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iPhone X review: A very expensive peek into Apple's future

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/12/01/iphone.jpg"/><figcaption>An iPhone X is seen on a large video screen in the new Apple Visitor Center in Cupertino, California, US, November 17, 2017. <em>Elijah Nouvelage, Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Apple offers its best camera, screen and software yet on the iPhone X, but in a very expensive shell that feels small and unfinished compared to the Android competition.</p><p>California-based Apple likes to market its products with consumer-accessible terms that hide the fact that the competition has been offering it for years, and the tenth anniversary iPhone is no different.</p><p>The &quot;super retina&quot; display is actually OLED, the same technology used in Samsung&#x27;s Galaxy and Note lines. But this doesn&#x27;t mean that the screen is no less vibrant.</p><p>The deeper reds and blacks are immediately noticeable on the X if you&#x27;re coming from an older iPhone. Text is also sharper and the screen is brighter, even at under 50 percent brightness.</p><p>On paper, the near bezel-less 5.8-inch screen is larger than the 5.5-inch iPhone Plus line, but it seems smaller because most content shot on 16:9 get cropped on the X&#x27;s slimmer and taller screen with a 18:9 aspect ratio.</p><p>It&#x27;s a change that brings to mind the jump from the iPhone 4s to the taller 5, the first iPhone Apple released after the death of its visionary founder, Steve Jobs.</p><p>The X is bigger than the 8, but is dwarfed by the Galaxy S8 Plus, the Galaxy Note 8, even Google&#x27;s Pixel 2 XL.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/27/17/pixel-2-xl-review-is-google-the-new-apple">Pixel 2 XL review: Is Google the new Apple?</a></li></ul><div><strong>WHAT&#x27;S IT LIKE TO USE</strong></div><p>The biggest change comes when you try to exit an app. Without the home button, a trademark feature since the first iPhone in 2007, users need to swipe up from the bottom of the screen to call up the home screen.</p><p>A swipe to the right on the bottom of the screen activates the app switcher. This used to require a quick double tap of the home button.</p><p>A swipe down from the top right summons the control center with WiFi, Bluetooth, mobile data and music controls while a swipe down from the left brings back the lock screen with notifications.</p><p>The purely swipe-based interface is jarring at first, but it&#x27;s not that hard to get used to. It&#x27;s actually similar to the ill-fated Blackberry 10 operating system.</p><p>The notch on the top of the screen, which houses the front facing camera and face-mapping sensors, is polarizing. You get used to it after a while but becomes a nuisance when watching videos on landscape, like the Avengers: Infinity War trailer.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/12/01/x-ironman.jpg"/><figcaption>The iPhone X display is shown in this photo. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Face ID was spotty in our tests. It worked in good lighting, even with eyeglasses on, but not in the dark, or when lying in bed.</p><p>The novelty of the animoji, where on-screen animations mimic the user&#x27;s facial expressions, disappears quickly, much like the live messaging feature on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/30/17/iphone-x-brings-face-recognition-and-fears-to-the-masses">iPhone X brings face recognition (and fears) to the masses</a></li></ul><p>The camera is the best yet on the iPhone producing images with vivid colors while sticking close to the subject, unlike Samsung cameras that tend to oversaturate colors.</p><p>The simulated lighting effects on portrait mode are clearly in beta and in our tests didn&#x27;t work well when the lighting was either too bright or too dark. The feature is available on both the front and back cameras on the X.</p><p>Battery life is better that the non-plus iPhone, enough to last the entire the day with moderate to heavy usage, but definitely not at par with the Plus variant.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/05/17/pixel-2-beats-iphone-8-plus-galaxy-note-8-in-camera-fight-reviews">Pixel 2 beats iPhone 8 Plus, Galaxy Note 8 in camera fight: reviews</a></li></ul><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/12/01/x-test-6.jpg"/><figcaption>A test shot on the iPhone X. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/12/01/x-test-5.jpg"/><figcaption>A test shot on the iPhone X. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/12/01/x-test-4.jpg"/><figcaption>A test shot on the iPhone X. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/12/01/x-test-3.jpg"/><figcaption>A test shot on the iPhone X. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/12/01/x-test-2.jpg"/><figcaption>A test shot on the iPhone X. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/12/01/x-test-1.jpg"/><figcaption>A test shot on the iPhone X. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>CONCLUSION</strong></div><p>The iPhone X is a big leap in design and features compared to the &amp; line.</p><p>It has a gorgeous screen, unlocks with a glance, charges wirelessly and takes professional-looking photos.</p><p>But these features have been available for years on Google-powered phones. And with Chinese manufacturers cramming the most features at the lowest possible price, the X&#x27;s asking price of P64,490 seems outrageous.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/17/17/huawei-bets-on-ai-phone-in-challenge-to-apple-samsung">Huawei bets on AI phone in challenge to Apple, Samsung</a></li>	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/09/13/17/6-iphone-x-alternatives-that-dont-cost-1000">6 iPhone X alternatives that don&#x27;t cost $1,000 </a></li></ul><p>The price, however, will not be much of a concern for Apple fans, as grey market units have sold for P90,000 ahead of the official Philippine release on Friday.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/03/17/iphone-x-sells-for-p90000-in-ph-gray-market">iPhone X sells for P90,000 in PH gray market</a></li></ul><p>At P51,490 for the 64GB model, the iPhone 8 Plus packs the same technology and with the familiar home button and appears to be the smarter upgrade if you are deep in the iOS ecosystem.</p><p>The iPhone 7 Plus, which starts at P42,990 is an even better buy if you can live with last year&#x27;s technology.</p><p>Apple is reportedly planning a bigger iPhone X successor in 2018, which will hopefully see a better placement of the front sensors and more intuitive swipe gestures.</p><p>In many ways, the iPhone X feels like a device to tide people over until Apple finds a way to cram all its a tech in a larger body. But that will also likely supersize the price.</p>

<p>Two things are inescapable when talking about Apple's iPhone X: it's record price tag and the polarizing notch on the top of the display.</p>

Two things are inescapable when talking about Apple's iPhone X: it's record price tag and the polarizing notch on the top of the display.