it will feel like it's larger. Apple trickery at it's best.
i too think the X will
feel larger than the Plus.. however, i'm not quite sure i'd say it's because of 'trickery'.. it's just smarter and/or more efficient&optimized space planning.
a few examples to illustrate:
say you're faced with choosing one of the following two bedrooms:
..they're both the same size.. the one on the left is a rectangle and the one on the right is the same rectangle except 1' has been removed from the length and this area was reshaped/relocated to form a nook or closet.
which one do you pick?
which one is the better use of space?
with the rectangle, all of your objects will need to be contained within a single active space.. the other one is more functional as there's now a dedicated area for less active but still necessary elements (clothes/shoes/book shelf/etc)
with the iPhone X, something similar is happening as there are now nooks to contain things like time/signal strength/battery/etc.. they no longer need to share space with the otherwise active area.. in this regard, the X is more organized than the rectangular screen..
further, on a rectangular screen (plus), the whole top of the screen is dedicated as a 'closet' which houses the status info.. then there is another section above that (the top bezel) which contains the speaker and camera.. on the X, these two stagnant areas have been condensed into one row.. time/battery/signal status/camera/speaker/microphone/trueDepth sensors... all of that.. has been condensed into a thin strip along the top of the phone.. on the plus, it's taking about 6or7 of those strips to do the same (well, less) functions..
the top of the X (ie- the part with the notch), is superior* use of space over the plus in regards to space efficiency and organization.. again, not 'trickery'.. just smart planning
(* and yes, it's soo much better in these regards that i'll be so bold as to call it 'superior'.. it's a fact and not arguable)
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also, i feel like many people look at the X layout and think this is what happened:
they feel Apple started with a rectangle:
....then they chopped off the corners:
... then they cut a notch out of the display.. which leaves us with a hacked up version of what should of stayed as the original rectangle:
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..but what they really did is more like this:
started with a smaller rectangle then appended more screen.. something like:
in regards to iPhone8+ comparison and/or an evolution of iPhone design (meaning, it's still roughly an iPhone-- thin slab of glass and metal with a rounded rectangular shape).. it would look something like:
turning into this:
and further, it's less of a 'dumb' rectangle and more of functional layout (in the context of the bedroom example)