The iPhone X is here. And it holds your gaze -- ahem, literally because of that Face ID that focuses on your eyes -- and then make you fa...
The iPhone X is here. And it holds your
gaze -- ahem, literally because of that Face ID that focuses on your
eyes -- and then make you fall in love with it. Well, that is the kind
of impression the iPhone X leaves. Some of you will still be able to
avoid falling for its charming ways, or may not get smitten by its
jewel-like shine and looks, but most of you will. It's another matter
that after the initial moments are gone, after you have used the device
for a day or two, you will start to figure out some of its quirkiness.
But so far I have found there aren't many of these. There are some but
mostly the iPhone X seems almost flawless, and a phone that you will not
only fall in love at first sight but will probably keep loving for at
least a year.
The reason is simple: The iPhone X is unlike any other iPhone Apple has released. It is special. And it looks and feels like one. It feels like a new beginning, but a beginning made with the best bits from the past. So even though the design retains some familiar elements from the past -- the rounded edges, the camera hump, the design of the speaker grills, the button that toggles between silent and ringing mode, and the Apple logo on the back -- overall there is enough newness here.
But at the same time, there are changes. We will go into details into the iPhone X review -- will be out soon -- but for now let me share some quick thoughts about the key features and aspects of the latest Apple device.
Talking of case, that is also necessary because the iPhone X is a fingerprint magnet. It's so smooth and shiny, and like a jewel, that it reflects even small smudges and fingerprint. If you are using it without a case, you will be polishing it against your shirt, t-shirt or whatever you are wearing every 15 minutes.
There are some minor bits that have
changed compared to the earlier iPhones. The power button is now bigger
because it is also used for some of the functionality that earlier the
home button offered. The camera bump on the rear of the phone seems
overly large compared to how you perceive the same camera module on the
iPhone 8 Plus because the iPhone X is a smaller phone. It also sticks
out, and takes away from the overall smooth and minimalist approach of
the iPhone X.
Finally, that metal frame with chrome finish. I don't fancy it much. I like my metal frames in matte finish. It's too shiny on the iPhone X, like plastic painted with chrome. No, this is not about that the build quality. That is fantastic. Very Apple-like. But the chrome finish on the metal frame is just too shiny. And then there is the way the metal frame meets the glass edge. It's not a smooth, rolling edge, similar to what we get in some other phones, and most notably in the Galaxy S8. When you run your finger on the edge you can feel the gap.
Overall though, the iPhone X is a phone with fantastic build-quality and an eye-catching design. It looks premium, and feels premium. It is the most expensive phone in the market with price of Rs 89,000 and it looks like one. It doesn't look commonplace. It looks exclusive, and that is something iPhone fans like.
But beyond the numbers, what about the screen during the actual use? And what about that notch? In my brief use, I found the iPhone X screen to be gorgeous. It is slightly colder than the iPhone 8 Plus screen, which uses LCD, but once you toggle the TrueTone -- it's on by default -- that difference vanishes. You see more or less the same colours on the iPhone X that you get in the iPhone 8 Plus. And that means the iPhone X screen too has painting-like appearance. It looks as if it has been rendered onto the phone, or has been painted on it. It's really subtle, this effect, and it make pictures, videos and colours come alive on the screen.
But the notch, that is something. You do notice the bunny ears, especially while playing videos. When you use the iPhone X, it is possible that after a while your eyes and brain will adjust and start discounting the notch. But at least in the beginning you are going to be distracted by it and you won't like, although most people will be able to live with it.
This is another part, which just like design, Apple gets right. The A11 Bionic processor -- aided by 3GB RAM -- in the iPhone X is very fast and that shows when you use the phone. I have spent just around 24 hours with the device but it is clear that the iPhone X is a fast phone that is not going to have any performance issues. It may have the iOS 11, which powers it, with some bugs but there won't be an app out there that won't run on it because the performance is lacking.
I haven't tried the iPhone X cameras
enough to say more but I believe the performance of this phone in
photography is going to be very similar to what the iPhone 8 Plus
offers. In other words, what this means is that in the good light the
iPhone X is going to shine. In low light, it will probably still be
behind a couple of phones like the Google Pixel 2 XL, although the
differences would be marginal.
The bigger differences I suspect is going to be in the portrait modes. I am also in the middle of reviewing the Pixel 2 XL and when I compare the portrait photos taken with that phone with what I clicked with the iPhone X, it is clear that Google's AI does better job, especially in low light and especially for the portraits clicked with the selfie camera.
Absolutely. If you are an iPhone fan, you need to get the iPhone X. If you are not an iPhone fan, you will be as happy with the iPhone 8 Plus as you are going to be with the iPhone X. But there is something that needs to be said about the iPhone X. It's not just about the performance, design, screen, cameras battery life (yet to test it) and all these other bits. The good phones are always more than the sum of their parts. They feel special when you use them. The iPhone X feels like of these phones. It feels special.
