Forum sites like this have a tendency to lean to the negative. It's natural; people that are upset or disappointed are more motivated to share their frustrations, while people that are happy have a tendency to be happy quietly. I wanted to share my positive perspective, which I imagine is shared by many, in an effort to show that, contrary to what one might infer if all they read were macrumors forums, this phone is not a notch-infested, buggy, unstable money sink. It's actually quite incredible.
I got my 256GB Silver X early launch morning. For reference, I've upgraded every year since the original (original iPhone, 3G (white), 3GS (white), 4 (black), 4S (black), 5 (grey), 5S (grey), 6 Plus (grey) 6S Plus (grey), 7 Plus (matte black), X (silver)).
In no particular order:
FaceID works faster and better than I thought it would and I love it
Once you get past the instinct of waiting for the padlock animation to happen before you swipe up (ie. you swipe up as soon as the screen lights up), FaceID is very fast and can even rival TouchIDv2 at times.
It's integrated throughout the system. Here, it surpasses TouchID. Opening my banking/investment apps is now seamless -- FaceID auto-authenticates without me having to do a thing. iTunes/App Store purchases, same thing. If an app/site is asking for a username/password that's in your keychain, FaceID will auto-authenticate and fill in the blanks for you. The auto-screen-lock functionality will not auto-lock the screen if you are actively looking at the screen (this is so nice). When your alarm goes off, once the phone detects you looking at the screen, it will still prompt you for snooze/stop, but it will dramatically quiet the alarm sound (a nice touch).
My polarized Maui Jim sunglasses don't interfere with FaceID. Neither does full sun, partial sun/shade, shifting sun/shade (eg. in a moving vehicle), etc.
The all-screen OLED display is a thing of magnificent beauty
No other device in the world has this display. There are other devices that have OLED, of course, but this specific screen was custom made according to Apple's specifications and has dramatically reduced off-axis blue-shift, burn-in, etc. It's also the brightest full screen OLED display. (see: https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/06/displaymate-iphone-x-display/ : "iPhone X matched or set new smartphone display records in the following categories: highest absolute color accuracy, highest full screen brightness for OLED smartphones, highest full screen contrast rating in ambient light, and highest contrast ratio. It also had the lowest screen reflectance and smallest brightness variation with a viewing angle.")
The X has double the touch sample rate (120hz vs 60hz) of the other iPhone models. This means it reacts faster and smoother to your touch. It adds to the silkiness of the interface in a subtle, under-the-covers way that simply makes it feel more premium.
The enhanced resolution, the amazing OLED display (with the true black that only 'off' pixels can provide), the all-screen immersion ... it's an entirely different user experience.
Color/Design
Up until a week ago, the matte black of the 7-era phones was hands down my favorite color/look for an iPhone. Of course this is subjective. The Silver X rivals it, IMO. It's sleek, sexy, and classy. I love looking at it and it's a joy to hold. (I never put cases on my phones)
Gesture-based interaction
Taking away the button and the huge chin/forehead of the iPhone has made this, at least for me, the most 'personal' feeling interface. Everything is a smooth, organic set of gestures that aren't interrupted by clicking off the screen somewhere. It's a nuanced difference, to be sure, but one I find myself enjoying tremendously.
Improved optics/camera
OIS on both rear cameras? Portrait mode on the front camera? On top of all the other improvements that went into this year's batch of iPhones? Sensational photos and videos are the result.
This reviewer, https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/31/review-the-iphone-x-goes-to-disneyland/, who has in the past taken new iPhone models for a day at Disneyland to put the phone through it's paces the way we all would, and take the kinds of pics we'd all end up taking, found the X to be much improved over the 7, with even noticeable improvements over the 8/8Plus. I take a lot of pictures and videos and can likewise appreciate this bump in specs and functionality.
Wireless Charging
Yes, I know other manufacturers have had this for a long time and the 8/8Plus have it as well. That doesn't detract from the added convenience of being able to wirelessly charge my X. Not having to worry about grabbing the cable, plugging it in ... and then unplugging it when I want to leave my desk is a quality-of-life issue I didn't realize I'd enjoy so much.
