iPhone X review: Always the best iPhone, but his successor is expected

Update: Spring / Summer 2018

The iPhone X was unveiled in September 2017 and released Nov. 3. Since then, he has remained at the top of the smartphone hill. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus and the Huawei P20 Pro have made some interesting progress in photography, but nothing else has come close to the revolutionary unlocking system Face ID of the iPhone X. Instead, a growing number of Android phones have taken the habit of copying the distinctive notch of the iPhone X – which was arguably his most controversial and controversial design decision.

So, while the iPhone X remains an excellent advanced smartphone, it's probably not the one you should run out and buy. That's because his successor – or, perhaps, a trio of successors – is expected to arrive in September. The 2018 version of the iPhone X will certainly be better and faster, and it may be marketed alongside the larger and more affordable X-style iPhones . And they will all run iOS 12 too.

Of course, these new 2018 iPhones will have a lot of high-end competition in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (supposed to arrive in August) and Google Pixel 3 (probably October), to name a few. But all this means that everyone on the market for a high-end smartphone is better to wait until at least mid-September to see what Apple and its competitors have on the drawing board.

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The full review of the iPhone X, originally released on November 3, 2017 and updated on December 22, 2017, follows. You should also read iPhone X: 6 months later .

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I came home late after my first day of testing the iPhone X . My wife sent me audio clips on iMessage kids after I sent them pictures of myself, now beardless. "O-M-G, I can not even recognize Daddy!"

I could not recognize myself either. In the mirror, I look smooth, like another version of me. I felt vulnerable. I shaved my beard to test Face ID the new method of Apple to unlock your iPhone by simply looking at it. But, what would it be in public, on television, when I was holding my children? At first, big personal changes are uncomfortable but appealing. Everything seems different but also potentially refreshing.

My smooth face was the perfect metaphor for my experience with the iPhone X, which – from $ 999, £ 999 or $ 1,579 – is the most expensive iPhone from Apple never. The iPhone 10-year anniversary feels the same, but different. Odd, but good. I've been switching between the two feelings in the last two weeks. And you, future owner of the iPhone X, could feel the same. But endure it – because after a few days, you'll probably like where you end up.

Editor's review, Dec 22: This review has been updated with detailed information on battery tests. The addition of the battery rating slightly adjusted the overall rating from 9.0 to 8.9 (still 4.5 stars). The review also includes November 14 updates that added more information on durability and waterproofing tests, camera tests, and general usage. You can also check our previous impressions of the iPhone X .

A few weeks later: It feels good to hold, but Face ID can feel slow

After a week of life with the iPhone X as the main phone, its size and design m & # 39; have appealed in many ways. But the process of unlocking the Face ID phone is always laborious compared to Touch ID iPhones. Sometimes it does not unblock quickly, and sometimes it does not work. And, as I was waiting for it, the new gestures take a long time to freeze. Getting to Control Center is now a two-handed operation that is completely boring. But I am very good with the gesture of the house and I am so used to it that I started trying it on other iPhones and iPads ($ 329 at Walmart) where it does not work

I'm not so happy with the size and shape of an iPhone since the iPhone 5. The feel of almost everything on the screen, when it is used properly by optimized applications, is fantastic. It's new, and some elements of the interface, such as a better way to swipe and swap apps, are a big step forward.

But I would still like the new sign language to be smoothed a bit. Now that the Home button is gone, its main functions have been split. The iPhone X feels like an open door to the possibilities that iOS has just begun to explore.

Get a case. Seriously.

CNET tested the iPhone X, and did not do well . In fact, he fell to a single fall of three feet. It's worse than previous iPhones. The Gadget SquareTrade warranty company had a similar experience in its tests doubling the X "most brittle iPhone we've ever tested."

With the notable exceptions of the Moto Z2 Force and Droid Turbo 2 – which, in everyday use, really live up to their reputation " shatterproof " – the possibility of a broken screen is a business risk for any phone owner. But the relative fragility of the iPhone X is compounded by the fact that the device's screen repair costs are the highest of Apple: $ 279, £ 286 or 419 $ AU. If you need anything other than the fixed screen – including the equally breakable glbad – that will cost you $ 549, £ 556 or $ 819. Yikes.

All this means that you should absolutely use a case (check out our list of best cases of the iPhone X ). You should also seriously consider investing in an insurance or third-party guarantee plan such as AppleCare Plus or a wireless service provider policy.

