Apple iPhone X Design, Release Date, Price: Everything You Need To Know

The iPhone X — pronounced “ten” — has finally arrived, and it confirms everything the rumors and leaks said about it. The edge-to-edge design aims to rival the Galaxy S8, and its technology upgrades aim to set the path for future smartphones in the next decade.

iPhone X Design Looks Sleek

The leaks and prototypes we’ve previously seen turned out to be legit. The iPhone X sports a glass panel on the back built with a stainless steel frame. The display dissolves seamlessly into the chassis, making for a sleek-looking device.

Apple introduces its new Super Retina display with 2436 x 1125 resolution with over 2.7 million pixels. This new technology boasts brightness, wide color support, and color accuracy on top of the traditional OLED display features, such as great contrast, high resolution, and thinness.

The edge-to-edge display is made possible by ditching the home button. For the front peripherals, there is a small area at the top that houses the camera and sensors. At the back, there is a dual-camera set-up that’s positioned vertically to better support augmented reality features. It’s where you would also expect a dedicated Touch ID sensor, as in the case of the Galaxy S8, but there is none. The presentation didn’t mention Touch ID, which leads us to conclude that the all-new facial recognition system is what Apple has replaced the fingerprint scanner with.

iPhone X Introduces Revolutionary Facial Scanning

The iPhone X, in the words of Phil Schiller, is water- and dust-resistant at a microscopic level. There’s no IP68 certification as usual, as Apple doesn’t mind going through the process of getting their phones certified. However, what really stood out from the presentation is the new facial recognition system.

The technology makes use of floor illuminator, dot projector, infrared camera, and TrueDepth camera system to create a mathematical model of the user’s face. Once a face is registered on the phone, you can unlock the iPhone X just by looking at it.

The best thing about it is it maps your face accurately so that you can change your hairstyle, wear a hat, or wear glasses and still be able to log into your phone. It takes into account your facial changes through time, so you can also grow a beard without needing to update. It also works great in low-light settings so you can use it day or night.

The facial recognition system is smart and secure enough to recognize a photograph from a real face. It is also more secure than Touch ID. In fingerprint scanning, there’s a one in 50,000 chance that a random person can unlock your phone with his fingerprint. Whereas in facial scanning, there’s a one in 1,000,000 chance that a random person can unlock your phone with his face.

Facial scanning currently works with Apple Pay and some third party apps. Another use it has is for Animojis, which is short for animated emojis. The system maps your face and projects it to your chosen emoji. It can track 50 facial muscle movements, so your emojis can look alive. You can send a video to have an emoji talking to your recipient, or you can use it to react to messages.

New iPhone X Features Make Your Life Easier And Better

Wireless charging has finally come to iPhone X. With Qi Wireless Charging standard, you can simply place your phone on a wireless pad to start charging your phone — no need for cables. Apple has also developed its own, called AirPower. It’s a wide pad that’s able to charge your iPhone X, your Apple Watch, and your AirPods through its wireless case all at once. You can even see the battery status of all these devices on the iPhone.

The cameras are also significantly improved from the previous generations. The 12-megapixel dual cameras are a combination of f/1.8 aperture wide angle lens and f/2.8 aperture telephoto lens. With new color filters and deeper pixels, you can shoot photos and videos at a higher quality than before.

A new feature called Portrait Lighting was also introduced. It intelligently analyzes the photo in real-time as you take the picture and adjusts the lighting on the subject’s face, making for a photograph that looks like it was taken by a professional. You can also take selfies using this feature using the TrueDepth front camera.

The dual cameras have a gyroscope and accelerometer. The iPhone X, like the new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, are tuned for AR capabilities, which means you get a better experience out of AR than in ordinary phones. Through the ARKit by Apple, developers have produced a variety of apps that can help you make more sense out of your surroundings. You can use AR to get details of players on the field or scan the sky for constellations.

iPhone X Release Date, Price

While consumers will be able to pre-order the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus this Friday, those interested on the iPhone X will have to wait until October 27, the Guardian reports. Shipments will then begin on November 3. It is available in Space Gray and Silver colors and in two storage options: 64GB and 256GB. Prepare to spend at least $999 if you want it.

[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]