During the launch event on 12 September 2017 , Apple blew everyone out of the water with the unveiling of a brand new version of one of the most beloved smartphones: the iPhone X (pronounced iPhone Ten).
“Our vision has always been to create an iPhone that is entirely screen. One so immersive the device itself disappears into the experience. And so intelligent it can respond to a tap, your voice, and even a glance. With iPhone X, that vision is now a reality. Say hello to the future.” – Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc.
Introducing the iPhone X
Unlike iPhones over the last few year, the iPhone X has a completely overhauled design. Let us take a look at what makes it so special and worthy of your undivided attention.
Since we have already covered the iPhone 8, we will only be looking at the features exclusive to the iPhone X.
Unique features of the iPhone X
All screen display
The most immediate and striking feature is the all new, edge to edge OLED Super Retina screen. Not a first in the smartphone market, but certainly one of the best looking iterations of it so far. The reason behind this is due to the unique colouration and brightness-adjusting True Tone display tech , which results in the iPhone X having a 2436 x 1125 resolution at 458 ppi across the 5.8 inch display. The home button has been removed along with the fingerprint scanner for an even bigger screen space.
TrueDepth camera system
You may have noticed the notches at the top of the screen; they serve a very specific purpose. Within this small space lives a host of state of the art cameras and sensors, which Apple claims is a giant leap forward. They call it the TrueDepth camera system. Here are a few features the TrueDepth camera system is capable of:
Face ID
Now you unlock your phone simply by looking at it! The TrueDepth camera system is so intuitive it detects when you are looking at your phone and then responds automatically. It cannot be fooled by pictures of you or even a Hollywood quality mask of your face (this system is quite complex, so I will not bore you with the details). Apple has claimed that this method is even more secure than the fingerprint scanner, with only a one in a million chance of anyone else unlocking you phone.
Adaptive recognition
Through machine learning, the TrueDepth camera will be able to recognize you even if you appearance changes over time (e.g new hairstyles, make up or growing out a beard)
Portrait mode selfies
The TrueDepth camera system enables you to take selfies with much more depth and detail than any other smartphone before it, according to Apple.
Animoji
This is undoubtedly one of the most fun features we have seen so far. The TrueDepth camera captures your facial expressions and creates an animated emoji from it, send a voice note with the animoji to convey your genuine feelings!
Intuitive gestures
This is not exactly a feature per se, but it is worth a mention. The removal of the home button has changed the way you operate your iPhone. Familiar gestures make navigation natural and intuitive. Instead of pressing a button, a single swipe takes you home from anywhere.
Release date
The iPhone X comes at a pretty steep price. Some industry analysts speculate Apple is aiming to recreate the atmosphere of exclusivity that enveloped the early iPhones, with only the tech elite willing to dish out this amount of money for a smartphone.
The iPhone X may be a massive leap forward in the way we live our lives, and hopefully these features will be incorporated into more smartphones in the near future
The iPhone X is set to release on 3 November 2017 in North America at a minimum price of $999 for the most basic model. No official release date or price has been set for South Africa yet.
Be sure to keep your eyes on bidorbuy around the U.S release time, as we will surely have the iPhone X before the official South African launch date!
