To buy or not to buy: First impressions of iPhoneX
What's the story
The iPhone X just got released on 3rd November, and we look at some of the first impressions of the phone.
Despite some shortcomings, the iPhone X has proved its mettle and comes across as a new experience, albeit in its own way.
With several features, especially the Face ID, making the iPhone X experience a seamless one, fans have little to complain about.
Home button
A gesture makes up for absence of the Home button
One of the biggest changes from earlier models of the iPhone is that the iPhone X has no home button.
Instead, Apple has introduced a new gesture which allows a user to swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Home screen.
This gives the user a similar multitasking experience to the four-finger gesture in the iPad.
OLED screen
The iPhone X's OLED screen isn't a marked improvement
The iPhone X's OLED display didn't seem particularly impressive initially.
However, once the phone starts up, one can notice differences between earlier iPhone displays and the iPhone X's.
The blacks are deeper, the colors more vibrant, and this becomes especially pronounced when one changes a wallpaper.
However, there are issues like screen burn-in, but Apple provides online support for the same.
Size
The size of the iPhone has some disadvantages
The iPhone X is taller than the earlier iPhones, and sports a size of 5.8 inches.
The size makes the phone somewhat unfriendly to predominantly one-handed users.
There has also been a distortion in the size of the keyboard - something which takes some getting used to.
Meanwhile, there are rumors of a new, 6-inch iPhone X coming out next year.
Wireless charging
The first iPhones to have wireless charging
Despite Apple's initial aversion to wireless charging technology, iPhone 8 and the iPhone X are the first iPhones to feature Qi-based inductive wireless charging.
However, with several smartphone manufacturers already using wireless charging, Apple is pretty late to the party.
Regardless, the shift to wireless charging is welcome a change.
Face ID
Users report Face ID to be nearly perfect
Despite Apple's botched-up demo during the iPhone X launch, users have reported the Face ID feature to be nearly perfect.
The Face ID setup process is similar to the simple Touch ID setup. However, it is recommended that users set up Face ID in natural light conditions for better detection.
The integration of Face ID with other app logins has also streamlined phone usage.
Cover?
Whether to use a cover for the iPhone X
Although the iPhone X is a beautiful phone out-of-the-box, a phone case and tempered glass are recommended.
The iPhone 8 and the iPhone X have the same glass, and going by the iPhone 8 experience, the glass accumulates a lot of scratches with prolonged use.
Hence, even if the iPhone X's beautiful design gets partly covered, use of covers and screens is recommended.