Apple Introduced the iPhone X With Face ID Five Years Ago Today

[BootsWalking]

The problem it solves - having to consciously tap something during authentication. Here's an example with 1Password - on my MacBook Air, I have to move my finger to the upper right corner to Touch ID unlock the vault. On my iPhone, I just stare at my screen, as I normally do, and the authentication is performed. No extra movement needed.

Agree on a Mac but a phone is much smaller and the base of our hand and thumb are already resting near the Touch ID sensor.

The notch - you remember all iPhones before that had a forehead and a chin, right?

Yep, the solution to which is under-the-screen Touch ID, which already exists on other phones but admittedly needs refinement before it's usable enough for iPhone standards. How ridiculous will it be to have all the fancy Face ID hardware and logic and its associated notch when we'll soon be able to just place our finger on the screen to authenticate?

The pandemic - it's not like in 2017, or in the years prior when it was being developed, anyone knew that everyone is going to have to wear a face mask in 3 years...

True, but that's what happens when you design-in unnecessary problems - they can lead to other, unforseen problems.

 

[teknikal90]

The Xs was what this phone was meant to be. The camera, the battery and the RAM made it underwhelming

 

[Lasermoon]

I will be retiring my iPhone X 256GB in 5 weeks, when I receive my new iPhone 14 Pro Max 512GB
It has been a good phone the only issue was the touch screen became unresponsive from time to time (Apple recall)
The replacement screen is now playing up, usually when I try to answer a call it doesn't swipe and the battery is now "Service" Maximum capacity 83%, not bad for 5 years of use.

 

[maktaba]

With Face ID, you have to first wake your phones, then you have to look at the screen and wait for the unlock animation, then finally swipe up to see your home screen.

With Touch ID, all of the above is achieved with just resting your thumb on the home button.

 

[617arg]

Still rocking mine 💪🏼

Still rocking mine as well!

 

[Cmd-Z]

With Face ID, you have to first wake your phones, then you have to look at the screen and wait for the unlock animation, then finally swipe up to see your home screen.

With Touch ID, all of the above is achieved with just resting your thumb on the home button.

The first two steps you call out happen 99% of the time anyway, wake up occurs when you pick it up and normally I'm looking at the iPhone. It is literally (1) Pick up iPhone (2) Swipe up after a few milliseconds.

 

[Naraxus]

Apple really isnt lagging. There are very manufacturers, if any, that have Face ID so throughly integrated into almost every aspect of their ecosystem.

Are there any who have Face ID? I still mis Touch ID but Face ID seems a bit more conevnient, at least to me.

 

[msackey]

I will be retiring my iPhone X 256GB in 5 weeks, when I receive my new iPhone 14 Pro Max 512GB
It has been a good phone the only issue was the touch screen became unresponsive from time to time (Apple recall)
The replacement screen is now playing up, usually when I try to answer a call it doesn't swipe and the battery is now "Service" Maximum capacity 83%, not bad for 5 years of use.

That is a nice jump, from the X to 14 Pro Max! Jealous!

I think I have several more years with my 12 Pro, unless it decides to unexpectedly die. My Xs unexpectedly died during the early pandemic years and it made more financial sense to have the $300 repair cost go towards purchasing a new phone (the 12 Pro) instead. I think if my Xs were still working today, I'd have still kept it.

 

[maktaba]

Are there any who have Face ID? I still mis Touch ID but Face ID seems a bit more conevnient, at least to me.

How is Face ID more convenient? So you’re okay with looking at your phone and swiping up to access your home screen, rather than just pressing the home button, which you can do even with your phone still in your pocket?!

 

[bchery21]

Great phone. Will be replacement mine this Friday!

 

[mbdownunder]

How is Face ID more convenient? So you’re okay with looking at your phone and swiping up to access your home screen, rather than just pressing the home button, which you can do even with your phone still in your pocket?!

Maybe consider that it's a matter of personal preference. You like Touch ID, others like Face ID.

 

[Cmd-Z]

How is Face ID more convenient? So you’re okay with looking at your phone and swiping up to access your home screen, rather than just pressing the home button, which you can do even with your phone still in your pocket?!

Why would one need to unlock their phone while it is in their pocket? Just curious ...

 

[Bogstandard]

The Xs was what this phone was meant to be. The camera, the battery and the RAM made it underwhelming

Yes.
My X is still in use but at 61% battery.
I bought the XS the following year and use it daily as well.
At first, I did not see any advantage to the XS, plus I did not like the yellow cast to the display.
As the phones aged, though, the XS could take more advantage to new features.

 

[neuropsychguy]

This was released 5 years ago at $1000. The iPhone 14 Pro is $1000 even though inflation is up in the U.S. about 20% in that time. Apple partially keeps margins high by increasing services, which have high margins.

 

[infinitejest]

Still rocking mine as well!

Are you planning on upgrading soon?

 

[DanVM]

They were ahead of their time with FaceID.

Apple was ahead ahead in smartphones. MS was already using face recognition in the Surface Pro 4 with Windows Hello, and even before that in the Xbox 360 w Kinect.

 

[msackey]

How is Face ID more convenient? So you’re okay with looking at your phone and swiping up to access your home screen, rather than just pressing the home button, which you can do even with your phone still in your pocket?!

The convenience comes from not having to remove gloves during cold weather.

There have been many times during winter when with TouchID I'd had to partially remove my gloves in order to activate TouchID. If you live in a constant warm weather environment, you won't likely encounter this issue.

 

[alphaswift]

I’m still using it and have no complaints. It’s nice when the phone outlasts the cases I bought for it.

 

[BoboBobo2]

I'm still using mine and it works great! Though this may be the year I upgrade, mainly to get a better camera.

 

[Naraxus]

How is Face ID more convenient? So you’re okay with looking at your phone and swiping up to access your home screen, rather than just pressing the home button, which you can do even with your phone still in your pocket?!

It takes no more time to pull out my phone and Face ID it than it does to do it in my pocket via TID

 

[Menel]

STILL my daily driver.
Wonder when they will do something reevoluation again.

 

[Menel]

The only problem I ever had with my X was battery life, the 12 mini was not much better on that front but the 14 max I’ve ordered will be, just physically huge!

The X has the double cell, L shaped battery. Mine goes all day!

 

[M-5]

How is Face ID more convenient? So you’re okay with looking at your phone and swiping up to access your home screen, rather than just pressing the home button, which you can do even with your phone still in your pocket?!

Much of the time, Touch ID wouldn't work because your finger or the button needed to be wiped down. It never really worked if your finger was slightly wet. Further, Face ID is more secure. It also works well while wearing masks if you have an Apple Watch.

I'm surprised that it has been half a decade, and I can't think of any other company who has offered a viable alternative. Samsung's try doesn't come close.

 

[Menel]

That first batch of them was horrendous: horrible tint shift on the screen (most of them were outrageously pink) and very weak Intel modem. I was lucky enough to have been able to talk an Apple store manager who let me swap it for an unlocked version with Qualcomm a month later. That phone was much better and the screen didn’t exhibit any tint shift issues whatsoever. Many people were in the same boat as well.

Only for the cheapened ATT specific models.

If you had one for a real carrier, or a global edition, you got the good Qualcomm.

 

[Menel]

Are you planning on upgrading soon?

I was this year, but since the 14 is a flop without either USBC, nor WIFI 6E, and an expanded island that encroaches into the screen even more than the notch did... It's still just not very enticing.