Video: the iPhone X reviewed, six months later

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in iPhone
From its release right up until this month's earnings announcement, analysts have said Apple will discontinue the iPhone X this year due to low sales. While the iPhone X itself might be replaced by new models and not continue for a second year, like the iPhone 7, there is no denying what Apple's premium smartphone has brought to the table.





The iPhone X has recently been named the best-selling smartphone in the world during the first quarter of 2018, with the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 7 Plus following behind. It's now about 6 months since the iPhone X's release, so let's take a look at what made the flagship smartphone such a success.

As the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus share many of the same features as the iPhone X, what made it so special? There are three reasons for this.

First, although most of us wouldn't like to admit it, owning Apple's top-of-the-line $1,000 iPhone X is a fashion statement.




You're showing the world that you can afford the most expensive mass-market smartphone available. Thanks to the iPhone X's notorious notch and large vertically aligned camera bump, it's also never been so easy to spot an iPhone X in the wild, even from a distance.

Second, the iPhone X boasts the biggest design changes ever seen in any iPhone, moving from the conventional rectangular LCD screen to a full-face OLED display with a notch, as well as being the first iPhone ever to remove the iconic Home button completely.

Many users just want something new and different from previous iPhones, and that's exactly what the iPhone X offers.




The final reason is brand new exclusive software that isn't available elsewhere, even in other iOS devices.

The X's TrueDepth Camera system now allows for Face ID and other software like portrait selfie mode, portrait lighting, and Animoji. You also get things like tap-to-wake and the new home bar, which allows for quicker app switching.

Touch ID works properly more often than Face ID, which has trouble when the user is laying in bed or if it is held at an odd angle but in most cases Face ID is much more convenient than Touch ID. Face ID just works so easily, and with the addition of being able to log into apps and use Safari Autofill just by looking at the screen, is well worth using.

Overall, Face ID has improved over time, becoming quicker and more accurate between software updates and training than when I first started using it.




After 6 months, there are a lot of third-party apps that support Face ID, like Bank of America, PayPal and Credit Karma, so it's already making my life easier outside of the Apple ecosystem.

Apple has also received a patent that could allow Face ID to scan the pattern of veins in a user's face as an extra form of authentication. If the two systems were used together, this would potentially make it almost impossible to fool, even with twins.

The iPhone X Home Bar and the device-specific gestures are extremely useful. It's never been so easy to switch between apps on an iPhone, and I find myself rarely having to open the app switcher at all.

Going back to any other iPhone is difficult, since you have to bring up the app switcher to change apps. Not to mention that the rest of the iPhone X gestures, including tapping the screen to wake the device up, would also disappear!

Wireless charging has become more convenient than we thought it would be when it was first released. We work in an office setting, which is perfect for wireless charging, and we pretty much leave work every day with a fully charged battery.

The iPhone X, along with the iPhone 8, now support charging at 7.5-watt versus 5-watt wirelessly, and Fast Charging when plugged in as well. However, you don't get a fast-charger in the box, as instead you end up with Apple's old and slow 5-watt charger that has been bundled with iPhones for years.




For fast charging, you'll need to purchase Apple's USB-C to Lightning cable and a USB-C Macbook charger. These aren't cheap, but you'll get a 50 percent charge from dead in only 30 minutes if you use them.

Honestly, it's a bit disappointing when you pay a thousand dollars for a phone, and it comes with the slowest charger you can probably find these days.

There are rumors of a new 18-watt USB-C wall charger that will ship with next generation iPhones due this fall. If this is true, either a USB-C to Lightning cable will be included, or next-gen iPhones may be equipped with USB-C charging ports.

Performance-wise, the iPhone X still tops the charts compared to the newest phones, like the Samsung Galaxy S9+. Although the Galaxy S9+ beats it in some tests due to having more RAM, the iPhone X is still more powerful overall.

When I first got my iPhone X and compared the screen to the iPhone 8 Plus, I could instantly see the difference in color, contrast, and brightness between the old LCD and the new OLED displays. Six months later, I can say that it'll be extremely hard to go back to an LCD-equipped smartphone. It just doesn't feel the same.