The reason is simple: The iPhone X is unlike any other iPhone Apple has released. It is special. And it looks and feels like one. It feels like a new beginning, but a beginning made with the best bits from the past. So even though the design retains some familiar elements from the past -- the rounded edges, the camera hump, the design of the speaker grills, the button that toggles between silent and ringing mode, and the Apple logo on the back -- overall there is enough newness here.
But at the same time, there are changes. We will go into details into the iPhone X review -- will be out soon -- but for now let me share some quick thoughts about the key features and aspects of the latest Apple device.
iPhone X design
This is the biggest differences between the iPhones of the past (or even the present ones like the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus) and the iPhone X. The iPhone X comes with a new design, which seems rather radical for Apple, although in the phones like the Mi Mix 2 and Galaxy S8 we have seen it earlier. The iphone X is all screen on the front, there is no home button. Oh, yes that iconic home button is gone. On the back there is a glass cover and then there is a metal frame in chrome finish around the phone. Overall, this is a much better design than the bulky and broad iPhone 8 Plus. It's not that the iPhone X is a light phone -- all that glass and metal adds to weight -- and it weighs close to 170 grams. But it is still much more compact and feels better in hands. And it's light relative to 200 grams iPhone 8 Plus. The only niggle is that the phone is very slippery due to all the glass and smooth metal. You will have to use it in a case.Talking of case, that is also necessary because the iPhone X is a fingerprint magnet. It's so smooth and shiny, and like a jewel, that it reflects even small smudges and fingerprint. If you are using it without a case, you will be polishing it against your shirt, t-shirt or whatever you are wearing every 15 minutes.
Finally, that metal frame with chrome finish. I don't fancy it much. I like my metal frames in matte finish. It's too shiny on the iPhone X, like plastic painted with chrome. No, this is not about that the build quality. That is fantastic. Very Apple-like. But the chrome finish on the metal frame is just too shiny. And then there is the way the metal frame meets the glass edge. It's not a smooth, rolling edge, similar to what we get in some other phones, and most notably in the Galaxy S8. When you run your finger on the edge you can feel the gap.
Overall though, the iPhone X is a phone with fantastic build-quality and an eye-catching design. It looks premium, and feels premium. It is the most expensive phone in the market with price of Rs 89,000 and it looks like one. It doesn't look commonplace. It looks exclusive, and that is something iPhone fans like.
iPhone X OLED screen
Screen is one of the big differences between the iPhone X and the earlier iPhones. This is the first iPhone to use an OLED screen, which too the Super AMOLED that is sourced from Samsung. Usually Samsung reserves this kind of screen for its own Galaxy phones but probably Apple made the offer Samsung couldn't refuse. It's also an iPhone that uses a large 5.8-inch screen. In comparison, the iPhone 8 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen. The iPhone X screen also comes with very high-pixel density as it uses 1125 x 2436 pixels panel.But beyond the numbers, what about the screen during the actual use? And what about that notch? In my brief use, I found the iPhone X screen to be gorgeous. It is slightly colder than the iPhone 8 Plus screen, which uses LCD, but once you toggle the TrueTone -- it's on by default -- that difference vanishes. You see more or less the same colours on the iPhone X that you get in the iPhone 8 Plus. And that means the iPhone X screen too has painting-like appearance. It looks as if it has been rendered onto the phone, or has been painted on it. It's really subtle, this effect, and it make pictures, videos and colours come alive on the screen.
But the notch, that is something. You do notice the bunny ears, especially while playing videos. When you use the iPhone X, it is possible that after a while your eyes and brain will adjust and start discounting the notch. But at least in the beginning you are going to be distracted by it and you won't like, although most people will be able to live with it.
iPhone X performance
This is another part, which just like design, Apple gets right. The A11 Bionic processor -- aided by 3GB RAM -- in the iPhone X is very fast and that shows when you use the phone. I have spent just around 24 hours with the device but it is clear that the iPhone X is a fast phone that is not going to have any performance issues. It may have the iOS 11, which powers it, with some bugs but there won't be an app out there that won't run on it because the performance is lacking.
The bigger differences I suspect is going to be in the portrait modes. I am also in the middle of reviewing the Pixel 2 XL and when I compare the portrait photos taken with that phone with what I clicked with the iPhone X, it is clear that Google's AI does better job, especially in low light and especially for the portraits clicked with the selfie camera.
Worth Rs 89,000
Absolutely. If you are an iPhone fan, you need to get the iPhone X. If you are not an iPhone fan, you will be as happy with the iPhone 8 Plus as you are going to be with the iPhone X. But there is something that needs to be said about the iPhone X. It's not just about the performance, design, screen, cameras battery life (yet to test it) and all these other bits. The good phones are always more than the sum of their parts. They feel special when you use them. The iPhone X feels like of these phones. It feels special.
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