Apple iPhone X

The Apple iPhone X is Apple's homage to the iPhone's tenth anniversary. The device has a rather revolutionary new design of which the front consists almost entirely of screen. Only at the top is a notch, although that's not done for nothing. Why exactly and what makes the iPhone X special is something we will explain below.

New type of screen

Apple revolutionized the smartphone market when it launched the very first iPhone in 2007. It was ridiculed by the market leaders of the time, but Apple was right in the end. It became a resounding success with huge sales numbers. The iPhone X, of which you pronounce the 'X' as 'ten', should be a kind of tribute to that very first iPhone. Somewhere we see that back on the edge around the device which is slightly rounder and thicker than its predecessor. It doesn't matter much because the screen is almost against it. There's no room for a home button, but more on that later. Because the bars above and below the screen have been removed, Apple has succeeded in placing a larger screen in a smaller phone. 5.8 inches to be precise and this time of the OLED type. Apple calls it Super Retina HD making it sharp, high-contrast and rich in color. The screen features new gestures to alleviate the lack of the home button. Swipe up to go to your apps, swipe up and hold to view your open apps and swipe down from the top right corner to open the updated Control Center are just a few examples. Apple's Super Retina HD display uses a variety of ambient light sensors to use the right white balance - something they call True Tone. That should give you a more pleasing picture. It's also good to know that the screen supports HDR, HDR10, and Dolby Vision so you can play video content in that format. Colors should appear more natural.

Main Apple iPhone X specifications

• New 5,8-inch large borderless OLED screen
• Unlocking with secure Face ID face recognition
• Double stabilized 12 megapixel cameras with new features
• Portrait mode now works via 7 MP selfiecam
• Fast mobile internet via 4G (LTE Advanced)
• Available in 64 and 256GB of storage
• Water- and dust-resistant IP67 rated enclosure with wireless charging
• Powerful hexacore processor (Apple A11 Bionic) has desktop class performance

No fingerprint recognition but Face ID

As said, no home button in the iPhone X and therefore no more fingerprint recognition. Apple has come up with a whole new way to unlock your iPhone. Simply by looking at it. This is called Face ID and for this Apple uses the TrueDepth camera at the top of the notch. This projects 30,000 points on your face and reads them out with an infrared camera. Even in the dark because there is also a Flood Illuminator that emits invisible infrared light. According to Apple, Face ID is much more reliable than Touch ID that works with fingerprint recognition. You don't have to worry if you're wearing a cap or glasses, or if you're growing a birth. Just tap the screen, look at your iPhone X with your eyes open, and swipe up. You can also make payments using Apple Pay this way. The front-facing selfie camera can also work with the TrueDepth camera to create and send animated emoji, for example.

Play with the exposure

Just like iPhone Plus variants, the iPhone X will have a double camera on the back which this time is placed vertically. Both cameras are this time optically stabilized so you can shoot sharper pictures, even in the dark. By using two cameras it is possible to zoom in without loss of quality, even after shooting your photo. The processing power of the new A11 Bionic processor and its own Image Signal Processor automatically selects the best settings based on your environment. So the best photo in every situation. A new feature is Portrait Lighting, where you can simulate the exposure of a portrait photo as if you were in a studio. This is an extension of the Portrait mode introduced by Apple in iOS 11 that lets you blur the background. Handy about the Apple iPhone X is that the Portrait mode and therefore the new Portrait Lighting this time also works via the selfie camera. Selfies will probably be a lot better and more creative on it.

Wireless charging for a price

Finally, let's get back to the look of the iPhone X. We talked about the new screen that covers almost the entire front. On the back we now also find glass, according to Apple "the most solid glass ever in a smartphone". So we hope it doesn't break soon. Both sheets of glass are held firmly together by a stainless steel rim. This is so tight that the iPhone X is still splash, water and dust proof. Apple itself keeps it at IP67 so it has to survive a rainstorm or a splash of water. Still, we do not recommend swimming with it. The new glass back is not only for the beautiful effect, the iPhone X can also be charged wirelessly. The Apple iPhone X is suitable for any Qi charger, which is a well-known standard by now. From 2018 Apple will also come with its own charging accessory called AirPower. This is a mat on which, in addition to an iPhone X, you can also charge an Apple Watch and possibly AirPods. For Apple's new iPhone X, you need to get a lot of money in your pocket. It's Apple's first iPhone with starting prices above a thousand euros.