There is, however, a downside to the OLED screen. The color shift when looking at the display at an angle is very real, and I noticed it on the first day I had the iPhone X.




It's obviously not an issue if you're using your phone like you normally would, but you start noticing it when your iPhone X is laying flat on a table, or when you're showing something onscreen to a friend.

The X's display is still truly remarkable, and don't just take my word for it. The iPhone X won the Display Applications of the Year category at the 23rd Display Industry Awards, being celebrated as the first in the product line to "fulfill the vision of a smartphone that is entirely screen, with no physical elements, keyboards, or dedicated function buttons."

The committee said that the iPhone X's 5.8-inch Super Retina Display is the first OLED panel to match the standard set by prior iPhone generations. They praised its striking colors, true black shades, million-to-one contrast ratio, and HDR support for Dolby Vision and HDR10.

Accompanying the full-front screen is the notch, which is still a controversial addition to the iPhone X. Some hate it, and say they won't buy an iPhone with such a cutout.

What we do know for sure is that the iPhone X has sparked an interest in Android producers, with a growing number of other smartphones being introduced with notches of their own. In some cases, these devices don't even pack any kind of new technology that would make use of a notch in the first place.

In my personal opinion, if you're holding your iPhone upright - which you should be doing most of the time - it shouldn't really bother you at all.

The only times the notch bothers me is when I'm watching videos in landscape mode, or in the rare occasion that data is covered when holding the iPhone horizontally. The latter should be fixed, now that Apple is requiring all app updates to use the iPhone X display.

After 6 months, most, if not all of the third-party apps I use, now support the new aspect ratio, so I can enjoy the full-face screen experience practically all the time.




I'd have to say that the iPhone X is hands down the best iPhone ever made. In my opinion, it is also the best smartphone ever made, due to the TrueDepth camera system and the potential offered by advancements in facial recognition software.

Even so, I would caution those looking to upgrade to an iPhone X. If your current smartphone is still functional, I would recommend waiting until September, when Apple's new lineup of iPhones is usually revealed.

There are rumors of cheaper models that will have the same full-face design as the iPhone X, and who knows what else Apple could have in store for their top-of-the-line model.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 54
    nunzynunzy Posts: 662member
    History will record iPhone X as a breakthrough in consumer tech. It has changed the world forever. The notch alone is now a universal benefit, even for Android.
    Avieshekwatto_cobracornchip
  • Reply 2 of 54
    jdgazjdgaz Posts: 403member
    Love the X. When I try to use my wifes 6S or my iPad pro I have to think again about how to use a home button. Buttonless is by far a better user experience.
    mknelsonh2pAvieshekredgeminipawatto_cobrastanthemanAlex1N
  • Reply 3 of 54
    badmonkbadmonk Posts: 1,285member
    I also have to agree with the reviewer.  Best IPhone I have ever owned.  I love FaceID with my active lifestyle.  Unlike millennials, my hands are often dirty working in the house and yard and I hated having to access TouchID.

    The notch does not bother me.  In fact, I like the way it allows me to orient the phone quickly and it vanishes once I start using the phone.

    My only wish is having FaceID work sideways and “Hey Siri” reading my text measages from a locked screen like my iPad will do.

    mike1h2pwatto_cobrastanthemancornchipmrboba1Alex1N
  • Reply 4 of 54
    78Bandit78Bandit Posts: 238member
    nunzy said:
    History will record iPhone X as a breakthrough in consumer tech. It has changed the world forever. The notch alone is now a universal benefit, even for Android.
    OK, I'll bite.  Why is the notch alone a universal benefit outside of being a marketing tool?  If Apple would have limited the cutouts around the FaceID module use to displaying time, signal strength, battery strength, etc. with a black background there would be no "notch" so FaceID can't be the underlying benefit.  What universal utility is gained solely by expanding the app display area to two small ears at the top of the screen?

