By: Nick Gambino
After months of rumors and data leaks Apple has finally revealed the iPhone X. (That’s pronounced “ten” not “ex.”)
The iPhone X signifies the most massive shift in design for the iPhone since…well, ever. Ditching the home button that is all but synonymous with the iPhone and iPad, this 10th anniversary edition of the popular Apple phone is a glimpse into the future of smartphones.
With the ousting of the home button the face of the phone is now all screen. That’s 5.8 inches of screen compared to 4.7 inches on the iPhone 7 and 8 or the 5.5 inches on the 7 and 8 Plus. What’s impressive is that even with more screen real estate the phone dimensions lie somewhere between the regular and the Plus. So it won’t feel like a brick in your hand.
Now with no home button, how are you supposed to get into your phone? Until now you’ve accessed your phone by pressing your fingerprint on the home button but there’s no place for your oily finger to scan on the X.
To access your phone Apple is introducing facial recognition technology aptly titled Face ID. It quickly scans your face and allows you into your device. Apparently this tech is pretty stellar allowing your phone to recognize your face in the dark and won’t have a problem recognizing you if you’re looking different due to a different hairstyle, facial hair or if you’re wearing glasses or not.
Seemingly it works as quick as your fingerprint so you won’t be waiting around. It even tells the difference between a photo and your real face so you don’t have to worry about hacking. I mean that’d be ridiculous if someone need only hold up my Facebook profile pic to gain access to my phone.
The display itself is an OLED display which is a first for the iPhone but something we’ve been expecting for a couple years now. This will make colors more vibrant and blacks will finally be truly black.
The camera has a dual-lens 12 MP rear camera with image stabilization. The video is 4K (finally). But one of the coolest new features is the Portrait Lighting effect which will light up your photo with an artistic flair. For instance you can spotlight the subject like they’re on stage.
The TrueDepth camera that analyzes your face to allow access to your device works with a new feature we’re excited to try – the Animoji. After mapping your face it makes the animal emoji or Animoji mirror your expression. For example if you furrow your brow and grit your teeth the Animoji will mirror that expression.
Wireless charging makes its way to the iPhone with the additional intro of the AirPower, a wireless charging pad that will juice up more than one device at once.
Of course the processor is more powerful, the RAM has been increased and everything else has been improved as you’d expect. The new processor chip, the A11 Bionic, is designed to power augmented reality in apps. This makes sense because Tim Cook has stated that AR is more interesting to Apple than VR.
If all of this is a little overwhelming and you’re not ready for a completely different iPhone than you’ll still have the option to upgrade to the 8 or 8 Plus.
By releasing both the 8 and X at the same time they have the option to just continue with the traditional design if the X fails or ditch the traditional design and make X the new standard for all future smartphones.
The $999 iPhone X will be available for preorder October 27th and will ship on November 3rd. The cheaper 8 and 8 Plus pre-orders start on September 15th and ship September 22nd.
Are you planning on upgrading to the iPhone X or are you going to play it safe and stick with the 8? Let us know your thoughts down below!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Gambino is a regular script writer and tech beat reporter for NewsWatch. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and daughter.