So, a week into it and I'm still loving this phone as much as the day I bought it. It's gorgeous in design, the display is amazing, and the tech behind FaceID and the all-gesture interface is spot on.
Bravo, Apple.
I got my 256GB Silver X early launch morning. For reference, I've upgraded every year since the original (original iPhone, 3G (white), 3GS (white), 4 (black), 4S (black), 5 (grey), 5S (grey), 6 Plus (grey) 6S Plus (grey), 7 Plus (matte black), X (silver)).
A week into it and this phone is still amazing.
In no particular order:
FaceID works faster and better than I thought it would and I love it
Once you get past the instinct of waiting for the padlock animation to happen before you swipe up (ie. you swipe up as soon as the screen lights up), FaceID is very fast and can even rival TouchIDv2 at times.
It's integrated throughout the system. Here, it surpasses TouchID. Opening my banking/investment apps is now seamless -- FaceID auto-authenticates without me having to do a thing. iTunes/App Store purchases, same thing. If an app/site is asking for a username/password that's in your keychain, FaceID will auto-authenticate and fill in the blanks for you. The auto-screen-lock functionality will not auto-lock the screen if you are actively looking at the screen (this is so nice). When your alarm goes off, once the phone detects you looking at the screen, it will still prompt you for snooze/stop, but it will dramatically quiet the alarm sound (a nice touch).
My polarized Maui Jim sunglasses don't interfere with FaceID. Neither does full sun, partial sun/shade, shifting sun/shade (eg. in a moving vehicle), etc.
The all-screen OLED display is a thing of magnificent beauty
No other device in the world has this display. There are other devices that have OLED, of course, but this specific screen was custom made according to Apple's specifications and has dramatically reduced off-axis blue-shift, burn-in, etc. It's also the brightest full screen OLED display. (see: https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/06/displaymate-iphone-x-display/ : "iPhone X matched or set new smartphone display records in the following categories: highest absolute color accuracy, highest full screen brightness for OLED smartphones, highest full screen contrast rating in ambient light, and highest contrast ratio. It also had the lowest screen reflectance and smallest brightness variation with a viewing angle.")
The X has double the touch sample rate (120hz vs 60hz) of the other iPhone models. This means it reacts faster and smoother to your touch. It adds to the silkiness of the interface in a subtle, under-the-covers way that simply makes it feel more premium.
The enhanced resolution, the amazing OLED display (with the true black that only 'off' pixels can provide), the all-screen immersion ... it's an entirely different user experience.
Color/Design
Up until a week ago, the matte black of the 7-era phones was hands down my favorite color/look for an iPhone. Of course this is subjective. The Silver X rivals it, IMO. It's sleek, sexy, and classy. I love looking at it and it's a joy to hold. (I never put cases on my phones)
Gesture-based interaction
Taking away the button and the huge chin/forehead of the iPhone has made this, at least for me, the most 'personal' feeling interface. Everything is a smooth, organic set of gestures that aren't interrupted by clicking off the screen somewhere. It's a nuanced difference, to be sure, but one I find myself enjoying tremendously.
Improved optics/camera
OIS on both rear cameras? Portrait mode on the front camera? On top of all the other improvements that went into this year's batch of iPhones? Sensational photos and videos are the result.
This reviewer, https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/31/review-the-iphone-x-goes-to-disneyland/, who has in the past taken new iPhone models for a day at Disneyland to put the phone through it's paces the way we all would, and take the kinds of pics we'd all end up taking, found the X to be much improved over the 7, with even noticeable improvements over the 8/8Plus. I take a lot of pictures and videos and can likewise appreciate this bump in specs and functionality.
Wireless Charging
Yes, I know other manufacturers have had this for a long time and the 8/8Plus have it as well. That doesn't detract from the added convenience of being able to wirelessly charge my X. Not having to worry about grabbing the cable, plugging it in ... and then unplugging it when I want to leave my desk is a quality-of-life issue I didn't realize I'd enjoy so much.
So, a week into it and I'm still loving this phone as much as the day I bought it. It's gorgeous in design, the display is amazing, and the tech behind FaceID and the all-gesture interface is spot on.
Bravo, Apple.