    I'm not against the notch, but it would seem to be neutral at best and even distracting under certain uses like watching a video.
    edited May 2018 muthuk_vanalingamnapoleon_phoneapartIreneWavon b7
  • Reply 5 of 54
    badmonkbadmonk Posts: 1,285member
    78Bandit said:
    nunzy said:
    History will record iPhone X as a breakthrough in consumer tech. It has changed the world forever. The notch alone is now a universal benefit, even for Android.
    OK, I'll bite.  Why is the notch alone a universal benefit outside of being a marketing tool?  If Apple would have limited the cutouts around the FaceID module use to displaying time, signal strength, battery strength, etc. with a black background there would be no "notch" so FaceID can't be the underlying benefit.  What universal utility is gained solely by expanding the app display area to two small ears at the top of the screen?
    Because it shortens the height of the phone and the phone is already on the tall side.  It allows quick orientation of the phone, otherwise it would be like the vertically symmetrical AppleTV remote which drives me crazy when I try to operate it upside down.
    nunzyracerhomie3mejsricradarthekatbb-15toysandmewatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 54
    vadimyuryevvadimyuryev Posts: 170member
    78Bandit said:
    nunzy said:
    History will record iPhone X as a breakthrough in consumer tech. It has changed the world forever. The notch alone is now a universal benefit, even for Android.
    OK, I'll bite.  Why is the notch alone a universal benefit outside of being a marketing tool?  If Apple would have limited the cutouts around the FaceID module use to displaying time, signal strength, battery strength, etc. with a black background there would be no "notch" so FaceID can't be the underlying benefit.  What universal utility is gained solely by expanding the app display area to two small ears at the top of the screen?

    I'm not against the notch, but it would seem to be neutral at best and even distracting under certain uses like watching a video.
    It's all marketing in my opinion. The notch helps the X be easily recognizable as Apple's most expensive phone ever, and users subconsciously want people to know they can afford Apple's most expensive phone ever, even if they dislike and complain about it. 
    avon b7
  • Reply 7 of 54
    jdgazjdgaz Posts: 403member
    badmonk said:
    78Bandit said:
    nunzy said:
    History will record iPhone X as a breakthrough in consumer tech. It has changed the world forever. The notch alone is now a universal benefit, even for Android.
    OK, I'll bite.  Why is the notch alone a universal benefit outside of being a marketing tool?  If Apple would have limited the cutouts around the FaceID module use to displaying time, signal strength, battery strength, etc. with a black background there would be no "notch" so FaceID can't be the underlying benefit.  What universal utility is gained solely by expanding the app display area to two small ears at the top of the screen?
    Because it shortens the height of the phone and the phone is already on the tall side.  It allows quick orientation of the phone, otherwise it would be like the vertically symmetrical AppleTV remote which drives me crazy when I try to operate it upside down.
    I do that upside down thing too.
    nunzyradarthekat
  • Reply 8 of 54
    pte applepte apple Posts: 82member
    iPhone X - love it.
    Only issue is face ID - I've reset 4x now and it's 50/50 whether my phone will recognize me or not .
  • Reply 9 of 54
    oakrrloakrrl Posts: 5member
    The review left out what IMO is the best feature - large screen in small size. Feels just right in my (somewhat small) hand. 
       I bought the phone because I was due for an upgrade and didn't credit any of the hype. I was, and continue to be, surprised by how much more I like it than any iPhone I've ever had.
        Face ID works much better for me than Touch ID did. 
       Only complaint: I don't like the way iOS 11 requires several steps to quit/dismiss an app. 
    bb-15GeorgeBMacwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 54
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,120member
    Reason #4: I wanted a dual camera phone that was about the same size as my 6 (so it'll fit my cycling jacket).
    h2pradarthekatbb-15watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 54
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    I'm about a month into my iPhoneX.  I struggled between the iP8 and iPx.  I wasn't sold on FaceID and being a motorcycle rider, I had really grown accustomed to the button and TouchID.

    I decided on the iPX simply because the price point between the two top-of-the-line models really wasn't that much.  

    After using it the first day, I was sold.  As long as I'm not wearing my motorcycle helmet, FaceID has been flawless and fast.  The tech the iPX has, along with how Apple hides all that complexity and makes it easy to use just set the bar that much higher.

