iPhone X Hands-On: New Screen, No Home Button
The brand new iPhone X -- that's pronounced "ten," by the way, not "ex" -- is a phone of firsts for Apple. The ...
The brand new iPhone X -- that's pronounced "ten," by the way, not "ex" -- is a phone of firsts for Apple. The 5.8-inch OLED screen isn't just larger, it also uses a different technology that Apple says will make colours absolutely pop. It's also the first iPhone to completely do away with the iconic home button -- you know, the one Apple popularized on its very first iPhone. And, it's the first to offer Face ID as a new way to securely unlock the phone and pay in the check-out line.
iPhone X price and when to buy it
The iPhone X ain't cheap. It starts at $999. The 256GB version costs $1,149. Preorders begin Oct. 27, and the phone ships Nov. 3.
By contrast, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus start at $699 and $799, respectively.
iPhone X specs highlights
- 5.8-inch OLED display with 458ppi pixel density
- 2,436x1,135-pixel resolution (Apple calls this a Super Retina display)
- Dual 12-megapixel rear cameras with OIS on both cameras
- Portrait mode with portrait lighting feature
- Front-facing 7-megapixel camera has portrait mode now, too
- No home button
- Face ID to unlock the phone (hold your phone up to your face)
- A11 Bionic processor
- Glass back and front
- Supports wireless charging
- Supports wireless charging
- 64GB and 256GB options
- Animojis make emojis out of you
No more home button: This is huge
As expected, the iPhone X has done away with the home button. So how do you unlock your phone? Start Siri? Multitask? Use Apple Pay?
Unlock the phone with Face ID
Face ID, which uses a bunch of cameras, including the front-facing camera and IR camera, to scan your face and let you in to your iPhone. What about tricking the phone with photos of yourself? Apple says that won't happen; it's made masks to train the phones to distinguish you from your photo... and that of your evil twin. It will work with third-party apps, too.
You just raise the phone, look at it, and swipe to unlock. How do you exit an app and get back to the home screen? Just swipe -- see the GIF above to see how.
