moderately. It can last lesser than that because there are so many more pixels on its screen and so many other things that can keep you using the phone. So conclusively, the extent of the battery life after a full charge depends on individual users.
Conclusion Of The iPhone X Review
Apple’s initial aim from the very first iPhone was to make the hardware virtually disappear, and with the iPhone X, we are already getting closer. Though there is a visible bezel around the phone’s display, it looks like a choice of design rather than a technical limitation, and it actually looks good. When you are not looking at the screen, you can easily see a gleaming stainless steel frame or the glamorous shiny back.
The absence of a home button, the biggest change to how you can use an iPhone is also something that learning and adapting to. This new interface is a bit more intuitive.
The Face ID can recognize your face despite the nature of light in your environment, and this beats similar systems on other phones hands down.
The OLED screen of the iPhone X is exceptionally good, having a pin-sharp resolution and super smooth video playback. The camera is the best you can find on any iPhone, perhaps on all smartphones as a whole. Using an Animoji on this device is quite fun too.
In conclusion, the iPhone X is fast, responsive, and highly effective. We all know that new iPhones are upgrades to the previous versions, but this device feels like the future.