    As far as the notch goes, whether its all marketing or necessity.. it's a non-issue for me.  I don't even notice it, even when watching videos.  The people complaining about it might be suffering from first-world problems.  It can't be that bad if the iKnockoff's are copying the notch design to make their crap phones appear like an iPX.


    edited May 2018 radarthekatbb-15redgeminipawatto_cobrallama
  • Reply 12 of 54
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    78Bandit said:
    nunzy said:
    History will record iPhone X as a breakthrough in consumer tech. It has changed the world forever. The notch alone is now a universal benefit, even for Android.
    OK, I'll bite.  Why is the notch alone a universal benefit outside of being a marketing tool?  If Apple would have limited the cutouts around the FaceID module use to displaying time, signal strength, battery strength, etc. with a black background there would be no "notch" so FaceID can't be the underlying benefit.  What universal utility is gained solely by expanding the app display area to two small ears at the top of the screen?

    I'm not against the notch, but it would seem to be neutral at best and even distracting under certain uses like watching a video.
    It's all marketing in my opinion. The notch helps the X be easily recognizable as Apple's most expensive phone ever, and users subconsciously want people to know they can afford Apple's most expensive phone ever, even if they dislike and complain about it. 
    1) How exactly is increasing the display size for a given footprint "all marketing"? There are very clear utility reasons why the notch has to be there. It's literally function over form, which is why people are still complaining about how it looks. An example of form over function is that Dell review AI did that has the front facing camera in the base of the notebook.

    2) If and when putting the components behind the display so that the entire footprint can effectively be a display (which other vendors will have access to at the same time, if not before due to their low and weaker yield requirements), I have no doubt Apple will do it despite it taking away this "recognizable" aspect you believe is the entire reason for the notch.

    3) Your argument sounds just like what people said about the original iPhone, and Apple, in general, at least since the Macintosh.
    edited May 2018 StrangeDaysradarthekatwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 54
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    oakrrl said:
    The review left out what IMO is the best feature - large screen in small size. Feels just right in my (somewhat small) hand. 
    I don't have one but that is what intrigued me. I like a smaller phone, and just assumed that a five inch screen is what I'd be stuck with. It';s OK, but these old eyes find it a bit difficult to use sometimes. The idea of a larger screen without carrying around a phablet is very enticing. Maybe the next time I upgrade...
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 54
    bill42bill42 Posts: 131member
    pte apple said:
    iPhone X - love it.
    Only issue is face ID - I've reset 4x now and it's 50/50 whether my phone will recognize me or not .
    This comment stands out. Your phone is most likely defective. Somewhere last week I read that Apple is now officially swapping out some face-ID cameras due to some being defective. It should always work, all the time. Mine works with my bike helmet and sunglasses on, flawlessly. Take yours to the Apple Store.
    toysandmewatto_cobrallamamrboba1
  • Reply 15 of 54
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Soli said:
    78Bandit said:
    nunzy said:
    History will record iPhone X as a breakthrough in consumer tech. It has changed the world forever. The notch alone is now a universal benefit, even for Android.
    OK, I'll bite.  Why is the notch alone a universal benefit outside of being a marketing tool?  If Apple would have limited the cutouts around the FaceID module use to displaying time, signal strength, battery strength, etc. with a black background there would be no "notch" so FaceID can't be the underlying benefit.  What universal utility is gained solely by expanding the app display area to two small ears at the top of the screen?

    I'm not against the notch, but it would seem to be neutral at best and even distracting under certain uses like watching a video.
    It's all marketing in my opinion. The notch helps the X be easily recognizable as Apple's most expensive phone ever, and users subconsciously want people to know they can afford Apple's most expensive phone ever, even if they dislike and complain about it. 
    1) How exactly is increasing the display size for a given footprint "all marketing"? There are very clear utility reasons why the notch has to be there. It's literally function over form, which is why people are still complaining about how it looks. An example of form over function is that Dell review AI did that has the front facing camera in the base of the notebook.

    2) If and when putting the components behind the display so that the entire footprint can effectively be a display (which other vendors will have access to at the same time, if not before due to their low and weaker yield requirements), I have no doubt Apple will do it despite it taking away this "recognizable" aspect you believe is the entire reason for the notch.

