iPhone X summary
iOS 115.8in Super Retina DisplayFace IDApple A11 Bionic processor64- or 256- storageDual 12Mp cameras with OISWireless charging2716mAh battery3GB RAM
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When is the iPhone X release date?
Announced on 12 September the iPhone X became available to pre-order on 27 October and officially went on sale on 3 November. Apple also announced the iPhone 8 which arrived on 22 September – we’ve compared all three new iPhones. There are lots of reports online that Apple will be unable to meet demand for the iPhone X, so if you want one we suggest you order as soon as possible.
How much does the iPhone X cost?
Rumours flew around ahead of the launch suggesting the iPhone X would be the most expensive model to date and that’s certainly the case now everything is official. The iPhone X starts at a price of $999, of course, which gets you the base 64GB model. This is £999 in the UK. If you want the higher capacity 256GB storage capacity, then the iPhone X price jumps to $1,149 or £1,149. You can buy on Apple’s website, and it’s also available on contract from all the major operators, including Vodafone, Three, O2 and EE. If it’s all out of your budget then Apple has also announced the cheaper iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus which start at $699/£699 and $799/$799 respectively.
iPhone X specs and new features
Some iPhone models have brought only minor updates in terms of both design and hardware, but Apple has made sure this anniversary edition is something exciting for all of its fans. It could even tempt some non-iPhone users to jump ship.
Design
With a similar design to the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus at the back, there’s now glass and the iPhone X uses a stainless steel band of metal between it at the front panel. The glass has a pearlescent style, says Apple, and means that the device at long last supports wireless charging. The iPhone X is available in fewer colours compared to the 8 models with just Space Grey and Silver on offer at the moment. Apple has made the iPhone X at 7.7mm and 174g which is slightly thicker than the iPhone 8 Plus but not as heavy. You’ll notice that the iconic home button is now gone and we’ll explain what that means for Touch ID below.
The iPhone X can supposedly be seen in the below Reddit post. The model appears legitimate, and showcases new dynamic wallpapers. Judge for yourself:
Screen
In terms of hardware, the screen is by far one of the biggest upgrades Apple has introduced to the iPhone in a long time. It’s also one of the main reasons to buy the X over the 8. Apple is calling it the Super Retina Display and it measures 5.8in making it the largest screen in an iPhone to date. As you can see in the images, the screen is edge-to-edge on all sides but has a notch at the top for the TrueDepth camera system which we’ll explain below. The iPhone X screen resolution is 2436×1125 which means a pixel density of 458ppi – the highest of any iPhone yet. Apple has finally put an OLED panel in its smartphone and the iPhone X supports HDR, TrueTone and 3D Touch.
Touch ID and Face ID
The sad news for many fans is that the home button is now gone and although it was rumoured Apple would move it to the back or even build it into the screen, neither is true. That means there is no Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone X so Apple has created Face ID instead so you’ll have to log in using your mug. The notch in the screen houses the TrueDepth module which contains the front camera along with an infrared sensor, flood illuminator and dot projector (along with other things like a microphone). All of this combines to scan your face and Apple says the Face ID system will keep up with changes whether they be clothes, glasses or things like growing a beard. The firm also promises that the system can’t be spoofed by photos or even professional masks. “All saved facial information is protected by the secure enclave to keep data extremely secure, while all of the processing is done on-device and not in the cloud to protect user privacy. Face ID only unlocks iPhone X when customers look at it and is designed to prevent spoofing by photos or masks,” said Apple. With no Touch ID on the iPhone X, the Face ID system works with Apple Pay and third party apps.
Processor and storage
At the heart of the iPhone X is the new A11 Bionic processor, the same one found in both iPhone 8 models. It’s a 64-bit six-core chip with two cores focused on performance while the remaining four are tasked with efficiency. Apple says that the new chip is 25 percent up on the previous generation in performance and 70 percent better in efficiency. It’s also got Apple’s first own-designed GPU with three cores and there’s also an Apple ISP, plus a video encoder. As usual, Apple doesn’t disclose the RAM inside but it was believed to be 3GB – now confirmed by TENAA. In terms of storage you have to choose between 64- or 256GB with no expandable microSD card slot, of course.
Battery life
As mentioned earlier, the glass rear cover allows Apple to finally add in wireless charging – the iPhone 8 models support it, too. The iPhone X supports Qi wireless and will work with various pads from third parties as well as Apple’s own AirPower which can charge three devices at once. An update in iOS 11.2 will allow the iPhones to wirelessly charge at the faster rate of 7.5W rather than the current 5W. Thanks to tweaks in hardware and software, Apple touts an additional two hours battery life compared to the iPhone 7. A tweet by @OnLeaks of a Chinese filing shows that the capacity is 2716mAh, slightly higher than the 2675mAh in the iPhone 8 Plus. Again, this has been confirmed by TENAA.
Cameras
As expected, the iPhone X has dual cameras. Each are 12Mp with one offering a regular wide-angle with an f/1.8 aperture, while the telephoto lens has an f/2.4 aperture. There’s also a Quad-LED flash which offers two times better uniformity of light. Apple says the cameras are better and faster than previously with ‘deeper’ pixels and, like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, both rear cameras have optical image stabilisation (OIS). For selfies, the TrueDepth front camera is 7Mp with Portrait Mode, Portrait Lighting and an f/2.2 aperture.
Software
It’s no surprise that iOS 11 comes pre-loaded on the iPhone X but the hardware changes like the Super Retina Display and removal of Touch ID mean that interacting with the device has to be different. With no physical home button, you’ll need to swipe up from bottom instead to get to the home button, pausing mid-swipe if you’re doing it with an app for multi-tasking. You can wake the screen with a simple tap. The Control Centre is now accessed with a swipe down from the top of the screen like Android and you’ll be able to summon Siri by using the power button on the side of the phone, or your voice as previously. A new feature announced is Animojis which are a set of 12 emojis that will emmote based on your facial movements captured via the front camera. You can create stickers or record an animated message complete with audio. Tech Advisor’s Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.
