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21 September 2017

11 things you need to know about Apple's amazing new iPhone X

Apple has finally pulled back the curtain on the iPhone X, and golly - it's a bit of a departure from the norm, isn't it? With drool-worthy hardware, a new take on iOS 11, and some face-friendly animated emoji that look like a right laugh, it’s surely shot straight to the top of many an Apple fan's wish list.

But what are the standout features, when will you be able to slip one in your pocket, and is it "iPhone X" or "iPhone 10"? Read on for everything you need to know.

Features of the upcoming iPhone X

1) IT'S PRONOUNCED "IPHONE 10"
No, we're afraid X doesn't mark the spot - don't you remember your roman numerals from school?

The next iPhone is officially called the iPhone 10. It's just that X looks so much more fancy.

Apple has prior form with this, after all. Mac OS X was officially OS 10, so it's no surprise to see the iPhone follow suit.

Apple's IPHONE 10

2) IT'S ALMOST ALL SCREEN
Well it's about time. The iPhone X finally sees Apple join the bezel-free-screen brigade, with its 5.8in display filling almost the entire front of the phone.

Rounded edges bleed right into the bezel - which is made of water-resistant, surgical-grade stainless steel - while that notch at the top leaves room for the front camera and speaker.

The trade-off? No home button or TouchID. Good job there's something better to replace it, then...

3) HELLO HDR
With an eye-popping 2436 x 1125 resolution and pixel density of 458ppi, Apple calls the iPhone X screen its first "Super Retina" display.

All of Apple's trademark tech shows up here, including 3D touch and True Tone: the temperature-adjusting wizardry which used to be limited to the iPad Pro.

More firsts? The switch to OLED, which should deliver impeccable contrast, unbelieveable black levels and vivid colours, and the inclusion of HDR for the ultimate streaming experience.

4) FACEID REPLACES TOUCHID
With no home button any more, the iPhone X might seem a little lax on security - but that's because you don't need to press anything at all any more.

Instead of TouchID, you get FaceID, which uses a new ‘TrueDepth’ front-facing camera setup to track your mug and unlock the phone whenever you look at it.

There's a main 7MP camera, secondary infra-red camera, dot projector for mapping thousands of individual points around your face, and a flood illuminator for accurate tracking when you're in the dark.

5) ANIMOJIS ARE COMING TO TAKE OVER YOUR CHAT
All that accurate face tracking serves a second purpose – it makes it possible to map your mug on to a cartoon poo!
Animojis are basically animated emojis that react to your facial expression, so you can gurn, scowl or laugh away and have the onscreen character do the exact same thing.

You can record a message and have a 3D-generated unicorn, chicken or alien read it out to your mates over iMessage, or pull a funny face and pose as a monkey, puppy or a rabbit to create custom static emoji.

Apple's IPHONE 10

6) DUAL CAMERAS ARE BACK AND MORE STABILISED THAN EVER
Like the iPhone 8 Plus, the iPhone X gets dual 12MP rear cameras - but as with almost everything on this phone, they’re better ones.

How so? Well the main wide angle snapper sticks with an f/1.8 aperture, but the telephoto gets an improved f/2.4 aperture that should give it a boost in low light.

Both sensors also get optical image stabilisation - a first for an iPhone - while an improved image processor should mean faster autofocus, more realistic HDR photos, and better pixel processing.

7) PORTRAIT LIGHTING WILL GIVE YOUR SELFIES A BOOST
Apple's Portrait mode already let you play pro photographer by blurring out background details, but the iPhone X should take an even better snap thanks to Portrait Lightning.

Pose for a photo and the dual cameras will create a real-time depth-map of the subject, using machine learning to recognise specific facial features. This will then be used to make a variety of lighting tweaks on the fly. The end result will be like having a pro in the room with you.

Throw in a quad-LED flash and you've got no excuse for a dodgy portrait ever again.

8) WIRELESS CHARGING IS FINALLY ON BOARD
Swapping out an aluminium unibody for a stainless-steel-and-glass sandwich opens the door for wireless charging, and Apple has duly slapped a Qi charging coil inside the X.

That means you'll be able to stick it down on just about any wireless charging plate out there for a top-up, without having to plug in a Lightning cable first.

As far as battery life goes, Apple is promising two more hours of use over the iPhone 7, so expect to get a whole day out it (unless you're a real selfie addict).

9) ARKIT IS HERE TO AUGMENT YOUR REALITY
OK, so the X ain't the only iPhone to get in on a bit of the augmented reality action, but you'd better believe that apps and games are going to pop a whole lot more on the edge-to-edge OLED display.

Everything has been designed to maximise the potential of AR, with cameras calibrated for better low-light performance, 60fps updating, and a new accelerometer and gyroscope for better motion tracking.

10) IT'LL ARRIVE IN NOVEMBER, WITH LOTS OF STORAGE
Don't expect to waltz into an Apple store in two weeks when the iPhone 8 arrives and pick up an X - it's coming a little later down the line.

Pre-orders go up on the 27th of October, in a choice of two colours: Silver or Space Grey. You'll have a choice of storage sizes too, with 64GB and 256GB flavours available. That's double what you got from the entry-level iPhone 7 and 7 Plus last year.

11) IT'S THE MOST EXPENSIVE IPHONE EVER
So it’s all great, then? Well it is until you check out the price tags...

The basic 64GB model will set you back an eye-watering £999/$999. That's right: £999. Nine hundred and ninety nine of your precious pounds/dollars.

If you want to step up to the 256GB version? That'll be £1149/$1149, thank you very much. If you need us, we'll be weeping into our wallets.

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