The iPhone X is also water resistant, just like the 7, 7 Plus, 8 and 8 Plus. The X is well behaved in our test immersion in a bucket for a hair of less than 30 minutes, which is the technical limit of its water resistance index . But the water resistance is really designed to quickly survive accidental dunks, splashing, rain and snow. The standard warranty does not cover water damage (although the insurance plans mentioned above do so often), and the phone is not designed to be submerged in the water. salt water or chlorinated pools.

The biggest change in the design of the iPhone

The basic pitch of the iPhone X is: Take the iPhone 8 Plus ($ 600 at Cricket Wireless ) and encase all its features in a case closer to the size of the iPhone 8 ($ 500 at Cricket Wireless) . Add the face ID, but subtract the Touch ID home button, a victim of the new design almost entirely on screen. It's the iPhone X.

To be clear, except for this Home Button – and Touch ID – all the other features of the iPhone 8 Plus are here including A11 Bionic six-core processor fast, water and – unfortunately – no headphone jack. The iPhone X also has two rear cameras that are even a little better than the already superb ones on the Plus. (More information about this later.) The wireless charging is also on board, just like the glbad design needed to activate it. Yes, you will need a good deal . And you should strongly consider Apple Care Plus, because the costs of repairing broken front or rear windows on the iPhone X are exorbitant .

Of course, Apple offers a substantial premium for its most sophisticated iPhone: $ 999, £ 999 or $ 1,579 AU for 64GB. Or go to $ 1,149; £ 1,149 or AU $ 1,829 for the 256GB version.

Yes, the iPhone X changes the appearance and function of the iPhone. Before the X, the design of the iPhone was frozen for years: the Home button at the bottom, the thick bezels above and below the screen. iOS has made some subtle changes over the years, but losing the home button completely changes the definition of an iPhone.

But while the 5.8-inch screen on the iPhone X eclipses the 4.7-inch screen of the iPhone 8 it does not mean that the X's screen is "bigger" than the iPhone 8 Plus – 5.5-inch screen. That's because they have a different shape: the 8 and 8 Plus have the same aspect ratio 16: 9 as your TV, while the X looks more like 19: 9 – it's larger and wider than 8, 7, 6S and 6.

In the end, the Plus can still work better for larger documents and position itself as the best canvas for the Giant iOS Games collection. Apple compared to the narrower X – but return to the 8 Plus. ) iPad Mini ($ 335 at Amazon.com) in comparison. The X recognizes that the iPhones Plus were a bit too big, that this new design is right. He divides the difference by saying, "Here is the biggest screen, but it's still nice in your hand. Finally, it's a Goldilocks design that fits perfectly in the middle.

Let's take a closer look at this screen

The infamous notch above the X screen, which cuts out a small piece of the top screen to make room for the front camera and the sensors of the phone, has no impact of many applications or videos. In fact, most have tried to put any critical information below by default. But that means that the effective display area is even smaller, with black bars at the top and bottom (in portrait mode) or on the sides (in landscape mode).

At 458 pixels per inch, the Super Retina display resolution on the iPhone X is technically sharper than that of the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone 8 (respectively 401 and 326 ppi). The new OLED display – the first in an Apple iPhone – has beautiful levels of perfect blacks and excellent colors. It feels brighter than previous iPhones and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 ($ 748 at Amazon.com) and is obviously better than the soft colors you'll find on the Pixel 2 XL ( $ 849 at Google Store) .

It's a fantastic visual experience overall. But there is a big reason to temper your expectations: Apple's LCD screens on previous phones are already so good that you may not notice much.

Face ID and this depth sensing front camera

Back to this notch. In addition to the microphone (for ambient noise), the speaker and the ambient light sensor that you find on other phones, it houses an infrared camera, a "flood flooder" and a spotlight and a selfie camera. of 7 megapixels. Collectively, Apple calls these parts of imaging the "TrueDepth camera system".

TrueDepth allows the signature feature of the iPhone X: Face ID. It's like a mini Microsoft Kinect – yes, Apple bought the company that developed this Xbox accessory in 2013 – using your face as an authenticator to unlock the phone and for all transactions or words pbadword. It completely replaces Touch ID – the Apple's fingerprint reader. We do not find anywhere on iPhone X. Connect to the iPhone X with your face is weird at first, but I have come to like how automatically it fills the username and pbadword data on applications and web pages. It's starting to feel like a much more automatic future.

Face ID was the biggest "what if" for the iPhone X, but the good news is that it works very well. He recognized me with my beard and without, with and without glbades, with sunglbades and even in total darkness. (The infrared camera does the hard work, not the selfie camera.) It did not unlock for anyone else with whom I tried it.