    3) Your argument sounds just like what people said about the original iPhone, and Apple, in general, at least since the Macintosh.
    I think the end-result of that notch made it a unique identifier of an iPX.  I don't think Apple necessarily planned it on being a marketing statement.  I firmly believe Apple had no choice about the notch given all the sensors packed in that black notch.  I think Apple did the best they could and did it in what I believe it to be the most elegant way given the circumstances.  Considering how well it sold, it's only a vocal minority raising a stink about the notch.  I for one don't even notice it anymore.

    radarthekatbb-15redgeminipawatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 54
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    sflocal said:
    Soli said:
    78Bandit said:
    nunzy said:
    History will record iPhone X as a breakthrough in consumer tech. It has changed the world forever. The notch alone is now a universal benefit, even for Android.
    OK, I'll bite.  Why is the notch alone a universal benefit outside of being a marketing tool?  If Apple would have limited the cutouts around the FaceID module use to displaying time, signal strength, battery strength, etc. with a black background there would be no "notch" so FaceID can't be the underlying benefit.  What universal utility is gained solely by expanding the app display area to two small ears at the top of the screen?

    I'm not against the notch, but it would seem to be neutral at best and even distracting under certain uses like watching a video.
    It's all marketing in my opinion. The notch helps the X be easily recognizable as Apple's most expensive phone ever, and users subconsciously want people to know they can afford Apple's most expensive phone ever, even if they dislike and complain about it. 
    1) How exactly is increasing the display size for a given footprint "all marketing"? There are very clear utility reasons why the notch has to be there. It's literally function over form, which is why people are still complaining about how it looks. An example of form over function is that Dell review AI did that has the front facing camera in the base of the notebook.

    2) If and when putting the components behind the display so that the entire footprint can effectively be a display (which other vendors will have access to at the same time, if not before due to their low and weaker yield requirements), I have no doubt Apple will do it despite it taking away this "recognizable" aspect you believe is the entire reason for the notch.

    3) Your argument sounds just like what people said about the original iPhone, and Apple, in general, at least since the Macintosh.
    I think the end-result of that notch made it a unique identifier of an iPX.  I don't think Apple necessarily planned it on being a marketing statement.  I firmly believe Apple had no choice about the notch given all the sensors packed in that black notch.  I think Apple did the best they could and did it in what I believe it to be the most elegant way given the circumstances.  Considering how well it sold, it's only a vocal minority raising a stink about the notch.  I for one don't even notice it anymore.
    It is/was certainly an atypical aspect for a popular smartphone and a major change from the last decade, but I don't see how anyone can say Apple did it just for show.

    When these notch rumours were popping up last year I predicted that al the front faces would end up being black, regardless of the color, because a white face option will cause the notch to stand out and I firmly believe that Apple wants the notch to blend in with the display as much as possible.

    Maybe this year we'll see the components shrink so the notch can decrease in size, although getting short on the vertical plane could result in a smaller status bar height which may be problematic. At least bringing it in closer so that some of the missing items can come back would be nice. They've certainly designed their UI around the notch not existing in its current form.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 54
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    bill42 said:
    pte apple said:
    iPhone X - love it.
    Only issue is face ID - I've reset 4x now and it's 50/50 whether my phone will recognize me or not .
    This comment stands out. Your phone is most likely defective. Somewhere last week I read that Apple is now officially swapping out some face-ID cameras due to some being defective. It should always work, all the time. Mine works with my bike helmet and sunglasses on, flawlessly. Take yours to the Apple Store.
    I second this. Take it in. Unless you're a 4th dimensional being or a shape shifting alien it should just work.
    edited May 2018 toysandmewatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 54
    racerhomie3racerhomie3 Posts: 1,264member
    Max , please look into the YouTube comment section. People (looks like poor Indians) are leaving useless comments with no real value or criticism.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 54
    racerhomie3racerhomie3 Posts: 1,264member
    pte apple said:
    iPhone X - love it.
    Only issue is face ID - I've reset 4x now and it's 50/50 whether my phone will recognize me or not .
    Get it replaced 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 54
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Good review! Heaps of info and far enough from the release to be objective.

    One of the main things I use my phone for is an e-reader, and the X is a bit too small for that, but will definitely by looking to replace my 7+ with an X+ if we see it in September.
    watto_cobra
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